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

DMT: The Spirit Molecule is a remarkable book, made all the more remarkable that it was first published in 2001, well before this current "psychedelic renaissance" reached the popularity it currently has. In that popularity's excess focus on Johns Hopkins and MAPS, Strassman does not get the credit he deserves. When he conducted the multi-year study this book elaborates, no one else in the entire country was conducting above-ground psychedelic research in direct relationship with an academic institution and the Federal government. That had not happened since around 1970. Strassman's tenacity, commitment, and willingness to find new pathways opened the door, and without his work, that door could still be closed. And then there's the research itself. The sections about the research subjects' subjective experiences with DMT were among the most fascinating chapters I've ever read. It is remarkable to hear their wild testimonies, and Strassman does an excellent job maintaining his integrity and his scientific stance as a researcher. A gripping inner conflict emerges -- does he reduce the subjects' experiences to a scientific explanation, or does he take a bold leap into listening to their reports of "beings" and "other realms" as if they are real, as the subjects so adamantly expressed? Some negative reviews claim that Strassman spends too much time explaining all that he had to go through to get the research going. I have a very different perspective on this. I found the section engaging and also important, because when Strassman published it in 2001, he was providing a road map for other researchers to follow in his tracks and re-establish psychedelic research in U.S. universities. As an important piece of psychedelic history, it's so valuable to have his detailed account for reference, and the sheer amount of challenges he overcame serves as a good lesson about the importance of follow-through on a vision, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Lastly, what makes this book so impactful is that Strassman is a grounded realist. He does not get swept up into overly-blissful psychedelic enthusiasm and make extreme claims. He does not cut out information gained from the study that show the real dangers of psychedelics. In a time when over-glorification of psychedelics consistently misguides a curious and suffering public, Strassman's balanced perspective offers another roadmap for how to look at these amazing compounds and maintain a stance of neutrality and curiosity, rather than zealotous religious fervor. If you are looking for a book to confirm your already-existing beliefs that psychedelics are a panacea or magic pill, this is not the book for you. Or maybe it is, because it can help balance that out with a healthy dose of realism. I hope that people continue to read and reference this book, and I hope that more people acknowledge it as the groundbreaking work that it is. We are lucky to have Rick Strassman.

...as Dr. Strassman arrives at some very different conclusions from the ideas he expresses before and during the trial process...and i whole-heartedly agree with his arrival at the idea that the DMT experience may not be something that we can easily describe or quantify with human communication. MY conclusions: 1) DMT is not a toy, and 2) there may be a reason that the body strictly controls the production of DMT...as it may be a substance that is produced only when we are "in extremis." my disclaimers: 1) although i am not a scientologist, i do not subscribe to the fields of psychiatry & psychology...and the ever-expanding Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). these fields essentially dictate: if you don't see and react to the physical world in the same way i do, then you are crazy...and i can lock you up in a mental facility. the myriad variations of personality & consciousness of human beings are not quantifiable or completely describable, except on an individual basis...and perhaps not even then. [edit 15aug2017] i mention my opinion on the "psych" field only because Strassman seemed to feel it necessary to put the experiences of the research subjects into the 'correct' description check-boxes of human behavior required by the DSM and therapeutic technique. there were a few times when i read what Strassman quoted the patient as saying about a DMT experience, and when i read his summation of that experience, it didn't seem to be AT ALL what the patient described...sometimes in the patient's intent and sometimes in the patient's description of an experience. it isn't until the Conclusion section that Strassman begins to realize that he might have done better to simply provide a source of mostly silent comfort to the patient, while recording the patient's report of the experience...WITHOUT ATTEMPTING TO LEAD THE PATIENT INTO THE REQUIRED SOCIETAL EXPLANATIONS. the other truly disturbing example of this behavior is the "recovered memory" industry, which seems to push, push, push to get the societally desired response from the patient...in order to reinforce the societal backstory currently in play. in the 1980s, it was determined by the psych industry that we were all co-dependent, which is what i said to my Ph.D psychologist sister after reading an article she gave me. "Well, B___, this seems like a mandate for job creation for the psych industry...but not much more than that," and we haven't really communicated much since then. to sum up: in my opinion, the psych industry is determined to convince the world that they have all the answers to all the world's mental and behavior problems...but DMT transcends all those answers because it is an ineffable experience, and, therefore, incapable of being expressed to others in any meaningful way. the psych industry doesn't like what it can't categorize and/or quantize. [[whew! end of edit.]] 2) i do not believe that the brain is the electro-chemical producer of "consciousness" or "soul." i believe that consciousness is the very fabric of the universe..and our souls are a part of that consciousness. as one of my philosophy professors put it (in the 1980s): God (or, the universe) is Thinking...thinking about thinking. (thank you, Robert Helbling.) i believe that the brain IS the administration building for the body...in other words, a set of civil servants responding to the requests for materials from individual cells or groups of cells in the body. 3) i believe that the brain functions as a FILTER to keep the rest of the universe OUT of our current existence in this dimension of existence...ONLY TO KEEP US FOCUSED ON THE TASK(S) AT HAND IN THE HERE AND NOW. by taking DMT, we are asking to take a peek at things that we have great difficulty understanding in our present state. if we take DMT (or shrooms) without the right intent, then we are wasting our time and money...and confusing & scaring ourselves with visions of things that are beyond our ability to comprehend at the moment. psychedelics are an absolute miracle, and they must be given the respect they deserve. LONG LIVE THE PINEAL GLAND!

