Journal of the Society for Psychical Research

[Vol. 75.1, No. 902

DISCARNATE ENTITIES AND DIMETHYLTRYPTAMINE (DMT): PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY, PHENOMENOLOGY AND ONTOLOGY
by DAVID LUKE

ABSTRACT
The highly psychoactive molecule A^.iV-dimethyltryptamine (or simply DMT), is found naturally occurring in the brains of humans, mammals, and some other animals, as well as in a broad range of species of the plant kingdom. Although speculative, neurochemical research suggests that DMT may be made in the pineal gland, and it is hypothesised that, as much as melatonin helps activate sleep cycles, DMT activates- dreaming, and may also be implicated in other natural visionary states such as mystical experience, near-death experience (NDE), spontaneous psi and psychosis. Amazonian shamans may have made use of this chemical for its visionary properties for thousands of years, and take it as part of a decoction frequently called ayahuasca, which translates from Quechua as "vine of the spirits" or "vine of the dead". The psychedelic brew is taken because it gives rise to extraordinary mental phenomena that have shamanic and supposed healing qualities, such as synaesthesia, ostensible extra-dimensional percepts, out-of-body experiences, psi experiences and, perhaps most commonly, encounters with discarnate entities. When described by independent and seemingly naïve DMT participants the entities encountered tend to vary in detail hut often helong to one of a very few similar types, with similar behavioural characteristics. For instance, mischievous shapeshifting elves, praying mantis alien brain surgeons and jewel-encrusted reptilian beings, who all seem to appear with baffling predictability. This opens up a wealth of questions as to the ontology of these entities. The discussion of the phenomenology and ontology of these entities mixes research from parapsychology, ethnobotany amd psychopharmacology — the fruits of science — with the foamy custard of folklore, anthropology, mythology, cultural studies and related disciplines. Hopefully, however, given the varied readership of this journal, it won't prove to be a trifie too interdisciplinary. INTRODUCTION

Rarely does any one molecule excite as much sense of intellectual possibility as that of N.A^-dimethyl tryptamine (styled N,N-'DMT, or simply DMT): a psychedelic Índole alkaloid of the tryptamine family, much like its more notorious cousin LSD, but one which is found to occur naturally in trace quantities in the human body, as well as in many plants and animals, and— unlike LSD—also has a long history of shamanic use among many indigenous cultures, particularly in South America. When administered by Amazonian shamans it is usually ingested orally from stewed plant-matter and gives rise to an intoxication that lasts for 4-6 hours (Shanon, 2002). When smoked, DMT is generally more intense and extremely fast-acting—taking only a matter of seconds—and makes extremely profound temporary changes to consciousness, lasting about 12-15 minutes (Strassman, 2001), Zen philosopher Alan Watts smoked DMT to demonstrate his ability as a monk to maintain rational control and verbal fluency in the most exotic states of consciousness, but failed and
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. HISTORY OF DMT BIOCHEMISTRY First synthesised in the laboratory in 1931 by the Canadian chemist Jeremy Manske. The extraordinary phenomena reported by users include extra-dimensional geometric visions. 2001). synaesthesia.. is known to be highly concentrated in 27 . someone recently suggested to me that smoking DMT was "like God punching a hole in the back of your head". this biosynthesis occurs. 1957. brilliantly coloured oriental motifs" that completely filled his consciousness (Szára. psi (particularly telepathy and clairvoyance). and in 1972 the Nobel-prize-winner Julius Axelrod reported finding DMT in human brain tissue (Strassman. sunlit Gods". made within the body). psychedelic commentators to assume it to be true. there exists no published review of DMT in relation to encounters with ostensibly discarnate entities. Strassman. but it remains unknown where. who synthesised DMT in his lab and injected it into himself in 1956. Similarly. 2001). Roney-Dougal. so the current paper is overdue in presenting an — albeit brief—overview of the psychopharmacology.January 2011] Discarnate Entities and Dimethyltryptamine commented afterwards that it was like attempting to give "a moment-tomoment description of one's reactions while being fired out the muzzle of an atomic cannon with neon-byzantine barrelling" (Leary. 1966. AND THE PINEAL GLAND ITS RELATED COMPOUNDS The production of DMT in the body is speculated to occur through the conversion of the simpler molecule tryptophan into tryptamine and then into DMT (Mandel. Such biosynthesis has been observed in plants and is speculated to occur in humans (Mandel et al. afterwards describing his "hallucinations". Its identity as an endogenous 'psychedelic' was discovered by the Hungarian chemist and psychiatrist Stephen Szára.g. p. . 2001). "in front of me are two quiet. 2001). "the whole room is filled with spirits . which "consisted of moving. and encounters with discarnate entities. DMT was isolated from a plant source {Mimosa hostilis) in 1946 by the Brazilian chemist and ethnobotanist Gonçlaves de Lima (Shulgin & Shulgin. less informed. Lopez-Ramos & Walker. In 1965 a German team published an article in Nature announcing the discovery of DMT in human blood. 1991) and NDEs (Strassman. Prasad. out-of-body experiences. one of whom reported that. Szára went on to give DMT to his medical colleagues. phenomenology and ontology of such DMT encounters. The common neurotransmitter serotonin (5 hydroxy tryptamine. cited in Strassman. I feel exactly as if I were flying".e. 1997). clearly establishing DMT as an endogenous chemical (i. crucial in higher cognitive processes. for certain. Currently. The parapsychological and transpersonal experiences reported by users are increasingly becoming the focus of research and DMT neurochemistry has been called on in the explanation of phenomena such as psi (e. THE SPECULATED PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY OF DMT. 1977) given that all the necessary chemical building blocks and enzymes are available. or 5HT). 1977). however. One hypothesis holds that DMT manufacture occurs at the pineal gland (e. the tryptophan being available from the diet as an essential amino acid.g. although Hanna (2010) reminds us that the pineal-DMT hypothesis remains unproven despite the tendency of many. while another noted that. 84).

