Quantum Drummer

Introduction

       Since early in the 20^th Century, William James and Sigmund Freud work indicated that dreams, psychotic allucinations, visions, etc. were all based on chemical alterations of brain functions. However, psychology abandoned the phenomenology based theories of James and Freud in favor of behaviorism, and for about fifty years the subjective part of the brain processes was neglected. When REM sleep was discovered in 1953, science started considering again the phenomena of dreaming and other naturally altered states of consciousness that occur in the brain, during illnesses, and during dreaming. After the discovery of REM sleep, the challenge was to compare the chemistry of hallucinations and delusions of normal dreaming with the chemistry of psychosis and the chemistry of psychedelic visions. In the 1960’s it was found that the brain mechanisms that link these phenomena are the neuromodulatory systems of the brain stem, however, it has also been found that while the phenomenology of these three altered states of consciousness is similar, it is also distinctly different for each type of state. Both psychedelicism and psychosis are altered states of waking, while dreaming is an altered state of sleep, and although the brain chemicals that are altered in dreaming and psychosis might be similar, or the same, the ways in which they are altered might be different (Hobson, 2001, p. 27).

      Some members of the brain chemicals known as neuromodulators include acetylcholine, dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin, which seem to alter the form of processing the content, and drugs that alter waking consciousness interact with one or more of these chemicals, making this the base of modern psychopharmacology. LSD, Psilocybin, DMT and other psychedelics have a close similarity to the neurotransmitter serotonin, and their effect on brain processes has been widely studied recently by researchers.

     This paper describes the current understanding of the processes of neuromodulation in the brain during altered states of consciousness, and describes some of the most important findings about the effect of the N,N-dimethyltryptamine molecule, or DMT, also known as the “spirit molecule”.

Neurotransmitters and the Sleep Cycle

      Serotonin is an amine neurotransmitter also known as 5-hydroxytryptamine, or 5-HT. The process of serotonin in the brain appears to play a key role in the systems that are involved with mood, emotional behavior and sleep (Bear, et. al., 2007, p. 146). Certain aspects of dreams, drug-induced hallucinations and psychosis appear to share some characteristics directly attributable to a reduction in 5-HT transmission. Evidence also exists for a serotonergic involvement in the generation of REM sleep. According to Jouvet’s theory of sleep states, the serotonergic neurons in the raphe system show a slowing of the discharge rate of 5-HT as the individual progresses from the waking state through non-REM sleep and then the firing ceases completely at the REM sleep stage, and humans show a reduction in REM sleep with the use of serotonergic enhancers (Roney-Dougal, 2012, p. 10).

       Melatonin is another substance that appears to be involved in the sleep cycle. It is mainly secreted by the pineal gland during the night, when the environment darkens, through noradrenergic stimulation of beta-receptors. Sleep disturbances occur when melatonin secretion is depressed. REM sleep appears to be induced by the action of cerebrospinal fluid, melatonin and vasotocin in the area of the dorsal raphe nucleus  and the locus ceruleus,  melatonin generates feedback inhibition of the locus and raphe nuclei during REM sleep. The neuromodulators and neuropeptides that are present in the cerebrospinal fluid seem to be related to a dream rhythm that lasts 90 minutes (Roney-Dougal, 2010, p. 8).

      The circadian cycle of rest and activity seems to be directly related to the actions of both 5-HT and melatonin. The suprachiasmatic nucleus, or SCN, in the hypothalamus appears to regulate the circadian rhythm of melatonin release through a projection to the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus, while the circadian control of thermoregulation is modulate by a projection from the SCN to the dorsal subparaventricular zone. The timing of the circadian behavior appears to be a modulation over the neuronal pathway controlled by a projection from the SCN to the dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus or DMH. The circadian clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus determines the daily sequence of melatonin secretion from the pineal gland, which is located in the epithalamus adjacent to the habenular nuclei (Fuller, et. al., 2006, p. 487).

       There are other neurohormones that are generated by the pineal gland, such as pinoline, a mono-amine oxidase inhibitor (MAO), which is very similar to the harmala alkaloids that are found in the ayahuasca drink that is used by people of the Amazonas region to induce states of consciousness that generate out-of-body, clairvoyance, divination and shamanic experiences. One of the characteristics found in pinoline is that it prevents the breakdown of serotonin, therefore resulting in some accumulation of physiologically active amines such as DMT, with results that include hallucinations and depression (Roney-Dougal, 2010, p. 1)

Neurochemistry of Psychedelic Experiences

       Psychedelics are a class of drugs that generate some unique effects on consciousness. The name psychedelic means “mind-manifesting” and indicates the ability of these chemicals to bring up some hidden aspects of the individual’s mind and psyche. Psychedelic plants and have been used for long time by native American shamans, mainly the peyote cactus, which contains mescaline, the magic mushrooms, which contain psilocybin and the drink called ayahuasca which contains DMT and harmaline (Lyvers, 2003, p. 1).

