DMT Articles Index

For ease of navigation around this Blog, I thought I would add an index post for the DMT articles, which have proven to be very popular, judging from my page view analysis page which demonstrates that many people across the world are interested in searching for articles on DMT. As I add more articles on this topic, I will update this index. Simply click on the titles below - articles will open in a new window. 

DMT (1) Science & Psychedelia 

DMT (2) Pineal DMT (Soma Pinolin) & the Third Eye 
 

DMT (3) - DMT & Dreaming

DMT (3) DMT & Dreaming

Iona Miller (2006), who describes herself as a ‘free radical’ and ‘multi-disciplinarian’ and bases much of her theory of DMT and dreaming on the work of Strassman, states that DMT is implicated in the wild imaginings of our nightly dreams; near-death phenomena (NDEs); alien abduction experiences; and dream yoga. It is also a source of visionary phenomena in therapy, such as unusual psychophysical states attained in waking dreams, shamanic or psychotherapeutic journeys. Synthetic and botanical DMT crosses the blood-brain barrier and bonds to the same synaptic sites as serotonin. These theories are backed by psychedelic chemist, Sasha Shulgin, who claims: “DMT is everywhere.”

Miller claims that each night in dreams we experience an essentially psychedelic state – again, corroborating Strassman’s theory. The principal difference between dreams and hallucinations is the way the stages of wakefulness are organised, with the suppression of REM sleep and the intrusion of PGO waves in the arousal (waking) stage and in NREM (or deep) sleep.

Miller cites the work of Sabom (1982), describing the stages as including: waking (arousal) stage, stage of PGO waves, hallucination stage, sleep stage and hallucinatory manifestations. The waking dream eliminates ‘residues’ stirred up by the PGO wave pattern in the absence of REM sleep. According to Sabom, these visions resemble those at the approach of death, or what are called near death experiences (NDEs). In another context, they are perceived as visions. They include the characteristics of two phases of NDEs:

1. The Autoscopic phase includes (a) subjective feeling of being dead; (b) peace and well-being; (c) disembodiment; (d) visions of material objects and events  
2. The Transcendental phase includes (a) tunnel or dark zone; (b) evaluation of one’s past life; (c) light; (d) access to a transcendental world, entering in light; (e) encounter with other beings; (f) return to life.

Researchers at the University of Berkley, California produced a paper, Visions produced by dreaming and entheogenic drugs, in which it is stated:

The striking similarity of entheogenic experiences to dream experiences tempts us to seek answers as to whether the benefits of dreaming are potentially linked to the benefits of entheogens. The molecular action of visions produced by dreaming is quite possibly very similar to visions produced by entheogenic drugs. Carefully designed research could lend great insight into the mystery of dreaming, the potential therapeutic value of entheogens, and the potential for neurochemical advances... Entheogenic drugs and dreams alike have a special place in the evolution of humankind and its value systems. Profound musical inspirations and scientific discoveries of the past century have even been inspired by them. Our ancestors religious views and values were influenced by their faith in visions communicated by entheogenic drugs and dreams. In an age of environmental destruction and moral erosion, the knowledge afforded by dream and entheogen induced visions could not be more valuable. Let us hope that our culture is fortunate enough to open our minds and build on the mysteries our ancestors have explored for ages.

Callaway (1988) at the School of Pharmacy at the University of California, released a research paper, entitled A proposed mechanism for the visions of dream sleep, which hypothesised that:

The visions of dream sleep are suggested to occur through a dream mechanism which implicates tryptamine derivatives as endogenous psychedelics. The hallucinations that occur in some schizophrenic syndromes are also proposed to occur through a similar, though desynchronized, mechanism. These compounds occur in the human pineal gland and are regarded as neurotransmitters or neuroregulators. A protocol for experimental verification is suggested.

The following information is my transcription of some British documentaries on dreaming.

In the course of an average night, we spend 20 – 25 years asleep. Some scientists believe that the function of sleep is to allow us to dream. In the 1950s, scientists working in the newly emerging discipline of sleep and dream research conducted experiments to measure the electrical activity generated by the sleeping brain. They soon realised that sleep was not a time when the brain remained dormant, but rather, went it goes through a series of transformations and changes in brain waves, as evidenced on EEG brain scan recordings. It was not until around 55 years ago that neuroscience began investigating sleep and dreaming.  American sleep scientist Nathan Kleitman undertook a series of experiments, measuring brain wave activity. It was Kleitman who first coined the phrase ‘REM sleep’ and linked this state to dreaming.

Stage 1 sleep occurs as we begin to lose consciousness and fall asleep. Stages 2 and 3 sleep are deeper, and after 20 minutes or so, we enter stage 4, which is the deepest level of sleep, known as ‘slow wave sleep’ due to the slow, rhythmic patterns of ‘delta’ brain waves. After 90 minutes, brain waves change again – frenetic, jerky movements are recorded on brain scans, indicating a burst of mental activity, as if the person is awake. This is REM sleep.  Periods of REM sleep emerge with clockwork precision – at 90 minute intervals, throughout the course of the period of sleep. When early dream researchers experimented with waking subjects during the various stages of sleep, they found that the REM periods corresponded with the subject dreaming. Dream researchers rely heavily on waking memories of dreams, although changes recorded in brain activity whilst dreaming is taking place, are a reliable indicator of dream patterns. Even if dream reports are made as soon as a person awakes, the memories are only a distant version of the thoughts taking place during sleep. As soon as we awaken, significant changes rapidly happen in the chemical composition of the brain and the memory of the dream quickly slips away.

Dream, or REM, sleep also has another characteristic which sets it apart from the other stages of sleep. When in the stage 4 deep sleep period, although the brain is inactive, it is possible to move all the muscles of the body in similar ways to waking movements; those who sleep-walk and perform waking tasks whilst asleep always do so in deep sleep. However, in REM sleep, the body is paralysed – only the muscles in the eyes (the rapid eye movement) and in the chest (enabling us to continue breathing) are fully functional. This is ‘sleep paralysis’ – a state we enter every time we are in REM sleep, and essentially a protective mechanism – nature’s way of ensuring we come to no harm when we dream and proof that evolution has gone a long way to preserve the dream state. The foetus in the womb spends the majority of its time in an REM sleep – although sleep paralysis has not yet developed, presumably because the foetus does not require protection during dreaming. The movement of the baby in the womb during the final trimester of pregnancy is said to take place when the baby is in the REM state. Babies spend about 9 hours a day in REM sleep, but we are unable to ascertain when humans begin dreaming or when the neural networks are established and connected well enough to sustain the kinds of visual imagery required for dreaming. However, it is believed by some researchers that babies do dream long before they have the ability to communicate this fact. REM sleep is not confined to humans – it has been recognised in most mammals, although it is not possible to determine whether these periods of REM sleep are characterised by dreaming. Certainly, many animals display the same physiological markers of dreaming as humans – i.e. brain wave patterns; and twitching eye muscles. REM is not even restricted to advanced animals – the duck-billed platypus, the most primitive of all egg-laying animals, which co-existed with the dinosaurs has been found to have six times more REM sleep than a human. Some scientists believe that this may indicate that dinosaurs also experienced REM sleep.

Some experiments into dreaming in animals (typically dogs and cats) involved radical surgery to remove the areas of the animal’s brain responsible for sleep paralysis of the muscles, so that scientists were able to see the effect of REM sleep and dreaming on the physical body. They found that the behaviour of the cats in REM states, when sleep paralysis was disabled, was not at all random – but instead, very similar to waking behaviour, with the cat walking around and playing with toys. This allowed hypotheses that the cats were dreaming of the activities – or at least, similar acts, such as chasing or stalking prey – to those they were performing whilst asleep.

REM sleep, and the accompanying phenomena of dreaming, is universal. Does the fact that we all dream mean that it has some biological function or significance? Could dreaming be essential to our survival?

During the 1970s, a leading sleep researcher, Dr Rosalind Cartwright, came up with the idea of depriving a group of student subjects of their dreams. In this experiment, the subjects were woken after each period of stage 4 deep sleep, just as they were about to enter REM. The researcher found that the REM-deprived subjects – who were monitored throughout the day to ensure they did not nap - began to dream during the dream, whilst awake. There were reports of visual imagery intruding into wakeful experience – essentially- hallucinations. This indicated that the urge to dream was so powerful, that when deprived of REM sleep and dreaming, the mind will seek to compensate for this loss, even if this meant dreaming whilst awake. At the end of the experiment, the subjects were allowed to sleep normally, without interruption. Cartwright observed another phenomena – the subjects experienced prolonged periods of REM sleep – much longer than would be expected during an average night’s sleep. It was as if they were ‘catching up’ on lost dream time at the first opportunity – dreams happened earlier in the sleep cycle; were much longer; and were more exciting in content.

People who say they do not dream are wrong; they simply do not remember their dreaming. But if we need to dream – and it is not simply a random occurrence – then we must also ask, why? One British case study of 6 year old Robyn Jenkins, filmed by her parents who were concerned about her unusual condition. Whenever Robyn experiences any kind of emotion, she loses all muscle tone and collapses, meaning she has to try to avoid any excitement or stimulation. Robyn has an REM sleep disorder, called narcolepsy, which is the sudden intrusion of REM sleep into wakeful states at inopportune times. The balance between REM sleep and wakefulness is therefore defective. The loss of muscle tone which accompanies the sudden REM sleep in narcoleptics is known as ‘cataplexy’ – which is usually triggered by a strong burst of emotion. One British woman, Annie Everson developed narcolepsy in her 30s – and thereafter suffered 3 – 4 cataleptic incidents each day. Whilst she is in this state she says she can hear everything – and if her eyes are open, she is able to see, yet she is not able to respond to her environment – she is in a state of mixed consciousness. This state can also be accompanied by hallucinations – which make it very difficult for sufferers of narcolepsy to distinguish between their dreams and waking reality, which Annie finds problematic, stating that she ‘can’t stop dreaming’ even throughout her waking day. As many doctors are not familiar with the symptoms of narcolepsy, when patients describe visual hallucinations, the condition can often be misinterpreted as a psychiatric disorder, and commonly misdiagnosed as schizophrenia.

Scientists in San Francisco are currently attempting to find a cure for narcolepsy. Along the way, they may be uncovering some important clues about the function of dream sleep. At the Basic Research Centre for Narcolepsy at Stamford University, Dr Emmanuel Mignot keeps a colony of narcoleptic dogs, which are bred with congenital disorder. Narcolepsy is a genetic condition, which can be inherited – by finding and isolating the specific gene for narcolepsy, scientists may be able to determine if there is a cause or treatment. In humans, narcolepsy is normally triggered by positive stimulation, such as excitement or laughing. In dogs, narcolepsy is often triggered by the presentation of the dog’s preferred foods. Mignot believes that the malfunctioning REM sleep of narcoleptics may provide information as to how dreams work in the rest of us. As emotion is always the trigger, understanding is role could be key to unlocking the secret of REM. Different regions of the brain specialise in different kinds of thinking – by analysing the areas of the brain which are most active in REM it may be possible to determine how the brain is thinking. When the brain moves into REM sleep from deep sleep, it moves from almost total inactivity to a state of near frenzy, but during this intense burst of activity, one part of the brain remains soundly ‘asleep’, this being the frontal lobe – the most evolutionary advanced, sophisticated areas of the brain, responsible for logic and reasoning. Whilst this area of the brain is inactive, the limbic system – a more ‘primitive’ region comes to life. This ‘primitive’ region of the brain is responsible for emotional response – shut off from rational thought. This allows scientists to argue that dreaming is what keeps us ‘sane’ in waking life. There is an old adage – if you have a problem, you should ‘sleep on it’ and many people find that a source of anxiety or emotional trouble seems far less threatening or overwhelming after a good sleep.

Cartwright believes that the changes in mood which occurs during sleep are not accidental – but rather dreaming has a function in helping us to explore our troubling emotions and waking problems. In the first period of REM, the sleeping brain taps into this cluster of negative emotions and acts them out, or ‘dramatises’ them in the form of a dream; the first dream of the night is thus more likely to be emotionally disturbing. This ‘bad dream’ is only the first stage of the dreaming process – in the second period of REM the brain goes back to work on its emotional problems, exploring its memory networks in an attempt to find a solution to our emotional problems. As the night progresses, dreams become less disturbing, and by presenting us with our fears in a different light, they become less disturbing. We wake up with our mood effectively ‘regulated’ by the dreaming process, which automatically keeps us psychologically balanced, without any external help from the waking mind. Often it is unnecessary to interpret the subconscious meaning of these dreams, or even remember that that took place, but sometimes a person will suffer an emotional trauma which is too overwhelming for the mind to deal with by dreams alone. When this happens, we are unable to move beyond the first stage of the dreaming process, which becomes ‘stuck’. The emotional trauma, as dramatised in the dream, is repeatedly presented and revisited, without solution or resolution – in the form of a nightmare or disturbing dream. Repetitive dreams may represent an unsolved dilemma in waking life.

