Annotated Bibliography: Brain And Psychedelic Hallucination
DMT and Psychedelic Hallucination
Written by: Zaina Al Merabi
Grade: 11A
Term 2
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Supervised by: Miss Shaima
Dubai National School
Table Of Contents:
Preface
Page 3
What is DMT as a Molecule
Page 4
How Does It Affect The Brain?
Page 4
How Is It Related To Mediation and The Third Eye
Page 4
DMT In Islam
Page 5
Stories Of DMT Users
Page 5
Conclusion
Page 6
Appendix
Page 7
Bibliography
Page 8
Preface:
DMT is a very intriguing topic; I have been researching a lot about it lately. I first learned about it from watching an episode of “Stuff They Don’t Want You To Know”, it really got me thinking about it. I have tried meditating to try feeling what DMT users feel but I failed miserably; I couldn’t stay concentrated. Therefore, I …show more content…
concluded that researching about it should educate me enough. I chose this topic because I found it very interesting and I wanted to edify people on the importance of this topic.
What is DMT as a molecule?
Chemically
“Dimethyltryptamine is a naturally occurring chemical in the tryptamine class. It is related structurally to 5-MeO-DMT, bufotenin, psilocybin, and psilocin which are other drugs that cause hallucinations”(1). In other words, it is chemically structured the same way as all the molecules in the tryptamine class, which are chemicals that cause hallucinations. (2)
Physically
Dimethyltryptamine is white, sometimes light brown, and crystal like; it is very similar to salt. Some people say that DMT smells like burning plastic, others say it smells like mothballs (the freshening balls that are put in closets to keep the clothes fresh (3)). Once DMT is crystallized, it cannot be dissolved in water, it must be dissolved in an organic solvent like alcohol or acids. (4)
How Does It Affect The Brain? The DMT journey is significantly shorter than other hallucenants, but it is the most intense. It is a fully engaging experience of visions that vary greatly from one individual to the next. Though each person experiences a different experience, one thing in common between all the users was (5) “visiting other worlds, talking with discarnate entities, profound changes in ontological perspective, fanciful dreamscapes, frightening and overwhelming forces, and complete shifts in perception and identity, followed by an abrupt return to baseline.”(6) Users also reported, “Brightly colored, high-res detail, geometric, organic, overlapping, and somewhat kaleidoscopic; may be fast or slow moving, but a sense of motion is often present.” (7).
How Is It Related To Mediation and The Third Eye?
“Meditation evokes pineal DMT release through EM vibrations. Visionary experience with symbolic or religious content gives way to dazzling light of illumination, reported in eastern and western religions. Meditation modulates pineal activity, eliciting a standing wave through resonance effects that coordinates other brain centers with both chemicals and electromagnetism.”(8) Mediation causes the brain’s hemispheres to resynchronize, resulting in a synergetic harmony that releases DMT. Dimethyltryptamine is the source of the visionary light in transpersonal, or out-of-body, experiences. The pineal gland is often referred to as the third eye in many sects and religions. Curiously, this gland is light sensitive and actually has a lens, cornea, and retina (9).“DMT production is particularly stimulated in the extraordinary conditions of birth, sexual ecstasy, childbirth, extreme physical stress, near-death, psychosis, and physical death, as well as meditation. Pineal DMT may also play a significant role in dream consciousness.”(10)
DMT in Islam
Most DMT users reported a similar (some even said the same) effect as the effect of a near-death experience.(11) “Rick Strassman conducted research on the psychedelic drug Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) at the University of New Mexico. Strassman advanced the theory that a massive release of DMT from the pineal gland prior to death or near-death was the cause of the near-death experience phenomenon.”(12) The remarkable thing is that DMT causes hallucinations - DMT is secreted strongly before death to make this painful moment durable. It is the mercy of God that makes the rat feels something pleasant between the jaws of the cat (13).
