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Discarnate entities and dimethyltryptamine (DMT): Psychopharmacology, phenomenology and ontology

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... Efforts to characterize the psychoactive effects of DMT have enhanced our understanding of the DMT-induced phenomenological and subjective experience within the context of consciousness research (Cott and Rock 2008;Davis et al. 2020;Gouzoulis-Mayfrank et al. 2005;Griffiths et al. 2019;Hase et al. 2022;Lawrence et al. 2022;Luke 2011;Michael, Luke, and Robinson 2021;Shanon 2002;Strassman et al. 1994;Timmermann et al. 2018;Uthaug et al. 2019). Many of the studies to date have catalogued the experience following the consumption of Ayahuasca, a brew enabling an orally active form of DMT due to the inclusion of a monoamine oxidase inhibitor that prevents DMT catabolism in the gastrointestinal system . ...
... Common descriptions following DMT administration include visualizations (involving vivid colors and geometric patterns), encounters with seemingly autonomous entities, mystical-type experiences, egodissolution, and entering alternate realities (Cott and Rock 2008;Davis et al. 2020;Gouzoulis-Mayfrank et al. 2005;Griffiths et al. 2019;Hase et al. 2022;Lawrence et al. 2022;Luke 2011;Michael, Luke, and Robinson 2021;Shanon 2002;Strassman et al. 1994;Timmermann et al. 2018;Uthaug et al. 2019). Aspects of the DMT experience have frequently been exalted for their profundity (Davis et al. 2020;Lawrence et al. 2022) and survey-based studies suggest the effects of DMT may enduringly impact beliefs concerning the nature of reality and ontological worldviews (Davis et al. 2020;Timmermann et al. 2021). ...
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This study investigated the sense of familiarity attributed to N, N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) experiences. 227 naturalistic inhaled-DMT experiences reporting a sense of familiarity were included. No experiences referenced a previous DMT or psychedelic experience as the source of the familiarity. A high prevalence of concomitant features discordant from ordinary consciousness were identified: features of a mystical experience (97.4%), ego-dissolution (16.3%), and a "profound experience of death" (11.0%). The Sense of Familiarity Questionnaire (SOF-Q) was developed assessing 19 features of familiarity across 5 themes: (1) Familiarity with the Feeling, Emotion, or Knowledge Gained; (2) Familiarity with the Place, Space, State, or Environment; (3) Familiarity with the Act of Going Through the Experience; (4) Familiarity with Transcendent Features; and (5) Familiarity Imparted by an Entity Encounter. Bayesian latent class modeling yielded two stable classes of participants who shared similar SOF-Q responses. Class 1 participants responded, "yes" more often for items within "Familiarity Imparted by an Entity Encounter" and "Familiarity with the Feeling, Emotion, or Knowledge Gained." Results catalogued features of the sense of familiarity imparted by DMT, which appears to be non-referential to a previous psychedelic experience. Findings provide insights into the unique and enigmatic familiarity reported during DMT experiences and offer a foundation for further exploration into this intriguing phenomenon.
... A further common distinction within the cluster is made between simple and complex content, e.g., the 11-ASC has both the Elementary Imagery factor and the Complex Imagery factor (Studerus et al., 2010). Simple visual phenomena are typically described to include basic shapes, colors and patterns, while more complex visual phenomena includes dream-like imagery 10 It is important to note that a sense of oneness and self-boundary dissolution are not inherently linked as one can feel a sense of oneness with the self-boundary with various content, such as seeing archaic dream motifs (Grof, 1972;Wackermann et al., 2008) or perceiving fantastical beings or gods (Gallimore & Luke, 2015;Grof, 1972;Leary et al., 1964Leary et al., /1992Lilly, 1972Lilly, /2017Luke, 2011;Tramacchi, 2006). Specifically complex visionary content is often thought to interact with other aspects of ASCs, e.g. with mystical experiences, positive or negative affect, or the occurrence of unfamiliar content can interact with or even cause anxiety. ...