The reviews on this book alone are outstanding, read some of them. My favorite pages were the last two 344-345 where is mostly just some random person's letter post the DMT experience. Still got the chills writing this. Sums up the entire book perfectly, well done. I wish there were more word-for-word encounters in this book. Encounters (folks interacting with non-human beings while high on dmt) becomes generalized and trivial in the book--so common it seems it became not imoprtant to transcribe alot of them. You get alot of "From my notes..." instead of recorded transcriptions from people undergoing the study. Will read again. Will recommend. Well writen. Worth the money. 5 stars.

DMT has become almost mythical in some circles thanks to scholarly works such as Jeremy Narby's the Cosmic Serpent, investigative journalism such as Daniel Pinchbeck's Breaking Open the Head, and the discussions about the drug held by comedian Joe Rogan. In many cases, Dr. Strassman's book is the primary reference for much of the speculation about the chemical compound. It would do much good for those people in awe of DMT to read Strassman's book cover-to-cover to truly understand the nature and implications of the drug. Strassman does an excellent job detailing the chemical makeup of DMT and speculating on it's importance and origin in the body. Although hard evidence for a connection to the pineal gland is never uncovered, Strassman uses logical reasoning to place it there, and he's rather convincing. Furthermore, Strassman also offers a glimpse into his research notes. He details not just case reports on participants' experiences, but also his long journey towards approval from the DEA and FDA to perform the human studies. It's a fascinating journey around every turn and Strassman doesn't hold back his own thoughts at all. Despite the unprecedented nature of this book, Strassman offers only speculation in his conclusions, and much of those conclusions are not based on the quantitative research he was performing, but instead result from a qualitative look at the themes of his participants' experiences. The high regard that his work and this book receive in some circles would lead a curious reader to believe that his conclusions were soundly based on his research, but there is a disconnect as one finishes reading the research details and continues on to his conclusions. Much of what he posits at the end of his book differs only slightly from what he wonders at the beginning of his research. The only thing he is sure of is the thematic similarities between certain experiences. Also of concern - from a scientific perspective - is that many of the research participants were avid drug experimenters (though this was on purpose and Strassman gives important justification) and many were New Age enthusiasts. This brings into question whether his participant sample truly was representative of the general population. Also, one has to wonder how much Strassman's own psychedelic ethusiasm and dedicated Buddhist practices might have affected his view of the experients and their outcomes. Regardless of any concerns, Strassman has accomplished a great feat with this book. He managed to bring psychedelics out of the dusty closet of government regulation and started an important conversation about their potential benefits. Although the book might not live completely up to expections, that's more a fault of the communities promoting the chemical compound and not Strassman himself. Most importantly, Strassman gives a glimpse of what a real experiment into alternate mental states looks like, and gives his readers many questions and pathways with which to explore for further study.

