Exploring Spirituality through DMT

Dimethyltryptamine, usually shortened to DMT, belongs to the family of hallucinogenic drugs, and people reach for it for a range of reasons. It turns up in traditional preparations too. Ayahuasca, the brewed drink used in certain indigenous ceremonies, carries DMT, and the plant's hallucinogenic qualities are what move a person toward a spiritual encounter. In that respect it sits alongside LSD, which some people use with a similar goal in mind.

Going in prepared matters. Before anyone uses DMT to pursue a spiritual experience, they should understand how it works, because careful use has a lot to do with whether the experience turns out well. There are risks to weigh and a set of effects to expect. Talking first with someone who has actually used the drug this way is a sensible starting point. That person can help you use it correctly, stay safe during the experience, and lower the odds of an unpleasant turn. Knowing what the substance does beforehand lets you walk in with expectations that are grounded and positive.

People seeking a spiritual experience usually either swallow DMT or smoke it. The window is short compared to other hallucinogens: effects run roughly 45 to 60 minutes. During that time, sound, color and vision can distort. Your sense of movement and the pace of time may feel like it is dragging or racing.

A common description is heightened awareness of everything nearby. Colors look more brilliant, and the whole thing becomes a flood of sensation. Because perception runs so high, it helps to know what is coming and to have another person present watching over you. If the experience sours, someone should be there to keep you safe.

Dosing depends on several factors, and it is best left to someone experienced with using DMT for this purpose. Getting the amount right is not a small detail. A dose that climbs too high can do real harm.

Set the scene before you begin. Pick a stretch of time when your mood is already good, settle into a place where you feel at ease, and let yourself relax. Have a companion there for your safety. The point is to be genuinely ready before the DMT takes hold, which tilts things toward the experience you are after rather than one full of effects you would rather avoid.

Across those 45 to 60 minutes, the experience tends to move through three stages, though not everyone passes through all of them. Being in the right place, with the right frame of mind, gives you the best shot at reaching each one.

Stage one, reported by around 90 percent of users, opens with a striking light. Shapes and colors begin to assemble in front of the eyes, and many read that light as a doorway into what follows.

Stage two feels like being inside a tunnel. There is an intense euphoria, lavish color, and pleasant memories surfacing. Most people at this point still feel tethered, still connected to the earth in some way.

Stage three is messier than the two before it. Some people describe seeing aliens, or wandering through ancient cities. What shows up here leans heavily on whatever sits in your subconscious, which is the reason a clear mind beforehand counts for so much.

DMT has a following among people who hold spirituality at the center of their lives. Using it properly is the whole game, and that means getting your setting and your state of mind sorted out before you start, which stacks the odds toward a positive outcome and away from a bad one. Working with someone who knows how to steer the experience can keep things as smooth as they can be.

- Rosemary Kitchen