At the age of 21 years, Colette Donahue was raped by a man she considered to be a friend. Instead of trying to fight her attacker, Colette made unsuccessful attempts to placate him, fearing for her life. Several years later, Colette still feared men and had feelings of intense guilt for not trying to fight off her rapist. Her psychiatrist referred her to Cartwright due to her recurrent nightmares. She dreamt of being in a high-rise, overlooking a lake. She looks down from the window and sees a car on the drive, instantly knowing that the people inside that car were intending to rape her. She leaves the building and goes to a restaurant, where she talks to two women, thinking that it is so sad she will never see them again as she is going to be killed. She leaves the restaurant and walks along; when she sees the young waitress she had just been talking to standing naked, with her arms tied over her head, being tortured by the people. She thinks that the same thing will happen to her next. They come after her and she wakes up at the exact point it is about to happen to her. Colette had this nightmare for 15 years, beginning in the immediate aftermath of her rape. The female might change in the dream, but the scenario was always the same and the emotion attached to the dream was hopeless. When Colette first saw Cartwright, she reported waking up, drenched in sweat, 3 – 4 times per night. Cartwright was convinced that Colette’s dream was stuck in the first stage, forcing her to relive the rape, as her sleeping mind was unable to find a way to overcome this obstacle. Cartwright began with the premise that Colette would be able to ‘change her dreams’. Colette was sceptical at first, believing that she had no power to change her dream. Strangely, after a few nights, the dream did begin to change – what Colette had learnt from Cartwright in her conscious waking life began to ‘infiltrate’ her sleeping mind, without her having to do anything at all. Now, in the dream scenario, instead of attempting to placate her attacker, Colette would get angry and begin physically assaulting her attacker to defend herself. Once Colette had successfully fought back at her dream attacker, she was no longer subjected to the recurrent nightmare. Colette believes that changing the dream changed her waking life – she was able to overcome her fear of men and subsequently married.

Dreams therefore help us to overcome our deepest fears, but this may not be there only function. There is some research which questions whether dreaming can predict events which have not yet taken place. The case of ‘Rose’ was reported by a leading brain specialist. One night in 1926, Rose had a strange, terrifying dream of angels and statues. She herself had become a living, thinking statue made of stone. When she awoke the following morning, she found that her dream had become true – she had fallen victim to an epidemic known as the ‘sleeping sickness’. Apart from a few weeks in the 1960s, when she was briefly brought ‘back to life’ by the drug, L-dopa, she remained trapped in a motionless body for 40 years. There are many dreams reported which seem to predict illness for the dreamer. Dream specialist, Dr Patricia Garfield has worked with many subjects, including one woman who had dreams of frozen statue-like people. It transpired that she had developed a hyper-thyroid condition and her whole metabolism was slowing down. Another woman, who was pregnant at the time, dreamt that her mother had put her baby in the freezer; her baby was still-born. One woman had persistent dreams of wolves tearing at her stomach, and shortly after, she was diagnosed with stomach cancer. These accounts seem far-fetched or coincidental, but dream scientists believe there may be an explanation for such dreams. It is possible that the highly active brain notices changes in the body and its state of health before the conscious mind is aware of it. The unconscious mind then transfers this information about disorders in the body into the visual images of the dream state. Hippocrates (c. 460 BC – c. 370 BC), the ‘father of modern medicine’ always asked his patients about their dreams for this reason. It is very important, therefore, to pay close attention to any dream imagery connected with dangers to the body.

One man’s unconscious mind was able to detect changes in his body, even though his waking, conscious mind was non-functional. Towards the end of 1990, Jeffrey Lean, a reporter with the Observer newspaper was admitted into hospital for routine surgery. During the operation, there were unexpected complications and Lean fell into a coma. Now recovered, he reports that during the coma, he found himself in a dream-world, sometimes completely black and other times, completely white. The black world was completely black and the white world was rumpled – like creased bed sheets. The other part of his experience was a very long, intricate dream sequence. Lean was profoundly unconscious and had no way of knowing what happened to him. Nevertheless, his dream began to reflect the physical changes he had undergone. Much of the dream was about being paralysed and voiceless. One part was being in a clinic in the South of France for voiceless people and Mrs Thatcher was there, she having also lost her voice. Lean as a journalist, and voiceless, was unable to speak to her and ‘get the story’ thus making him frustrated. In another scene he was in a theatre seat, paralysed and unable to get up. Many times he experienced being wheeled around in a bed – one time through northern Canada, where the bed broke down, leaving Lean close to death, knowing he would be soon left outside to die. After four weeks, Lean began to regain consciousness, and once awake found that his dream had come true – he was paralysed (quadriplegic) and unable to speak (he had a tracheotomy in his throat). Before his routine operation – to correct a twisted bowel – Lean had been a healthy middle-aged man. When he awoke from the coma, he was in a terrifying state of ill-health, but strangely he felt relatively calm and at ease. He puts this down to the fact that his dream had prepared him for the condition he found himself in upon waking. Lean has since made a full recovery and although a sceptic, believes his dream served a vital function. The work of dream researchers such as Cartwright demonstrates that without dreams, we might lose our psychological health. However, there is one aspect of Lean’s story which is unexplainable. Coma is a state in which conscious thought is considered impossible; coma patients never open their eyes and so never see their surroundings. In his dream, Lean saw his wife and they spoke. She said: “Do you think you will make it?” and Lean replied: “I don’t think I can”. His wife said something positive to him, but he remained unsure so she suggested they ask a doctor to which Lean agreed. Suddenly a doctor appeared at the end of the bed and made a reassuring suggestion. Lean turned to his wife and said he would ‘give it a go’. Upon waking from the coma, Lean was surprised to see that the doctor was Dr David Treacher – identical to how he appeared in Lean’s dream. He had never met Dr Treacher prior to waking to waking from the coma.

When you share information about a dream they have had it is (if they report it accurately) something about them that they have not ‘faked’. It is the workings of their subconscious mind. One brain disorder has enabled scientists to possibly understand more about the dream state in humans. Tom Kersley, a British man developed a strange condition when he retired from his job. He began to act out his dreams and there was one in particular which made him particularly energetic – where he is trapped in a field by a high fence, surrounded by cows which come towards him, nudging him. During this dream, he will shout and thrash around in his sleep, causing chaos, which does not wake him. This rare condition was diagnosed at ‘REM sleep disorder’. Dr John Shneerson of the Papworth Hospital is an expert in this unusual field of sleep science. He says that the condition will usually start off with small movements which only slightly disturb a sleeping partner, but will gradually evolve into such violent bursts of physical movement that the suffer is  eventually forced to sleep alone, in an environment akin to a padded cell, for their own safety. This disorder is caused by a progressive destruction of part of the brain stem, known as the pons, which is responsible for controlling the muscle movement during REM sleep. Sometimes this disorder is a precursor to Parkinson’s disease. In serious cases, the sufferer will often act out highly vivid dreams. One of the functions of the pons during REM sleep is to turn off the messages from the brain activity to the muscles of the body and therefore REM sleep disorder is invaluable for researchers wishing to witness the sleeping brain in action.

Erica Harris is a ‘new breed’ dream scientist, working alongside Professor Patrick McNamara at Boston University, a leading establishment in the field of dream science. She measures the brain waves of her subjects whilst sleeping, by electrodes attached to his body. The experiment aims to show how dreams play a central role in our emotional wellbeing. The subject is allowed to sleep for an entire cycle of sleep – and is woken from non-REM sleep. Sleep scientists have always thought that non-REM sleep is an insignificant period in the sleep cycle, but the new breed of dream scientist has made a groundbreaking discovery which turns traditional theories of dreaming on their head – apparently we may also dream during non-REM sleep. Indeed, when Harris’ subject is awoken from non-REM sleep, he reports having a dream. The other startling new finding is that the two dream worlds – non-REM and REM – are fundamentally different. The subject undertakes a mood questionnaire – completing words from three given letters, which indicate his current emotional state. McNamara and Harris found a significant difference in that there was an increase in positive feelings about self when woken from a non-REM dream. When awoken from REM sleep, the subject completed the mood questionnaire, this time giving results displaying a negative feeling towards self. McNamara believes that this finding can be explained by an ancient structure of the brain, the amygdala, which is linked to our emotions. He speculates that we have more negative emotions during REM dreams, because during REM sleep, the amygdale – which handles intense negative emotions - is highly active. McNamara argues that persons with chronic depression have more REM sleep than non-depressives; they go straight into the REM state during sleep, and remain in this state for prolonged periods of time – often at the expense of restorative, deep sleep.

Professor Mark Solms of the University of Cape Town, studies people who do not dream – for example, stroke sufferers. One case study is Heather Jones – who stopped dreaming after suffering from a stroke. She describes a ‘blankness’ during sleep. Heather’s stroke caused neurological damage to a part of the brain known as the parietal lobe, which Solms believes is responsible for dreaming and combining the different senses. This loss of dreaming has debilitating consequences – Heather was able to fall asleep easily, but did not get ‘good quality’ sleep, with several disruptions during the night, leaving her exhausted upon waking. Heather recovered her ability to dream upon making full recovery from her stroke. The disruptions to Heather’s  sleep were found to happen at times when REM sleep would normally take place, leaving scientists to question whether dreaming fulfils a function of keeping us asleep. It has been found that the part of the brain responsible for motivation is activated during dreaming. Solms argues that this may offer a further explanation for dreaming; dreams have some form of ‘motivated search;’ in this, which may be represented by the content of the dream. This ‘seeking’ activity may represent the search for answers or solutions to problems, supporting Cartwright’s theory of dreaming.

This still leaves the question – do dreams actually mean anything? Dreaming is possibly the most fascinating area of psychological enquiry into the human mind. The importance of dreaming is universal and remains central to many cultures, for example the Attikamek tribe, who reside on the banks of the Saint Maurice River valley of Quebec, in the forests of northern Canada. Interpreting the meaning of their dreams is at the very core of the tribe’s beliefs, and has a healing function. Dreams are shared each morning in the ‘Dream Circle’, and the elders use the knowledge of folk lore to offer possible interpretations.

Under Freudian theory, it was believed that dream content was made up of symbols from the subconscious mind, which required interpretation to understand their latent meaning. In Montreal, Canada, scientists have begun using mathematics in attempts to interpret the meaning of dreams. Dr Antonio Zadra argues that the content of dreams tells us much about how the brain processes various information. He works in the ‘Dream Laboratory’ at the University of Montreal, collecting volumes of recorded dreams, which translates into a mathematic value, which is then inputted into a spreadsheet, enabling Zadra to calculate how many times a subject dreams of certain content, such as sex. Whilst the database may be unable to explain collective patterns of dreaming, it is of interest when analysing the individual, by comparing their dream records of a subject’s recurrent themes against the mass of collective dreams. Zadra believes this method enables him to determine what the individual’s dreams mean. One subject, a 48 year old professional male recorded a dream about his wife, B. In the dream the subject and B are in the kitchen, making breakfast and brewing coffee, but when the subject looks over at the coffee maker it was overflowing over the counter and would not stop. B was yelling “What did you do? What did you do?” He tried unplugging the machine and removing the glass container, to no avail. The subject’s mother arrives and he is inconsolable. His mother kept telling people that it was his entire fault. It was loud, and he tried to defend himself.  Zadra identified the recurrent theme in the subject’s dreams as being misfortune. A further dream from the same subject involved him and his wife getting stuck in snow, where he was unable to get the car to work. In fact 80% of the subject’s dreams had themes of misfortune, compared to the average middle-aged man (as per Zadra’s database), where this theme is approximately 30% of dream content. Additionally, the majority of dream characters in the subject’s dream were female, with frequent negative interaction. Zadra argues that these patterns display conflicts over relationships and a lack of control. Five years after these dreams were analysed, the subject and his wife were divorced. Zadra’s research also showed that when dreaming about sex, women only dream of sex with their partner in a fifth of their dreams, whilst men dream of sex with their partner in a sixth of their sexually-themed dreams. Women dream of sex with celebrities twice as much as men do. Around one third of our dreams tend to focus on negative themes, with Zadra’s database demonstrating that dreams are far more transparent and reflective of our waking concerns and preoccupations that previously thought.

Dreams do not simply have ‘meaning’ but have also been instrumental in some very significant cultural, scientific and artistic moments in history. For example, the structure of the periodic table of chemical elements apparently came to the Russian scientist Dmitri Mendeleev (1834 – 1907) in a dream. In 1844, American inventor Elias Howe was attempting to invent his first sewing machine, but was unable to work out how to get the needle to hold in place. One night he dreamt of being attacked by savages holding spears, and just as he was about to wake in terror, he noticed that the spears had holes in the pointed tip of the spear – bringing the realisation that this was how the needle could be held in place within the sewing machine. This ability to harness dreams to solve problems or find inspiration is not simply the preserve of genius, but can be learnt by most people, by using dream incubation and brain entrainment methods, which are described elsewhere on this Blog. It may be possible to learn whilst dreaming, as suggested by Professor Robert Stickgold, who devised an experiment to test his theory of how dreams affect learning. He gets subjects to play a video game – typically a downhill skiing simulation. Once the subjects are asleep, they are awoken during the night to report on any dreams they experience. Stickgold found that whilst, in earlier dreams, the subject’s would tend to dream of the video game, their later dreams would draw on other memories – one subject reporting walking through snow in his dream , and seeing footprints left by someone else. The subject found that walking in these footprints made it easier to cross the snow. Stickgold asserts that his findings show a clear link between dreaming and memory – the brain makes associations and finds similar ‘helpful’ memories which may allow the subject to ‘learn’ from their dream. Stickgold found that following a night of dreams, the subjects’ performance in the video game was greatly improved. Stickgold advocates, not merely focusing on the manifest content of the dreams, but that we should dissect them to analyse the underlying messages.