Some of these visionary substances are even of animal origin. Any tryptamine at the pineal. one of which contains harmala alkaloids (such as the ayahuasea vine. which are rich in bufotenin that can be dried and smoked (Rudgley. Shanon. the pineal gland is especially rich in them and also has high concentrations of serotonin.iV-dimethyl tryptamine (5-MeO-DMT). similar in chemical strueture and effect to DMT and are also found in certain ingredients of the visionary shamanie deeoetion used in the Americas. is usually a combination of at least two plants. No. where.N-dimethyltyptamine. liver. such as S-adrenosyl-methionine. or SAM). especially when it is considered that the chemical conversion of tryptamine to DMT can be demonstrated in vitro. the former of whieh regulates sleep cycles. according to Strassman (2001). it ean be easily converted into tryptamine. a harmala alkaloid. ayahuasca. 1977). however.hydroxy-N.g. The only attempt thus far to support the hypothesis directly has been Strassman's attempt to isolate DMT from 10 human pineal glands extracted from eadavers. Sueh an abundance of DMT in nature has led Shulgin and Shulgin (1997) to conclude that it is almost easier to list the species in which DMT does not occur than the ones in which it does. whieh means "the vine of the spirits" in Queehua. 5-HO-DMT) (Shulgin & Shulgin. which breaks down tryptamines such as serotonin. THE AYAHUASCA CAULDRON AS NOCTURNAL PINEAL MIMICRY Supporting the hypothesis that the supposed psyehedelie chemistry of the pineal gland is central to the expression of psi. ready to convert to tryptamine. or 6-MeO-TH/îC) (Callaway. although the lungs. neither the bodies nor the glands were freshly frozen and any chemicals present may have degraded before analysis (Strassman. The ancient use of the 28 .g. Roney-Dougal (e. No DMT was detected in the glands. with the aid of pineal enzymes (methyl transferases. Psychotria viridis) (e. According to Strassman (2001). and in other shamanie substances. 2000). can be eonverted to DMT. pinoline (6-methoxy tetrahydro-/5-earboline. So while the pineal-DMT hypothesis is currently unproven (Hanna. 2001). the serotonin available at the pineal gland can also be eonverted into 5-MeO-DMT and bufotenin (5. thought to occur primarily through the reduetion of body temperature (Dawson & Encel. The human pineal gland also creates other y3-earbolines. blood and eye all contain the enzymes necessary to convert tryptamine to DMT. 2010) it is certainly feasible. or 5MT) and the /?-earboline. such as the venomous secretions of the Sonoran desert toad (Bufo alvarius). 902 the pineal gland. 1988). 2007). 2002).l. such as 6-methoxyharmalan. sueh as pinoline or any of the harmala alkaloids.Journal of the Society for Psychical Research [Vol. ayahuasea. according to Callaway (1988). 75. by the same methylisation process. where it follows a circadian rhythm and is converted at night into melatonin (5-methoxy tryptamine. and its close psychedelic cousin 5-methoxy A^. Banisteriopsis caapi) — and the other of whieh contains DMT (such as the chacruna bush. Another function of these MAO inhibitors (MAOIs). 1991) also points to the use of ayahuasca as a sacramental shamanie brew reported to induce a range of psychic experiences. is to make serotonin available at the pineal (Ho. These latter two substances are also endogenous visionary molecules. and. Used widely by the indigenous groups of the Amazon basin and across much of South America. DMT. These yff-earbolines inhibit the enzyme monoamine oxydase (MAO). 1997).

