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 of DMT in humans. You can feel the tension and the anticipation as these doses are administered, and you enjoy watching Strassman make decisions, learn from mistakes, and develop his technique.
Indeed, it seems clear that Strassman’s first hand accounts of his research will be the primary draw that brings readers to his book. The story goes back to the history of psychedelic research, illuminating the fact that for twenty or thirty years in this country – before Timothy Leary crashed the party and ruined the reputation of these drugs – psychedelic research was the place to be in psychiatry for quite some time. Then, suddenly, the party came crashing to an end, and you could hardly say the word “psychedelic” in a professional therapeutic context without risking being ostracized by colleagues and thrown in the slammer by the government.
In that context, Strassman’s seven year odyssey to embark upon an ambitious DMT study is remarkable not simply for the results of the research, but for the fact that it happened at all. It takes a two-year, labyrinthine effort to get approval for the study. A nearly bewildering succession of individuals and agencies are involved – Ms. R, Dr. C, Ms. M, Dr. H, etc. – in order to secure permission both at the university level at UNM, and at the federal level via the DEA and the FDA. It’s easy to understand Strassman’s frustration as he manages at long last to get the necessary permits and secure a couple of grants, only to run up against a wall trying to find someone to actually supply him with DMT in the first place.
Then we dive into the studies themselves. The story unfolds easily, as we follow a typical volunteer’s admission into the study, on into specific categories of experience that Strassman identifies as “personal, transpersonal, and invisible.” At the personal level, Strassman indicates that the DMT experiences enabled volunteers to work through a range of issues. One volunteer describes it as “roto-rooter for the nervous system. It clears some things free. It was purely energetic.” This peak energy, coupled with Strassman’s interaction with the volunteers as they are coming down, provides fuel for confronting and reconsidering personal issues. I hadn’t anticipated this kind of value from an IV DMT experience; certainly my smoked experiences would not have led me to believe that this was possible. As Stan says initially: “It’s not as useful as LSD or psilocybin. It’s much too fast. You can’t really work with it. You’re totally out of control. It wasn’t a spiritual experience. There was very little emotional flavor to it at all.” But as he moves into the tolerance study, where subjects are given four successive high doses of DMT in order to gauge a possible diminishing of effects, he does in fact come to the conclusion that the experience is useful in addressing specific anxiety in his life.
The transpersonal level is represented in chapters on contact with entities, which present a look at the phenomenon popularized by Terence McKenna’s discussion of self-transforming machine elves. These entities take on a wide range of forms and visages, from clowns in a vast multidimensional circus, to weird alligator aliens with a penchant for interspecies rape. [Strassman notes he could find no other research reports of entities contacted on other psychedelics; Karl Jansen’s book about ketamine is filled with anecdotes of contact, and in the underground, folks like me have experienced contact with entities on such substances as 5-MeO-DMT and high doses of psilocybin mushrooms.] Strassman asks the same question that Jansen did: because these experiences feel so convincingly real, might we not entertain the notion that they are real, that these are actual aliens in nearby dimensions, communicating with us for reasons we don’t yet understand? He reluctantly draws parallels between the DMT “contact” reports he has accumulated, and alien abduction literature/experiences. There is a uniformity to the manner of their accounts that draws Strassman’s attention. Strassman speculates that excessive amounts of DMT in the brain are in some way potentially responsible for alien abduction experiences… but that sidesteps any attempt at answering the question, “Are these aliens real?” Certainly anything is possible in this crazy universe. As Strassman says, echoing Jansen: “It is best that we reject no ideas until we actually disprove them.” (By the same token, it is just as likely that “drugs make me FEEL like there are aliens in my brain” is the likely answer – certainly Occam could agree with that perspective.)
Eventually the focus is on mystical states, the invisible level, as being the most sought after type of experience among his volunteers. Enlightenment effects include: “timelessness; ineffability; coexistence of opposites; contact and merging with a supremely powerful, wise, and loving presence, sometimes experienced as a white light; the certainty that consciousness continues after death of the body; and a first-hand knowledge of the basic ‘facts’ of creation and consciousness.” Although this all seems dandy on the surface, Strassman goes on to ask the question: “Because DMT can elicit mystical experiences, are the experiences necessarily beneficial?” The answer seems to be not particularly, and in fact, in his chapter “If So, So What?” we’re given mixed reports of long term “gains” from the experiences – sometimes yes, sometimes no. But these were not treatment studies, and so expectation of gain isn’t entirely useful.