As I was reading about DMT I came to a conclusion; we all know that the prophet PBUH used to meditate in The Cave of Heraa, and that was where Jebreal first appeared to him. My speculation is that during The Prophet PBUH’s meditation, DMT was secreted more steadily than at other times, which caused him to communicate with Jebreal. I am well aware that God can do whatever he wants with no scientific explanation, but everything that has happened with The Prophet PBUH has always been explained scientifically, that’s to show the believers and nonbelievers the miracles of God. I am not stating any facts, these are just speculations from a non-scholar and Allah is all knowing.
Stories of DMT Users I gathered some stories of DMT users. I have not edited any words; these are their exact words so I apologize for the long description.
Jodie “It was something that was smaller than anything.
It’s not made of anything—it is everything around the thing that it is and everything inside of it at the same time and it kind of moves about in a way that’s not on the grid. It was like time traveling, but it wasn’t time before or after, it was just adjacent to us. Early on I saw that Earth was having a vibration. That it was like a constant breath, but we can’t see it. You can’t see it from photos. The edge of everything. It got so hot. It was like a wave that was like electricity. It was black and then red and then white, and it was rounded and arched as if it were in orbit somewhere. Your bodies were, like, singing—everything you were doing was like a song. You were making a symphony. The scratching and the movements were all in a rhythm, and I felt very happy. I was also seeing all this fun, wacky clown stuff. All these crazy geometric patterns. It seemed like they were laughing at me. Then there were these little elf things. I couldn’t see them but they were letting me know that they were there. I felt very happy, like, “Yeah, this is where I’m supposed to
be.””(14)
Oren
“That was the most intense thing ever. The whole room was dancing. To my left all I saw was fantasy. I was going through something very serious. You’re beyond consciousness—but you are consciousness—and you want nothing to tie you down to this physical realm. I went through so many dreams and so many scenarios. It was basically a concentrated dream. I was awake but I couldn’t make the dream stop.”(15)
Joshua
“When it first hit I could see the room start to breathe, and then I felt myself going limp. It was what I imagine being in the womb would be like. Everything was safe and warm. It was very fluid and what you imagine the sun would be like. I cried for some reason. I remember thinking there was a message for me there.”(16)
Adam
“At first it was like straight up kaleidoscopic. And then there were pyramids, and then symbols within the pyramids, and they were melting together, combining. It felt like I was in infinite bosoms. Straight up love and warmth and honey. It was like having the sun shining right here. It wasn’t super hot, just like the warmest glow.”(17)
Conclusion My objective of writing this term paper was to get people interested and I hope I was able to do that. The end of my term paper does not mean the end of my research on DMT, hopefully science will be able to crack all the mysteries behind DMT soon.
Appendix
Bibliography
Barclay, John. "Interviews with People Who Just Smoked DMT." VICE. Ashe Avenue, 12 Dec. 2012. Web. 09 Feb. 2013.
"Dimethyltryptamine (DMT)." Enotes.com. Enotes, 2006. Web. 09 Feb. 2013.
"Erowid DMT Vault: DMT Basics." Erowid DMT Vault: Basics. Erowid, 22 Aug. 2000. Web. 09 Feb. 2013.
"I 'm Down with DMT." Everything In Between Is Free. N.p., 5 July 2010. Web. 09 Feb. 2013.
"I 'm Down with DMT." Everything In Between Is Free. N.p., 5 July 2010. Web. 09 Feb. 2013.
"Islam and Near-death Experiences." Yahoo! Answers. Yahoo!, 24 Dec. 2008. Web. 09 Feb. 2013.
"Moth Balls." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 01 Oct. 2013. Web. 09 Feb. 2013.
Pickover, Cliff, and Reality Carnival. "DMT, Moses, and the Quest for Transcendence." DMT, Moses, and the Quest for Transcendence. Reality Carnival, Web. 09 Feb. 2013.
Strassman, Rick. "DMT." DMT. Neurotheology, 20 July 2010. Web. 09 Feb. 2013.
