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A psychedelic substance is a psychoactive drug whose primary action is to alter cognition and perception.

Psychedelics are part of a wider class of psychoactive drugs known as hallucinogens, a class that also includes unrelated substances such as dissociatives and deliriants, but which are grouped together because of their ability to produce hallucinations ( as implied by the name ).

Unlike other drugs such as stimulants and opioids which induce familiar states of consciousness, psychedelics tend to affect and explore the mind in ways that result in the experience being qualitatively different from those of ordinary consciousness.

The psychedelic experience is often compared to non-ordinary forms of consciousness such as trance, meditation, yoga, and dreaming.