DMT, or dimethyltryptamine, is a naturally occurring psychedelic
tryptamine found all throughout nature, including the human body. This
chemical is a powerful hallucinogen, chemically related to psilocybin
(4-phoshporyloxy-dimethyltryptamine), the active ingredient in magic
mushrooms, and the neurotransmitter serotonin (5-hydroxy-tryptamine).
"DMT exists in all of our bodies and occurs throughout the plant and
animal kingdoms. It is part of the normal makeup of humans and other
mammals; marine animals; grasses and peas; toads and frogs; mushrooms
and molds; and roots." (Strassman, 2001, p.42) "In 1972, Nobel
prize winning scientist Julius Axelrod of the U.S. National Institutes
of Health reported finding DMT in human brain tissue. Additional
research showed that DMT could also be found in human urine and the
cerebrospinal fluid bathing the brain." (Pinchbeck, 2003, p. 248) It
is believed that dimethyltryptamine is produced in the pineal gland; a
small organ centered in our brain and may also be a neurotransmitter.
Unfortunately, we still do not know much about the pineal gland, and
little has been proven when discussing it. There has been dialogue of
the pineal gland in mythology. The pineal gland was the last endocrine
gland to have its function discovered. Its location deep in the brain
seemed to indicate its significance. This combination led to its being
a "mystery" gland with myth, superstition, and even metaphysical
theories surrounding its perceived function. "Rene Descartes called
the pineal gland the "seat of the soul", believing it is unique in
the anatomy of the human brain in being a structure not duplicated on
the right and left sides. The pineal gland is also associated with the
sixth or third eye chakra. It is believed by some to be a dormant organ
that can be awakened to enable "telepathic" communications."
(Wikipedia, 2003) "The pineal gland of evolutionary older animals,
such as lizards and amphibians, is also called the 'third' eye.
Just like the two seeing eyes, the third eye possesses a lens, cornea,
and retina. It is light-sensitive and helps you regulate body
temperature and skin coloration-- two basic survival functions related
to environmental light." (Pinchbeck, 2003 pg. 249)

DMT is a potent psychoactive substance that has for centuries been used
by humans as a sacrament, or catalyst to receive spiritual experiences.
Snuffs made from the DMT-containing plant Anadenanthera peregrina have
been found in a burial site in Northern Chile that dates back to the
eighth century. "In 1496, Friar Ramon Pane documented the use of a
psychoactive snuff called cohoba/yopo among the Taino, who inhabited
the island of Hispaniola (Haiti/Dominican Republic). It is now agreed
that cohoba/yopo was almost certainly made from Anadenanthera peregrina
which contains N,N-DMT, 5-methoxy-DMT, and Bufotenin." (Erowid, 2006)
The tribes of the Amazon have used a beverage called Ayahuasca for
centuries and continue to this day. DMT is not active when taken
orally, because it is destroyed in the digestive system by the enzyme
monoamine oxidase (MAO). However, if an MAO-inhibiting agent is taken
prior to the ingestion of the DMT, the DMT becomes orally active
because it is not broken down by MAO. The Ayahuasca is a combination of
two drinks. The first drink is traditionally made from the
Banisteriopsis caapi vine, which contains beta-carbolines such as
harmine and harmaline, which effectively inhibit MAO production. The
second drink is brewed from Psychotria Viridis, which contains DMT. The
shamans used the beverage to enter the land of the dead to assist
newly-departed tribesmen in their transition into death. The shamans
also used it to do spiritual combat with the shamans of enemy tribes,
heal ill tribesmen, and to connect fully with the gods of nature and
the beyond. It is remarkable that the shamans discovered this
relationship between chemicals, since the action of MAO inhibitors was
unknown to modern science until the 1950's. On the other side of the
globe, DMT has been used as a sacrament by the Aborigines in Australia,
derived from several species from the genus Acacia. Incidentally, an
Acacia appears on the flag of Australia. In modern times Ayahuasca is
still highly revered as a religious sacrament, and used by nationally
recognized religious groups in Brazil and the United States. Many
people's lives at the present time are marked by improved
communication, a will to go beyond ego, synchronistic flow, and a sense
of transcendent oneness and identity due to the use of DMT. (Wikipedia,
2003)

In 1931, DMT was first synthesized in a lab by British chemist Richard
Manske; he named it "Nigerine." (Erowid, 2006) In 1946, it was
isolated from the root bark of Mimosa hostilis by Goncalves de Lima.
Its psychoactivity as a synthetic entity was first reported by Stephen
Szara. DMT in its pure crystalline form became popular among the
psychedelic underground in the late sixties due to the writings of
Timothy Leary, William S. Burroughs, Ralph Metzner, and others. It was
banned in the United States in 1971. In 1976, it was identified as a
component of the healthy human brain and possibly a neurotransmitter by
S.T. Christian. (Shulgin, 1997 p 248)