My primary problem with the book – and this is obviously a debate Strassman intended to spark – is with the notion that there is a “spirit molecule” in the first place, never mind the argument about whether DMT is the best choice for that molecule. In an early chapter, he reminds us of the notions that set, setting, and drug are the essential components of the psychedelic experience. Why then are we focused on “the spirit molecule”? Isn’t it safe to say, using Strassman’s own affirmation of set/setting/drug, that if you’re hunting for a box in which to place psychedelic spirituality, you can’t just pin it on a drug without also bringing set and setting to bear? There’s a kind of reductionism in that concept that overlooks the complexity of the mystical experience. DMT only becomes spiritual a) when it interacts with a wide range of other molecules in the brain, and b) when that brain is in a setting that allows a spiritual experience to unfold without interruption. However, Strassman’s argument is still an interesting and engaging one, even if malcontents like me would argue that 5-MeO-DMT is more spiritual than DMT. I imagine a wide range of possible “spirit molecules” depending upon the individuals involved.
To close the book, Strassman describes a theoretical psychedelic research institute that seems to echo the desires of many a member of this movement/community. In a recent issue of The Entheogen Review, an author called InfiniteAyes describes a similar institute in an article entitled, “Moving Into The Sacred World of DMT.” InfiniteAyes offers a very strong criticism of Strassman’s work:
“To hear of doctors dancing on government’s strings for carrots of money, power and prestige, while cringing from whips of criticism and disenfranchisement, during the very act of turning someone on and polluting their trip with this nonsense, strikes me as the height of unconsciousness.”
This is absurd; the volunteers each and every one knew what they were getting into, and although it’s clear in retrospect that Strassman’s setting was less than ideal, it’s also clear that a wide range of individuals who might never have experienced DMT got a chance to work with “the spirit molecule” because of this research, and many specifically felt safe during these experiences because they were in a hospital setting, where basic physiological needs could be tended to. In the meantime, what InfiniteAyes offers as an alternative is a superior tone that situates DMT in “its proper landscape,” which is to say, apparently, in InfiniteAyes’ bedroom, the classic candles/incense/world music “temple”, where DMT is a sacrament and the pursuit of “essential inner perfection and Godliness” can be undertaken free of nasty blood pressure cuffs. I have an enormous amount of respect for the pursuit of psychedelic spirituality, but InfiniteAyes’ screed feels a bit too close to what I would describe as entheogenic fundamentalism for my taste, and the criticism of Strassman rings hollow. Strassman entered his five year journey with a few preconceived notions, but also an open mind as to what might come, and the results wound up surprising him. Who knows what may come from future research in this direction? One thing is clear: Strassman’s research was an important step, one that will potentially illuminate the path for future researchers and volunteers alike, and this book is a great contribution to the ongoing dialogue surrounding psychedelics. It’s also a damn good read.
Originally Published In : Trip
- A Mixed Legacy, by Lux - 2007 Dec 10 publish
5 Comments »
Leave a comment
Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed:
I haven’t read the whole book yet, but from what I’ve gathered so far, it seemed like the term “spirit molecule” was refering to the significance of such a molecule occuring naturally in the human brain, so 5-MeO-DMT wouldn’t be the best candidate for the title of “THE Spirit Molecule” since it doesn’t occur naturally in the human brain.
Comment by Patrick — 12/25/2006 @ 12:17 am
Warning: Attempt to read property "user_level" on null in /www/library/review/wp-includes/functions.php on line 166
Warning: Attempt to read property "ID" on null in /www/library/review/wp-includes/functions.php on line 167
Warning: Attempt to read property "user_login" on null in /www/library/review/wp-includes/functions.php on line 168
Warning: Attempt to read property "user_nickname" on null in /www/library/review/wp-includes/functions.php on line 169
Warning: Attempt to read property "user_email" on null in /www/library/review/wp-includes/functions.php on line 170
Warning: Attempt to read property "user_url" on null in /www/library/review/wp-includes/functions.php on line 171
Warning: Attempt to read property "user_pass" on null in /www/library/review/wp-includes/functions.php on line 172
I read it and it changed my life! Beautiful Theory and Beautiful Book
Comment by Kyle — 5/21/2007 @ 6:48 am
Warning: Attempt to read property "user_level" on null in /www/library/review/wp-includes/functions.php on line 166
Warning: Attempt to read property "ID" on null in /www/library/review/wp-includes/functions.php on line 167
Warning: Attempt to read property "user_login" on null in /www/library/review/wp-includes/functions.php on line 168
Warning: Attempt to read property "user_nickname" on null in /www/library/review/wp-includes/functions.php on line 169
Warning: Attempt to read property "user_email" on null in /www/library/review/wp-includes/functions.php on line 170
Warning: Attempt to read property "user_url" on null in /www/library/review/wp-includes/functions.php on line 171
Warning: Attempt to read property "user_pass" on null in /www/library/review/wp-includes/functions.php on line 172
DMT: The Spirit Molecule, the documentary ( http://thespiritmolecule.com/ )
SYNOPSIS
THE SPIRIT MOLECULE weaves an account of Dr. Rick Strassman’s groundbreaking DMT research through a multifaceted approach to this intriguing hallucinogen found in the human brain and hundreds of plants. Utilizing interviews with a variety of experts to explain their thoughts and experiences with DMT within their respective fields, and discussions with Strassman’s research volunteers brings to life the awesome effects of this compound, and far-reaching theories regarding its role in human consciousness .