However. as confirmed by archaeological hair samples (Ogalde. 2008). though this may not always be the case. transporters and ion 29 . clairvoyant states induced with the harmala-alkaloid-containing Perganum harmala shrub in Morocco have been reported (Rudgley. 2008c). 2004). However. by acting primarily as a 5HT2A (serotonin subtype) agonist. It is this action of the ßearbolines (particularly harmine) in ayahuasca that is currently considered to be their primary purpose as plant admixtures in the brew (e. Arriaza. harmine) that helps to both potentiate the effects of. e. Based on their known psychoactivity. Roney-Dougal (e. 2000). McKenna. The former group of endogenous visionary tryptamines. 1993). 2006). 2001) originally implicated /ff-carbolines. psyehedelics and the pineal gland in terms of neurochemistry (Luke & Friedman. and create the other type (tryptamines. travelling clairvoyance (e.g. DMT). although a contemporary review in relation to electromagnetic field fluctuations is presently overdue (but see Roney-Dougal.g. Roney-Dougal. The brew has a unique and eomplex chemistry that is speculated to mimic that of the nocturnal pineal gland and its psychedelic deployment of DMT. 2001). e. a recent review of 35 psychedelic compounds and their affinities for 51 different receptors. is only very partially understood. 1988) or artificially by causing waking dream states. 1988).g. 2005). as in ayahuasea. 1991) mystical experiences and NDEs (Strassman. although commonly present in ayahuasca (especially DMT). NEUROCHEMICAL ACTION OF DMT In terms of the neurochemical action on the brain. In essence. as inducing psiconducive states.1991. but the plant-based harmala alkaloids (ßcarbolines) also added to the brew inhibit MAO and allow the complementarily ingested visionary tryptamines to be absorbed intact. Roney-Dougal (2001) also later acknowledged that the yff-carbolines may primarily exert their visionary effects by potentiating the effects of ingested visionary tryptamines like DMT or 5MeO-DMT when consumed in combination with them. LSD and psilocybin (for a review see Nichols.g. 5MeO-DMT and 5H0DMT in synergy with the yö-earbolines. 2010) and parapsyehological research (Luke. in preparation). Nevertheless the harmala alkaloids are also known to induce visions themselves. 1990. ayahuasca contains two types of visionary chemicals. Indeed. probably due to their hyperserotonergic aetion and the subsequent production of the endogenous vision-inducing molecules 5-MeO-DMT and 5HO-DMT (Callaway. are not orally active if ingested as they are denatured by the MAO enzymes present in the stomach.January 2011] Discarnate Entities and Dimethyltryptamine ayahuasca vine goes back to at least AD 500-1000 Andean Chile. one type (ßearbolines. Until recently DMT was considered to be similar in action to the classic serotonergic psychedelics. either naturally during dreams (Callaway. like other psychedelic tryptamines. potentially mimicking the nocturnal chemistry of the pineal and its supposed control over natural visionary states sueh as dreams (Callaway. Roney-Dougal & Vögl. DMT. There exist further expositions of the relationship between parapsychological phenomena. and this may account for why harmala alkaloids are less effective and slower than DMT or DMT/harmala alkaloid combinations at inducing visions (Luke.g. 1989. such as the endogenous pinoline and the exogenous harmala alkaloids. as subjectively potent ayahuasca decoctions occasionally do not contain DMT when analysed (Callaway. 2004). & Soto.

having the greatest affinity with 5HT7. Melatonin concentrations in the blood. DMT had become a scheduled drug in the severest category. few scientific inroads have been made into the DMT experience. growth hormone and corticotrophin.Journal of the Society for Psychical Research [Vol. Medical doctor Rick Strassman has been one of the few researchers to work directly with DMT in humans since then. The physiological changes accompanying the use of ayahuasca are similar but less immediate and more prolonged..g. peaked at about 2 minutes. and administered over 400 intravenous doses to more than 60 volunteers throughout the 1990s as part of a clinical investigation into its effects. possibly leading to some psychological effects. Ray demonstrates DMT to be especially promiscuous.1. 5HTID and 5HTIE out of any of the 35 chemicals tested. but both fell as quickly as they rose once the peak of the trip had been reached at about 2 minutes. and also include vomiting due to the purgative effects of the harmala alkaloids (e. and was still climbing at 60 minutes (Strassman. 2010). some alpha adrenergic receptor subtypes. DMT is also unique in having the greatest affinity for any single dopamine (Di) receptor of any psychedelic compound tested in this review (Ray. are subjectively experienced far less than the intense immersive shift in consciousness of the DMT itself. Trying to unpack the neurocognitive implications of this pharmacologically limited database and yet extremely complex assortment of neurochemical activities is no simple job and is still very much a nascent endeavour. interestingly enough. and so scientific research ceased. Following injection. 2004). 2010) rather than the serotonergic receptors. It could be said that DMT is far from selective in its action and is a potent and broad-acting neuromodulator. Sharp but not prolonged increases in blood levels were also observed for beta-endorphin. see McKenna. Wallach (2009).g. and by 12-15 minutes had subsided to the point were the participant was able to speak again. 5HTiA. Furthermore. By the early 1970s. and also having affinity with a range of serotonin subtypes. Physiological changes generally involved a rapid increase in pulse (up to 150bpm) and blood pressure. No. fell. 2010). vasopressin. Pupils dilated and body temperature rose after a delay of 15 minutes. prolactin. but see Nichols (2004) and Wallach (2009) for a limited overview. 2001). despite demonstrating little potential for abuse. suggests that understanding the biological function of DMT is as elusive now as it has ever been. 902 channels shows many psychedelic substances to be particularly 'promiscuous' and share affinities for many receptor types and sub-types (Ray.g. the effects began in seconds. The 30 . 2009). 2004). Wallach (2009) speculates that DMT's extraordinary visionary phenomena are actually mediated by its recently discovered action upon the 'mysterious' trace amine (e. The individual neuroanatomy and neurobiology of these implicated receptor systems is altogether another discussion. for one. p-tyramine and tryptamine) receptors (not reviewed by Ray. and the sigma-1 receptor—implicated in clinical depression and schizophrenia — for which DMT is the only known endogenous ligand (Fontanilla et al. PHENOMENOLOGY OF THE DMT EXPERIENCE Since the informal DMT administration studies conducted by Szára from the 1950s. however. 75. Nichols. as previously thought (e. These physiological changes.

