DOCSLIB.ORG

Dmt and the Soul of Prophecy: a New Science of Spiritual Revelation in the Hebrew Bible Pdf, Epub, Ebook

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Dmt and the Soul of Prophecy: a New Science of Spiritual Revelation in the Hebrew Bible Pdf, Epub, Ebook DMT AND THE SOUL OF PROPHECY: A NEW SCIENCE OF SPIRITUAL REVELATION IN THE HEBREW BIBLE PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Rick Strassman | 352 pages | 09 Oct 2014 | Inner Traditions Bear and Company | 9781594773426 | English | Rochester, United States DMT and the Soul of Prophecy: A New Science of Spiritual Revelation in the Hebrew Bible PDF Book Part II introduces the structure and content of the Hebrew Bible and emphasizes its notions of God and of prophecy. Confused and unconvincing in its aim but the action taking place behind the scenes is a fascinating voyeuristic peek in on his journey as he abandons a life of Zen Buddhism and rediscovers his Hebrew roots. I give this book a lot of points for being the first and as far as I know, only examination of its kind. Strike 2 is that comparisons between bibical passages and DMT commentaries the author collected don't seem as solid as he thinks they are -- guilty of seek- and-ye-shall-find-ism. All these psychedelic states are really fascinating and we still have much to learn about. But yeah, even if we dismiss the speculation that possibly DMT which is naturally produced within the brain allows one to pick up an overlapping spiritual reality. Ezra About the Author Rick Strassman, M. This engagingly written book will be of interest to those with primary interest in religious experience as well as those with primary interest in psychedelic experience and altered states of consciousness. Critiquing the rabbinic notion of the end of prophecy using our theoneurological model, I suggest how prophecy may or may not be our birthright. It was personally exciting for me to learn of its existence because I found resonances between my own experience and Jewish ascent literature in fact, I wrote a whole book inspired by that , but I found some of his religious exegesis troubling—as is the common issue. The main aspect of the pro Could the prophetic states from the Hebrew Bible be compared or even experienced through the psychedelic state triggered by NN-DMT? The visual and auditory influxes are secondary. Buy this book and feed your brain! And most important, what do their visions mean? Yet in discussing the rabbi's declaration of the end of prophecy the sociopolitical is addressed. If the effects of exogenous DMT replicated features of non-drug-induced spiritual experience, this would be consistent with a role for elevated endogenous DMT in these non-drug states. View Product. According to the rabbinical authorities of the early common era, prophecy ended in the mid-fifth century BCE—the early period of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. Nov 18, John Martindale rated it really liked it Shelves: audiobook , religion , science. View all 3 comments. Switch to the ebook. My mind was completely full of some sort of sound, like the aftereffects of a large ringing bell. Mike Newton rated it it was amazing Jun 02, Sherri Mcinnis rated it it was ok Mar 24, As with prophecy, the Western psychedelic drug experience burst into the larger culture and affected it in a highly public manner. Decades had passed since I had engaged with the Jewish tradition. Freedman, M. Firsthand testimonies by 20 leaders in culture and science of their interactions with the Akashic With a thoroughly scientific approach, the book investigates apparent similarities between the astonishing experiences recorded through Strassman's groundbreaking study of administered DMT, and the historical accounts in the Hebrew Bible of human encounters with God. Sinai where:. DMT and the Soul of Prophecy: A New Science of Spiritual Revelation in the Hebrew Bible Writer Maybe he was choosing the best but that wasn't clear to me. In addition, millions of young people experienced their effects in non-research settings, settings that also were associated with major social upheaval, including anti-government protests against the wars in Southeast Asia and reexamination of fundamental sexual mores. Gabrielle rated it really liked it Jun 27, It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to listen online or offline wherever you are. Psychedelic drugs also seem to have disappeared after declarations of their banishment by the authorities, in this case the political and scientific rather than the clerical authorities, and legitimate human studies ended with the enactment of legal restrictions in the s and s. At times the connection seemed weak to me. He trained as a medical doctor specialized in psychiatry with a fellowship in clinical psychopharmacology research and holds degrees from Stanford University and Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. He belittles the shamanic practitioners who use ayahuasca and ignorantly claims that American Zen Buddhism represents all "eastern religions" while insisting on blatantly wrong ideas about Zen itself. Laptops and Computers