Finnish scientist, Dr Antti Revonsuo of the University of Turku, Finland, believes that nightmares may have an important evolutionary function, and without them, we may not be able to survive. He suggests that dreaming is biologically programmed into our brain – the same brain we share with our ancient ancestors. Revonsuo collects records of nightmares – in particular those of children. According to Revonsuo, children’s dreams of nightmarish animalistic monsters, signal that these themes were inherited from our ancient ancestors as a survival mechanism, preparing them from the struggles and conflicts of waking life.  The simulation of threatening events teaches vital survival techniques for when confronted with ‘similar’ stressful events in waking life. Adults tend to have more ‘modern’ or ‘real’ nightmares – showing how the brain adapts to waking events, creating a dream language which corresponds to conscious concerns. Revonsuo believes that the line between dreaming and consciousness is not represented by a bright-line; rather, when we are awake, we may still be ‘dreaming’, but our perceptions are shaped by input from external stimuli, whilst in dreaming, the same processes occur in the brain, but in the absence of stimulus from our environment, we create dream content from within the subconscious mind, to ‘illustrate’ or ‘dramatise’ the activity of the brain during sleep. The crucial area of dream science when considering boundaries between consciousness and dreaming is undoubtedly lucid dreams. The leading scientist in this field is Stephen LaBerge of the Lucidity Institute in California, who began studying lucid dreams in the 1970s, after experiencing lucidity in his own dreams. Traditional dream science denied the possibility that the mind could be fully conscious during the dream state and LaBerge set out to prove this theory wrong, designing an ingenious experiment in which he asked subjects to move their eyes from left to right if they were able to perceive a flash of light during their sleep. During REM sleep LaBerge flashed a light in the faces of his subjects and found that they were in fact able to move their eyes in response. LaBerge now holds workshops in Haiwaii, conducting experiments and teaching his techniques of lucid dreaming to amateur oneironauts. He believes understanding and harnessing the power of dreams has some therapeutic value and can be beneficial for personal and social integration; and overcoming personal problems and traumas.

As we know, anthropological studies suggest that human cultures have used natural substances to induce ‘dream visions’ for thousands of years in religious or ritualistic ceremonies. These substances were ingested as religious sacraments and the partakers believed that "God was in the plant or that God communicated though the plant" [or fungus]" (Farthing 1992; McKenna 1992). Similarly, various cultures have had a fascination with the significance of dreaming, often believing that dreams are ‘messages from the gods’ and may offer premonitions of the future. Numerous dreams are referred to in the Bible and most are of this transcendental or illuminatory type (Farthing 1992). Neurochemical knowledge of some ‘visionary’ substances has shed modest light on their mysterious actions on the human brain. ‘Entheogenic’ refers to drugs which provoke ecstasy [flight of the soul from the body] and have traditionally been used as shamanic or religious inebriants (Ott 1996). The term (as first coined by Dr R Gordon Wasson, Professor Carl Ruck and Jonathan Ott in 1979) means ‘realising the divine within’ and is preferable to hallucinogenic or psychedelic for the purpose of this discussion for several reasons. A hallucination is a perception-like experience that the individual interprets as real, although it has no objective counterpart. Users of entheogenic drugs will more likely experience pseudo-hallucinations where objects of perception are altered, not created, and/or the user knows that the vision does not exist objectively. If the user is aware that the drug is causing the ‘vision’, then the percept is by definition a pseudo-hallucination. True hallucinations are possible, but rare, from ingesting normal doses of entheogenic drugs and renders the term ‘hallucinogenic’ rather misleading. The term ‘psychedelic’ carries such heavy connotations to images of western civilisation's drug use of the 1960's that it is hardly appropriate to use it as a blanket term for the wide array of entheogens used for thousands of years in religious ceremonies. Modern science has identified some of the active components of such sacraments, which has provided for limited research opportunities. Scientific research on these substances is currently very restricted by the U.S. Government's social, political and law and order agendas. Additionally, scientific dream research has been very limited due to its inherently subjective nature and reliance on dreams being reported by subjects after the event. Subjective reports on both dreams and entheogenic experiences, however, are empirically useful in this area of research. When coupled to our molecular knowledge of dreams and entheogens, similarities between the two states surface. Further research on entheogenic compounds coupled to dream state research will offer scientific advance in the study of dreams as well as cultural advances in understanding the value of entheogenic substances for therapeutic and religious use.

It has been suggested that the first entheogenic substance use in humans took place through naive ingestion of psychoactive mushrooms. This is theorised due to mushroom's fit of the probable criteria of the first enthogenic substance: a reasonably small dose needed for inebriation; geographic presence in Africa at a time when all humans resided there; a lack of any needed purification or preparation; and a potential presence in climatic regions that also supported human life. It has been suggested that humans moved into the grasslands and encountered hoofed beasts which became their source of food. The entheogenic mushroom grew on the dung of these beasts and was likely explored by humans as the man and beasts evolved together. Since that time, entheogenic mushroom use has spread throughout the world (McKenna 1992). Recent accounts suggest that entheogenic drugs taken in the correct environment grant users insight into the possibility of human existence in dynamic equilibrium with their environment (McKenna 1992). If it is true that early users were granted special insight into dynamic co-existence with their environment, it is likely that the powerful perspective the entheogens afforded its users offered them an evolutionary advantage over the ‘unenlightened’ humans and thus played some role in human evolution (McKenna 1992).

Numerous entheogenic substances have been adopted by various cultures throughout history, but this discussion will focus on the action of natural entheogenic mushrooms, peyote, morning glory seeds as well as the purified molecules from such sources and their synthetic analogues (such as psilocybin, psilocin, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), lysergic acid amide, lysergic acid diethylamide, mescaline etc), otherwise known as the ‘indole derivatives’ (tryptamines) and the phenethyamines. Entheogens entered the Western world's history books when entheogenic mushrooms were first denounced by the Spaniards after conquering the Aztec empire. The Aztec term ‘Teonanacat’ means ‘flesh of God’. The Spanish believed the Aztecs received the Devil in Holy Communion through the mushroom ceremonies. Western society (and the Catholic Church) persecuted the people who partook in the holy sacrament, but the use of the entheogenic mushrooms persisted, however, and was reintroduced to the Western world through Wasson's publication in Life magazine in 1957 entitled "Seeking the Magic Mushrooms" (Wasson opposed the title) (Ott 1996). A second attack on entheogenic drugs, this time mounted by the U.S. government, culminated in the Controlled Substance Act 1970. The Act outlawed entheogenic drugs (among others) and curbed scientific research with the substances. The act was heavily motivated by cultural agendas and public policy rather than by potential dangers of the drugs, suggested by scientific evidence. The setback in research was devastating as neurochemical studies of such compounds offer far clearer scientific data than studies of dreams alone.

‘Sleep mentation’ refers to all conscious mental events that take place during sleep (Farthing 1992). Dreams, however, have more extensive qualities. A dream is a subjective experience, occurring during sleep, that involves (a) complex, organised mental images that (b) show temporal progression or change (Farthing 1992). This is to differentiate dreaming from static mental images or thoughts that may occur spontaneously throughout sleep but are not characterised as dreaming. In one early study by Aserinsky and Kleitman in 1953, 740 subjects, awakened in REM sleep, reported dreaming compared to only 110 subjects awakened from non-REM sleep. These findings have been consistently reproduced in research. While dreams occur in non-REM sleep, dreams are more vivid, more emotional, longer lasting, and better recalled during REM sleep stages (Farthing 1992; Solms 1997). Most people have limited recollection of dreams due to the lack of encoding from working memory (WM) to long-term memory (LTM) during sleep (Farthing 1992). This explains why we normally remember only one or two dreams per night despite an average of 4 - 5 dreaming periods during 6 - 8 hours of sleep. Dreams that are highly emotional or bizarre tend to be the dreams we remember most clearly. This is attributed to the fact that we awaken from them and commit them to LTM through waking recollection. We are most likely to remember dreams from the last REM period of the evening (Farthing 1992). If we were to encode all dream memories as strongly as waking memories the evolutionary effect might be disastrous. The inability to distinguish dreams from physical reality could wreak havoc on the maintenance of our physical health (food gathering, social relationships, shelter building, long-term tasking, etc.) The mechanism that inhibits encoding of dreams to LTM may have appeared as an evolution necessity of mammalian life. This still does not answer why we dream, but helps to explain why dreams have limited presence in our waking life. Dreams have a familiar quality where a reality is created complete with visual perception, emotions, and the perception of cognition. Items in the dreamer's memory, events from the day, and even environmental stimuli may influence the dream. While most dream content comes from the dreamer’s memory, elements of the outside environment may occasionally enter. For example, experiments where subjects were squirted with water during REM sleep overwhelmingly reported dreams including water when they were awakened (Farthing 1980). Additionally, we are all familiar with sleeping through an alarm clock or telephone ringing, which we have incorporated into our dream narrative. Dreams are generally composed of sensory qualities such as vision in colour, touch, hearing, and to a lesser extent olfaction and taste. Dreams maintain their presence in the dream world while accepting little input from the conscious mind (an exception, of course, being lucid dreaming), little output to the dreamer's memory, and only limited environmental stimulation. The apparent ‘reality’ and perception of emotions in dreaming, however, are extremely powerful (Farthing 1992). The emotional significance of entheogens may be their most profound effect. Wasson's literary capture of the intense emotional effects of the entheogenics is unmatched. He testifies to his first experience with entheogenic mushrooms in 1952:

It permits you to travel backwards and forwards in time, to enter other planes of existence, even (as the Indians say), to know God...What is happening to you seems freighted with significance, beside which the humdrum of everyday life seems trivial. All these things you see with an immediacy of vision that leads you to say to yourself, 'Now I am seeing for the first time, seeing direct, without the intervention of mortal eyes.' Your body lies in the darkness, heavy as lead, but your spirit seems to soar and leave the hut, and with the speed of thought, to travel where it listeth, in time and space, accompanied by the shamans singing...at last you know what the ineffable is and what ecstasy means. Ecstasy! The mind harks back to the origin of that word. For the Greeks ekstasis meant the flight of the soul from the body. Can you find a better word to describe this state? (Crahan 1969, cited in Farthing 1980).

In addition to the profound emotional effects described by Wasson, psilocine and psilocybine (the active components of entheogenic mushrooms), produce auditory, visual, and tactile alterations; profound synesthesia;  and ego dissolution (Ott 1996; Farthing 1980; McKenna 1992; Grinspoon et al 1990). The effects are similar to peak effects of LSD and mescaline,;cross-tolerance exists between the three; and it is thought that they act through similar brain mechanisms (Ott 1996; Farthing 1980; McKenna 1992; Grinspoon et al 1990). Entheogenic drugs such as LSD, psilocybine, and mescaline have four predominant perceptual features that suggest a common underlying mechanism of action as researched by Siegel and Jarvik (1975, 1977) during the systematic analysis of the visual aspects of entheogens (Farthing 1992). The first of which is form, which includes simple forms as well as complex meaningful forms, constructed from both memory and environmental input, similar to the varying degrees of sleep mentation.  Colours, movement (simple), and complex action patterns are the other common percepts of entheogen-induced visions (Farthing 1992). The perception of time may be drastically altered in both dream states and entheogenic states (Solms 1997; Farthing 1992; McKenna 1992; Ott 1996). The striking similarity of entheogenic experiences to dream experiences tempts us to seek answers as to whether the benefits of dreaming are potentially linked to the benefits of entheogens. The molecular action of visions produced by dreaming is quite possibly very similar to visions produced by entheogenic drugs. Carefully designed research could lend great insight into the mystery of dreaming, the potential therapeutic value of entheogens, and the potential for neurochemical advances. It has been well established since the 1960s that the entheogens act primarily through the serotonin (5-hydroxy-tryptamine, or 5HT) class of receptors. (Aghajanian 1994, Ott 1996). More recent findings have added that the phenethylamine (mescaline) and the tryptamine (psilocybine) entheogens act through a common pathway, namely, through highly potent agonist action at the 5HT-2 receptor (Aghajanian1994; Vollenweider 1998; Lyon et al 1988). The net effect is the relative activation of 5-HT2 subtype compared to all other 5-HT receptors. (Aghajanian 1994; Vollenweider 1998; Lyon et al 1988). It is the relative increase in activation of the 5HT-2 receptors that is primarily responsible for the altered perceptions and emotions that result from the entheogenic drugs in discussion (Aghajanian 1994). Serotonin has also been known for some time to play a role in sleep regulation. Numerous recent findings specifically implicate the 5-HT1 and 5-HT2 receptors in regulating sleep (Pastel et al 1993; Sommerfelt et al 1993, Tortella et al 1989; Sharpley et al 1994, 1990; Dijk et al 1989; Kirov et al 1995; Seifritz et al 1996; Loas 1991). Sleep studies monitoring the effects of selective 5-HT1 and 5-HT2 agonists and antagonists administration in humans and laboratory animals have had impressive findings, demonstrating that the post-synaptic stimulation of 5HT1A receptors suppress REM sleep and increase slow wave (non-REM) sleep in humans and laboratory animals (Seifritz et al 1996; Loas 1991). Additionally, recent evidence establishes that antagonists at the 5HT2 receptors caused identical disruptions in sleeping pattern (Pastel et al 1993; Sommerfelt et al 1993; Tortella et al 1989; Sharpley et al 1994, 1990; Dijk et al 1989; Kirov et al 1995). In other words, when the relative activation of 5-HT2 to 5-HT1 was reduced, REM sleep (where the longest and most vivid dreams take place) was suppressed. Therefore, the relative activation of 5HT2 pathways compared to other 5HT pathways is implicated in REM sleep activation. The subjective experience of dreaming is likely a result of that activation, much like the pathway responsible for the effects of entheogenic drugs.

