Someone sent me an email with a link to an article whose title was so intriguing, I was eager to read the piece: "The psychedelic drug that could explain our belief in life after death."
DMT (Dimethyltryptamine) is the most powerful hallucinogenic drug around. The class A psychedelic is so potent that under the 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances its manufacture is strictly for scientific research and medical use and any international trade is very closely monitored. But it also naturally occurs in the human body.
Now a Senior Psychologist at Greenwich University, Dr. David Luke, is trying to undercover a link between DMT and 'near death experiences' to explain elves, tunnels of light and centuries old folklore. On July 8th he’ll talk about his research at an event in conjunction with SciArt collaboration Art Necro at The Book Club in London.
I'd heard of DMT before, having quoted Sam Harris in a post about Eben Alexander's ridiculous claim that while in a coma, supposedly with no brain activity, he experienced heaven. I called the post "Heaven is NOT real, no matter what Eben Alexander says." Harris said:
...Everything that Alexander describes here and in his Newsweek article, including the parts I have left out, has been reported by DMT users. The similarity is uncanny.
...Does Alexander know that DMT already exists in the brain as a neurotransmitter? Did his brain experience a surge of DMT release during his coma? This is pure speculation, of course, but it is a far more credible hypothesis than that his cortex “shut down,” freeing his soul to travel to another dimension.
Anyway, the article about research into DMT is well worth reading. Back in my college days I used LSD and mescaline. I had some profound experiences, but nothing like what DMT can produce.
A pioneering medical doctor in the 1990’s called Rick Strassman , started injecting people with DMT as part of a medical research project. About 50 to 60 participants were given high doses and they reported some extremely bizarre phenomena.
Approximately half of the participants on a high dose reported being in other worlds and encountering sentient entities, i.e. beings of an intelligent nature which appeared to be other than themselves. The experience was so powerful that participants were convinced of the reality of experience with these other beings.
...The beings themselves took on various forms. Sometimes they took on the form of little elves or imps or dwarves, sometimes they’re omniscient deities, other times they’re angelic beings. But they’re specifically not humans.
Well, the brain/mind works in mysterious ways.
No one knows why ingesting a chemical that the brain produces on its own causes people from different backgrounds and cultures to have similar experiences of sentient beings. But since this phenomenon has a physical cause, it's difficult to argue that DMT is a passport to a supernatural reality.
Brian, DMT spirit molecule Netflix.
Posted by: Steve | July 03, 2015 at 11:06 PM
Terence McKenna was the foremost expositor of the profound effects of DMT. He died of brain cancer in 2000.
Posted by: Willie R. | July 04, 2015 at 07:55 AM
since this phenomenon has a physical cause, it's difficult to argue that DMT is a passport to a supernatural reality.
That's like saying, "Because I turned on the switch, the bulb lit up".
The bulb lit up because all the conditions for that event were in place, dependent only on the spark of commencement. That spark can come from any source, by any means, deliberate or random. It's like fire. Does it matter who or what ignites the pile of highly flammable material?
Elves, demons, fairies, aliens and whatever are undoubtedly mythical, but they represent what we don't yet know or understand well enough to refer to in more scientific terminology.
When you're in over your head (as on DMT), you have nothing to refer to but myth to describe the experience.
Posted by: x | July 04, 2015 at 08:47 PM
Mister X
Wow about the bulb !
There is also the fantastic pianist and the cat running on the keys :-)
Yes we have chakras, and yes like uric acid slows them
there are many ways
to make one crazy or very sick
777
Posted by: 777 | July 05, 2015 at 02:35 PM
DMT is ok but the level of consciousness goes left instead of up. Spiritual meditation takes the consciousness up, but you must make the mind still. It's infinitely better than DMT could ever dream of being.
Posted by: blah_blah | July 17, 2015 at 04:22 PM
-
DMT and SRSI molecules
One can very well compare as heavy hammers on the consciousness
while this needs "fingerspitzingefuehl" say nano grams
no need to proof that SRSI medications KILL all empathy
google
SRSI+school+schootings
and as for DMT
a better conclusion is that these very deep in the brain placed DMT sensible neuro receptors
HAVE A MEANING
a function : . . . when all thinking stops.