The chemical substances found in these plants interact with the brain’s own chemical control system, mainly generating a shift in the neuromodulatory balance of the brain from aminergic to cholinergic dominance (Hobson, 2001, p. 251). These chemicals produce hallucinations and delusions, or psychotic reactions, and therefore are called psychotogenic, which is a similar state as the one achieved during REM sleep, which made the researchers hypothesize that the psychotogenic drugs interact with the neurotransmitters that regulate the sleep cycle from waking to REM sleep.

       As indicated earlier, the serotonin-containing cells located in the raphe nuclei of the brain stem are actively suppressed during REM, which is the stage of sleeping when dreams seem to happen. Therefore, it is assumed that the cholinergic system is released generating visual hallucinations. In addition to normal REM sleep, this can happen when a psychedelic substance suppresses the serotonin-containing cells. This can occur with the administration of LSD and DMT, and with the use of the psychedelic plants such as peyote or magic mushrooms, resulting in the psychedelic state of “dreaming while awake”. It has been found in recent studies involving PET scans that when an individual is under the influence of psilocybin, shows hyperactivity of the frontal and occipital lobes, mostly in the right hemisphere, which implies a strong activation of the serotonin receptors in the cortex. (Lyvers, 2003, p. 2).

The DMT Molecule

       DMT is a simple molecule that belongs to the tryptamine psychedelics. It is closely related to serotonin. Its pharmacology is similar to that of other more known psychedelics, it affects serotonin receptor sites in a similar way that LSD, psilocybin and mescaline do. The brain sites that DMT influences are involved in mood, perception, and thought functions. Most drugs and chemicals are blocked by the brain, but DMT is allowed to get through. A few essential molecules go through a process of active transport through the blood-brain barrier, and DMT is one that does, being the only psychedelic substance known to have such performance. (Strassman, 2001, p. 52)

       DMT, is an endogenous psychoactive chemical that has been shown through experimentation with humans to provide the individual with the perception of an alternate reality. When sufficient dose levels of DMT is administer, the individuals report the presence of intelligent beings that appear to be very real, and not just projections of the subconscious. An important condition is that the individuals under the influence of DMT report that the perceived alternate reality is persistent, and exists irrespective of their subjective, time-limited perception. While there is no scientific proof to support these reports, they are nevertheless extraordinary claims and are worth of further research. (Rodriguez, 2007, p. 67).

       The most extensive research on the effects of DMT on human subjects was performed in the early 1990’s by Rick Strassman at the University of New Mexico. Strassman used a total of 60 normal volunteer subjects with the application of over 400 doses of DMT applied intravenously over a period of five years. As part of the findings it was observed that about twenty percent of the subjects when using a 0.4 mg/kg intravenous dose, reported an “alternate reality” in which they observed the existence of intelligent beings. Based on these findings, it is being speculated that the accounts of alien abduction made by some people could be the result of an unregulated release of endogenous DMT by the subjects. It is unknown if this phenomena is a complete hallucination, generated by a subjective synthesis of the human mind, or an actual objective reality. (Rodriguez, 2007, p. 68).

DMT and the Pineal Gland

      During his early research on melatonin, Strassman was faced with a body of evidence that resulted in several hypotheses about the function of the pineal gland.  The main hypothesis indicates that the pineal gland produces amounts of DMT at some extraordinary times in the individual’s life, providing a vehicle to consciously experience the individual’s “life-force” in its most extreme manifestations, such as the moment when the fetus becomes truly human, the moment of birth, and the moment of death. The pineal gland also might be generating DMT during deep meditation, psychosis and during near-death experiences (Strassman, 2001, p. 68).  It has been found that the pineal gland contains the basis to generate DMT, it contains higher serotonin levels than anywhere else in the human body, and also has the capacity to transform serotonin into tryptamine, which is a basic step to obtain DMT. Strassman’s studies have found that the pineal gland also generates other mind-altering substances, known as the beta-carbolines, which inhibit the breakdown of DMT. The combination of the beta-carbolines and DMT seem to generate some psychedelic effects.(Strassman, 2001, p. 69).

