If you are at all a fan of Joe Rogan and his podcast, Joe Rogan Experience, you’ve probably heard a little bit about this drug. The former MMA fighter turned comedian/podcaster has often joked about his experiences with the drug, reminiscing about past experiences with it. Most of you may not even know what this drug is as it is a very uncommon one to use. Today, we’re going to talk a little bit about DMT, the ‘spirit molecule’ drug, and discuss how using it can be extremely dangerous.
The Spirit Molecule
DMT, or N, N-dimethyltryptamine, is a synthetic hallucinogenic tryptamine drug. This drug produces very similar effects when compared to other hallucinogens like LSD or mushrooms. The FDA has labeled DMT as a Schedule I drug, meaning it is illegal in every aspect (possession, purchase, distribution, manufacturing, etc.). This drug is referred to by many names such as fantasia, spirit molecule, businessman’s trip, businessman’s special, 40-minute psychosis. DMT, although sometimes manufactured, is a naturally occurring substance that is often found in plants. The manufactured version of this drug often comes in a white, yellowish powder to be dissolved. People have even used it in something called ayahuasca.
Ayahuasca psychoactive drink often used in spiritual rituals and experiences. This brew is made from the plants Psychotria Viridis and Banisteriopsis Caapi. This brew was previously, and sometimes still, used in spiritual rituals in South America (mainly the Amazonians). Now that we know a little more about the history of DMT, let’s discuss how it works.
How Does It Work?
DMT, naturally derived from Psychotria Viridis, is a hallucinogenic substance that can create extreme psychosis for users. Anyone that uses DMT will experience intense hallucinations and seemingly unmanageable psychosis, thus the name “40-minute psychosis”. Some users suggest that they have incredible spiritual awakenings and others can experience terrifying hallucinations. A DMT trip is often described as an “out of body experience”, which makes a person feel like they’ve left their body as if their spirit is free to roam wherever they please. A person that uses DMT can experience auditory and visual hallucinations, making them see and/or hear things that are not really there.
Users often report going into another dimension, speaking with extraterrestrial beings, or even seeing what they believe to be God. However, some of these experiences are not always so pleasant. Some users report seeing terrifying, nightmarish monsters. Users report intense euphoria, altered perception of time, depersonalization, and loss of touch with reality. Even outside of the psychological effects, this drug can create some physical effects for a user as well. Common physical effects people experience while on DMT are hypertension, agitation, dilated pupils, nausea, dizziness, and diarrhea.
How Is It Consumed?
As we mentioned previously, DMT can be found naturally in a plant called Psychotria Viridis. This plant is often used in a psychoactive brew called ayahuasca, but this psychedelic tea is not the only way it can be used. For those that buy manufactured DMT, they will use the white, yellowish powder by smoking, injecting, snorting, or even vaporizing it. The effects of this drug usually take about 5-10 minutes to sink in and last for 30-60 minutes when consuming it through injection, snorting, vaporizing, or smoking. However, the effects of DMT can last from 2-6 hours if used in the ayahuasca brew. Though some people report incredible spiritual, out of body experiences while using DMT, there’s no doubt that this substance can be highly dangerous.
Dangers Of DMT Use
As we mentioned previously, there are some irregular physical effects that DMT can have on a person, such as hypertension, agitation, dilated pupils, nausea, dizziness, and diarrhea. However, there are even more serious physical effects that this drug can have on a person like:
- Seizures
- Confusion
- High Blood Pressure
- Irregular Heartbeat
- Respiratory Failure
- Cardiac Arrest
- Comas
- Psychosis
- Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder: This disorder can be simply summarized as “trip flashbacks”. Basically, a person can experience the effects of a hallucinogenic days, weeks, months, even years after their last use. It is not clear how intense these flashbacks are for individuals, but nonetheless, they can be present. Some users report seeing small disturbances in their FOV while others report more intense sensations. If this happens on the job or at someplace where you need to be coherent, this could be detrimental.
- Serotonin Syndrome Disorder: Serotonin is a naturally occurring neurotransmitter that helps regulate blood flow, body temperature, respiratory function, and digestion. When too much of this neurotransmitter is built up in the body, it can result in confusion, disorientation, anxiety, muscle spasms, tremors, irregular heartbeat, hyperreflexia, seizures, unresponsiveness, and comas.
The intense euphoria experienced when using a hallucinogenic drug is most often highly addictive, but what about DMT? Is it addictive?
Is DMT Addictive?
Researchers are still unsure as to whether or not DMT is addictive. Because of this, they are also unsure as to whether or not a person can develop a tolerance to this drug. Since this is not a widely used substance, it is hard to pin down these facts. What we do know is that this drug can cause some intense hallucinogenic experiences that can cause some serious long-term and short-term effects. A person should also avoid mixing any other substances with DMT, as this could lead to an even higher chance of fatal consequences.
We hope this article has helped shed some light on this drug that most of us know little about. There is still much to learn about this drug, but there’s no denying that it can be extremely dangerous to use. Though it is not confirmed that DMT is addictive, we can’t help but wonder why someone would ever endanger their life with a drug like this. The fatal consequences far outnumber the supposed “positive” ones. Make sure you stay away from substances like DMT, be responsible and smart folks.