777
like
There are 2 methods to conquer a country f.i. Iraq
Send a million soldiers and start the massacre
or a have a serious love affair with Saddam's daughter :)
Posted by: 777 | July 18, 2015 at 11:41 AM
Brian,
As an initiate of Radha Soami Beas for 25+ years, with all those years of meditation under my belt, with "success" as it's known as in RS Meditation, a couple three years ago, DMT came across my path and I became curious. I hadn't done drugs since my early 20's and now much older, for some reason, I needed to compare my years of Meditation experiences to a DMT experience. So I read up, studied and then said, as any good scientist would do, lets do a side by side comparison. And holy shit, DMT literally blew my mind! But in the most amazing way. The visuals, the sounds, the different layers of what i believed to be of my consciousness. "I" felt there were "others" within communicating/talking to me in the shadows without showing their faces. I felt extremely peaceful. After the initial, "what the fuck am I doing" moment, it was just awe. "IT" lasted 10-15 minutes but you lost track of time and feel like you've peeled back the onion layers on your mind. After that time frame, you come back to your senses fully relaxed, calm and tho you seem to be still put together the same, you're not quite the same. For me, I felt great! Glad I did it. (Ended up doing it another time, another strain) to see again. Remember, DMT calls you, not the other way around- I get that-it's not for everyone. But for weeks prior to my first experience, I made sure I ate better/healthier, worked out more and meditated more....Side note: (partially thru the first experience, I began to do Simran (to see what happens) and then watched the colors and sound change in an instant. I'm not recommending this drug to anyone, but for me, I was very glad I could try it, especially now and not in my 20's. I do enjoy my RS meditation, but I look at it as something for pleasure and calm and not with an end goal. My view of the world has changed, but I believe it's because the eyes and intent behind the viewing has dramatically changed. I would say when comparing the two, DMT is Rocket fuel, forceful, but not straight up, where Meditation is a slower accelerator going up. Both are very peaceful, both are visual and full of their own sounds and colors. DMT is right now! Bam! Meditation is slightly slower but full of benefits also (with the correct intention). I wanted to share this to let you know, this most incredible hallucinogenic is being done by the damnedest of people out there-- the need to pull the trigger again on DMT is minimum. I've already picked up the phone and got my answer! If DMT is being considered, it needs to be honored and respected, there is much to learn from a DMT trip. Be prepared! Hope some of this made sense to someone out there!!! Peace-
Posted by: James | July 23, 2015 at 09:04 PM
James, thanks for sharing your DMT experiences. Fascinating. They sound delightful. Your inquiring state of mind and preparation for taking DMT probably aided in that. I enjoyed your "side by side" comparison of meditation and DMT. Apt analogy, the mention of Rocket Fuel. That's pretty much how I view psychedelics also.
Posted by: Brian Hines | July 24, 2015 at 11:06 AM
If DMT makes known the existence of alien beings while tripping, you might want to look up how aliens are demons. Plenty of evidence for this.
Posted by: David R | July 25, 2015 at 09:38 AM
DMT is right now! Bam!
Wow! Holy cow! Gee whiz!
If DMT makes known the existence of alien beings while tripping, you might want to look up how aliens are demons
Oh shit...bummer...
DMT is ok but the level of consciousness goes left instead of up
Huh?
Posted by: x | July 25, 2015 at 10:17 PM
X,
Not trying to get into any debate here. I'm only here to give a perspective of an older RS mediator's experience who has taken DMT. If one has done their RS meditation and compared it to a true/deep DMT experience, you can feel, observe very similar experiences (up to a certain point), then you will realize the fork in the road and "go with the flow". To say these aliens are in fact demons is like explaining the taste of Sugar with out ever having it or explaining Sant Mat by looking at the cover of a Sant Mat book. It's all about the experience. Not friends experience, not family experience, but your own. I can only talk on that. TO ME and my "attitude" with DMT was to just be receptive without any agenda-"THEY" (entities within), reacted to just that. That's all.To me, it's just that simple. I don't know why I had to speak again but I did. Peace to all in their spiritual endeavors.
Posted by: James | July 26, 2015 at 08:49 AM
To say that these aliens are not demons is what they want you to believe and the biggest UFOlogists have come to the exact conclusion that they are demonic entities. It has nothing to do with not experiencing some alien creature while meditating and comparing that to not tasting sugar because I have indeed seen these beings while meditating. So you ought to use your sant mat telepathic powers to know this first without assuming it.
Notice how drugs are compared to meditation. That's a big giveaway.
Posted by: David R | July 26, 2015 at 10:56 AM