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DMT
The Spirit Molecule
Rating :
rating
Author(s) :
Rick Strassman
Pages :
358
Pub Date :
2001
Edition(s) at Erowid :
2001(pb,1st ed,vg-,s)
Publisher :
Park Street Press
ISBN :
0892819278
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FROM THE EROWID REVIEW #
  • 8
    Review by Lux, 2007 Dec 10
    ... [T]he shadow side of this book's legacy is that it has helped create a state of confusion among its readership. Strassman's outstanding work is marred by unsubstantiated speculation regarding possible connections between meditation, death and dying, the pineal gland, endogenous DMT, and quantum mechanics. . . . (more)
  • 8
    Review by Scotto, 2005 Jul 07
    Rick Strassman is a good storyteller. The prologue to his new book is engaging right from the start, as we encounter Philip and Nils, Strassman’s first two volunteers, who volunteer as human guinea pigs in order to find the appropriate dose of intravenous DMT to utilize for a long-term study Strassman is about to conduct into the biomedical effects . . . (more)
BLURBS #
Rick Strassman's pioneering research raises fascinating questions about the neurochemical basis of experience and the feasibility of conducting human research with mind-altering drugs in a university medical center. Truly adventurous reading!
-- Andrew Weil, author of Spontaneous Healing

"Fascinating and provocative. A remarkable exploration of the boundaries of science and consciousness itself."
-- Rupert Sheldrake, author of The Presence of the Past

"A dazzling journey through psychedelic drug experimentation and a tantalizing peek into a new model of how the brain and mind work. Strassman's research points toward a physiological basis for spirit and its interaction with the human body; his data suggests that our brain chemistry allows us access to other realms of existence just when we need it most, and his story recounts both the dangers and promises of entering this brave new world."
-- Bruce Greyson, Editor, Journal of Near-Death Studies

ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S) / EDITOR(S) #
From 1990 to 1995 Dr. Rick Strassman conducted DEA-approved clinical research at the University of New Mexico in which he injected sixty volunteers with DMT, one of the most powerful psychedelics known. His detailed account of those sessions is an extra-ordinarily riveting inquiry into the nature of the human mind and the therapeutic potential of psychedelics. DMT, a plant-derived chemical that is also manufactured by the human brain, consistently produced near-death and mystical experiences. Many volunteers reported convincing encounters with intelligent nonhuman presences, especially "aliens." Nearly all felt that the sessions were among the most profound experiences of their lives.

Strassman's research connects DMT with the pineal gland, considered by Hindus to be the site of the seventh chakra and by René Descartes to be the seat of the soul. DMT: The Spirit Molecule makes the bold case that DMT, naturally released by the pineal gland, facilitates the soul's movement in and out of the body and is an integral part of the birth and death experiences, as well as the highest states of meditation and even sexual transcendence. Strassman also believes that alien abduction experiences are brought on by accidental releases of DMT. If used wisely, DMT could trigger a period of remarkable progress in the scientific exploration of the most mystical regions of the human mind and soul.