Additional evidence implicating 5HT2 pathways in dream activation come from selective REM sleep deprivation studies. As stated before, vivid dreams may occur in any stage of sleep but the majority of long, detailed, vivid dreams occur in REM sleep. REM deprivation studies are as close as we have come to identifying the physiological need for dreaming in humans. In a pioneering study by Dement (1960) into REM deprivation, subjects were awakened when entering REM sleep and not allowed to return to sleep for several minutes (to ensure that subjects required full progression through the stages of non-REM sleep before re-entering REM). The experiment noted several interesting findings. The first of which was an attempt for the subject to enter REM sleep almost twice as often as control subjects, suggesting a drive or need to enter REM stage. A second finding is an REM ‘rebound effect’, or a large increase in total REM sleep time when subjects were permitted to sleep undisturbed after REM deprivation (Farthing, 1980). This data suggests a need for REM sleep but does not suggest what that need is. The most interesting findings are the symptoms of REM sleep deprivation (note that these subjects had full nights of sleep, but no REM sleep): anxiety; irritability; difficulty concentrating; increased appetite; and even (although rare) daytime hallucinations. Attempts to reproduce these findings, however, have had limited success. An explanation for this is that dreams take place in other sleep stages. As such, it is currently impossible to conduct studies on total dream deprivation. Let's consider the findings briefly with the understanding that the data is marginal and that very little dream deprivation data exists. In a separate study, mice lacking the 5-HT2C receptor experienced increased appetite and overeating, implicating the receptor in appetite suppression. (Tecott et al 1995). REM deprived patients also exhibited increased appetite; possibly due to the subjects' decreased activation of 5-HT2 pathways that would normally occur during REM sleep and vivid dreaming. The other mood disturbances could also be a function of under-activation of the 5-HT2 pathways. It is possible that the entheogens could prove useful in therapy to treat the mood disturbances that surface in REM-deprived patients. Anxiety, irritability and difficulty concentrating are common withdrawal symptoms from various addictions, suggesting the potential clinical use for entheogens in substance abuse treatment. Evidence for the clinical value of entheogens in treating alcoholism has been demonstrated (Ott 1996). The data at this point is admittedly modest. It is provocative enough, however, to encourage further research on the subject. The relaxing of legal restrictions on entheogen research would contribute to the collection of quality data on the subject. Dreaming studies that administer entheogens and other powerful 5HT-2 agonists should prove useful in explaining dream/entheogen induced visions. Additionally, methods that allow for complete dream deprivation studies and scanning studies that monitor the activity of 5-HT pathways while the subject is dreaming could prove useful.

Lucid dreamers may be valuable subjects in the study of 5HT2's role in dream-induced visions. Conscious awareness enters the dreamer's world during lucid dreaming: The dreamer is aware that he is dreaming, usually triggered by an especially unusual dream occurrence where the dreamer 'realizes' that he must be dreaming (by flying, breathing under water, etc) (Farthing 1992). Lucid dreamers often exert voluntary control over the contents of the dream and its direction, much like entheogen user. Some lucid dreamers have the ability to signal to experimenters that they are dreaming, usually through specific pre-established eye movements or fist clenches (Farthing, 1992) – see for example the description of LaBerge’s experiments on lucid dreamers, discussed above. This form of subject signaling from could allow researchers to identify neurochemical markers unique to dreaming, regardless of sleep stage. This knowledge could be valuable in labelled 5-HT scanning studies mapping the activation of 5HT2 pathways and regional differences in brain activity that are specific to dreaming, as opposed to the current and more crude measures specific to REM sleep. Research embracing advanced methods will likely continue to unlock the mysteries of the neurochemical mechanisms of both dreaming and visionary entheogens. The results of such research have profound potential for clinical treatments ranging from mental disorders to addictions as well as the advancement of our understanding of dreams.

We are all familiar with the experiences of dream induced visions. They vary in intensity and we are somehow prevented by neurochemical mechanisms from remembering and controlling them. Most people will find that with effort dreams may become easier to remember and easier to control (Farthing, 1992). Those who enjoy lucid dreaming add element of conscious power and control to sleep-induced, 5HT-2 pathway activation. The conscious control is essentially a cortical ‘breakthrough’ in the inhibitory mechanisms of sleep. Entheogenic drugs trigger visions of striking similarity to dreams through similar brain mechanisms. Entheogens allow for "visions" like those of dreaming with one crucial difference: The inhibitory mechanisms of sleep that prevent control of our dreams as well as prevent their recollection are absent. Entheogens induce the mental liberation of dream states while simultaneously permitting conscious control and environmental stimulation. Whereas in dreams one is afforded only modest environmental input (i.e. alarm clock) and modest control (some in lucid dreaming), entheogenic drugs allow dreaming with the conscious control, memory intact, and environmental cues as powerful as when awake. It is no surprise that many users of entheogenic drugs report the emotional significance, spiritual clarity, and dissolution of the common ego as a liberating and renewing experience. Entheogenic drugs and dreams alike have a special place in the evolution of humankind and its value systems. Profound musical inspirations and scientific discoveries of the past century have even been inspired by them. Our ancestors’ religious views and values were influenced by their faith in visions communicated by entheogenic drugs and dreams. In an age of environmental destruction and moral erosion, the knowledge afforded by dream and entheogen induced visions could not be more valuable.

Some scientists – including Strassman -  state that in early childhood, we are perpetually immersed in cascades of trance-inducing theta rhythms of the brain, with the feel-good chemical brew it creates for metaprogramming. Until roughly age 8 years, we can’t really distinguish between fantasy and reality, due to our own natural endogenous hallucinogen, DMT, (dimethyltryptamine). To explore his theory, Strassman conducted extensive testing, injecting volunteers with the powerful psychedelic, synthetic DMT (N,N-dimethyltryptamine; N,N-DMT). DMT is so powerful it is physically immobilising, and produces a flood of unexpected and overwhelming visual and emotional imagery. Taking it is like an instantaneous LSD peak. DMT crosses the usually impenetrable blood-brain-barrier, suggesting its fundamental role in consciousness. But, concluding his 5 year studies early, Strassman admitted despite their growth potential, there were no viable therapeutic or neurological applications and is clear that he does not recommend DMT for recreational use.

Strassman argues that DMT production may be stimulated, in the extraordinary conditions of birth, sexual ecstasy, childbirth, extreme physical stress, near-death, and death, as well as meditation. Pineal DMT (soma pinolin or ‘enodgneous DMT’) is also thought to play a significant role in dream consciousness. The pineal gland, or ‘Third Eye’ is suggested to be the ‘seat of consciousness’ with endogenous DMT acting as a chemical messenger linking body and spirit. Pineal activation awakens normally latent neural pathways. Serotonin or tryptamine levels are higher in the pineal than any other organ in the brain. 5-methoxy-tryptamine is a precursor with hallucinogenic properties, which has a high affinity for the serotonin type-3 receptor. Gucchait (1976) has demonstrated that the human pineal contains an enzyme capable of synthesising both DMT and bufotenine-like chemistry. These compounds are prime candidates for endogenous ‘schizotoxins’ and their production may be related to stress and/or trauma, that correlate with schizophrenia. Strassman notes that both the embryological rudiments of the pineal gland and the differentiated gonads of both male and female appear at 49 days. Melatonin is a timekeeper for gonadal maturation, so the pineal is implicated again. 49 days was also the period, according to Buddhism – which, like many Eastern cultures and religions, embraces the concept of the ‘Third Eye’ in their meditative practices, required for one soul to reincarnate into the next life.  Strassman suggests this rein-effect may be the root of the tension between sexual and spiritual energies, yang and yin. The pineal gland is a source of both psychedelic compounds and the gonads, sources of spiritual and generative immortality.

 Strassman (2001) states:

All spiritual disciplines describe quite psychedelic accounts of the transformative experiences, whose attainment motivate their practice. Blinding white light, encounters with demonic and angelic entities, ecstatic emotions, timelessness, heavenly sounds, feelings of having died and being reborn, contacting a powerful and loving presence underlying all of reality–these experiences cut across all denominations. They also are characteristic of a fully psychedelic DMT experience. How might meditation evoke the pineal DMT experience? Meditative techniques using sound, sight, or the mind may generate particular wave patterns whose fields induce resonance in the brain. Millennia of human trial and error have determined that certain “sacred” words, visual images, and mental exercises exert uniquely desired effects. Such effects may occur because of the specific fields they generate within the brain. These fields cause multiple systems to vibrate and pulse at certain frequencies. We can feel our minds and bodies resonate with these spiritual exercises. Of course, the pineal gland also is buzzing at these same frequencies...The pineal begins to ‘vibrate’ at frequencies that weaken its multiple barriers to DMT formation: the pineal cellular shield, enzyme levels, and quantities of anti-DMT. The end result is a psychedelic surge of the pineal spirit molecule, resulting in the subjective states of mystical consciousness.

Haycock (2011) suggests that the memory system has two codes of action (encoding/dreaming and accessing/waking) and that there must be a ‘switching mechanism’ to meditate between the two functions. Tarnow proposes that the dream state is initiated automatically when the brain falls below a certain threshold (this is the ‘Continual Activation’ theory of dreaming). Even if this is correct, the fact that modes of memory become disconnected from their usual states of consciousness, indicates that there is a distinct ‘switching’ taking place. Homeostasis and circadian rhythms are regulated by the release of neurotransmitters from the diencephalon. If dreaming does occur when brain activity falls below the ‘continual activation’ threshold, it is consistent with our understanding of neuroscience, to conclude that this drop in brain activity initiates the release of certain neurotransmitters. Haycock argues that this neurotransmitter most likely affects the serotonergic system. Serotonin is produced in the raphe nuclei, located in the pontine reticular formation, which is known to control circadian rhythms and initiate dreaming. The serotonergic system is implicated in sleep and serotonin receptors are found in all areas of the brain involved in dreaming. Haycock argues that the neurotransmitter in question is endogenous or pineal DMT, citing the work of Strassman in support of his theory. This theory states that the visual aspects of dreaming are caused by release of DMT by the pineal gland, which is activated during dream-states. Haycock goes further than Strassman, in suggesting that natural or pineal DMT may be responsible for carious psycho-sensory aspects of dreaming, consistent with psychological studies on dreaming. He avers that DMT is the ‘chemical switch’ which mediates between different states of human consciousness and initiates the cognitive mechanisms of dreaming, shutting of the waking memory, and activating the ‘dreaming’ version. He suggests that DMT is not a psychedelic drug, but rather than psychedelic drugs induce their effects by mimicking the actions of the neurotransmitters involved in the dreaming process. Haycock states that there are links between schizophrenia and DMT – schizophrenics have apparently been found to have higher levels of DMT in their blood and urine than other persons. Haycock does not provide empirical data of a source for this assertion, however. He also refers to a link between the two modes of action of the memory and two forms of hallucinogen: psychedelic and disassociative. Psychedelics trigger a subjective dream state, characterised by changes in perception and thought patterns, bearing a marked similarity to certain symptoms of psychosis; whereas disassociatives are thought to produce spontaneous out-of-body experiences; astral states and the subjective experience of ‘access dreaming’. Psychedelics of a similar type to DMT (psilocin is virtually identically in chemical structure) act on the serotonin receptor system to induce their psychoactive effects. Disassociatives, such as ketamine, nitrous oxide and dextromethorphan are known as ‘NDMA receptor antagonists’; NDMA is an excitatory receptor, initiated by glutamate. The disassociative state is characterised by a ‘disintegration of the ego’ – the central executive is inhibited through antagonisation of the brain’s excitatory system and the ego is ‘deactivated’. The person is not asleep however – they remain in a waking state, with the memory remaining in waking recall mode, with no loss of awareness. Therefore, the initiation of the ‘access state’ of dreaming is experienced as a form of ‘astral projection’. By contrast, during a psychedelic state, the ego remains intact and unified, albeit perhaps confused and derailed. The psychedelic state and the disassociative state thus both typify the psychotic state (the memory system is in dream mode whilst the individual is awake) and the access state (the brain is in recall mode whilst the individual is in a dream state) – insomuch as they are both circumstances when the ego is out of synch with the memory system. However, these states differ from schizophrenic disorder or true access dreams, as they are chemically induced by drugs, and the psychedelic experiences are not induced by natural DMT, but rather merely triggered by a similar correlate chemical. Haycock believes that the DMT experience has much in common with dream states, schizophrenic hallucinations and Shamantic experiences. Phosphene visuals, synesthesia and other psychedelic sensory effects are present, but the most overwhelming and intriguing aspect of the DMT experience is that it is believed to facilitate contact with other entities or beings, who inhabit a ‘psychedelic reality’. Another supposed element of the DMT experience is the linguistic overtones – users of DMT often describe an ‘alien’ language with which their thoughts are processed, or the bringing of ‘ideas’ and concepts into existence by a visual language. The overriding facet of the DMT experience is the ‘otherworldly’, often idiosyncratic nature, which users are often unable to attribute it to being a product of their own mind.