      One of Strassman’s hypotheses indicate that there could be some pineal DMT influence during dreaming, which is a natural altered state of consciousness. He indicates that the time when dreaming occurs, coincides with the time in which melatonin is at the highest level. Melatonin by itself has relatively mild psychological effects which leads Strassman to believe that there is another substance possibly acting at the same time, DMT being the best candidate. Another possibility is described by Jace Callaway, who suggests that the pineal derived beta-carbolines might be involved in dream generation, however, since the psychological effect of beta-carbolines is not well known, it could be mainly the combination of beta-carbolines and DMT which influence the dreams, given the known DMT-boosting capacity of beta-carbolines. (Strassman, 2001, p. 73)

Reports of Volunteers using DMT

      On a consistent basis, the reports provided by the volunteers that worked with Dr. Strassman include encounters with intelligent beings that demonstrated awareness of the presence of the individuals themselves. They report that these beings sometimes gave the appearance that they were expecting the individual to appear in their realm, while some other times they appeared to be surprised by the individuals appearing in their world. Sometimes, the beings appear as insect-like entities, automatons, android-like creatures, or reptilian and humanoid, being in a high-tech environment, sometimes hospital-like. Sometimes they appear benevolent, and sometimes they appear sinister, able to communicate and share emotions. One of Dr. Strassman’s volunteers, called Jeremiah, reports: “The DMT state shows you something real. It’s totally unexpected, quite constant and objective. One could interpret your looking at my pupils as being observed, and the tubes in my body as the tubes I’m seeing. But that is a metaphor and this is not at all a metaphor. It’s an independent, constant reality. There is the real possibility of adjacent dimensions.”  The same subject also indicates that upon return to the experience, in additional sessions with DMT “You return not where you left off, but to where things have gone since you left. It’s not a hallucination, but an observation.” (Strassman, et. al, 2012, p. 1305)  

       The experiences described by the volunteers under the influence of DMT share many similarities with people that have reported being abducted by aliens, which might indicate that elevations in endogenous DMT might have occurred to these individuals reporting abductions. One of the characteristics mentioned by the alleged abductees is that they were suffering for excessive stress conditions prior to the abduction experience, and it has been found in animal experiments, that the level od DMT increases in response to stress.

      The volunteers do not accept that their hallucinations are messages from the unconscious, in a similar way to Jung’s dream theories, but insist that their experiences demonstrate a parallel level of reality. Even Dr. Strassman concludes: “I allowed myself, at least theoretically, to accept that under the influence of DMT, these things do happen – in reality, although not in a reality we usually inhabit.” (Strassman, et. al, 2012, p. 1451)

       DMT is one of the few known chemicals that can produce a full-sensory hallucination in humans, providing the most vivid and extraordinary experience. Rodriguez (2007) proposes an interesting methodology for the objective study of three possible interpretations of the DMT-induced methodology, including the possibility of these experiences being: a) a subjective hallucination, b) a consistent subjective reality, and c) an objective, co-existing alternate reality (p. 68). On this respect, McKenna (1992) writes: “ DMT is not one of our irrational illusions. I believe that what we experience in the presence of DMT is real news. It is a nearby dimension – frightening, transformative, and beyond our powers to imagine, and yet to be explored in the usual way. We must send fearless experts, whatever they may come to be, to explore and report back on what they find.” (p. 259)

References

Bear, M., Connors, B. & Paradiso, M. (2007) Neuroscience: Exploring the brain. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.

Fuller, P., Gooley, J. & Saper, C. (2006). Neurobiology of the sleep-wake cycle: sleep architecture, circadian regulation, and regulatory feedback. Journal of Biological Rythms (21), 6, pp. 482-493

Hobson, J.A. (2001) The dream drugstore: Chemically altered states of consciousness. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

Rodriguez, M. (2007) A methodology for studying various interpretations of the N,N-dimethyltryptamine-induced alternate reality, Journal of Scientific Exploration, (21), 1, pp. 67-84.

Roney-Dougal, S. (2010). Walking Between the Worlds: Links between psi, psychedelics, shamanism and psychosis. An overview of the literature. PSI Research Center. Retrieved from: http://www.psi-researchcentre.co.uk/article_1.html.

Strassman, R. (2001). DMT: The spirit molecule. Rochester, VT: Park Street Press

Strassman, R., Wojtowicz, S., Luna, L. & Frecska, E. (2012) Inner Paths to Outerspace: Journey to alien worlds through psychedelics and other spiritual technologies. Kindle Edition. Rochester VT: Park Street Press.