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In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in the conceptual and empirical study of altered states of consciousness (ASCs) induced pharmacologically or otherwise, driven by their potential clinical applications. To draw attention to the rich history of research in this domain, we review prominent classification schemes that have been proposed to introduce systematicity in the scientific study of ASCs. The reviewed ASC classification schemes fall into three groups according to the criteria they use for categorization: (1) based on the nature, variety, and intensity of subjective experiences (state-based), including conceptual descriptions and psychometric assessments, (2) based on the technique of induction (method-based), and (3) descriptions of neurophysiological mechanisms of ASCs (neuro/physio-based). By comparing and extending existing classification schemes, we can enhance efforts to identify neural correlates of consciousness, particularly when examining mechanisms of ASC induction and the resulting subjective experience. Furthermore, an overview of what defining ASC characteristics different authors have proposed can inform future research in the conceptualization and quantification of ASC subjective effects, including the identification of those that might be relevant in clinical research. This review concludes by clustering the concepts from the state-based schemes, which are suggested for classifying ASC experiences. The resulting clusters can inspire future approaches to formulate and quantify the core phenomenology of ASC experiences to assist in basic and clinical research.
... Historically, such unquestioning hubris arose from decades of dogma that proliferated through society as a result of widespread religious skepticism in the west and a turn to scientific 560 Sheridan, & James (2015). 561 Luke (2011);Timmermann (2018); Timmermann (2021). 562 Green (2003). ...
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Are there at least some ‘tin-foil hat guys’ who aren’t crazy? In simple terms this paper seeks to analyse the credibility of the primary argument: If multiple defense and intelligence officials claim, often to their discredit, that: i) they have been neurologically assaulted by microwaves; ii) Neuroweapons have been researched and developed for over 60 years iii) non-human intelligence currently interact with humans and utilise advanced regarding several former premises; then in applying the principle of charity, why should we not consider the possibility that at least some civilians may actually be affected by such technology on earth; iv) there is a significant government-led disinformation campaign Electromagnetic phenomena? The primary aim of this paper was to epistemologically examine the possibility Theory. for claims of neurowarfare or electronic harassment to be veridical within a proportion of individuals self-describing as a Targeted Individual (TI) or as having Havana Syndrome (HS). The secondary aim was to address gaps in the literature and ongoing medicolegal discourse which have, thus far, not been contended with within analytical philosophy. It was found that HS and TI claims did not meet the full criteria for an Unwarranted Conspiracy Theory (UCT) and can be regarded as a progressive Research Program (RP). While, prima facie, appearing as an epistemological black hole, some claims were found inductively to have a legitimate basis for concern. Therefore, stigmatising preconceptions may act as an epistemic harm to well- meaning but misinformed practitioners in the process of diagnosis. The primary issue that was then dealt with is how clinicians may demarcate the presence of a disorder given that substantiated justification remains empirically undefined. In conclusion, the paper found clinicians ought to adopt consideration to a wider array of individual and socio-political contextual factors in the process of evaluating the coherency of self-reporting TI belief systems. Furthermore, in defining the complex etiology encountered, correlation with Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity (EHS), Anomalous Health Incidents (AHI), Radio Frequency (RF) exposure, Non-Human Intelligence (NHI) interactions and Exceptional Experiences (EE) should all be considered in the formation of explanatory hypotheses.
... For example, psychedelics induce anthropomorphizing of natural entities, which is suggested to increase an empathic connection to natural environments (Forstmann & Sagioglou, 2017). Studies assessing use of psychedelics via self-report encounters with an "earth-soul", Gaia, Mother Nature, or other spiritual entities (Luke, 2011). Increased nature connectedness (also referred to as nature relatedness in the literature) measured through psychometric scales has also been documented (Kettner et al., 2019;Lyons & Carhart-Harris, 2018;Forstmann & Sagioglou, 2017), and psychedelics have been associated with pro-environmental behaviour (Forstmann & Sagioglou, 2017). ...