The general assumption amongst many DMT users is that they have entered a different realm of existence. Haycock says that this is impossible; the conscious cannot leave the body and move out into the external world. The notion that DMT enables the user to make contact with other entities inhabiting a different realm is not unique to DMT and indeed, is a fundamental aspect of Shamanic rituals throughout the world. Haycock compares the Shaman – partially and consciously emerged in an alternative reality with schizophrenics, who are involuntarily assaulted by anomalous hallucinations and distortions of reality and perception. Shamans use DMT to make contact with the spiritual realm, whereas schizophrenics apparently have higher levels of DMT in blood and urine samples. The perception of a world of intelligent beings and entities which is characteristic of dreams, schizophrenia and DMT use by Shamans, can be explained by pareidolia – the perception of significant patterns (in this case, anthropomorphic) in random data. Sagan suggests that humans are pre-programmed to perceive faces and bodies, as a form of biological and evolutionary advantage, useful for survival. Haycock believes that DMT stimulates the brain’s pareidolic circuits, intensifying the experience, therefore rendering sensory impression subordinate to perceptive impression. Thus, the brain on DMT magnifies pareidolia, so patterns are transferred into physical, conscious entities manifesting through reality. The fact that entities are often malevolent is also explainable – it is a greater survival advantage to interpret an unknown entity as hostile or threatening – which is something we also recognise in dreams, schizophrenic episodes and Shamantic experiences. Dream content – particularly that which takes place in REM sleep – is typically linked with negative rather than positive emotional perceptions and experiences. Pareidolia is located in the temporal lobe of the brain. Haycock states that every day events and occurrences have direct personal meaning and significance for schizophrenics which may mean that this is a manifestation of the dream state, in which all objects, events and symbols have personal meaning. Anthropomorphic pareidolia, where inanimate objects are perceived as having sentience, emotions or personality, is common in schizophrenia. Haycock goes so far as to state that animism is the default human mode of perception and the result of human tendency to find meaning by way of motive. If natural DMT is the chemical switch which moves the memory from waking to dreaming mode, then dream content may be the result of pareidolia. Surrealist artist, Salvador Dali (1904 – 1989) was known to use the pareidolic-critical method in order to tap into the subconscious depths of the mind. In this sense, paranoia is the irrational connections between sensory stimuli whereby such stimuli is not perceived merely as existing in external reality, but is also an extension of subjective self. The sensory perceptions, associations and resemblances are given primary over objective identity, with the result that the individual enters a flow of subjectivity in which the objective environment becomes a symbolic stream of consciousness. This is said to be a method of manually pushing the memory from waking mode into dreaming mode whilst awake. Sensory awareness is created by matching sensory input to stored archetypal templates; in a pareidolic state, the stored archetypal template takes precedence over sensory input. This happens during the dream state, where memories are matched to and stored according to perceptual similarity – the process of folding experience into a constellation around an archetype. The visual world of dreaming is created by lingual gyrus, which are responsible for identifying faces, landmarks and symbols/text – supporting a link between these things.  A delusional state is similar to the dream state in that perceptual templates take priority over sensory input from the external environment.

Haycock argues that the brain does not discriminate between sources of sensory input, but rather sorts through the masses of stimuli according to fixed rules about how to decode and construct the phenomenological world of colour, shape, distance, sound etc. The brain must therefore possess an innate set of rules for decoding sensory input, which Haycock suggests are archetypal in nature. The sensory world is therefore constructed by matching input to inbuilt archetypal patterns (genetic or ancestral memories of inherited representations of humanity’s evolutionary past). Neurologist, Racmachandran states that: “perhaps we are hallucinating all the time and what we call perception is arrived at by simply determining which hallucinations best conforms to the current sensory input”.

Haycock suggests that at the highest cognitive levels there is a tension between the reviewing functions of the ego and the imagination, resulting from the checking of predictive patterns against reality. Obsessive compulsive disorder may stem from an overactive reviewing function and what Haycock refers to as a hyperactive ‘over-ego’ with confabulation (the retrieval and articulation of bizarre, fabricated dream-like fantasies rather than actual memories) as at the other end of the spectrum – where the over-ego is hypoactive (I prefer the Freudian terminology of ‘super-ego’ which undoubtedly would be implicated in a Freudian analysis of OCD behaviours, which I assume would fall within the framework of an ‘anal conflict’ dominated by the super-ego). Conversely, dreaming involves a state in which the reviewing function and ego are relaxed and imagination is allowed to take dominance.

Haycock argues that there may be a connection between dreaming and the activity of the brain’s default network (i.e. sorting and storing memories); research has shown that the default network is active during sleep and dreaming. The precuneous is functionally and anatomically linked to the medial temporal lobe and episodic memory structures and therefore it may be possible that the precuneous is responsible for engaging and disengaging them. Haycock is keen to state that this does not mean that the precuneous acts as the chemical switch – the role he attributes to DMT, pointing out that we know that dreaming is triggered by the pontine reticular formation. The role of the precuneous during waking (building associations between memories; self-reflection; linking memories to identity) may be a clue to its role in dreaming. Alternatively, he says that it may be possible that DMT binds to the serotonin receptors of the precuneous, which then induces the neurological mechanisms of dreaming via the default network. Dreaming may have the function of finding solutions to our waking problems by accessing archetypal response patterns, via pareidolic magnification which allows the perceptive template to take prominence over sensory input from the external environment or the reviewing functions of the brain. However, this theory remains speculation.

DMT (2) - Pineal DMT (Soma Pinolin) & the Third Eye

The pineal gland (also called the pineal body, epiphysis cerebri, epiphysis, conarium or the "Third Eye") is a small endocrine gland in the vertebrate brain. It produces the serotonin derivative melatonin, a hormone that affects the modulation of wake/sleep patterns and seasonal functions. The pineal gland is found in the deep recesses of the brain, bathed in cerebrospinal fluid by the ventricles, the fluid-filled cavities of the brain that feed it and remove waste. Its shape resembles a tiny pine cone (hence its name), and it is located near the centre of the brain, between the two hemispheres, tucked in a groove where the two rounded thalamic bodies join. The pineal gland is reddish-gray and about the size of a grain of rice (5 – 8 mm) in humans, located just rostro-dorsal to the superior colliculus and behind and beneath the stria medullaris, between the laterally positioned thalamic bodies. It is part of the epithalamus. The pineal gland is a midline structure shaped like a pine cone and is often seen in plain skull X-rays, as it is often calcified. The pineal body consists in humans of a lobular parenchyma of pinealocytes surrounded by connective tissue spaces. The gland's surface is covered by a pial capsule. The pineal gland consists mainly of pinealocytes, but four other cell types have been identified. As it is quite cellular (in relation to the cortex and white matter) it may be mistaken for a neoplasm. The pineal gland receives a sympathetic innervation from the superior cervical ganglion. However, a parasympathetic innervation from the sphenopalatine and otic ganglia is also present. Further, some nerve fibers penetrate into the pineal gland via the pineal stalk (central innervation). Finally, neurons in the trigeminal ganglion innervate the gland with nerve fibers containing the neuropeptide, PACAP. Human follicles contain a variable quantity of gritty material, called corpora arenacea (or ‘acervuli’ or ‘brain sand’). Chemical analysis shows that they are composed of calcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, magnesium phosphate, and ammonium phosphate. In 2002, deposits of the calcite form of calcium carbonate were described. Calcium, phosphorus deposits in the pineal gland have been linked with ageing.

The pineal is the only unpaired gland in the brain. It was originally believed to be a ‘vestigial remnant’ of a larger organ. Curiously, this solitary gland – which may accurately be described as a ‘third eye’ - is light sensitive and actually has a lens, cornea, and retina.  Miller questions whether there a retinal circus of biophotons deep in the brain, which only the ‘Third Eye’ sees or even creates: the ‘Light of Wisdom’? Miller supports Strassmans theory that the pineal gland implicated in the production of endogenous or natural DMT. Pinealocytes in many non-mammalian vertebrates have a strong resemblance to the photoreceptor cells of the eye. Some evolutionary biologists believe that the vertebrate pineal cells share a common evolutionary ancestor with retinal cells. In some vertebrates, exposure to light can set off a chain reaction of enzymatic events within the pineal gland that regulate circadian rhythms. In humans and other mammals, the light signals necessary to set circadian rhythms are sent from the eye through the retinohypothalamic system to the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) and the pineal. Unlike much of the rest of the mammalian brain, the pineal gland is not isolated from the body by the blood–brain barrier system - it has profuse blood flow, second only to the kidney.

René Descartes (1596 – 1650), who dedicated much time to the study of the pineal gland, called it the "principal seat of the soul." He believed that it was the point of connection between the intellect and the body. Descartes attached significance to the gland because he believed it to be the only section of the brain which existed as a single part, rather than one half of a pair. He argued that because a person can never have "more than one thought at a time," external stimuli must be united within the brain before being considered by the soul, and he considered the pineal gland to be situated in "the most suitable possible place for this purpose," located centrally in the brain and surrounded by branches of the carotid arteries.

Its main functions include emission of its secretions to the strategically surrounding emotional, visual and auditory brain centres; regulation of body temperature and skin colouration; and secretion of the sleep hormone melatonin. Generally, after the more imaginative period of childhood, the pineal calcifies and diminishes at the onset of puberty’s sex hormones, around the age of 12 years.

The pineal gland makes a neurohormone called melatonin, which is one of the key regulators of the circadian and seasonal biological rhythms. It also makes a mono-amine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor called pinoline (methoxytetrahydrobetacarboline (MeOTHBC)) which acts on the GABA receptors and whose chemical structure is virtually identical with the harmala alkaloids. Serotonin (5 hydroxytryptamine (5HT)) has frequently been implicated in certain aspects of psychoses. Pinoline is a neuromodulator, which prevents, amongst other effects, the breakdown of serotonin. Strassman (1990) argues that this results in an accumulation of physiologically active amines including dimethyltryptamine (DMT) within the neuronal synapses, which may lead to hallucinations, depression or mania depending on the amines being affected.

The concept of the ‘Third Eye’ is an esoteric, mystical notion referring to the ‘anja’ or ‘brow chakra’ in dharmic spiritual traditions, in particular Hinduism. The concept was later adopted by Christian mystics and spiritualists as well as other religious faiths. It is described as the gate that leads within to inner realms and spaces of higher consciousness. Among Christian mystics, the term is used in a broad sense to indicate a non-dualistic perspective. In New Age spirituality, the Third Eye may symbolize a state of enlightenment or the evocation of mental images having deeply personal spiritual or psychological significance. The Third Eye is often associated with visions; clairvoyance (which includes the ability to observe chakras and auras); precognition; and out-of-body experiences. People who have allegedly developed the capacity to utilise their Third Eyes are sometimes known as ‘seers’. This master gland is responsible for the internal perception of Light; the raising of Kundalini, the ‘serpent power’; and for awakening inner sight or in-sight.  The key to a successful meditation is the withdrawal of the sensory currents to the eye focus or the Third Eye. Once there, the gaze focuses on the middle of whatever appears without any distractions or intrusive thought.

Structure of brain, showing pineal gland

The pineal gland

Images depicting the concept of the 'Third Eye'

According to Strassman and supporters of his theory such as Miller, who has several publications on this topic, DMT production in the pineal gland is stimulated in the extraordinary conditions of birth, sexual ecstasy, childbirth, extreme physical stress, near-death, and death, as well as meditation.  Pineal DMT also plays a significant role in dream consciousness, acting as a form of chemical messenger, linking body and spirit. Pineal activation awakens normally latent neural pathways.

In DMT: The Sprit Molecule, Strassman states: 

All spiritual disciplines describe quite psychedelic accounts of the transformative experiences, whose attainment motivate their practice. Blinding white light, encounters with demonic and angelic entities, ecstatic emotions, timelessness, heavenly sounds, feelings of having died and being reborn, contacting a powerful and loving presence underlying all of reality - these experiences cut across all denominations. They also are characteristic of a fully psychedelic DMT experience. How might meditation evoke the pineal DMT experience?