You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Strassman took me far beyond familiar ways of thinking about the brain, minds, and interactions with nonhuman intelligences. Firsthand testimonies by 20 leaders in culture and science of their interactions with the Akashic Strassman looked to the Hebrew Bible instead of shamanism because he took issue with shamanic messages promoting power, violence, and homophobia. The Hebrew Bible emerged from the mind of prophecy and therefore is a prophetic text. Theoneurology provides a counterpoint to the present research model of neurotheology, which proposes that the brain generates spiritual experience. Carefully examining the concept of prophecy in the Hebrew Bible, he characterizes a "prophetic state of consciousness" and explains how it may share biological and metaphysical mechanisms with the DMT effect. I wish to express special appreciation to the dedicated readers who reviewed and commented on all or nearly all of the chapters. One could find similar patterns and accounts among many texts and Strassman forces his DMT lens on to the Hebrew Bible out of what appears to be bias. See details. Sometimes he seems to interpret the scripture allegorically and sometimes more literarily. As with prophecy, the Western psychedelic drug experience burst into the larger culture and affected it in a highly public manner. About Rick Strassman. My guilty- pleasure bedtime reading for the first month of the year -- got it because I loved "The Spirit Molecule" documentary on Netflix about DMT, which featured the author of this one. The striking similarities that I will demonstrate between the prophetic and DMT states suggest common underlying mechanisms, both biological and metaphysical. Carefully examining the concept of prophecy in the Hebrew Bible, he characterizes a "prophetic state of consciousness" and explains how it may share biological and metaphysical mechanisms with the DMT effect. This is the kind of book that will advance knowledge. That mind is the mind of prophecy. If it is our birthright, then certain suggestions for future studies and practices logically follow from our knowledge of the relevant metaphysical and biological mechanisms. Flag as inappropriate. Open Preview See a Problem? Now do you see? Strassman would list various characteristics and then quote passages from both the Hebrew Bible and from his notes working with DMT subjects. The appendix also contains lists of post-biblical writings from both rabbinic and nonrabbinic sources, brief sketches of some of the most important contributors to the field, and a bibliography representing more than 2, years of creative interaction with the Hebrew Bible. There are practical implications of a theoneurological understanding of prophecy. Welcoming, curious, they almost sang,. And what are the psychedelic drugs? George rated it liked it Nov 06, DMT and the Soul of Prophecy: A New Science of Spiritual Revelation in the Hebrew Bible Reviews In the case of the bible, some people forget that the original texts in hebrew were written without vocals and commas Interesting interpretation of the hebrew bible aka the old testament. Despite their best efforts, I am certain that errors have crept into the book, and those errors are entirely my responsibility. Nov 18, John Martindale rated it really liked it Shelves: audiobook , religion , science. This model also adds to the discussion the involvement of God, who is the ultimate arbiter of whether someone attains prophecy. As an example of emerging, Philip described a humanoid figure:. Strassman accomplishes this tour de force by wisely inverting the vector of the field of neurotheology to that of theoneurology. John Milton rated it really liked it Jun 05, This book exemplifies rigorous science and keen historical analysis and is a significant contribution to human welfare. Now I will consider perceptual properties: taste, touch, sight, sound, and smell. So does the human body. He has held a fellowship in clinical psychopharmacology research at the University of California San Diego and was Professor of Psychiatry for eleven years at the University of New Mexico. I commend Strassman for his bold attempt to bridge science and religion, thereby risking attack from both sides. In this introductory chapter, I will lay the groundwork for the material that follows, ideas and information that will lead us on a journey taking in a vast religious, intellectual, and scientific landscape. Highly recommended. Absolutely fascinating insights and exploration from one of the foremost Minds involved in the quest to understand the biology of spirituality I recommend accompanying this book with reading his blog on his website Rick strassman. Audio MP3 on CD. Reviews Review Policy. Grob, M. They modify perception, mood, thought processes, physical sensations, and will in ways that strikingly parallel stories we encounter when reading the Hebrew Bible. Twenty years ago, if someone had suggested turning to the Hebrew Bible for a model for the DMT experience, I would have been highly skeptical.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Ayahuasca Characterization, Metabolism in Humans, And
    Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2012 Ayahuasca characterization, metabolism in humans, and relevance to endogenous N,N- dimethyltryptamines Ethan Hamilton McIlhenny Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the Medicine and Health Sciences Commons Recommended Citation McIlhenny, Ethan Hamilton, "Ayahuasca characterization, metabolism in humans, and relevance to endogenous N,N- dimethyltryptamines" (2012). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 2049. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/2049 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. AYAHUASCA CHARACTERIZATION, METABOLISM IN HUMANS, AND RELEVANCE TO ENDOGENOUS N,N-DIMETHYLTRYPTAMINES A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and School of Veterinary Medicine in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Interdepartmental Program in Veterinary Medical Sciences through the Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences by Ethan Hamilton McIlhenny B.A., Skidmore College, 2006 M.S., Tulane University, 2008 August 2012 Acknowledgments Infinite thanks, appreciation, and gratitude to my mother Bonnie, father Chaffe, brother Matthew, grandmothers Virginia and Beverly, and to all my extended family, friends, and loved ones. Without your support and the visionary guidance of my friend and advisor Dr. Steven Barker, none of this work would have been possible. Special thanks to Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Inner Visions: Sacred Plants, Art and Spirituality
    AM 9:31 2 12/10/14 2 224926_Covers_DEC10.indd INNER VISIONS: SACRED PLANTS, ART AND SPIRITUALITY Brauer Museum of Art • Valparaiso University Vision 12: Three Types of Sorcerers Gouache on paper, 12 x 16 inches. 1989 Pablo Amaringo 224926_Covers_DEC10.indd 3 12/10/14 9:31 AM 3 224926_Text_Dec12.indd 3 12/12/14 11:42 AM Inner Visions: Sacred Plants, Art and Spirituality • An Exhibition of Art Presented by the Brauer Museum • Curated by Luis Eduardo Luna 4 224926_Text.indd 4 12/9/14 10:00 PM Contents 6 From the Director Gregg Hertzlieb 9 Introduction Robert Sirko 13 Inner Visions: Sacred Plants, Art and Spirituality Luis Eduardo Luna 29 Encountering Other Worlds, Amazonian and Biblical Richard E. DeMaris 35 The Artist and the Shaman: Seen and Unseen Worlds Robert Sirko 73 Exhibition Listing 5 224926_Text.indd 5 12/9/14 10:00 PM From the Director In this Brauer Museum of Art exhibition and accompanying other than earthly existence. Additionally, while some objects publication, expertly curated by the noted scholar Luis Eduardo may be culture specific in their references and nature, they are Luna, we explore the complex and enigmatic topic of the also broadly influential on many levels to, say, contemporary ritual use of sacred plants to achieve visionary states of mind. American and European subcultures, as well as to contemporary Working as a team, Luna, Valparaiso University Associate artistic practices in general. Professor of Art Robert Sirko, Valparaiso University Professor We at the Brauer Museum of Art wish to thank the Richard E. DeMaris and the Brauer Museum staff present following individuals and agencies for making this exhibition our efforts of examining visual products arising from the possible: the Brauer Museum of Art’s Brauer Endowment, ingestion of these sacred plants and brews such as ayahuasca.
    [Show full text]
  • The Brain's Own Psychedelic Rick Strassman
    ---------------------..-iiiii..-------··--···--·-·- -·--· . reli- o :he rialy- 2 ;c:ng ~del- DMT The Brain's Own Psychedelic a.ion Rick Strassman We have known about the psychedelic effects produced by plants con- taining DMT, particularly from Latin America, much longer than we have known about DMT itself. In the 1600s, priest-ethnographers from Spain described Latin American indigenous people's use of DMT-containing psychedelic snuffs and smoking mixtures made from the genus Anadenanthera. Intrepid nineteenth-century European explorers of the Amazon, such as Spruce, von Humboldt, and Koch-Grunberg, observed the prepa- ration and use of ayahuasca containing DMT-rich plants, particularly Psychotria viridis in combination with Banisteriopsis caapi) which con- tains the enzyme inhibitors that allow DMT to become active orally. In the last century, the late Richard Schultes was instrumental in car- rying on this tradition of documenting the vibrant use of psychedelic plants in Latin America. 1 The Canadian chemist Richard Manske first synthesized DMT in his laboratory in 1931, as one of a series of tryptamine derivatives related to his research on a toxic North American shrub.' There is no evidence, however, that he was familiar with DMT's psycho activity, and we assume he never used it himself. A 1946 Spanish-language scientific paper first described the presence 33 34 DMT: The Brain's Own Psychedelic of DMT in South American psychedelic snuffs;' and in 1955, a compa- tions."" Ke', rable paper appeared in the English-language Iiterature.? While the pres- European a: ence of DMT in these plants was now established, its psycho activity was book's foc-c not.