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Tackling sustainability issues requires engagement with inner dimensions of sustainability, including the beliefs, values, worldviews and paradigms that influence how people perceive and behave in society and in relation to the natural world. Research on classic psychedelics is undergoing a renaissance, and despite the often-stated positive effects and potentials for perceptual and behavioural change, research on psychedelics has previously not been systematically linked with sustainability. This paper aims to explore the role of classic psychedelics for sustainability transformations by outlining the links between the inner dimensions of sustainability and psychedelic research. Through a systematic literature review, we identify how the effects of classic psychedelics have been linked to inner dimensions of sustainability across a range of fields including neuroscience, psychology, psychopharmacology, sustainability studies, ecopsychology, and psychotherapy up until June 2020. We categorise the literature into the overlapping themes: i) values & personality, ii) (nature) connectedness, and iii) worldviews & spirituality. Overall, a small sample of papers made explicit links to inner dimensions of sustainability, and a larger sample of papers could be implicitly linked to inner sustainability. This review shows that classic psychedelics bear potential as a deep leverage point for inner sustainability transformations, and further research is warranted.
... Early but growing efforts are attempting to characterize the phenomenological experience following exogenous DMT administration 2,5,[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30] . Common emerging themes include mystical-type experiences 21 ; transcendence and connectedness 2 ; increased noesis (ascertaining direct or intuitive knowledge) 31,32 ; alterations in consciousness and the sense-of-self 2,17,21 ; vivid imagery and perceptual changes 16,24 ; emotional effects 16 ; death and rebirth; 2 the divine, spirituality, and religiosity 2,21 ; and encounters with autonomous entities and beings 5,27 . ...
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Background: Understanding the phenomenology and content of the inhaled N, N, dimethyltryptamine (N, N-DMT) experience is critical to facilitate and support ongoing research and therapeutic models targeting mental health conditions and central nervous system pathology. Methods: Qualitative analysis of all N, N-DMT experiences posted to the r/DMT Reddit community over a 10-year period from 2009-2018. Results: A total of 3778 experiences from 3305 posts were included in this study. A median dose of N, N-DMT of 40.0 mg [interquartile range (IQR), 27.5 to 50.0] and a median experience duration of 10 minutes (IQR, 5.0 to 15.0) were identified. The most common somatic effects were somaesthesias (n=1415, 37.5%) and an auditory ringing (n=583, 15.4%). Visualizations predominantly consisted of fractals, shapes, patterns (n=1231, 32.5%) and vivid colours (n=953, 25.2%). Entity encounters occurred in 45.5% (n=1719) of the experiences and involved predominantly a feminine phenotype (n=416, 24.2%); aliens (n=281, 16.3%); deities (n=238, 13.8%); creature-based entities (n=158, 9.2%, including reptilian and insectoid beings); mythological beings (n=138, 8.0%, including machine elves); and jesters (n=112, 6.5%). Entity interactions were predominantly positive (n=600, 34.9% of encounters) involving benevolent, comforting, protecting, or outwardly caring interactions. A companion-type, pedagogical, or guide-type interaction was identified 32.4% of encounters (n=557). Common typology, architectural, and structural features of the “DMT world” were descriptions of alternate or higher dimensions (n=952, 25.2%); room(s) [n=582, 15.4%, including the “waiting room” (n=105, 2.8%)], and a tunnel (n=390, 10.3%). Features of mystical and ego-dissolution experiences were common and additional rewarding aspects were reported, including familiarity and acceptance/removal of the fear of death. Challenging and difficult responses were less frequent but also documented. Statements of profundity were identified in 232 experiences (6.1%), including pronouncing the experience or an aspect of the experience as the most “beautiful” or feeling the most “beautiful” of their life (n=47, 1.2%). Conclusion: This study identified common phenomenological themes and content of naturalistic inhaled N, N-DMT experiences. Major thematic domains included (1) physical and somatic experiences; (2) content of visualizations and imagery; (3) entity encounters including entity phenotype, descriptors, attributes, disposition, and characteristics of the interaction; (4) typology, architectural features, structural characteristics, and scenery of the “DMT world”; (5) emotional responses (including positive, rewarding, difficult, and challenging); and (6) statements of profundity.