Meditative techniques using sound, sight, or the mind may generate particular wave patterns whose fields induce resonance in the brain. Millennia of human trial and error have determined that certain "sacred" words, visual images, and mental exercises exert uniquely desired effects. Such effects may occur because of the specific fields they generate within the brain. These fields cause multiple systems to vibrate and pulse at certain frequencies.  We can feel our minds and bodies resonate with these spiritual exercises. Of course, the pineal gland also is buzzing at these same frequencies...The pineal begins to "vibrate" at frequencies that weaken its multiple barriers to DMT formation: the pineal cellular shield, enzyme levels, and quantities of anti-DMT. The end result is a psychedelic surge of the pineal spirit molecule, resulting in the subjective states of mystical consciousness.

Natural hallucinogens may belong to the tryptamine or beta-carboline family of compounds. One compound (6-methoxy-1,2,3,4-tetra-hydro-beta-carboline) has been linked to REM sleep. It is concentrated in the retinae of mammals, which may be related to its visual effects. There are several ways in which either psychoactive tryptamines and/or beta-carbolines may be produced within the central nervous system and pineal from precursors and enzymes that are known to exist in humans. Additionally, nerve fibres leave the pineal and make synaptic connections with other brain sites through traditional nerve-to-nerve connections, not just through endocrine secretions. Serotonin or tryptamine levels are higher in the pineal than any other area of the brain. 5-methoxy-tryptamine is a precursor with hallucinogenic properties, which has a high affinity for the serotonin type-3 receptor. Gucchait (1976) demonstrated that the human pineal contains an enzyme capable of synthesising both DMT and bufotenine-like chemistry. These compounds are prime candidates for endogenous ‘schizotoxins’ and apparently, their production may be related to stress and/or trauma that correlate with schizophrenia.

Strassman notes that both the embryological rudiments of the pineal gland and the differentiated genitals of both male and female foetus appear at 49 days. Melatonin is a timekeeper for gonadal maturation, so the pineal is implicated again in this process which takes place prior to birth. He suggests this rein-effect may be the root of the tension between sexual and spiritual energies – yin and yang. This theory suggests that pineal gland is a source of both psychedelic compounds and the gonads, sources of spiritual and generative immortality. Stress-related hormones cue the pineal activation to activate normally latent synthetic pathways, creating tryptamine and/or beta-carboline hallucinogens. When we face stress or potential death, or in meditative reveries, we ‘tune back’ into the most well developed motif of such experiences - the birth experience. Perinatal themes and memories re-emerge. Those with Caesarean section births allegedly report greater difficulty in attaining transcendent states of breakthrough and release during drug-induced states, although the scientific evidence for this assertion by Miller is not benefited by reference to a clinical study, relying on Strassman’s theory of DMT. She, like Strassman, questions whether maybe less foetal (or maternal) hallucinogens were released at the time of birth in Caesarean cases. They may not, according to Strassman, have a strong enough “template of experience” to fall back on, to let go without fear of total annihilation, because lesser amounts of pineal hallucinogens were produced during their births. Through meditation, the pineal gland may be modulated to elicit a finely tuned standing wave through resonance effects. It creates the induction of a dynamic, yet unmoving, quality of experience. Such harmonisation resynchronises both hemispheres of the brain and recalibrates the whole organism. Dysynchrony is associated with a variety of disorders. Such a standing wave in consciousness can induce resonance in the pineal gland using electric, magnetic or sound energy, and may result in a chain of synergetic activity resulting in the production and release of hallucinogenic compounds. Thus, the pineal gland can be likened to an attractor - or ‘lightning rod’ of consciousness, which generates an illuminative laser beam that pervades the energy body.

McGillion (2002) states that ancient cosmobiologists noticed effects of the planets were mediated by the pineal gland. Physician-astrologers in Greece and Europe assumed a correlation between events in the heavens and those on earth that was relevant to both health and disease. The sun, moon, and planets studied by the early health practitioners were thought to affect human health. A simple example, commonly given by theorists in this area is the notion that being born in the day or night can make us a ‘morning person’ or ‘night owl’, by setting the body-clock of pineal sensitivity and melatonin production. Seasonality and geomagnetism at birth can also apparently affect long term development. Physicist Cliff Pickover argues that: "DMT in the pineal glands of Biblical prophets gave God to humanity and let ordinary humans perceive parallel universes. Our brain is a filter, and the use of DMT is like slipping on infrared goggles, allowing us to perceive a valid reality that is inches away and all around us.” He suggests that perhaps our ancestors produced more DMT, leading to extraordinary spiritual visions, stating: “Maybe this is why the ancients seemed so in touch with God and with miracles and visions. Maybe Moses, Mohammad, and Jesus had a greater rate of pineal DMT production than most.” Pickover blames artificial light for a reduction in our DMT production rate. Miller suggests that is more likely that most ancient cultures simply supercharged themselves with shamanic herbs.

Some scholars claim the ‘burning bush’ referred to in the Bible was Cannabis sativa, Assyrian Rue (pegunam harmala; zoroaster’s hoama,asena ) or the North African acacia tree, and that Moses either smoked the leaves or got high downwind in the DMT-containing smoke. Graves (1948) claimed the acacia sant, a host tree of the mistletoe-like loranthus, was the 'burning bush' and source of manna. If this oracular tree of Canaan contained tryptamines, as many species do, Moses could have possibly had access to DMT. It is still a practice to burn botanicals inside a tent to imbibe their smoke. Assyrian rue was the most sacred plant of Mohammad, who took the esphand (Arabic/Persian name for the plant) before receiving the Koran from Allah. This holy esphand was associated with the appearance of angels and casts out evil spirits, and was used to cure fever and malaria and provides the rich red dye of Persian carpets. Rue was central to the Petra mystery rites and schools of alchemy. Their sacrament was a beverage of illumination and restoration, mixed with gold and other alchemical products and was passed down from Zoroaster (also known as Chem the original Alchemist and chemist). Chem is also an ancient name for Egypt. The grandson of Zoroaster, Nimrod or King En.Meru.dug, founded the Egyptian 2nd Dynasty. This plant of life became central in the Mysteries and healing schools of ancient Egypt, where Moses could easily have learned its powers. The original Essenes, named after the plant, were headquartered in Heliopolis. Asena, the botanical ‘Bush of Life’, is an acronym, ASNA, of Aset (Isis) Sutekh (Set) Nebtet (Nephtys) and Auser (Osiris). It embodied the female form of the One God ATON, who correlates with the Greek goddess of wisdom and war, Athena. Shamanic Bedouins still make the Egyptian eucharistic ‘Bread of Light’ using the asena/hoama bush, the North African acacia tree, and ground meteorite. They still shape it the form of the Eye of Ra, a circle with a central hole. The tradition was passed down to Christian Gnostics in Abydos, Egypt, the bush eventually becoming symbolically used to sprinkle holy water. Leonardo da Vinci and Michaelangelo reportedly used it for visionary inspiration. In modern times, Pickover has suggested spontaneous DMT experiences as a possible source of Whitley Streiber’s Communion aliens: “…we know that DMT can often produce visions of cartoon-like aliens.” Others (Meyer, 1993) report those using DMT often claim communication with stick-like, insect-like or elf-like beings and discarnate entities. Psychonaut and writer, McKenna used synthetic DMT (N,Ndimetyltryptamine) to intentionally contact the  ‘machine elves’ (referred to above) and explore parallel worlds: “What is driving religious feeling today is a wish for contact with this other universe. Arguing for their radical “otherness”. McKenna emphasised that the hyperspace aliens, witnessed while using DMT, present themselves "with information that is not drawn from the personal history of the individual." But smoking this synthetic DMT for hyperspace experience rarely yields ‘Clear Light’ experiences.

The harma alkaloid "harmine" is also known as telepathine and banisterine. It is a naturally occurring beta-carboline that is structurally related to harmaline. CNS can be simulated by inhibiting the metabolism of serotonin and other monoamines. Telepathine, is an MAO inhibitor, which parallels the function of pinoline (a natural MAO Inhibitor) naturally produced by the pineal gland. The combination of the pineal-secreted DMT (dimethyltriptamine) and the MAO Inhibitor, pinoline (methoxytetrahydrobetacarboline, MeOTHBC) may be responsible for naturally occurring psychic experiences. Harmine and harmaline are found in Syrian Rue (3 - 7% harma alkaloid), and ayahuasca brews made with DMT sources, bark and leaves of pychotria viridis or banisteriopsis caapi vine. Ayahuasca is the South American sacrament of the Church of Santo Daime and Uniao de Vegetal (UDV). In this setting, the churches condition the “spiritual” expectations, experiences, ethics and type of information ‘received’ in the altered state. The visionary state is considered to be the essence of the shamanic complex. Shamanic vision differs from hallucination in volition; form and content of thoughts; clarity of heightened awareness; perception and contextualisation.  Practitioners have claimed it is for ‘analysis’. There is no primary delusional experience. The distinction between self and non-self is blurred and the notion of causality is affected. Callaway (1994) argues that its chemistry probably works in the following way. The primary function of harmala alkaloids in ayahuasca is to allow for the oral activity of DMT by inhibition of MAO-A, and further permits accumulation of 5-HT and other neurotransmitters. On their own, harmala alkaloids have only weak psychoactive effects. However, Kim et al (1997) found that the harmala alkaloids, which occur in ayahuasca, were the most effective inhibitors of purified MAO-A. The psychedelic effects of ayahuasca probably manifest primarily through the serotonergic effects of DMT on the CNS and through increased levels of unmetabolised biogenic amines. Pinoline potentiates the activity of methylated tryptamines and this is the probable mechanism behind ayahuasca.

Investigation of long-term users of ayahuasca showed a statistically significant difference between control group and users with a higher binding density in blood platelets of 5-HT uptake sites in the ayahuasca drinkers. This indicates a modulatory role for pinoline (the endogenous equivalent of ayahuasca) in the CNS. An upregulation of the serotonergic system is exactly what current antidepressant medications attempt to do, i.e. increasing synaptic 5-HT by preventing its reuptake.

Johnny Appleseed brings the perspective of a Transpersonal Psychologist to his experiential shamanic teaching, contending that 5-MeO DMT awakens psychic centres by amplifying our telepathic ability to affect or be receptive to others’ brainwaves through modulating chemistry, electromagnetic entrainment and standing feedback loops. Plants are mixed in brews with MAO Inhibitor containing plants (banasteriopsis caapi, Syrian Rue etc.) to produce entheogenic brews that mimic the DMT-pinoline combination naturally produced by the pineal gland. Appleseed states:

For the last 10 years I have been doing healing and exploratory sessions with individuals and small groups. We have occasionally experienced the phenomena of telepathy, ESP, and interactions on an energetic level that produce healing in a number of modalities. I work only with a strain of Phalaris grass, an entheogen specifically bred to contain 5-MeO DMT. I use this in an oral preparation potentiated by MAOI from Syrian rue. This is not a common mix, as most people smoke it for a blast, which is not conducive to this work. I feel all of the other materials mentioned, LSD, mushrooms, and DMT-based brews distort consciousness to some degree. Oral-based 5-MeO DMT from plant sources is something completely different, however. Traces of other alkaloids from the plant source produce a more enhanced experience than the pure chemical. A clear yet enhanced state is accessible easily and reliably with no delusional ideation, or visual distortions. It is simply like being fully awake. This is probably because we were born with, and until puberty had, a pineal gland that made 5-MeO DMT in quite substantial amounts, unlike the reports of only very trace amounts of endogenous DMT. Thus, we have the receptors and metabolic pathways to deal with this material in a non-distorting way.

Ananda Bosman emphasises the crucial role of endogenous DMT and sacramental DMT from Syrian rue and other potentiating botanicals. The ancients called it variously,  hoama in Persian (avesta veda); soma in Sanskrit (Rg veda); the Egyptian essene; the Sumerian ‘Tree of Life’; Mohammed’s esphand; the burning bush asena of Moses; the Gnostic besa; the Etruscan phallaris arundanacia; and the rue of alchemy. Syrian rue was revered because melatonin's active metabolite, pinoline, is oneirogenic and antidepressant, increasing serotonin turnover. Lack of pinoline disturbs our circadian rhythms and creates states of depression. According to Miller, pinoline has been conclusively demonstrated to have no function in schizophrenia, since test subjects healthy and otherwise, had the same levels of pinoline. The pineal is a superconducting resonator. Bosman claims it potentiates DNA as a multidimensional transducer of holographic projection, through hadron toroids, and is implicated in staying youthful. 5meoDMT and DMT act on the T-RNA messengers, which carry out the protein synthesis for the DNA, or the rebuilding of our body image and organs. Melatonin is exclusively made in the pineal gland, comprised of the same tryptophane base materials as pinoline. Melatonin induces mitosis by sending a small electrical signal up the double helix of the DNA, which instigates an 8 HZ proton signal that enables the hydrogen bonds to the stair steps, to zip open, and the DNA can replicate. The human pineal gland not only produces the neuro-hormone melatonin, one of the body's most potent antioxidents, but the revolutionary pinoline, 6-methoxy-tetra-dydro-beta carboline, or 6-MeO-THBC. Pinoline is superior to melatonin in aiding DNA replication and can make superconductive elements within the body, encouraging cell division by resonating with the very pulse of life - 8 cycles per second - the pulse DNA uses to replicate. Andrea Puharich measured this 8 Hz resonance in healers in the late 1970s. Bosman implicates DMT in the hyperdimensional geometry or architecture operating in DNA through hadronic mechanics, a model of the 8 hz, or universal phase-conjugational force, that is also the most coherent nuclear magnetic resonance and the DNA replication frequency. He relates this to the sacred geometry of the Merkabah, Flower of Life, Sri Yantra, Diamond Body, and Vector Equilibrium Matrix.