The modern users of DMT generally inhale the vapor or take it orally
following an MAOI. When it is smoked it can produce entheogenic
experiences including true hallucinations or perceived extensions of
reality. "The maximal effects last for a short period of time, such
as five to ten minutes. The onset after inhalation is very fast, less
than forty five seconds, and maximal effects are reached within about a
minute." (Wikipedia, 2003) DMT has been described to separate the
consciousness from the physical body, dissolve the ego, and allow the
user to perceive other dimensions. Many users experience a state
described as ultimate bliss, oneness, or transcendence, and many users
report the same archetypal imagery associated with near-death
experiences, such as the appearance of a fantastic white light,
traveling through a tunnel at light speed, and feeling like one has
merged completely with God-- mere seconds after the vapor is inhaled.
Some users report contact and communication with alien or sentient
beings. DMT has virtually no history of use as a "party drug." The
effects are so overwhelming and sometimes terrifying that it has never
become a popular drug of abuse. It is used in a much different context
than other hallucinogens, usually in a much more ritualized manner with
great care taken to ensure proper set and setting. The goal is not to
get intoxicated, but to have a mystical experience with deep personal
meaning. Many modern users of DMT consider themselves shamans, their
tribe a worldwide network of entheogenic explorers connected through
the internet, telephone and mail. (Martinez, 2006)

There are new theories being constructed around DMT. It is fairly new
to the scientific community and because of legal issues, there is not
much research being conducted on it. Dr. Rick Strassman considers DMT
to be the spirit molecule. He is one of the only researchers that has
administered DMT to humans and made some propositions about its role
and how indispensable it has been in our evolution and even our entire
existence. "Dr. Strassman discovered that the human pineal gland
becomes visible in the developing fetus at seven weeks, or forty-nine
days, after conception, almost precisely the same time that the sex of
the fetus is determined. He also learned that Buddhists believe the
soul reincarnates forty-nine days after death. Astonished by this
synchronicity, he evolved a hypothesis that the pineal gland is like a
receiver that picks up the spirit--an extra dimensional vibration that
exists outside of the body-- and DMT is the conductive element. When
our individual life force enters our body, the moment at which we
become truly human, it passes through the pineal gland and triggers the
first primordial flood of DMT... As we die, the life-force leaves the
body through the pineal gland, releasing another flood of this
psychedelic spirit molecule." (Pinchbeck, 2003 pg. 249) It is known
that DMT occurs in a very high concentration in the brain tissue of
human cadavers, while the concentration of DMT in living subjects is
relatively low. For Strassman, this theory would explain the pineal
gland's unique structure and placement inside the brain. Formed from
"specialized cells originating in the fetal mouth," the pineal
nearly touches visual and auditory sensory relay stations. The
emotional centers of the limbic system surround it, and its position
allows for instant delivery of its products directly into the
cerebrospinal fluid. This reasoning further develops the idea that
decomposing pineal tissues affects residual awareness of death. "DMT,
released by the pineal after death, could diffuse through the
'sensory and emotional centers' even without a functioning
circulatory system, allowing the departed soul the time to make the
life review and enter the bardo domains detailed in the Tibetan Book of
the Dead." (Strassman, 2001) "The Bardo Thodol, traditionally but
inaccurately called the Tibetan Book of the Dead, is a funerary text
that describes the experiences of the consciousness after death during
the interval known as bardo existence between death and rebirth. One
can compare the descriptions of the Bardo Thodol with accounts of
certain "out of the body" near-death experiences described by people
who have nearly died in accidents or on the operating table - these
typically contain accounts of a "white light", experienced as, somehow,
a living being, and of helpful figures corresponding to that person's
religious tradition." (Wikipedia, 2003)

Another concept reflecting DMT is that a minimal flow of DMT might also
catalyze the dream state during sleep. "Considering relatively common
and naturally occurring, altered states of awareness in which pineal
DMT may play a role is dream consciousness. The most likely time for us
to dream is also the time at which melatonin levels are at their
highest, that is, around 3 AM. Since melatonin itself has such mild
psychological effects, it suggests a role for another pineal compound
whose levels parallel those of melatonin. DMT is a likely prospect for
such a substance. Unfortunately, no one has looked at 24-hour DMT
rhythms in normal volunteers in an attempt to relate DMT levels to
dream intensity or frequency. Meditation or prayer also may elicit
deeply altered states of consciousness. Pineal DMT could underlie these
mystical or spiritual experiences." (Strassman, 2001 pg. 73) All
spiritual disciplines describe relatively psychedelic accounts of the
transformative experience, whose realization motivate their ritual.
When comparing the beliefs of what is occurring during spiritual
transcendence from mediation to the distinctiveness of a fully
psychedelic DMT experience, they are exceptionally similar.
Transcendental meditation is difficult for many to explain. Strassman
explains mediation like a standing wave in water. "It looks as if the
wave is not moving at all, while water rushes along on all sides of it.
In fact, it is the rushing water that produces the wave, and those
waves create a unique note, or sound. Such wave phenomena, by their
production of a particular note or sound associated with their
frequency, establish wide-ranging and diffuse fields of influence.
Objects within those fields vibrate sympathetically, or with the same
frequency; this is a phenomenon called resonance. Meditative techniques
using sound, site, 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..." (Strassman. 2001 pg.
74)