Spirit Dr. Strassman is arguably the world's foremost expert on dimethyltryptamine. But as he freely admits, there isn't much competition for that title, since Dr. Strassman's is about the only research in this area since DMT and other psychedelics were made illegal to possess about thirty years ago, in the drug hysteria of the 1970s. No one else has recently been allowed to research these extremely interesting, extremely promising molecules, although psychedelics were THE most exciting, most promising field of psychology and psychiatry for almost twenty years. Then the research funds were cut off, and suddenly everyone in research and medicine was allergic to anything related to these illegal substances. This book reports, in a delightfully clear and concise style, what Dr. Strassman and his research team discovered as they looked scientifically at one of the most interesting substances ever to grace our planet. It turns out that DMT, providing possibly the most powerful of psychedelic experiences, occurs in each of us naturally, manufactured by our bodies; there has to be a very important reason for this, and we don't really know what it is. Dr. Strassman explores, and the question points toward the great transitions of birth and death, peak life experiences, near-death experiences, bursts of spiritual growth and development, and other times when our minds might need a sudden, dramatic expansion and opening. There is even a suggestion that a sudden buildup of DMT may be responsible for alien-abduction experiences! The author's easy, personal style makes the book a delight to read, even though it is clearly a report of research and primarily a scientific document. It addresses all the questions in which I am truly interested, and even provides a couple of answers. It is very informative, and tremendously thought-provoking.

Rich Stassman's account of his ground-breaking research program with the psychedelic drug DMT is more than a scientific chronicle. His tale of the rigors of such an extraordinary undertaking, from the years he spent gaining permission for the study, getting access to the drug, and carrying out the experiments with human subjects, is suspenseful to the end. DMT or di-methyl-trptamine is produced by many organisms and is found abundantly in plants and animal tissue. In humans it is believed that it is produced in the tiny pineal gland, which is situated deep within the brain. Its location in the brain corresponds with Eastern Ayurvedic traditions of the highest "chakra". In reptiles, the pineal is a light sensitive organ, and though this function has been lost in humans, it has been referred to as the "third eye". Descartes called it the "seat of the soul", and in modern times it has been a focal point of consciousness research. Though the academic purpose for the research at the University of New Mexico from 1990 to 1995 was to find the purpose and function of "endogenous" (produced in the body) DMT, as well as its relationship to psychosis, it was Strassman's emersion in the teaching of Buddhism that was his inspiration throughout. Ironically, the findings of his research undermined many of his beliefs and left him alienated from the Buddhist community. Many of his research subjects were experienced psychedelic users, but they were unprepared for the intensity of DMT. One volunteer described his acute ten minute voyage into another dimension as being hit by a "nuclear cannon." While LSD allows the user a self-guided trip, the DMT experience has its own agenda, stripping the subject of any goals, expectations, and ego. As Stassman said, "DMT as the true spirit molecule, gave the volunteers the trip they needed, rather than the trip they wanted." But it wasn't only the volunteers of the experiments that were shocked. Strassman was completely unprepared for his subjects' reports of contact with alien beings, reptiles, and other strange entities. In other cases, they described out-of-body experiences, going through tunnels of light, and meeting relatives, spirits, and angels. Strassman soon realized that these reports were very similar to the modern cultural phenomena of alien abductions and near death experiences (NDE)--neither of which were familiar to him prior to his research project. He theorized that these two phenomena might be caused by excess releases of endogenous DMT from the pineal gland under conditons of stess, such as child birth or severe trauma, causing an NDE. Similarly, a close cousin of DMT, namely melatonin and perhaps DMT itself, is released during the nighttime hours. This, Strassman thought, could give rise to the alien abduction experience, which most often happens in the early morning hours. Near death experiences have often been used to support religious teachings. Perhaps the reverse should be considered. Religion was invented to explain the strange phenomena experienced due to an excess release of DMT in the body. Because of the intense reality of the DMT experience, and the volunteers' rejection of psychological, or biological explanations for their journey, Strassman was forced to consider an even more intriguing explanation. Perhaps, DMT does not cause hallucinogenic experiences, but rather, allows our brain to sense different forms of existing reality. The information we receive from the world is limited by our five senses. It is possible that DMT allows us to sense other dimensions and other realities. In the end the rigors and stresses of the study took a huge toll on Strassman costing him his job and alienation from the Buddhist communtiy. Even though many of the monks, had entered the monistary as a result of the influence of LSD use, their rise to elected power left them unable to support Strassman's research. AS Strassman stated, "Holiness won out over truth." Rich Strassman's writing style makes this book extremely readable, and the DMT subjects' reports and anecdotal stories make the book difficult to put down. This book warrants a "5 star" rating. I highly recommend DMT the Spirit Molecule. This review by David Kreiter, Author of "Quantum Reality: A New Philosophical Perspective."