    [Show full text]
  • The Psychedelic Religion of Mystical Consciousness
    BOOK REVIEW Journal of Psychedelic Studies DOI: 10.1556/2054.2018.003 The psychedelic religion of mystical consciousness William A. Richards Sacred Knowledge: Psychedelics and Religious Experiences Columbia University Press, New York, 2016, 244 pp. Hardback ISBN: 978-0-231-17406-0 With an extreme range of terms for psychedelic drugs – however, was the team’s having “gotten religion.” By this from “schizotoxic” to “entheogenic”–“psychedelic,” none- he meant that they believed their results established the theless remains the most salient one. These substances existence of a new paradigm, one that resided outside the manifest or disclose aspects of the mind of those who take world of clinical research and the scientific method. Rather them as well as the mind of those who study them. Propo- than seeing their data as indicating effects of psychedelics nents for the innumerable terms for these drugs are all able on secular psychological and neurobiological functions, to adduce supportive evidence. Necessarily, this evidence is Richards and colleagues saw their data as proving certain a subjective experience, but in the research world, rating religious truths. For example, they took at face value scales provide statistical support for one’s beliefs about the patients’ reports of “the indestructibility of consciousness.” nature of the drug effect: “psychotomimetic” (Gouzoulis- That is, such reports established the fact that consciousness Mayfrank et al., 1998)or“mystical-type” (Griffiths, was indeed indestructible, rather than stimulating further Richards, McCann, & Jesse, 2006). research into the nature and underlying mechanisms of that The mysticomimetic model – which emphasizes the experience. For the Spring Grove group, it now was a matter similarities between psychedelic drug effects and those of extending the application of “the indestructibility of described in the “mystical” literature – is increasingly consciousness” into as many arenas – clinical and popular in the renewal of clinical psychedelic studies.
    [Show full text]
  • DMT Research from 1956 to the Edge of Time
    DMT Research from 1956 to the Edge of Time Andrew R. Gallimore and David P. Luke Originally published as Gallimore, A., & Luke, D. (2015). DMT research from 1956 to the edge of time. In King, D., Luke, D., Sessa, B., Adams, C. & Tollen, A. (Eds.), Neurotransmissions: Essays on Psychedelics from Breaking Convention (pp.291-316). London: Strange AttraCtor. The authors are indebted to Dr. Stephen Szára for kindly agreeing to an interview. From a representative sample of a suitably psyChedeliC Crowd, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who Couldn’t tell you all about Albert Hofmann’s enChanted biCyCle ride after swallowing what turned out to be a massive dose of LSD – the world’s first acid trip (Hofmann, 1980) has sinCe beCome a Cherished pieCe of psyChedeliC folklore. Far fewer, however, Could tell you muCh about the world’s first DMT (N,N- dimethyltryptamine) trip. Although less memorable than Hofmann’s story, it was no less important. The folklore would Come later and reveal itself to be far weirder than anyone Could have prediCted. A DMT trip is Certainly one of the most bizarre experienCes a human Can undergo and, although six deCades have passed sinCe the very first DMT trip, the experienCe Continues to Confound and remains fertile ground for speCulation regarding its signifiCanCe and meaning (Meyer, 1997;Luke, 2011;Gallimore, 2013). Of Course, it would be extremely Western-CentriC to ignore the use of DMT by indigenous Amazonians in the ayahuasca brew (Shanon, 2003;Frenopoulo, 2005;Shanon, 2005;SChmidt, 2012) or the cohoba snuff (SChultes, 1984), but it was only after the effeCts of the pure Compound were disCovered that its role in these traditional preparations beCame Clear.