... The most frequentlyused combinations in Peru are a mixture of the ayahuasca plant (Banisteriospis caapi) and chacruna (Psychotria viridis). Chacruna is a source of DMT, a substance belonging to the group of tryptamine hallucinogens, that is also naturally excreted in the human brain, e.g. in connection with the sleep cycle, production of dreams, during mystical experiences or spontaneous psychosis (Smythies et al. in Narby, 2006;Luke, 2011). The ayahuasca vine provides monoamine oxidase inhibitors (IMAO) -beta-carboline alkaloids harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmine, which allow DMT to take effect in the body (McKenna, Towers & Abbott, 1985). ...
... Ayahuasca, the DMT-containing Amerindian shamanic brew, or Iboga, the West-African shamanic rootbark, are examples of indigenous use of psychedelics with express functions of communicating with the dead. However, in particular, the former ayahuasca vine's constituent harmine was first termed 'telepathine,' owing to the apparently extra-sensory capabilities it conveyed, which often also encompassed learning of the deceased's demise (Luke, 2011;see Luke, 2012 for a comprehensive review of anomalous phenomena under psychedelics). This additional similarity between psychedelics and NDEs may further indicate that endogenous chemicals are linked to NDEs-although such interesting cases as these do not per se explain the phenomena's ontology in terms of a strict reductionism, as these compounds themselves may evidently correlate with non-local awareness (Luke, 2017). ...
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Near-death experiences (NDEs) are a typically profound set of experiences occasioned during both actual and subjective proximity to death. In March of 2021, Bruce Greyson, MD, one of the original researchers founding the field of near-death studies, published the book, After. It represents a thought-provoking and highly readable chronicling of an almost half-century of both his impressive scholarship and personal experience of changing worldview. In the present article, I provide a thorough essay-style analysis of the publication , focusing on how much of what Greyson reported is consistent with, yet also lacks considerable recognition of, the model of NDEs provided by a psychedelic framework. That is, substantial explanatory power can be derived from considering NDEs as a psychedelic phenomenon in terms of possible neurobiological correlates, its acute state, long-term sequalae, and putatively parapsychological effects. In writing this article, I hold no a priori ontological assumptions but hope at least to offer the necessary neurally-oriented explanations where the literature indicates them. However, I also note that certain NDE dimensions may not yet be fully explicated in terms of such a reductionist paradigm, and even where they could be, the 'hard problem of consciousness' is still to be resolved within the natural sciences. Although I believe the book would have benefited from this embrace of the phenomenon's likely mediation by such endogenous neurotransmission, or convergence on similar mechanisms, I nevertheless affirm that Greyson has delivered a laudable exposition of the transcendent experience as having deep psychiatric, personal, interpersonal, ethical, and possibly metaphysical implications.
... Ayahuasca, the DMT-containing Amerindian shamanic brew, or Iboga, the West-African shamanic rootbark, are examples of indigenous use of psychedelics with express functions of communicating with the dead. However, in particular, the former ayahuasca vine's constituent harmine was first termed 'telepathine,' owing to the apparently extra-sensory capabilities it conveyed, which often also encompassed learning of the deceased's demise (Luke, 2011;see Luke, 2012 for a comprehensive review of anomalous phenomena under psychedelics). This additional similarity between psychedelics and NDEs may further indicate that endogenous chemicals are linked to NDEs-although such interesting cases as these do not per se explain the phenomena's ontology in terms of a strict reductionism, as these compounds themselves may evidently correlate with non-local awareness (Luke, 2017). ...
... Because they surface material that usually remains out of conscious awareness, psychedelics can yield disturbing thoughts that might be psychologically framed as messages from a person's dark side, shadow self, or metaphorical "inner demons." Psychedelics may also prompt perceptions of devils, monsters, or other frightening discarnate entities (Luke, 2011;Shanon, 2002). Albert Hofmann, who first synthesized and used LSD in 1943, described an experience that included demonic terrors (Hoffmann, 2017), and Aldous Huxley (1956) described how psychedelics could bring terrifying visions of hell. ...
