Psychedelic-Like Effects Without Drugs? A Surprising New Study (Educational Episode)
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Psychedelics are getting so much attention for healing right now, and I think one of the reasons we're so fascinated by them is their ability to give us access to parts of ourselves that can be difficult to reach through ordinary conscious thought.
People describe profound emotional experiences, unexpected insights, changes in their sense of self, and sometimes completely new perspectives on things they've struggled with for years.
But what if we could access some similar states without taking psychedelics at all?
A fascinating 2025 study on Regenerating Images in Memory (RIM), a body-centered emotional processing method developed by Dr. Deborah Sandella, found some surprising parallels between RIM and psychedelics.
Researchers measured participants' brain activity with EEG during RIM sessions and found patterns with similarities to those observed in psychedelic research. Participants also reported altered states of consciousness comparable in intensity to experiences reported in psychedelic studies, including changes in their sense of self, powerful positive emotions, profound meaning, and experiences that were difficult to put into words.
As someone who has experienced both psychedelics and RIM, I find this research especially fascinating. RIM has helped me access and heal some of the deepest emotional patterns in my own life, but my experiences with it have felt very different from taking psychedelics.
In this episode of The How of Healing, I'm exploring the psychedelic-like effects of RIM, what researchers discovered about the brain during RIM, and what this research might help us understand about accessing the deeper emotional material that can be so difficult to reach through conscious thought alone.
Episode timing:
00:00 - Psychedelic-Like Effects Without Drugs?
01:28 - What Is Regenerating Images in Memory (RIM)?
02:28 - RIM, Psychedelics & EEG Brain Activity
03:27 - Psychedelic-Like Experiences During RIM
04:23 - My Experience With Psychedelics vs. RIM
05:39 - Healing Deep Emotional Patterns With RIM
07:12 - RIM Study Findings: Anxiety, Depression & Stress
Regenerating Images in Memory Resources:
The Science of RIM Explained: Regenerating Images in Memory (RIM): What It Is + How It Works
What Is Regenerating Images in Memory (RIM)?
Regenerating Images in Memory® (RIM®) is a body-centered emotional processing method developed by Dr. Deborah Sandella that helps us heal old emotional wounds, process difficult emotions and memories, and change deeply rooted beliefs and patterns that may be operating beneath our conscious awareness.
RIM helps us connect with deeper parts of ourselves, including emotions, memories, beliefs, and protective patterns that are held in our bodies and operate beneath our conscious awareness. By accessing and processing these deeper layers of our experience, we can begin to heal old wounds and create lasting changes in how we feel, how we see ourselves, and how we respond to the world around us.
RIM is also my very favorite emotional processing tool, both because of how profoundly it's changed my own life and because of the healing I get to witness in my clients and students.
If you'd like to learn more, I recently created a full episode about Regenerating Images in Memory, including what RIM is, how it works, the science of memory reconsolidation, and how this method helped me heal my anxiety, quiet my inner critic, and change some of my deepest emotional patterns.
Listen to my full episode: Regenerating Images in Memory (RIM): What It Is + How It Works.
So what do you think of this fascinating research?
Have you had any deep shifts with either RIM or psychedelics? And what are you most curious about?
Please let me know in the comments!
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And please join me every Friday on this beautiful journey out of your head, and into your more embodied and authentic self. 🩷🩷🩷
Thanks so much for joining me today!
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About me
Hey, I’m Karena!
I’m a somatic emotional healing coach here to help you quickly identify and heal the subconscious blocks, old emotional wounds and self-sabotaging core beliefs that are holding you back!
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