American psychedelic pioneer and DMT guru Terence McKenna gave DMT to a
Tibetan Buddhist monk, and after the experience was over, the monk told
McKenna that it brought him to a place the Buddhists had seen many
times through meditation, but he also stated that it was about as far
as one could go into the Bardo and still return to the physical plane
afterward. Jesus Christ and other biblical prophets used fasting and
sleep deprivation to achieve mystical states and have the visions upon
which the Bible is based. Sleep deprivation increases endogenous DMT
levels, and this triggers these transcendent visions and religious
experiences. Buddhists and Hindus have the same experiences through
meditation, and the South American shamans use their sacred
DMT-containing brews to break into the same space. The emerging
networks of entheogenists within modern urban societies use DMT
crystals with the same goal in mind. In this light, it seems clear that
DMT is an integral part of all religion, whether or not it is
acknowledged. Religions are founded by people who have had these
experiences and want to share what they have learned with their
fellowman. Since most people will never experience these divine moments
of truth, and can therefore never truly understand the nature of the
universe, religion converts this inexpressible experience into
culture-based symbols, metaphors that relate these intangible things to
the physical world so the common man can partially comprehend them.
Saint John's Revelation is a vivid description of the death
experience. He describes his visions using the imagery available to
him, in the hope of communicating the revelation to the masses. The
events described in the Revelation are metaphors for the death
experience. During cosmic consciousness, many possible futures are
beheld. Saint John describes one possible future, one possible route of
humanity's demise that was revealed to him during his transcendence.
This is simply one path in the sea of infinite possibilities.
Humanity's course is set by our collective free will. The choices we
all make each day, each second, determine the fate of humanity in the
physical world. Free will is absolute in this dimension, so the
itinerary changes over time. We are still making a mad dash toward
destruction, but the method of destruction has changed since Saint John
had his vision. The death experience he describes remains the same.
(Martinez, 2006) "Man's need to expose himself to shock effects is
his adjustment to the dangers threatening him. DMT is mind expansion as
shock therapy, and McKenna has been responsible for its arrival: The
dimethyltryptamine molecule has the unique property of releasing the
structured ego into the Overself. Each person who has that experience
undergoes a mini-apocalypse, a mini-entry and mapping into hyperspace.
For society to focus in this direction, nothing is necessary except for
this experience to become an object of general concern." (Pinchbeck,
2003 pg. 247) Our brain expends precious energy actively transporting
the drug from the blood into its inner recesses. It is as if DMT were
necessary for normal brain function. Perhaps just the right amount of
DMT is involved in the brain's maintenance of the correct receiving
properties. That is, it keeps our brains tuned in to Channel Normal.
Too much and all manner of unusual and unexpected programs appear on
the mind's screen. Too little, and our view of the world dims and
flattens. Many definitions of imagination refer to the divine nature of
this element. To conceive of and produce something new allows us to
share in some of God's creative power. Our imagination extends us by
thought into places where nothing previously existed. Therefore the
return of psychedelics in spirituality may be the revolution we
essentially must create. Psychedelics stimulate the imagination, and
thus they are logical tools to enhance creativity. "The problems
facing our society and planet require the use of novel ideas as much as
new and more powerful technology. It's impossible to overstate the
urgent need to improve our imaginative abilities. Psychedelics may
provide a powerful tool for doing so. In addition to the treatment of
clinical disorders, psychedelics could be used to enhance
characteristics of our normal state of being, such as creativity,
problem-solving abilities, spirituality, and so on. This work may
ultimately serve more people, and have greater overall impact, than
strictly pathology-based therapy projects." (Strassman, 2001 pg. 349)

Cited References

Erowid. (1996). Erowid DMT Vault. [Online]. Available:
http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/dmt/dmt.shtml [2006, November 18].

Martinez, S. (2006). Life, Death and DMT. [Online]. Available:
http://entheogenesis.blogspot.com/. [2006, November 19].

Pinchbeck, D. (2003). Breaking Open the Head: A Psychedelic Journey
into the Heart of Contemporary Shamanism. New York: Broadway Books.

Shulgin, A. (1997). Tihkal. California: Transform Press.

Strassman, R. (2001). DMT: The Spirit Molecule. Vermont: Park Street
Press.

Wikipedia. (2003). Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. [Online].
Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/. [2006, November 2].