Before launching into a review of DMT: The Spirit Molecule by Rick Strassman, M.D., I would like to remind the reader of DMT's possible connection with Mayan 2012. That can probably best be summed up with a quote by Geoffrey Stray lifted from an earlier post vis-a-vis earth changes in 2012:
Could it be that our entry into the magnetized plasma band will cause Earth weather changes and a geomagnetic reversal, which will trigger the pineal gland into DMT and pinoline production, leading to Kundalini and out-of-body experiences and increasing incidents of telepathy, while we develop our ability to see beyond the veil into the invisible landscape?
So, what is this mysterious DMT? According to Strassman DMT, or N,N-dimethyltryptamine, is the "simplest of the tryptamine psychedlics." It is a naturally occurring chemical compound found pretty much everywhere, but most abundantly in the plant life of Latin America where its "amazing properties" have been known for some tens of thousands of years.
To me, the most important aspect of DMT is that it is endogenous as well as exogenous, that is, it occurs naturally within the human body in addition to the fact that it can be taken into the body from an external source.
Not only that but it is produced primarily by the pineal gland which has long been associated in the esoteric literature with the "third eye;" Descartes considered it to be "the seat of the soul;" and it is conjectured that it may be the source of that "...blinding bright white light accompanying deep spiritual realization."
It is also unique in that, located deep within the brain, the pineal gland is the only unpaired organ within the brain -- quite singular indeed.
The book won me over on the very first page with a supportive blurb by the late Harvard psychiatrist John Mack, about whom I will have much more to say in later posts. That was followed almost immediately by a reference to the encouragement Strassman had received early on from my old friend, mentor and trip guide, Bill Harman, whom he deemed as having "...one of the most discerning minds to apply itself to the field of psychedelic research." His reference to their having taken a "...long walk together along the central California Coastal range..." brought back treasured memories of my own many long walks with Bill back in the 1960's.
It was even more mind boggling to read about the support Strassman had gotten from another former mentor of mine, the late Daniel X. Freedman, who many moons ago selected me for an NIMH-sponsored postdoctoral research fellowship at Yale Medical School. He considered Danny, who was a past-president of the American Psychiatric Association and editor of the highly influential Archives of General Psychiatry, as "...arguably the most powerful individual in American psychiatry...." at the time of their meeting.
The bulk of the book deals with Strassman's research into the effects of varying dosages of DMT administered to 60 volunteer subjects at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine in the early 90's. However, he first sets the stage by providing an overview of the history of psychedelic research in general, a consideration of their chemical structures, and a precis of the lengthy application process he had to go through in order to initiate the first government approved psychedelic research in 20 years.
To be continued..............
The Mimosa Project: Showcasing Creative Expressions of the Spirit Molecule DMT