Written by: Zaina Al Merabi
Grade: 11A
Term 2
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Supervised by: Miss Shaima
Dubai National School
Table Of Contents:
Preface
Page 3
What is DMT as a Molecule
Page 4
How Does It Affect The Brain?
Page 4
How Is It Related To Mediation and The Third Eye
Page 4
DMT In Islam
Page 5
Stories Of DMT Users
Page 5
Conclusion
Page 6
Appendix
Page 7
Bibliography
Page 8
Preface:
DMT is a very intriguing topic; I have been researching a lot about it lately. I first learned about it from watching an episode of “Stuff They Don’t Want You To Know”, it really got me thinking about it. I have tried meditating to try feeling what DMT users feel but I failed miserably; I couldn’t stay concentrated. Therefore, I …show more content…
concluded that researching about it should educate me enough. I chose this topic because I found it very interesting and I wanted to edify people on the importance of this topic.
What is DMT as a molecule?
Chemically
“Dimethyltryptamine is a naturally occurring chemical in the tryptamine class. It is related structurally to 5-MeO-DMT, bufotenin, psilocybin, and psilocin which are other drugs that cause hallucinations”(1). In other words, it is chemically structured the same way as all the molecules in the tryptamine class, which are chemicals that cause hallucinations. (2)
Physically
Dimethyltryptamine is white, sometimes light brown, and crystal like; it is very similar to salt. Some people say that DMT smells like burning plastic, others say it smells like mothballs (the freshening balls that are put in closets to keep the clothes fresh (3)). Once DMT is crystallized, it cannot be dissolved in water, it must be dissolved in an organic solvent like alcohol or acids. (4)
How Does It Affect The Brain? The DMT journey is significantly shorter than other hallucenants, but it is the most intense. It is a fully engaging experience of visions that vary greatly from one individual to the next. Though each person experiences a different experience, one thing in common between all the users was (5) “visiting other worlds, talking with discarnate entities, profound changes in ontological perspective, fanciful dreamscapes, frightening and overwhelming forces, and complete shifts in perception and identity, followed by an abrupt return to baseline.”(6) Users also reported, “Brightly colored, high-res detail, geometric, organic, overlapping, and somewhat kaleidoscopic; may be fast or slow moving, but a sense of motion is often present.” (7).
How Is It Related To Mediation and The Third Eye?
“Meditation evokes pineal DMT release through EM vibrations. Visionary experience with symbolic or religious content gives way to dazzling light of illumination, reported in eastern and western religions. Meditation modulates pineal activity, eliciting a standing wave through resonance effects that coordinates other brain centers with both chemicals and electromagnetism.”(8) Mediation causes the brain’s hemispheres to resynchronize, resulting in a synergetic harmony that releases DMT. Dimethyltryptamine is the source of the visionary light in transpersonal, or out-of-body, experiences. The pineal gland is often referred to as the third eye in many sects and religions. Curiously, this gland is light sensitive and actually has a lens, cornea, and retina (9).“DMT production is particularly stimulated in the extraordinary conditions of birth, sexual ecstasy, childbirth, extreme physical stress, near-death, psychosis, and physical death, as well as meditation. Pineal DMT may also play a significant role in dream consciousness.”(10)
DMT in Islam
Most DMT users reported a similar (some even said the same) effect as the effect of a near-death experience.(11) “Rick Strassman conducted research on the psychedelic drug Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) at the University of New Mexico. Strassman advanced the theory that a massive release of DMT from the pineal gland prior to death or near-death was the cause of the near-death experience phenomenon.”(12) The remarkable thing is that DMT causes hallucinations - DMT is secreted strongly before death to make this painful moment durable. It is the mercy of God that makes the rat feels something pleasant between the jaws of the cat (13).