Several themes explored include possible roles for endogenous DMT; its theoretical role in near-death and birth experiences, alien-abduction experiences; and the uncanny similarities in Biblical prophetic texts describing DMT-like experiences. Our expert contributors offer a comprehensive collection of information, opinions, and speculation about indigenous use of DMT, the history and future of psychedelic research, and current DMT research. All this, to help us understand the nature of the DMT experience, and its role in human society and evolution.
The subtle combination of science, spirituality, and philosophy within the film’s approach sheds light on an array of ideas that could considerably alter the way humans understand the universe and their relationship to it.
For more information, contact us at:
info@thespiritmolecule.com
Comment by Nick Gargiulo — 4/8/2009 @ 11:38 am
Warning: Attempt to read property "user_level" on null in /www/library/review/wp-includes/functions.php on line 166
Warning: Attempt to read property "ID" on null in /www/library/review/wp-includes/functions.php on line 167
Warning: Attempt to read property "user_login" on null in /www/library/review/wp-includes/functions.php on line 168
Warning: Attempt to read property "user_nickname" on null in /www/library/review/wp-includes/functions.php on line 169
Warning: Attempt to read property "user_email" on null in /www/library/review/wp-includes/functions.php on line 170
Warning: Attempt to read property "user_url" on null in /www/library/review/wp-includes/functions.php on line 171
Warning: Attempt to read property "user_pass" on null in /www/library/review/wp-includes/functions.php on line 172
I would most probably not feel safe lying in a hospital bed with medical personel observing me clinically and ready with machinery and needles. But i understand that other people might find it assuring.
I love the dream of the author of Moving Into The Sacred World of DMT though and would love to help to establish it:
He wants to establish the University for Psychedelic Studies. There will be a department of psychedelic botany and chemistry. There
will be a beautiful park and temple with lawns and ponds, peacocks, swans, and wildlife walking fearlessly. There will be pavilions for initiation. There will be a department of entheogenic worship. There will be a school of psychedelic medicine and curing. There will be acres of psychedelic herb gardens. There will be places to dance and places to meditate. There will be a school of yoga, tantra, and a “Mystery” school. A school for breathing, for art, music, for meditation, for ecological and planetary studies as well as applications. A school for love and one for beauty. There will be no government inspectors or police. They will not be necessary. There will be guides, friends, helpers, and lovers. On the new level of consciousness struggling to be born now, this will be how it is, for the old way of competition, murder, and exploitation is fast becoming an impossible situation. This planet must be lovingly cared for or we are all doomed. We are the guardians of life and planetary harmony. This is where we are going. That is what I have seen in my visions, and that is what I have been working for all of my life. That is what I will continue to do until my last breath.
Comment by Benno — 4/17/2010 @ 5:26 am
Warning: Attempt to read property "user_level" on null in /www/library/review/wp-includes/functions.php on line 166
Warning: Attempt to read property "ID" on null in /www/library/review/wp-includes/functions.php on line 167
Warning: Attempt to read property "user_login" on null in /www/library/review/wp-includes/functions.php on line 168
Warning: Attempt to read property "user_nickname" on null in /www/library/review/wp-includes/functions.php on line 169
Warning: Attempt to read property "user_email" on null in /www/library/review/wp-includes/functions.php on line 170
Warning: Attempt to read property "user_url" on null in /www/library/review/wp-includes/functions.php on line 171
Warning: Attempt to read property "user_pass" on null in /www/library/review/wp-includes/functions.php on line 172
I read the book and watched the documentary. I do recommend both the book and the documentary which are very good. But the book gives much more details and background information.
If I remember correctly the first 12 chapters talked about the medical background and was rather technical but great information. The last chapter went in more details into what people experienced while using DMT, what entities they encounters and how the experience helped them in dealing with trauma in there lives.
I really enjoyed the last chapters of the book so I recommend reading the book also even if you have seen the documentary.
Best Regards, Robert
Comment by Robert — 5/29/2014 @ 3:47 pm
Warning: Attempt to read property "user_level" on null in /www/library/review/wp-includes/functions.php on line 166
Warning: Attempt to read property "ID" on null in /www/library/review/wp-includes/functions.php on line 167
Warning: Attempt to read property "user_login" on null in /www/library/review/wp-includes/functions.php on line 168
Warning: Attempt to read property "user_nickname" on null in /www/library/review/wp-includes/functions.php on line 169
Warning: Attempt to read property "user_email" on null in /www/library/review/wp-includes/functions.php on line 170
Warning: Attempt to read property "user_url" on null in /www/library/review/wp-includes/functions.php on line 171
Warning: Attempt to read property "user_pass" on null in /www/library/review/wp-includes/functions.php on line 172