1988). In a survey of psychedelic transpersonal experiences (Luke & Kittenis. 147). Initially. 1987). or rather mental. humans. Such an intense and swift onset was often accompanied with some fear and anxiety. with experients feeling they no longer had a body. are experienced as a consequence of factors such as ingestion of certain psychoactive drugs.g. except that with eyes open the vision overlaid the contents of the room so volunteers generally closed their eyes for less disorientation. felt as a sense of urgency and departure. The dimensions of the geometric patterns often surpass normal percepts too. 2009). though not objectively observed. MENTAL IMAGERY Visual. 1988) because they are considered to be universally experienced in altered states and supposedly conform to a few specific types of patterning (see Luke. Irwin. 2001. 146). 31 . and deeper than those of normal awareness or dreams" (Stassman. auditory driving and hyperventilation (for a review see Lewis-Williams & Dowson. and deep hypnosis (Cárdena. p. which generally passed after a few seconds of deep breathing. and were "brighter. often. At higher doses nearly all of Strassman's DMT participants beheld mental imagery. as well as hypnogogia (Mavromatis. and saw much the same with their eyes open or shut. Intense physical vibrations were commonly experienced. 2008. usually as a sense of "powerful energy pulsing through them at a very rapid and high frequency" (Strassman. which maybe called form constants. The other common experience in Strassman's research was to encounter entities. and were consistently categorised as "four-dimensional" or "beyond dimensionality" at high doses (Stassman. p. tunnels. excitement. 2001. 148). Klüver. Other feelings experienced include elation. and also closely resembled those of ayahuasca users (e. Metzner. revelation and a sense of timelessness (Strassman. Lewis-Williams & Dowson. Given that such sounds and vibrations are common to out-of-body experiences (e. 2001). which have been referred to as entoptics (perhaps erroneously) or form constants (e. 2001. imagery was the predominant experiential effect for DMT participants. two of the three most common reports for DMT were being out of one's body but in another dimension and dissolving into pure energy. geometric forms. personal communication. 1926. Indeed. 2001). Luna. and supernatural beings (Barbosa. sensory deprivation. 1985) it is perhaps not unsui:'prising that dissociation from the body was frequently reported. that it had dissolved and they had become pure awareness (Strassman. 63 percent of first-time ayahuasca users reported seeing extraordinary visual phenomena. imagery usually took the form of kaleidoscopic geometric patterns. p. see Beyer. more intense. colourful geometric patterns.g. 2005). animals. including kaleidoscopic lights.g. though on occasion the negative emotion became almost unbearably bad. 2010b for a discussion of entoptics and geometric DMT imagery). 2009. 2006. often accompanied by high-pitched whining and whirring or chattering sounds as the effects begin (Strassman. in one study. and.January 2011] Discarnate Entities and Dimethyltryptamine experience begins with an immediate 'rush'. Shanon. Giglio & Dalgalarrondo. Under the influence of DMT the colours of this geometry tend to exceed what are usually perceived with the eyes. Certainly. 2005). euphoria. 2002).