The living DNA in our bodies apparently operates in hyper-dimensions. The entire body holographic message is present in the single DNA molecule, in order to be capable of reproducing the entire whole. The local 8hz field component is a standard tetrahedron interlocked with a second tetrahedron representing the counter-rotary field that it is phase-conjugating with, and together comprising a ‘stellated cube’.

Bosman and Mantak Chia have investigated ‘Dark Room techniques’ for stimulating the pineal gland. Bosman developed, researched, and has taught the Dark Room technology for endogenous pineal soma and DMT production (endohuasca) since 1992, upgrading his technique with Mantak Chia in 2000. Isolated from external light, the ‘Third Eye’ (pineal gland) overflows with certain neurotransmitters that awaken the higher brain; the ability to imprint the brain; reprogramming itself for an “instant experience of Being.” The retreat reopens the source code of embryogenesis. 5-MEO-DMT activates the whole spine; the whole ‘Tree of Life’ (Djedi, the staff of Hermes, the Caduceus of the spine) becomes active to be reprogrammed. This is the accessing and awakening of the ‘Tree of Life’, the Kundalini, which is a readout of the DNA. DNA itself is a minute tree of life. So one can start to process the illusion of the dream from its binary code into the ‘Unity Self’.  In The Unity Keys of Emmanuel and Somajetics, Bosman says:

By the DMT translation of the Sound of Silence of the Word into the Soul Computer Virtual Reality Interface, the parallel quantum bodies are thus accessed by the NMDA inhibition, which is electrical anesthesia, engaged by the heart ecstasis of 8 hz, to the 1000 hz petalled lotus. [This] is the learned means of NMDA inhibition, engaged through the cave and dark room retreats of inner re-engagement. Thus the chemical soul’s crystal laser transducers and interdimensional door keys, are in soma harmaline-pinoline-harmine, DMT and 5-MeO-DMT, and by the NMDA  inhibitors through ecstasis...A high spin state within the DNA water molecule harnessed by pinoline/soma intercalating with the DNA (a molecule that has a stable 8hz NMR proton-proton spin-spin coupling thus hadron pi-meson interplay), together with N-methl-D-aspartate-inhibitors enables the electron states to move into a nulling, and electron freeze within an entire cell, enabling only 8 hz fields to pass through, changing the charge of the cell, so that the superconductivity harnessed by the pinoline DNA intercalation (with sonic interaction of the vocalized DNA electron spin resonance tones) — enables the hadronic force to be able to operate within the macro region of an entire cell (and intercellularly, by extension).

Furthermore, noradrenaline plays a significant role in the pineal gland, when there is sufficient pinoline saturation in the brain. It releases a serotonin site, enabling another serotonin site on the pineal gland to produce the potent visionary dimethyltryhptamine (DMT), neurotransmitter. Callaway detected this molecule in the spinal serum of people who were dying; having an ‘out of body experience’ (OOBE); or who were lucid dreaming. It is pinoline that enables the threshold levels of DMT to become active in the brain, but it requires an adrenaline burst. DMT with pinoline increases brain activation, and with its cousin, the 5-Methoxy-DMT, has been shown to activate the brain by as much as 40%, compared to our 10% maximum potential at present. This is a frightening prospect for the uninitiated, due to the absolutely overwhelming nature of DMT.

Here is some anecdotal evidence of DMT experiences which I found on the internet during my research:

I felt the DMT release my soul's energy and push it through the DNA. It's what happened when I lost my body. There were spirals that reminded me of things I've seen at Chaco Canyon. Maybe that was DNA. Maybe the ancients knew that. The DNA is backed into the universe like space travel. One needs to travel without one's body. It's ridiculous to think about space travel in little ships.

- Sara, a volunteer in Strassman's DMT research

There was no turning back. After a moment or two I became aware of something happening to my left. I saw a psychedelic, Day-Glo-colored space that approximated a room whose walls and floor had no clear separations or edges. It was throbbing and pulsing electrically. Rising in front of "me" was a podium-like table. It seemed that some presence was dealing/serving something to me. I wanted to know where I was and "sensed" the reply that I had no business there. The presence was not hostile, just somewhat annoyed and brusque.

- Aaron, a volunteer in Strassman's DMT research

The first thing I noticed was a burning in the back of my neck. Then there was this loud intense hum. It was like the fan at first, but separate. It began engulfing me. I let go into it and then... WHAM! I felt like I was in an alien laboratory, in a hospital bed like this...A sort of landing bay, or recovery area. There were beings...They had a space ready for me. They weren't as surprised as I was. It was incredibly un-psychedelic. I was able to pay attention to detail. There was one main creature, and he seemed to be behind it all, overseeing everything. The others were orderlies, or dis-orderlies. They activated a sexual circuit, and I was flushed with an amazing orgasmic energy. A goofy chart popped up like an X-ray in a cartoon, and a yellow illumination indicated that the corresponding system, or series of systems, were fine. They were checking my instruments, testing things. When I was coming out, I couldn't help but think 'aliens'. I am so disappointed I didn't talk to them. I was confused and in awe. I knew that they were preparing me for something. Somehow we had a mission. They had things to show me. But they were waiting for me to acquaint myself with the environment and movement and language of this space.

- Dimitri, a volunteer in Strassman's DMT research

At one time, around 1969, we used large doses of DMT, and this period was crucially important to the whole evolution of my mathematical understanding of consciousness, based on geometry, topology, nonlinear dynamics and the theory of vibrating waves. For in these experiments, although lasting only a few minutes, the reciprocal processes of vibrations producing forms and forms producing vibrations were clearly perceived in abstract visual fields.

Mathematician Ralph Abraham reporting scientific inspiration from synthetic DMT (2006)

Literally, you are transported into another fucking dimension. I don't mean like you feel you're in another dimension, you're in another dimension. There's fucking complex geometric patterns moving in synchronies order through the air all around you in three dimensional space. It's like they're arteries, but there isn't blood pumping through them, there's light, pulsating light with no boundaries. And there's an alien communicating with me who looks sort of like a Tai Buddha, except he's entirely made of energy and there's no outline to him. He's concentrating and telling me not to give into astonishment, relax and try and experience this.

- Joe Rogan (b. 1967) American martial artist, UFC commentator, writer, comedian, actor & psychedelic pioneer

The following text is a transcription of a radio broadcast by Joe Rogan c. 2005/6: 

It's called dimethyltryptamine. It's produced by your pineal gland. It's actually a gland...that's in the centre of your brain. It's the craziest drug ever. It's the most potent psychedelic known to man. Literally. But the craziest thing [about it is that] it's natural, and your brain produces it every night as you sleep. You know, when you sleep, during the time you're in heavy R.E.M. sleep, and right before human death, your brain pumps out heavy doses of dimethyltryptamine. Nobody knows what sleep is all about. Nobody knows why dreaming is important. But dreaming is hugely important. If you don't dream, you'll go fucking crazy and you'll die. While you're dreaming, while you're in heavy REM sleep, you are going through a psychedelic trip. And very few people know about this. But it's been documented. There's a great book on it called DMT: The Spirit Molecule by a doctor named Dr Rick Strassman. And he did all of these clinical studies at the University of New Mexico on it. And you take this shit, and literally you are transported into another fucking dimension. I don't mean like, you feel like you're in another dimension. I mean you're in another dimension....There's fucking complex geometric patterns moving in synchronous order through the air all around you in three-dimensional space; and it's like they're arteries, except there's not blood pumping through them, there's fucking light - pulsating lights with no boundaries. And you couldn't really understand it. And there's an alien communicating with me. There's a dude who looks like, like sorta like a Thai Buddha, except he's made entirely of energy and there's no, there's no, like, outline to him - he's just one thing. And he's concentrating on me, and he's trying to tell me not to give in to astonishment. Just relax, and try to experience this. And I'm like: “You gotta be fucking shittin' me.” And I'm a stand up comedian, you know. 'Cos as a stand-up comedian, we pride ourselves in being able to describe things. So I'm like: “How the FUCK am I gonna talk about this?!”

DMT has also been advocated by some as a therapeutic tool. Hollywood personal trainer to the stars, Barry Hostetler advocates “Youthenizing”, claiming his 35 years of bodybuilding and meditating allows him to “kick out the DMT”. According to Hostetler, we can control our psychobiology by controlling our mental state and vice versa, especially the reactive ‘dragon brain’ or ‘reptilian brain’. Paramahansa Yogananda taught: “If you are in a dark room, don’t beat at the darkness with a stick, but rather try to turn on the light!” Under stress we release toxic catabolites into our system, which undermine the immune system and age us faster. Hostetler argues that without exercise (aerobic, core, strength) poisons accumulate, making the body toxic and the mind frustrated and agitated. When we are calm and balanced, body chemistry is non-toxic and immune function improves significantly.

Meditation is an alpha brain wave entrainment technique, which synchronises the two brain hemispheres into 8 Hz. This resonance phenomenon, entrainment, is called the frequency-following response, or binaural beat technology. Entrainment is the process of synchronisation, where vibrations of one object will cause another to oscillate at the same rate. It works by embedding two different tones in a stereo background. Continuous tones of subtlely different frequencies (such as 100 and 108 cycles per second) are delivered to each ear independently via stereo headphones.  The tones combine in a pulsing ‘wah-wah’ tone, often overlaid with more soothing, meditative mood music. External rhythms have been shown to have a direct effect on the psychology and physiology of the listener.  The brain effortlessly begins resonating at the same rate as the difference between the two tones, ideally in the 4 - 13 Hz. (theta and alpha) range for meditation. All you have to do is meditate whilst listening to the binaural beats through the headphones. The brain automatically responds to certain frequencies, behaving like a resonator. You may not become immediately enlightened, but hemispheric synchronization helps with a whole host of problems stemming from abnormal hemispheric asymmetries, such as stress; REM sleep problems; narcissism; addictive and self-defeating behaviours; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); depression; insomnia; chronic pain; attention-deficit disorders, nightmares, anxiety and aggression. Communication between hemispheres correlates with flashes of insight, wisdom and creativity. Because the brain is functionally ‘plastic’ in nature, creating and exercising new neural pathways can retrain neural circuitry.  In meditation, the halves of the brain become synchronised and exhibit nearly identical patterns of large, slow brainwaves. Rhythmic pulses can modulate collective neuronal synchrony.  Then, both lobes automatically play in concert. Stimulating neglected neural circuitry creates new pathways, improving equilibrium and long-term change, essentially “tuning” the nervous system.  Indeed, the idea of changing brain chemistry and electrical activity is well-established in medicine – i.e. the use of electro-convulsive shock treatment in mental disorders. For more information on how binaural beats can be used to enhance lucid dreaming, please see my previous article on this topic, by following this link.