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Could psychedelic use open the door to messages from supernatural entities, including God, the devil, or human or nature spirits? Might psychedelics allow a glimpse of some transcendent domain, consciousness, or self that exists beyond the material world? We were interested in how people’s answers to these questions would relate to their attitudes about psychedelic use, legalization, and desire to use psychedelics if given a safe opportunity. After preregistering key hypotheses on the Open Science Framework, we recruited U. S. adults (final N = 800) to complete an online survey. Participants expected psychedelics to prompt psychological messages (from the brain or subconscious) more than spiritual messages, which were typically endorsed more than explicitly supernatural messages; however, even supernatural messages received moderate endorsement. As predicted, seeing psychedelics as a doorway to positive spiritual or supernatural messages (from a transcendent spiritual domain, God, human spirits, nature spirits) was linked with more positive attitudes about psychedelics, more favoring of their legalization, and more past use and interest in personal use. As expected, attitudes about psychedelics were less favorable among those who saw them as doorways to negative messages, either from supernatural evil (devil, demons, evil spirits) or from one’s own mind (dark side, shadow self, “inner demons”). Beliefs in supernatural messages via psychedelics were linked with stronger supernatural beliefs, more prior psychedelic use, younger age, self-identifying as spiritual, more past experiences seen as supernatural (in general and involving psychedelics), and greater approval of psychedelics by one’s religious community (where applicable). In summary, many people see psychedelics as potential sources of supernatural messages. These supernatural attributions, in turn, are closely linked with attitudes, behaviors, and past experiences related to psychedelic use.
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The occurrence of transpersonal experiences with psychedelic substances is well attested, and several surveys have consistently found a small relationship between paranormal experiences and the use of such drugs in general. Isolated investigations of experiences with specific drugs exist, but no surveys have systematically examined whether particular experiences relate to particular drugs. In an online survey, 139 respondents were recruited through parapsychology or psychedelic interest groups and completed a questionnaire detailing psychoactive drug-use behaviour and the frequency of occurrence of a number of paranormal, shamanic, and mystical type experiences. Patterns of drug-induced transpersonal experiences reported elsewhere were mostly corroborated, particularly the proclivity for telepathic experiences with cannabis, out-of-body experiences with ketamine, entity encounter experiences with N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), and plant-spirit encounters with a host of psychedelic plants. Several small correlations were found between drug-use frequency and experience frequency with certain drug and experience types, particularly those termed mystical. As expected, alcohol and opiate/opioid-use did not correlate with any transpersonal experiences although, surprisingly, no sizable correlations were found for psi experiences and the use of any one type of drug, possibly due to the high rate of occurrence of psi experiences among both drug users and non-drug users with this particular sample.
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All that glitters is not gold. Such a maxim might well serve any psychic voyager on a journey into the weirder realms that psychedelics can serve up. After all, out here on the edges there is seldom firm evidence that the beatific or hellish visions beheld whilst chemically neurohacking your wetware have any basis in consensus reality. Indeed these visions are often so extravagantly strange and terrifyingly ineffable that reminding yourself they are not real can serve to keep your sanity on a short leash when madness looms. Nevertheless , as John Lilly put it, how does one recognize one's insanity from one's out-sanity? And in any case, how would one even begin to try and prove the ontological credibility of the psychedelic experience of visiting some other world or meeting some alien entity? No one has yet put forward a solid method for testing these supposed realities within the domain of science, despite some admirable attempts recently (e.g., Rodriguez 2007) 1 , so all we have left to rely on is anecdote and phe-nomenology. This story lies somewhere between the two, but it also takes on a new dimension that has urged me to depart momentarily from the fruits of science into the " foamy custard " of folklore and myth, cultural studies and related disciplines. 2
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This paper reviews the research on psychedelic substances in relation to so-called paranormal phenomena, such as telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition (i.e., ESP), as well as out-of-body experiences (OBEs) and near-death experiences (NDEs). Reference is made to the age-old shamanic use of these substances to specifically induce such experiences, and to contemporary reports from within academia and psychotherapy bearing witness to such phenomena. However, the review focuses primarily on describing and critically evaluating the contribution of controlled experiments that have attempted to induce ESP using psychedeUcs, and of surveys, which have either direcdy or indirecdy investigated the belief in, and experience of, the paranormal in relation to the use of such substances. Furthermore, a methodological critique of the experimental research is offered alongside some recommendations for further research in this field.