Dr. Strassman's work deserves high marks. One has to admire his integrity, perseverance, and dedication to the scientific exploration of human consciousness. The chapters about the pineal alone are worth the price of admission. The book has helped to lay the foundation for future work on the nature of spiritual experiences. However, this does not mean I agree with all of Strassman's conclusions. His association of the pineal with the 7th or crown chakra may be incorrect. The pineal may turn out to be more closely associated with the 6th chakra, or ajna center, located between the eyebrows. Even if it turns out Strassman is correct that the pineal secrets DMT, and that DMT mediates higher states of consciousness, it does not follow that a seeker may short-cut his/her sadhana by means of "the spirit molecule." There are no short-cuts to enlightenment. A genuine spiritual experience always brings about a permanent change for the better. Strassman's follow up interviews showed that the DMT experience produced nothing of the sort. The drug experience was just that, notwithstanding the vivid nature of the experience. It remains for future research to tackle how DMT mediates higher states. But one may speculate. I suspect that the Kundalini energy knows all, we know very little. An ego-driven approach will never unravel the subtleties of this incredible unfolding process, which appears to be integral to our human nature. I also found it curious that the author mentioned his support for the state of Israel. What does this have to do with DMT research? Since the author saw fit to mention this, I will comment. One can hope that Strassman will outgrow his own naive political programming, and awaken to the racist nature of Zionism.

This book is amazing. Probably one of the best books that I have ever read. And I don't even read that much. If you are looking for trip reports, well, then visit some of the various online forums. But if you are wanting to be educated on how DMT effects us and our everyday lives, then this is good enough. The book does indeed contain "trip reports", which are very fascinating as they are almost identical to other accounts that I have read in completely unrelated books. It is a little heavy maybe for the average reader, but, if this is a world that you are interested in, then it won't matter. The fact that the author started questioning the very existence of man, parallel universes, and non physical beings, because of what he witnessed in his case studies, is astounding. Rick Strassman was the first person in nearly 20 years to have pyschedelics approved, by the stingy US government, for human study. He is apparently rather well known, and has visited with rather important people. The only that comes to mind right now is the discoverer of LSD. Anyway, this is a great book and it should be read by everyone in my opinion.

This is the first time I have left a review for a book i have read. I literally cannot put in to words how fascinating this book is! I was worried I might not understand a lot of it with it being written by a scientist and thought the scientific jargon would be to much for me but the Author wrote this so well it was really clear and easy to understand. I cannot stop thinking about this book and talking about it with family and friends! I don’t think I have been as interested in anything as much as this subject and now I’m exited to read more on alien abductions and much More that was discussed in this book.

It's a great book if you are into the history of psychedelic research or scientific experiments and protocols. The book is interesting because the author describes his first-person experience, doubts and thinkering as a researcher, in experimenting and analyzing such out-of-the-ordinary phenomenon. The book does not provide updated information on DMT, and a big part of it contains hypothetical thinking, (without enough evidence).

Great

Impressive book. It covers all aspects of Strassman's research and was very interesting, unfortunately, there are no real answers as to what a DMT experience actually is - I was led to believe, by others, that this book had the answers. You are given a lot of info and anecdotes, and Strassman's theories, but you need to come to your own conclusions (just like most other things in life). Still, I learned a lot and found it an enjoyable read (except the last couple of chapters which are a bit depressing). Strassman writes in an open, honest, and down-to-Earth way that makes it easy to read even when he's talking about convoluted scientific challenges, dealing with the FDA/DEA, or the "spiritual journeys" of his subjects. An important book for anyone interested in hallucinogens (or planning official research on psychedelics) or curious about what "near-death experiences" actually are.

It opened my mind into many related questions of humanity. There are not certain answers but it gave me certain questions , new ideas and better understanding of how different are drugs and how we classified them as one when they are all different. A new pathway to look forward better psychological support. I won’t say how good or bad the book was, It is what this scientific has to offer and I’m glad he dedicated his life for future generations to keep understanding our own evolution , our own propose , our position in the universe.