Closing the eyes, stops melatonin flow leakage to the body, and makes it saturate the neocortex, increasing concentrations of meltaonin and pinoline in both brain and body. Pinoline and related beta carbolines are not only produced in the brain, but in the adrenal glands themselves, where these hormones undergo their transformation to the hormones of life. HeartMath Institute demonstrated that minutes of compassion in the cardio-rhythm, which induces 8 Hz (i.e. alpha waves) in the brain, brought DHEA up to youthful levels. Of course, this means you can use alpha wave binaural beats in meditation to entrain your brain easily. Twenty minutes of what meditation practitioners in this field refer to as ‘compassionate love’, through meditative breathing and whole body 8 Hz entrainment, is the ultimate hormone precursor anti-ageing pill. Not only does the pineal gland produce more melatonin and pinoline, which instigate 8 Hz ELF waves throughout the body, but these neurohormones signal the pituitary to release the life hormone somatropin, which signals the adrenal glands to instigate cholesterol to convert to pregnelenone then DHEA.  The extra pinoline and other beta carboline levels that result, aid the body cells to replicate, and neutralise micro-organisms, parasites, fungoids, and bacterias, and related harmful invaders. Melatonin and pinoline are also anti-oxidents – another factor in anti-ageing. Meditation is a rest break; an essential health exercise; an energiser; a tool for mental integration of daily activities; an integration session; and a body tuner, promoting antioxidant and antidepressant production. It is alleged that we can return intentionally to more youthful states by doing emotional exercises and visualisations, which stimulate the body chemistry of our youthful days. The body remembers and mimics those chemical states, producing youthful hormones and more flexible mental and physical states, improving overall balance and disposition. This is the foundational thought behind yoga as a therapeutic form of exercise and meditation. When “Youthenizing” (to use Hostetler’s catchphrase), it is apparently helpful to use a photo from under age 7, a time you felt at your peak, or your happiest, or other 'good chemistry' times. I wholeheartedly believe in the mind-body benefits of meditation and brain entrainment and advocate their use for achieving lucidity in dream states and access to other levels of consciousness. However, I feel that some ‘psychonautic’ approaches are more extreme than necessary to achieve the experiences sought. Kinesiology demonstrates that the mind ‘thinks’ with the body itself.  Mind-body is the subtle mechanism behind the disease process; the chemistry you generate with moods and states in your body is crucial to your health and well being. First toxic states of mind affect the energy body, then the physical body – by releasing different hormones and chemicals when under stress. Many psychologists argue that subjective and objective experience are hidden determinates of human behaviour. Embodied as corporeal memory, the body is your memory and subconscious and self-regulation can modulate this process. The body is a mass of energy/matter which is affected by emotions and mental states. Body-consciousness can either hide or reveal spirit, depending on how we direct our attention toward our ego, stress (including spiritual distress) and relief. The body and mind can be reunited in a congruent, healthy lifestyle by acting on what you know and using meditative practice. Absolute darkness has an initiatory quality – the metaphor of moving from the darkness of ignorance into the illuminative light. But it is more than a metaphor. Culturally, all ‘wisdom traditions’ have used sensory deprivation and darkness, (such as caves, tunnels, catacombs or special chambers), as a shamanic mind-altering force. Disorientation outside facilitates internal focus and connection. Dark Room (DR) technology is advocated by some DMT researcher as a technique for core reprogramming and restimulation the hardened pineal which begins calcifying around the age of 12 years. This experience supposedly lead to the perception of sound becoming light. Chanting and drumming amplify the effects, which culminate in a rebirth of the spirit when one enters the point of light or primordial luminosity.

Author, Robert Newman, (Calm Healing, 2006) advocates ‘Medicine Light’ for a variety of conditions. He cites Tibetan Buddhist, Trungpa Rinpoche, with reference to highly advanced, dangerous forms of meditation practiced in utter darkness, known as a ‘Bardo Retreat’. These experiences last up to seven weeks in a specially prepared ‘Darkness Chamber’, during which the whole Tibetan Book of The Dead becomes experiential and visions arise innately from the brain. The beneficent and wrathful ‘eyes of Buddha’ become visually and interactively alive as the ‘Bardo of Luminosity’ flashes on and off; visions are self-arising; and transcend ordinary perception. The 49-day cycle recapitulates embryogenesis up to the point when pineal and gender differentiation occurs. The Taoists, Egyptians, Druids and others had similar practices of external light isolation. Taoist master, Mantak Chia of Thailand recommends sound and light isolation in a process he calls Darkroom Enlightenment. He sequesters participants in the dark for over a week to shock the pineal into critical arousal to stimulate production of natural DMT and break down the barriers to transcendence. The neurotransmitter 5-MeO-DMT is normally only active when we are in the womb and in the first months of our lives. According to these practitioners it is reactivated once again when in the darkroom. Stages in this experience include: ‘Melatonin State (Day 1 - 3; ego death); Pinoline State (Day 3 - 5; energy body and astral projection; lucid dreaming); 5-MeO-DMT State (Day 6 - 8; telepathy; White Light); culminating in Illuminative DMT State (Day 9 - 12; Clear Light; Immortal Body). Participants leave through a tunnel, presumably a symbolic ‘rebirth’.

Chia (2006) states:

There is now enough 'mono amine oxidase inhibition' triggered by the pinoline, to allow the pineal gland's 'serotonin to melatonin cycle' to be intercepted by adrenaline and ephedrine activity and converted into a 'serotonin - DMT pathway'. When DMT levels reach more than 25mg, one's experience can become very visual. DMT is the visual third eye neurotransmitter. It enables the energy body and spirit to journey into hyperspace, beyond third dimensional realms of time and space.

‘Re-entry’ implies rebirth - the self-organisng emergence of the new self; the death of stultified within the psyche and the attainment of new behaviours, thoughts, feelings and wisdoms, as part of the healing experience. Entheogen expert, Trout (2001) is sceptical, stating: 

I'll ignore the shakiness of their biochemical presentation but to arrive at DMT from melatonin or a betacarboline starting point would be interesting if not fanciful under physiological conditions. It is much more likely that formation of endogenous DMT would be instead of melatonin rather than from it or into it (and the two paths mutually preclusive similar to what we see in plants as concerns DMT and 5-MeO-DMT synthesis even when the two co-occur). Now to go from melatonin to a 6-methoxylated-betacarboline with psychoactivity on the other hand is not at all far-fetched if an appropriate enzyme exists and was present.

Melatonin and pinoline production is regulated by the seasonal changes in light and darkness, linked to the sleep/wake cycle. Pinoline, is produced in the pineal gland from 5HT has been hypothesised by some psychonauts and DMT scholars as being the neurochemical trigger for dreaming, although there is no solid scientific evidence to validate this assumption at present. Lack of sleep for several nights is often linked to the onset of acute psychotic breakdown in which the person can, in some circumstances, start hallucinating or ‘dreaming while awake’. This state of consciousness is common to the dream state (and REM sleep); the psychedelic state; and the shamanic initiation experience. There is some scientific research which suggests that schizophrenia is a form of waking-dream, very similar to REM states, which are typically disturbed in schizophrenic subjects due to inconsistent sleep patterns. Meditation modulates pineal activity, to create a standing wave through resonance effects that affects other brain centres, with both chemical and electromagnetic coordination.  Resonance can be induced in the pineal using electric, magnetic, or sound energy – and of course binaural brain entrainment. Such harmonisation resynchronises both hemispheres of the brain.  This results in a chain of synergetic activity resulting in the production and release of hallucinogenic compounds. Sacred images are generated by the lower temporal which also responds to ritual imagery and is facilitated by prayer and meditation. Religious emotions originate from the middle temporal lobe and are linked to emotional aspects of religious experience, such as joy and awe. Yet neural correlates don't mean that these experiences exist ‘only’ in the brain or are merely illusory; they are associated with distinct neural activity. There is no way to distinguish if the brain causes these experiences, or actually perceives spiritual reality. Visions of bright lights, portals, and spiritual icons correlate with DMT.

Neurologist Ramachandran believes that human beings have actually evolved specialised neural circuitry for the sole purpose of mediating religious experience. He states: "There may be certain neural pathway - neural structures in the temporal lobe and the limbic system - whose activity makes you more prone to religious belief.” If this is true, it is easy to see how much this mind-altering chemical could amplify all of the tendencies toward mystical apprehension originating in other parts of the brain.

The pineal contains high levels of the enzymes and building blocks for making DMT, and it may be secreted when inhibitory processes cease blocking its production. It may even produce other chemicals, such as beta-carbolines that magnify and prolong its effects. The mind-body operates according to electrical impulses. Living systems are very sensitive to tiny energy fields and resonance phenomena, both locally and at a distance. They allow the cells of the body to work together instantaneously and symphonically. All biological processes are a function of electromagnetic field interactions. Electromagnetic  fields are the connecting link between the world of form and resonant patterns. Electomagnetic fields embody or store gestalts, patterns of information. Biochemical action and bioelectronic action meet at the quantum-junction.

Criticism of Strassman’s DMT theory

Some critics of Strassman’s theories on DMT point out that there is no solid empirical proof that DMT is produced in the pineal gland and even though Strassman himself points this out in his 2001 book, many people have chosen to take his theories as concrete fact. Strassman states:

These hypotheses are not proven, but they derive from scientifically valid data combined with spiritual and religious observations and teachings...The most general hypothesis is that the pineal gland produces psychedelic amounts of DMT at extraordinary times in our lives. Pineal DMT production is the physical representation of non-material, or energetic, processes. It provides us with the vehicle to consciously experience the movement of our life-force in its most extreme manifestations. Specific examples of this phenomenon are the following: When our individual life force enters our fetal body, the moment in which we become truly human, it passes through the pineal and triggers the first primordial flood of DMT...Later, at birth, the pineal releases more DMT...In some of us, pineal DMT mediates the pivotal experiences of deep meditation, psychosis, and near-death experiences...As we die, the life-force leaves the body through the pineal gland, releasing another flood of this psychedelic spirit molecule.

Sceptics point out that Strassman’s theories have entered popular ‘geek drug-culture’ via the internet and publicity from high-profile figures such as Rogan and as a result have been accredited an unshakable status which may not stand up to critical scientific scrutiny and has yet to be accepted by the wider scientific community. Certainly there is no peer-reviewed neuroscientific research which confirms Strassman’s theory. There is even less evidence regarding Strassman’s even more far-reaching claims that DMT is the ‘modulator of the human soul’. By the end of his book, Strassman proposes that DMT may provide access to parallel universes (and alien beings) via superconductive quantum computing of the human brain at room temperature, or via interactions with dark matter. Strassman states: "Because I know so little about theoretical physics, there are fewer constraints reining me in regarding such speculations." Thus, he is admitting that his lack of scientific knowledge in the area of physics enables his imagination to run wild in his speculations about exactly what effect endogenous or pineal gland DMT is likely to have – speculations for which he has no empirical evidence, nor proof that the pineal gland actually functions in this way. Some supporters of Strassman’s theory have developed their own ‘off-shoot’ theories which often go off in creative directions, some of which have been referenced above. These ‘off-shoot’ theories on DMT include: the idea that ancient prophets produced more DMT than modern-man, meaning they were more ‘enlightened’ and open to other plains of consciousness; that electro-magnetic fields increase DMT production; spending a couple of weeks in total darkness (Dark Room technology – see above) increases DMT production; and that fluoridated water or artificial lighting suppresses DMT production, amongst many others which can be found mainly on internet forums, discussion boards and dedicated websites/blogs. Whilst sceptics pour scorn on such theories, it should be remembered that culturally, many ancient peoples – and tribes existing today – use techniques such as imbibing herbal preparations and smoke in dark spaces, as a means of altering their state of consciousness and communication with a ‘higher power’. Thus, whilst prolonged periods of darkness may not encourage the production of this elusive notion of ‘pineal DMT’, it may enhance the effects of psychedelic or hallucinatory preparations used in this environment, due to lack of external visual stimulus and better opportunity for effective meditation.  Further, changes in electrical impulses in the brain are scientifically proven to change brain chemistry – as evidenced by the use of electro-convulsive shock treatment in mentally ill patients, for example. Therefore, if the human brain is able to produce a DMT-like chemical – in the pineal gland, or elsewhere – it would be very possible that changes in electrical ‘signals’ to the brain could alter levels of DMT. Regardless, scientific evidence has shown that changing the electrical activity of brain waves can enable different states of consciousness and brain function, even by simply using binaural beat technology.

The following text is an ‘addendum’ by Strassman, to the theories contained in his 2011 book. It is often a section ignored or glossed over by psychonauts or those who choose to buy Strassman’s theory wholesale:

I did my best in the DMT book to differentiate between what is known, and what I was conjecturing about (based upon what is known), regarding certain aspects of DMT dynamics. However, it's amazing how ineffective my efforts seem to have been. So many people write me, or write elsewhere, about DMT, and the pineal, assuming that the things I conjecture about are true. When I was writing the book, I thought I was clear enough, and repeating myself would have gotten tedious.

We don't know whether DMT is made in the pineal. I muster a lot of circumstantial evidence supporting a reason to look long and hard at the pineal, but we do not yet know. There are data suggesting urinary DMT rises in psychotic patients when their psychosis is worse. However, we don't know whether DMT rises during dreams, meditation, near-death, death, birth or any other endogenous altered state. To the extent those states resemble those brought on by giving DMT, it certainly makes one wonder if endogenous DMT might be involved, and if it were, it would explain a lot. But we don't know yet. Even if the pineal weren't involved, that would have little overall effect on my theories regarding a role for DMT in endogenous altered states, because we do know that the gene involved in DMT synthesis is present in many organs, particularly lung. If the pineal made DMT, it would tie up a lot of loose ends regarding this enigmatic little organ. But people seem to live pretty normal lives without a pineal gland; for example, when it has had to be removed because of a tumor.

In both these regards - the pineal-DMT connection, and endogenous DMT dynamics - we ought to know a lot more within the next several years due to the efforts of a research group being led by Steven Barker at Louisiana State University. He, with his grad student Ethan McIlhenny, are developing a new super-assay for DMT, 5-MeO-DMT, bufotenine, and metabolites. This assay will be capable of detecting those compounds much more sensitively than previous generations of assays. They're looking at endogenous levels in awake sober normals, to assess baseline values of these compounds. We should have some data from those samples within a year. They also will be looking at pineal tissue. Once we have some baseline data in normal humans in normal waking consciousness, comparisons can be made between those levels and levels in endogenous altered states, like dreams, near-death, and so on.