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This is a pioneering cognitive psychological study of Ayahuasca, a plant-based Amazonian psychotropic brew. Benny Shanon presents a comprehensive charting of the various facets of the special state of mind induced by Ayahuasca, and analyzes them from a cognitive psychological perspective. He also presents some philosophical reflections. Empirically, the research presented in this book is based on the systematic recording of the author’s extensive experiences with the brew and on the interviewing of a large number of informants: indigenous people, shamans, members of different religious sects using Ayahuasca, and travellers. In addition to its being the most thorough study of the Ayahuasca experience to date, the book lays the theoretical foundations for the psychological study of non-ordinary states of consciousness in general.
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What would you say to the possibility of a riveting, yet thoroughly academic, nonfiction page-turner? Stephan V. Beyer's tour de force, Singing to the Plants: A Guide to Mestizo Shamanism in the Upper Amazon, is nothing less! Building an inclusive bridge between a layman's accessibility and comprehensive scholarly research, Beyer has effectively embodied and integrated his intellectual understanding and knowledge with years of first-hand experiential encounters with Ayahuasca and other plant medicines of Upper Amazonia. Dr. Beyer holds a degree in law and doctorates in both psychology and religious studies, but these are obviously only some of his interests and talents. His eclectic background has led to stints as a university professor, trial lawyer, community builder, and wilderness guide, and it was his interest in wilderness survival that initially brought him into contact with medicinal plants and their potential. His skillful, often poetical word-phrasing lends such depth and artistry to his research results that a reader hardly knows where to look to be most impressed. As he studied and learned more about the survival skills of indigenous people, it became apparent to Beyer that "wilderness survival includes a significant spiritual component—the maintenance of right relationships both with human persons and with the other-than-human persons who fill the indigenous world." In addition, Beyer's spiritual background and interest in Buddhism and Tibetan language shapes his connection to the transcendent and also establishes a deep recognition of the unifying bond between all sentient beings. Beyer states that his intention in writing the monumental Singing to the Plants (400 pages of well-researched information and knowledge gained from years of actual time in the Amazon Jungle), "is a result of my own need to make sense of the mestizo shamanism of the Upper Amazon, to place it in context, to understand why and how it works, to think through what it means, and what it has meant for me." So, this seminal work springs (as all good work does) from Beyer's own hunger to put together the many threads of his own story. As the book unfolds Beyer's own tale is presented in the context of his relationship with two remarkable teacher-healers of the Upper Amazon: Dona Maria Luisa Tuesta Flores and Don Roberto Acho Jurama. Beyer stated that the purpose of this volume "is to try and understand who they are and what they do—as healers, as shamans, as dwellers in the spiritual world of the Upper Amazon, as traditional practitioners in a modern world, as innovators, as cultural syncretists, and as individuals." It is when talking about his teachers that Beyer is most revealed as a humble and thoughtful human being. He does not engage in excessive fawning or synchophantish pedestalization, but presents them as real people with flaws and foibles, as well as remarkable reservoirs of knowledge. Throughout the narrative Beyer informs and educates, opening doors to another world, a world he clearly respects, embraces, and even loves. He escorts us up the threshold and through this doorway describing in detail such subjects as: (1) the ayahuasca ceremony, (2) shamanic performance, (3) the shamanic landscape, (4) learning the plants, sounds, 5) phlegm and darts, (6) initiation, (7) spirits, (8) sex, (9) harming, (10) healing, and (11) vomiting, among 35 total chapters.