DMT: The Spirit Molecule: A Doctor's Revolutionary Research into the Biology of Near-Death and Mystical Experiences [Paperback]

The book reveals and analyses Strassman's clinical research into DMT, a plant-derived substance which is also produced by the brain. As such this is one of the most thought-provoking studies on altered states and the nature of consciousness. The volunteers reported an amazing array of positive mystical or frightening hallucinatory experiences including encounters with intelligent entities.

Strassman's research connects DMT with the pineal gland; this corresponds to the esoteric belief that the pineal, connected with the Crown, Keter or Sahasrara chakra, eases the spirit's movement into different levels of consciousness or various dimensions of existence. Graham Hancock's Supernatural similarly explores the use of psychedelics to induce altered states or allow the soul to explore other dimensions.

Psychedelic substances in science and society, the chemical qualities and molecular structure of DMT, the pineal gland and its role in the psychedelic experience are all discussed in the first part. Part Two relates the history of the author's research, from the actual research proposal through the process of obtaining permission; this section may be skipped by the average reader.

Next Strassman describes the process of selecting volunteers, obtaining DMT and the first experiments, whilst in Part Four he examines the case reports: what the volunteers said and did, their behavior, etc. This makes for strange and fascinating reading. Some experiences were positive and illuminating, resembling uplifting meditative states, whilst others were eerie or deeply unpleasant.

Part Five takes stock of these reports and considers the question of whether the experience was worth the effort for each individual that took part. Strassman attempts to assess the ultimate benefit that each person derived. Definitions come into play and determining something so subjective is difficult but it would appear that the experiments did reward each individual in some way or other.

Then follows a discussion of the soul/psyche and states of consciousness. It seems that spontaneously occurring psychedelic experiences are mediated by elevated levels of endogenous DMT. This `spiritual' molecule thus unlocks unknown territory. If the brain is a receiver, DMT fine-tunes this organ so that the individual consciousness moves beyond familiar awareness into other realms, most of which are inhabited. Many volunteers mentioned a `ripping' sound as they made the transition.

There's a difference between this awareness and normal dreaming. Current psychological theory does not satisfactorily explain the phenomenon or the peculiar experiences, especially as regards the entities encountered. This leads to a speculative discussion on cosmology, the possibility of parallel universes, a multiverse and dark matter with reference to David Deutsch's book The Fabric of Reality.

The author concludes his extraordinary work by looking at the practical use of psychedelics in therapy, as promoters of creativity or as entheogens (substances that trigger spiritual/religious experiences). In this regard I recommend Huston Smith's Cleansing the Doors of Perception: The Religious Significance of Entheogenic Plants and Chemicals.

A varied body of literature is available, from the old classic Phantastica by Louis Lewin through Aldous Huxley's collection of 1960s essays Moksha, to the more recent contributions by Abraham, McKenna and Sheldrake and Giorgio Samorini's Animals and Psychedelics. Plants of the Gods by Schultes et al is a valuable encyclopedic reference work on ethnobotany that is occasionally revised and updated.

In this book Strassman describes a number of research projects he has undertaken into the effects of DMT (one of the most potent hallucinogens/entheogens known to man) on human volunteers. Rather than merely presenting a bunch of trip reports, he gives plenty of relevant background, and details the research methods used and the hassles he went through to get approval for the trials.

The book is both written and arranged in an easy-to-handle manner, and I found it highly readable. The experiences documented are fascinating, and much of Strassman's commentary about them is interesting and insightful.

My only reservation is that some of the ideas he presents are initially pure speculation, by the next page have turned into a fundamental assumption on which other speculations may be based, and for the rest of the book appear as solid fact.
This is true of the central theme, that DMT is the "spirit molecule", somehow representing or intimately connected with human spiritual experience. Strassman misses a couple of opportunities to make his case more robustly, I feel. But that doesn't mean he's wrong, and it doesn't negate the overall value of the book.

The theories that Rick Strassman has concerning the D.M.T. molecule as being the "Spirit Molecule" are astounding!!! Readers will be amazed at the information this book contains, Rick brings the story of his research alive with his straight forward and scientific approach on a type of research that is considered "Tabboo" in the normal stream of everyday life. I found his speculations about the production of D.M.T. in the penial gland of a fetus 49 days into it's development and how he considers this as the vehicle of the soul moving into the body before birth astounding!! Also in the same chapter he mentions that upon dying D.M.T. is produced in large amounts in the human brain,,(the soul leaving the body) This book is the history of his research, injecting humans with D.M.T. the most powerful, and short acting psychedelic known to man. he includes detailed information about "what's on the otherside" from test members in this project, describing their experiences in their own words. The book represents a possability that through the clinical use of this chemical we can actually experience what it is like to die and travel to new dimensions in 15 minutes with no adverse effects!! Amazing factual data on this subject which brings forth the possibbility of researching this and other chemicals for the benifit of mankind, in a proper time for such research to begin again,,,not as it had begun during the war torn times of vietnam when the counterculture tried to find "Enlightenment" through just taking these drugs. Their enthusiasim got the best of them and therefore led to the problems that interfeard with further research in the scientific community. These are valuable chemical keys to the nature of the human mind and how it works, and i feel it is time that we wipe our bloodied noses and start again in this exploration of "inner space." Thank you Doctor Rick Strassman for this wonderful book, and opening the doors for future scientists to work with psychedelics again, unhindered by negative publicity and bias!!