A possibly apocryphal and certainly controversial story told shortly after Francis Crick's death suggests that the geneticist was under the influence of LSD when he envisioned the double helix structure of DNA in 1953. Whether such feats are due to the imagination or clairvoyance remains unclear. 2000. in auspicious circumstances. both substances seem capable of inducing microscopic molecular visions. You have a sense of being swarmed by the whimsical mastermind art forms of an extremely eccentric Boolean contortionist. 13th dimensional millipedes saying themselves to themselves as they make love. for which he was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize (Rees. 2000] Iconic images seen may take the form of tunnels. 2001). 2004). constantly concrescing [sic] into new and varigated [sic] permutations. 302). and. computers. DNA double helices (Strassman. [Sfos. 902 6th October 2008). exfoliating out of themselves what might be called hyperspherologies of the divine. p. the inner workings of fantastic machines. after ingesting ayahuasca. The anthropologist Narby (1998) also found DNA was a frequent feature in the ayahuasca visions of Amazonian shamans. Kary Mullis. ducts (Strassman. 75. who received the Nobel Prize for inventing the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)—making possible the human genome project and forensic DNA testing—had earlier said that taking LSD had been invaluable in helping him visualise sitting on a DNA molecule and watching the polymerase go by (Mullis. Prior to the Crick news report. but as a psychedelic tryptamine it has some similar neurochemical properties and. 2010b): the optic system seemingly belonging to only three dimensions. internal organs and bodies. All three scientists received valuable information from their visions that helped inform their research. Similarly. . often becoming incorporated into the aforementioned geometry in a somewhat ineffable manner. No. who. and impossible Gordian knots dancing the jitterbug at a lyrical lightspeed: a gelatinous ballet of endlessly self-juxtaposing pirouettes. as best described by this DMT experient:At this point the glorious geometries transcended what is even vaguely feasible in this three-dimensional mundane [reality]. but often 'represented' by two intertwined snakes. and to look anywhere was to be shot clean through with scintillating amazement. stairways. symbols and scripts. The DMT imagery also appears as iconic forms.1. 2001). "the American biologist. albeit inconclusive. was discovered by Zerda Báyon (1912) it was named telepathine. For instance. incredible landscapes and cities of alien worlds (Shanon. 1998). Zerda Báyon illustrated the psi-inducing power of telepathine with the case of Colonel Morales. 32 . Clearly LSD is not the same as DMT. said she saw a chromosome from the perspective of a protein flying above a long strand of DNA" (Narby. who normally worked on deciphering the human genome. leading this author to question the supposed physiological origin of such visions (Luke. 2002). the biochemist.Journal of the Society for Psychical Research [Vol. particularly of DNA. DMT A D VERIDICAL VISIONS N When the harmala alkaloid now called harmine. 2008). Narby (2000) took three molecular biologists to Peru for their seminal trips up the Amazon and on ayahuasca. and which ultimately changed their worldview. . the first psychoactive compound isolated from ayahuasca. but support for the latter is abundant. with similar reports occurring for ayahuasca (Luna. a diabolical merry go round of linguistic Rubik's cubes. commonly.

Indeed. Kaleidoscopic images 33 . About one month later he received the same news by messenger. 2002). Survey respondents also reported DMT and ayahuasea as inducers of spontaneous psi-type experiences. though this may well be due to the arduous and boring testing deployed. Bursts. the only two published experiments to attempt to test for psi under the infiuence of DMT. although these were more conspicuous with certain other psyehedelics (Luke & Kittenis. 2008c). Nevertheless. 1994). Meyer (1994). multiplying non-figurative elements 3.January 2011] Discarnate Entities and Dimethyltryptamine beheld a vision of his dead father and his sick sister. PHENOMENOLGICAL CARTOGRAPHY OF THE DMT WORLD Considering the phenomenology of the DMT experience several researchers have attempted to map the psychic topography of the DMT space. Repetitive. Many more published accounts of sueh apparent ESP occur in Luna and White's (2000) anthology of classic ayahuasca experiences. It seems unlikely that the news eould have arrived first by non-paranormal means. characterized the deepening levels of the experience (somewhat like LewisWilliams and Dowson's (1988) stages of altered states of consciousness) as:Level I: Threshold experience. as well as elsewhere (for summaries see Luke & Friedman. both failed to elicit it. 1996. 2010a). puffs and splashes of colour 2. Tinoco. beholding visions of distant dead or dying relatives—who were not known at the time to be ill or dead—is an ayahuasca story that has emerged repeatedly in the writings of South American explorers during the last 150 years (for a brief review see Luke. probably the first researcher to write specifically about DMT entities. in this ease ayahuasea (Don. Rapid figurai transformations 6. possible contact with entities. brilliantly coloured. passage through an entrance into another world. an interiorflowingof energy/consciousness. Geometric designs and patterns 4.or higher-dimensional space. Shanon. McDonough. Designs with figures 5. geometries are basically two-dimensional but may pulse. 2010. framed around the predominant visual or visionary phenomena:1. In one study the participant complained that experiencing the visions was far more interesting than testing for psi. as the group was deep in the jungle 15 days' travel from the nearest communications outpost. a sense of being in an 'objective' space and of meeting intelligent and communicating entities. geometric visual patterns. system for the stages of the ayahuasca experience. 2005). The cognitive psychologist Shanon (2002. Warren & Moura. Transitional phase: Tunnel or breakthrough experience. albeit more refined. and both studies lacked control eonditions to eompare against (for a review see Luke. Level IV: The white light. 293) has a similar. Level II: Vivid. Level III: Three. p.

