Skip to main content

The Effects of DMT: Around The World In 15 Minutes

Suyash Tiwari

Drugs have always been an integral part of human culture and society. The human-drug interaction dates back to 13,000 years ago (Kelly). In various rituals across geographies, drugs are an important ingredient, often perceived as holy. Most of these drugs are hallucinogens or psychedelic. A psychedelic is a type of drug whose primary function is to activate hallucinogenic experiences via serotonin receptors, causing thought, visual and auditory s fluctuations, and an altered state of consciousness. Lysergic acid diethylamide, better known as acid or LSD, and psilocybin mushrooms are popular psychedelics amongst drug abusers. However, these are not the most powerful psychedelics. Dimethyltryptamine, commonly known as DMT, is arguably the strongest drug within the class of psychedelic. Through this blog, I’ll expound upon DMT’s history, routes of administration, side effects and user experiences.
 In 1931, Richard Helmuth Fredrick Manske was the first chemist to synthetize DMT. Microbiologist Oswaldo Gonçalves de Lima also discovered that DMT is a naturally occurring substance and can be found in plants. There is evidence that DMT is also produced endogenously. In other words, it is produced naturally in the body, specifically in the pineal gland in the brain. The Amazonians used chacruna plant, which contains a high content of DMT, in several rituals and practices. However; unlike LSD strips, DMT present in the chacruna plant cannot be administered orally. It must be metabolized by the stomach enzymes, particularly monoamine oxidase.
A DMT trip seems to vary in duration and intensity depending on the means of administration. A typical doze of DMT in the form of vapour is generally inhaled in a few successive breaths. The trip lasts for 5 to 15 minutes, where the peak is reached within a minute. Psychiatrist Rick Strassman conducted a study in 1990, where subjects injected DMT. The participants claimed to perceive and interact with ‘other beings’.
              The primary effect of DMT is psychological, along with powerful visual and auditory hallucinations, euphoria, and the onset of a disproportionate sense of space, body, and time. Additionally, abusing DMT causes an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, with dilated pupils. Taking the drug orally can lead to severe nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. A DMT trip can range from extremely exciting to severely frightening. Sometimes, it gets difficult to differentiate between the ‘trip’ and the real world. A significant structural similarity between DMT and serotonin is established, which can lead to serotonin syndrome. Particularly, individuals taking antidepressants are more susceptible to this condition. A high concentration of serotonin can result in a loss of muscle coordination, agitation and prolonged headaches. At higher doses, DMT can cause seizures, respiratory arrest, and coma (Davis). Pre-existing psychological conditions, including but not limited to schizophrenia, can worsen with additional DMT abuse.
              Just after abusing DMT, users recall an almost numb sensation on their lips. After closing their eyes, most users see running lights and grid like shapes shooting in front of them. Kaleidoscopic designs with prisms are reported. The speed of the visuals is everchanging, with continuous spinning and morphing. Several reports of users document them meeting aliens or ‘other beings’ which are sometimes aware of the users’ existence. Movement through realms and incoherence of time and space is often testified. A 15-minute trip can appear to be several lifetimes to the user. The trip can also be life changing, people have quit smoking and drinking after a DMT trip, and artists have stated that their imagination and work has improved after consuming DMT. Thought certain patterns can be similar amongst various experiences, but most trips tent to be distinct from one another. Therefore, each trip is unique from and similar to the previous trip in its own way.
             





References
FNP, K. D. (2017, March 24). DMT: Side effects, facts, and health risks. Retrieved April 2, 2019, from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/306889.php
Kelley, A.E. (2004). Memory and addiction: Shared neural circuitry and molecular mechanisms. Neuron 44, this issue, 161–179.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Burari Deaths: The Psychopathology of Lalit, a Biopsychosocial Perspective

Pankhudi Narayan Blogpost 1  TW: Death, mentions of suicide.         On July 1st of 2018, eleven members of a family were found dead in their shared home in the Burari area of Delhi. The deaths seemed to be fashioned in a ritualistic manner and evidence suggested that the family members were willing participants. This was the Bhatia family, a typical middle-class Indian joint family. Bhopal Singh who had passed away and his wife Narayani Devi formed the older generations of the family and were Lalith’s parents. The most compelling evidence in the uncovering of the events that led to the death of an entire family was provided by eleven diaries found by authorities. The diaries described the events that transpired before the deaths, discussing a ritual that needed to be conducted and the diary entries were corroborated by the post mortem findings as the accounts were found to be consistent with injuries (Yadav et al., 2021). It was uncovered that Lalit, a member of the family who was the
Post a Comment
Read more

Made in Heaven: An analysis of Faiza Naqvi

Vyoma Vijai Blog Post 3 ‘Made in Heaven’ is a popular Indian web series created by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kaagti and was launched in March 2018. The show gained a lot of attention in the first few days of it coming out. It is a bold show that focuses on marriage practices in the rich and elite class of Delhi. The show focuses on the social issues and practices that are often not spoken of or are kept closeted. These issues include homosexuality, dowry, molestation and other questionable Indian customs. The story follows the lives of multiple characters at the same time. The two most important characters are Tara and Karan who run a wedding planning agency.   Tara is married to a rich industrialist whose name is Adil and her best friend in the show is Faiza, played by Kalki Koechlin. This essay analyses Faiza’s character and her role in this web series. Faiza is a complex character to understand. Her actions make it hard for the viewers to decide whether they l
Post a Comment
Read more

Disorderly Delvian: A Deep Dive into "Anna Delvey" through the Lens of NPD

       A markedly thick accent, a mop of blonde hair, a magical array of unimaginably expensive clothing, and an air of calculated mystery mesh uncomfortably together to invent Anna Delvey, the centre of Netflix’s appropriately named documentary/drama series, “Inventing Anna”. This series tells or rather retells the fascinating story of how one woman deceived the creme de la creme of New York society as well as some prestigious financial institutions under the guise that she was a wealthy heiress from Germany. The series follows a journalist, Vivian Kent, as she tries to uncover the carefully constructed web of lies Anna spun around high society after her arrest, heavily interspersed by flashbacks, present-day court hearings, and interviews with the enigma herself (Shondaland, 2022). Anna as a character, infused with a troubling reality and a dramatised narrative, presents an interesting scope to study the symptomatology of Narcissistic Personality Disorder as presented in her behaviou
Post a Comment
Read more