As I was reading about DMT I came to a conclusion; we all know that the prophet PBUH used to meditate in The Cave of Heraa, and that was where Jebreal first appeared to him. My speculation is that during The Prophet PBUH’s meditation, DMT was secreted more steadily than at other times, which caused him to communicate with Jebreal. I am well aware that God can do whatever he wants with no scientific explanation, but everything that has happened with The Prophet PBUH has always been explained scientifically, that’s to show the believers and nonbelievers the miracles of God. I am not stating any facts, these are just speculations from a non-scholar and Allah is all knowing.
Stories of DMT Users I gathered some stories of DMT users. I have not edited any words; these are their exact words so I apologize for the long description.
Jodie “It was something that was smaller than anything.
It’s not made of anything—it is everything around the thing that it is and everything inside of it at the same time and it kind of moves about in a way that’s not on the grid. It was like time traveling, but it wasn’t time before or after, it was just adjacent to us. Early on I saw that Earth was having a vibration. That it was like a constant breath, but we can’t see it. You can’t see it from photos. The edge of everything. It got so hot. It was like a wave that was like electricity. It was black and then red and then white, and it was rounded and arched as if it were in orbit somewhere. Your bodies were, like, singing—everything you were doing was like a song. You were making a symphony. The scratching and the movements were all in a rhythm, and I felt very happy. I was also seeing all this fun, wacky clown stuff. All these crazy geometric patterns. It seemed like they were laughing at me. Then there were these little elf things. I couldn’t see them but they were letting me know that they were there. I felt very happy, like, “Yeah, this is where I’m supposed to
be.””(14)
Oren
“That was the most intense thing ever. The whole room was dancing. To my left all I saw was fantasy. I was going through something very serious. You’re beyond consciousness—but you are consciousness—and you want nothing to tie you down to this physical realm. I went through so many dreams and so many scenarios. It was basically a concentrated dream. I was awake but I couldn’t make the dream stop.”(15)
Joshua
“When it first hit I could see the room start to breathe, and then I felt myself going limp. It was what I imagine being in the womb would be like. Everything was safe and warm. It was very fluid and what you imagine the sun would be like. I cried for some reason. I remember thinking there was a message for me there.”(16)
Adam
“At first it was like straight up kaleidoscopic. And then there were pyramids, and then symbols within the pyramids, and they were melting together, combining. It felt like I was in infinite bosoms. Straight up love and warmth and honey. It was like having the sun shining right here. It wasn’t super hot, just like the warmest glow.”(17)
Conclusion My objective of writing this term paper was to get people interested and I hope I was able to do that. The end of my term paper does not mean the end of my research on DMT, hopefully science will be able to crack all the mysteries behind DMT soon.
Appendix
Bibliography
Barclay, John. "Interviews with People Who Just Smoked DMT." VICE. Ashe Avenue, 12 Dec. 2012. Web. 09 Feb. 2013.
"Dimethyltryptamine (DMT)." Enotes.com. Enotes, 2006. Web. 09 Feb. 2013.
"Erowid DMT Vault: DMT Basics." Erowid DMT Vault: Basics. Erowid, 22 Aug. 2000. Web. 09 Feb. 2013.
"I 'm Down with DMT." Everything In Between Is Free. N.p., 5 July 2010. Web. 09 Feb. 2013.
"I 'm Down with DMT." Everything In Between Is Free. N.p., 5 July 2010. Web. 09 Feb. 2013.
"Islam and Near-death Experiences." Yahoo! Answers. Yahoo!, 24 Dec. 2008. Web. 09 Feb. 2013.
"Moth Balls." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 01 Oct. 2013. Web. 09 Feb. 2013.
Pickover, Cliff, and Reality Carnival. "DMT, Moses, and the Quest for Transcendence." DMT, Moses, and the Quest for Transcendence. Reality Carnival, Web. 09 Feb. 2013.
Strassman, Rick. "DMT." DMT. Neurotheology, 20 July 2010. Web. 09 Feb. 2013.