though it should be noted that not all experiences 'go all the way'. the latter four of which were commonly supremely powerful. Alternatively. pass through fully immersive other worlds and terminate in experiences of euphoric light. and stick figures" (Strassman. of pleasantness. whieh are often described as being more real than anything previously experienced (Cott & Rock. 185). May be a mystical or near-death-type experience. the first two of whieh map closely to those of Shanon and Meyer: first is the geometric pattern phase. Over half of the volunteers taking a high dose of DMT had at least one 'invisible world' experienee (Strassman. wise. Invisible worlds: Encounter with autonomous. 'aliens'. Full-fledged scenes 10. 'guides' or 'helpers'. animals and other 34 . mantises. spirits. Commonly they were described as 'entities'. Supreme light Like Meyer's four DMT stages. often difficult to accept. as well as dwarfs. Well-defined. 2008). Celestial and heavenly scenes 13. In traditional ayahuasca mythology the serpent is considered to be the spirit of ayahuasea and the feline is considered to be the power animal of the shaman. and on occasion the ayahuasca drinkers feel themselves transformed into this creature. Encounters with serpents and large felines. common and unique features of the DMT or ayahuasca experience is the encounter with seemingly sentient discarnate beings. Interactive scenes 11. Besides visionary encounters with people. p. 'beings'. Transpersonal: An experience novel in intensity and quality but formed from the subject's previous experience. eacti. 2001. Ayahuasca cartographer Beyer (2009).Journal of the Society for Psychical Research [Vol. demonstrating that pure DMT can reliably induce an entity encounter experience in a good proportion of volunteers. gods. Scenes of flight 12. second is the 'contact with the spirit world' phase—incorporating entity encounters and corresponding to Meyer's Level III and Shanon's 9th13th stages. imps. Shanon's fourteen ayahuasea stages begin with colourful geometry. Virtual reality 14. elves. single figurative images 8. reptiles. and would appear as something like "clowns. freestanding realities sometimes appearing to be inhabited by alien beings capable of interaction. 2008). and loving. are much more typical on ayahuasca (Shanon. angels. stable. bees. Strassman (2008) takes a categorical rather than a stage approaeh to elassifying the different DMT experiences. Proto-scenes 9. prefers to characterise the experience into just three chronological stages. 2002). and the third and final stage is a recovery phase. DISCARNATE ENTITIES Perhaps one of the most striking.1. 75. 902 7. lassitude. spiders. fading visions and decreased intensity. No. particularly black pumas. into three types:— Personal: Encounters with one's own personal issues. or just as a presence.

g. Mythological beings: Such as gnomes. or typically Hindu. Kottmeyer. However.g. monsters and beings of death: Such as the angel of death. mermaids). Angels and celestial beings: Usually winged humanlike beings that may be transparent or composed of light. 6. and monsters of all kinds. 3. Another category. fairies. and heightened psychic sensitivity. Further. alien abduction experiences. to tiger. Hancock (2005) argues that there are substantial similarities 35 . that of insectoid-aliens. A similar classification might also be applied to DMT entities. traditional psychedelic-induced shamanic initiations. 1999). Buddha. Of note. as have previous researchers (e. Indeed one close friend naively reported a mantis encounter on their first DMT trip and another naively experienced full-blown 'psychic brain surgery' from a mantis on their second ayahuasca session. such as the absence with DMT of the classic 'grays' (alleged small grey aliens). 2. Extraterrestrials: These are particularly common for some experients and may be accompanied by spacecraft.January 2011] Discarnate Entities and Dimethyltryptamine ordinary things (not typical of DMT). 2008b). Severi (2003) also noted the similarity between NDEs. 4. because these are regularly encountered on ayahuasca according to interviews with shamans and surveys of users (see Luke. HarveyWilson. DMT and alien abduction experiences lack specific commonalities. Demons. in press). of plant teachers or plant spirits. 2008). should be added to Shanon's list. Chimeras or hybrids: Typically half human half animal (e. 1999. Nevertheless. Following the use of ayahuasca. elves. Mack. Ring. 2008). Egyptian or pre-Columbian deities. 1989).g. 2001. to wolf. Psychedelic explorer McKenna (1991) posited that 4H0-DMT (psilocin) visions and other spontansous experiences of aliens and UFOs originated from the same source. the kinds of supernatural beings encountered on ayahuasca are classified by Shanon (2002) thus:1. Strassman (2001) developed this further and suggested that spontaneous endogenous DMT fluctuations could be at the root of alien abduction experiences as they share the same newly found fearlessness of death and visions of energy tunnels. Reports abound of mantis-like creatures performing ethereal brain surgery to DMT (and indeed 4H0-DMT) experients. typically identified as being deceased persons (Cott & Rock. 5. especially in the form of a praying mantis (Luke. Semi-divine beings: May appear like Jesus. a sub-category to Shanon's list might be added to the extraterrestrial category. much like the positive performative role played by the apparently sentient beings encountered in near-death experiences. Baruss (2003) notes that. In a qualitative analysis of interviews with 19 DMT users (Cott & Rock. or transforming or shapeshifting beings. despite the similarities. the entities tended to impart insightful information about themselves and the universe that they inhabited. for example from human to puma. or cylinders of light. a common theme emerged of entering other realities and having what the user experienced as real encounters with sentient beings. in a manner reminiscent of alien abduction cases (e.

