Do people of all cultures see insects, or is it just westerners on DMT?
For example, I've heard that schizophrenia manifests itself in different ways across cultures. Voices are almost always negative/destructive in western cultures, but often times take on playful manners in non-western cultures.
It is most prevalent among westerners writing fiction novels about alien praying mantis entities[1].
Jokes aside, as far as I know DMT is not the only compound that makes you see insects. For me, it kinda makes sense to interpret little 'irregularities' in your visual / tactile perceptions as, say, ants.
On the other hand, perhaps insects are ideal for (subconsciously) describing alien encounters. The mind has a good understanding about how insects look like (not like us), but it can barely imagine how it feels to be an insect.
For example, I've heard that schizophrenia manifests itself in different ways across cultures. Voices are almost always negative/destructive in western cultures, but often times take on playful manners in non-western cultures.