and the similarity of such encounters with those of others. and have been popularly dubbed the "self-transforming machine elves" (McKenna. be they our reptilian brain or our cells. 1991. suggests "we are alienated. 1999) or DMT entities (Strassman. When we can love the alien. perhaps due to their prevalence. It should be noted that few experients ever doubt the reality of their encounters with either aliens (Mack. so alienated that the self must disguise itself as an extraterrestrial in order not to alarm us with the truly bizarre dimensions that it encompasses. have led many to ponder seriously the ontology of these beings. pixies. ONTOLOGY OF DMT BEINGS Encounters with elves. p.1. For Kent (2010). the independent existence of these beings seems self-evident. The identity of the entities remains speculative. The communicating entities appear alien but are actually unfamiliar aspects of ourselves (Turner. 2005. gnomes.Psychological/ Transpersonal. then we will have begun to heal the psychic discontinuity that [plagues] us.Hallucination. 2001). I found myself. Meyer's and others' interpretations fall into three basic camps:I . whether induced through DMT or else appearing in historic-folkloric legends and testimonies. with my eyes open. spirits of the dead or time travellers from the future 36 . speculating that the latter also have a DMT-induced aetiology and. the question of the entities' reality is redundant given that they generate real information. The seeming reality of the experience at the time. 43). according to Kent the entities cannot be trusted always to tell the truth and must be regarded as tricksters. goblins and other 'little people' (though clearly not human people). unaware of virtually all lore associated with it. II . James Kent (see Pickover.Other worlds. 16). adopting the theory proposed by Vallée (1969). 104105). are extremely prevalent. and sometimes this seems to go beyond the experient's available sphere of knowledge. under the influence." III . Leading the debate. 1996). DMT provides access to a true alternate dimension inhabited by independently existing intelligent entities. 902 between aliens and 'elves'. One particularly vocal DMT explorer who adopted this neuro-reductionist approach. 1995). imps. McKenna (1991. 75. p. interacting with me. dwarfs. eyes closed. Similar 'elven' characters once reappeared on an ayahuasca trip but disturbed me even more because this time they appeared in front of me. being stuffed full of light by what I can only describe as little elves. Meyer (1996) indicates that. No. but suggests that there are numerous interpretations of the entity phenomena. pp. molecules or sub-atomic particles (Meyer. These little people. have long been at the spearhead of the debate on the reality of DMT beings. 2010) by considering the entities simply as information generators. Such a position is favoured by those taking a purely (materialist reductionist) neuropsychological approach to the phenomena. but they may be extraterrestrial or even extradimensional alien species. Indeed on my first experience with DMT. Alternatively. Nevertheless. I thereafter discovered a similar account reported by Meyer (1996) and so was struck by the coincidence.Journal of the Society for Psychical Research [Vol. The entities are subjective hallucinations. that these elves are the prototype encounter/abduction experiences. appears to have taken a more ambiguous stance recently (Kent.

The most crippling problem for Rodriguez's test. One alternative approach to investigating the ontology of shamanic entity encounters considers similarities in independent reports concerning the 37 . Hence the ordinary apparition is non-real as a form. pixies. and if they exist it would be impossible in a third-dimensional plane to see them as they really are. Regrettably. and psychical research in particular.g. be that maths puzzles.e. no amount of speculation will reveal the true nature of such DMT 'visions' nor their entities and the ontological debate remains wide open without a scientific approach. The hyperspace explanation is one of the conclusions drawn by Evans-Wentz (1911/2004. this ingenious method for testing the reality of DMT entity encounters is subject to a number of flaws. A case in point comes from a proposal by computer scientist Rodriguez (2007) to experimentally prove or disprove the entities' existence. Surely in such cases Occam's razor should prevail in support of the survival hypothesis. popularly termed hyperspace (e. p. uncertainty prevails. At this juncture. and so Neppe (2007) dismissed the superpsi hypothesis. whereas the beings. 482) following his massive folkloric study of 'the little people' (i. 2006). may be as real to themselves and to the seers as human beings are to us here in the third-dimensional world when we exercise normal vision. parapsychology. 1996). aside from the huge assumptions involved in expecting our supposed hyperintelligent beings having the desire to co-operate and 'prove themselves'. Good evidence was presented that none other than a grandmaster of Maróczy's standing could have maintained that standard of playing over 47 moves. etc):It is mathematically possible to conceive fourth-dimensional beings. which wholly sane and reliable seers claim to see when exercising seership of the highest kind [perhaps under the influence of endogenous DMT]. chess matches or otherwise. 1996). for a comprehensive discussion). A parallel debate aptly demonstrates how the super psi problem applies to Rodriguez's (2007) proposal. because psi has no apparent or even theoretical limits. it remains a possibility that any information provided by ostensibly discarnate entities may actually be due to the 'super' psi of the receiver (e. and a similar curse awaits any such attempts to test the reality of DMT entities through ordinary informational means. however. 2008). 1995). elves. which has long proved difficult to surmount in parapsychological attempts to validate the existence of discarnate entities considered to be spirits of the dead. 2002. Grossly simplified. but failed to consider the possibility that Korchnoi himself was the (living) source of such psi information (Breederveld. the medium or DMT explorer) receiving the information directly from an earthly incarnate source (see Braude. The living chess grandmaster Victor Korchnoi ostensibly played a high level game of chess with the deceased Hungarian grandmaster Géza Maróczy via an automatic-writing medium who was a chess novice (Eisenbeiss & Hassler. but alas. for example those apparently communicating via trance mediums. A variation on this is that the alternate dimension. is actually just a four-dimensional version of our physical reality (Meyer.January 2011] Discarnate Entities and Dimethyltryptamine (Meyer. Rodriguez (2007) suggests obtaining from the entities solutions to complex mathematics puzzles that are unknown to the DMT participant communicating with them. can lend over a century's worth of similar such enquiry to the issue. The problem is that. Turner.g. Clearly. is the super psi hypothesis.

poltergeists. of course. 2008b). so as at least to show that extraordinary experiences under the influence of DMT may be genuine. A recent conversation with a 5year-old boy who described this exact entity and its aetivity in exquisite detail had me wondering whether the boy was a) generating an extremely elaborate spontaneous hoax. possibly indicating the trans-cultural nature of this entity (Luke. such as the bizarre preponderance of praying mantises (Luke. it seems to make the puzzle that much more perplexing. 2008a).1. may not quite be certain where it fits in and. also exist in various cultural cosmologies. 2008a). nevertheless upon inspection of the literature it appears that such an approach has rarely been applied to the study of apparently collective visions and may point the baffled DMT ontologist in an enlightening direction. For instanee. Sueh a methodology has its limitations. aliens. sometimes identified as 'the angel of death'. IMPLICATIONS The real benefit of this research. 2010b). No. 75. Sueh data pose challenging questions as to whether the entity is culturally mediated— which seems unlikely given the obscurity of the cultural references — or a culture-free universal feature of DMT activation (naturally or artificially) in the brain. or the kinds of spirits supposedly channelled by mediums. or c) had genuinely eneountered this entity on a regular basis during dreams and hypnagogia. elves. such as reports of shamans singing while weavers 'see' the sounds and independently weave identical yarn patterns (see Luke. 38 . Ultimately we remain burdened with an intellectual regress whilst left clutching a neuroehemical piece of the jigsaw. one such being that commonly appears to naïve DMT users is an entity consisting of multiple entwined serpents covered in multitudinous eyes.Journal of the Society for Psychical Research [Vol. to supply enough rope for any attempt to fathom the identity of such entities it would seem beneficial to first demonstrate the authenticity of some less nebulous paranormal phenomena. Obscure references to a similar mythological entity. be they apparitions. tell us whether sueh experiences are real or not. Nevertheless. in any case. A similar phenomenologieal triangulation approaeh could fruitfully be made with other types of entities commonly eneountered with DMT and ayahuasea. 2008) or genuine extra-dimensional percepts (Luke. with possible ineorporeal origins. especially those eneountered naively and without any cultural context from which the characteristics of the entity could be derived (Luke. It might be possible by such means to determine how statistically improbable is the oeeurrenee of these shared visions. ghosts. by itself. The danger with such information is that even if DMT is implicated in other spontaneous encounter experiences it cannot. of course. Appropriate directions for such endeavours may inelude demonstrating the utility of DMT (or ayahuasca) for inducing either psi under controlled conditions (Luke. b) deeply psychic. 902 characteristics of particular entities. though we. in press). often forming a fibonacci-spiral-like geometrical shape. An alternative would be the demonstration of the lawful and orderly induction of synaesthetic communications. These are possible avenues of research but any small miracle these days is a step in the right direetion. is that a deeper understanding of DMT and its associated discarnate entities may east some light on the study of all encounter phenomena.

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