    [Show full text]
  • Terence Mckenna's Jungian Psychedelic Ufology
    Inner Space/Outer Space: Terence McKenna’s Jungian Psychedelic Ufology ___________________________________________________________________ Christopher Partridge ABSTRACT: This article discusses the relationship between “inner space” (the mind/consciousness) and perceptions of “outer space” (the extraterrestrial) in Western psychedelic cultures. In particular, it analyses the writings and lectures of Terence McKenna, the most influential psychedelic thinker since the 1960s. Assimilating a broad range of ideas taken from esotericism, shamanism, and science fiction, McKenna became the principal architect of an occult theory of psychedelic experiences referred to here as “psychedelic ufology.” The article further argues that McKenna was formatively influenced by the ideas of Carl Jung and that, as such, subsequent psychedelic ufology tends to be Jungian. KEYWORDS: Terence McKenna, Carl Jung, psychedelic ufology, UFOs, hallucinogens, shamanism, gnosis During a lecture in Switzerland in 1995, the American psychedelic thinker Terence McKenna (1946-2000) claimed that if a person gave him “15 minutes of [their] life” (i.e. if he was given the time to administer an hallucinogen) he could guarantee “a 20% chance of meeting aliens—and the odds go up to maybe 40% if you increase the dose!”1 While this can be interpreted as a playful comment about induced hallucinations rather than anything more profound, this would be a mistake. For McKenna it was no coincidence that “UFO contact [was]… the motif most frequently mentioned by people who take psilocybin recreationally.”2 “At active levels, psilocybin induces visionary ideation of spacecraft, alien creatures, and alien information. There is a general futuristic, science fiction quality to the psilocybin experience that seems to originate from the same place as the modern myth of the UFO.”3 He is not alone in claiming this.
    [Show full text]
  • Forbidden Knowledge Film
    NEH Application Cover Sheet (TD-254004) Media Projects Development PROJECT DIRECTOR Mr. Micha Xavier Peled E-mail: [email protected] Director Phone: (415)305-5998 839 Broderick St. Fax: San Francisco, CA 94115-4424 USA Field of expertise: Filmmaking INSTITUTION Teddy Bear Films Inc. San Francisco, CA 94115-4424 APPLICATION INFORMATION Title: FORBIDDEN KNOWLEDGE: Psychedelics & Science Grant period: From 2017-05-01 to 2017-11-01 Project field(s): Interdisciplinary Studies, Other Description of project: Forbidden Knowledge: Psychedelics & Science explores our Western culture’s long, turbulent relationship with psychedelic substances across time. The recently permitted medical trials using hallucinogens form the film’s core, which are otherwise still illegal. Following a number of, PTSD victims through their psychedelic-assisted therapy will provide the film’s dramatic arc and help viewers judge these experiments for themselves. This is the first time camera access is granted to film participants before, during and after such a trial. The film will also shed light on neuroscientists’ explorations of the brain’s inner workings through psychedelics, and on the spiritual dimensions they induce. Critics and skeptics of will give voice to concerns about the safety and value of psychedelic research. Placing the topic in a broad cultural and philosophical context, the film will braid together historical and present-day narratives, employing perspectives from both the sciences and humanities. BUDGET Outright Request 75,000.00 Cost Sharing 6,130.00 Matching Request 0.00 Total Budget 81,130.00 Total NEH 75,000.00 GRANT ADMINISTRATOR Mr. Micha Xavier Peled E-mail: [email protected] 839 Broderick St.
    [Show full text]
  • The Psychedelic Drugs. Past, Present &Amp
    Neuropharmacology xxx (2017) 1e19 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Neuropharmacology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/neuropharm Invited review Psychiatry & the psychedelic drugs. Past, present & future * James J.H. Rucker a, b, d, , Jonathan Iliff c, David J. Nutt d a The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, 16 De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, United Kingdom b South West London & St George's Mental Health NHS Trust, Glenburnie Road, London, SW17 7DJ, United Kingdom c University College London Medical School, 19 Gordon Square, London, WC1H 0AW, United Kingdom d Centre for Psychiatry, Division of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, Burlington Danes Building, Hammersmith Campus, 160 Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, United Kingdom article info abstract Article history: The classical psychedelic drugs, including psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide and mescaline, were Received 5 August 2017 used extensively in psychiatry before they were placed in Schedule I of the UN Convention on Drugs in Received in revised form 1967. Experimentation and clinical trials undertaken prior to legal sanction suggest that they are not 26 November 2017 helpful for those with established psychotic disorders and should be avoided in those liable to develop Accepted 22 December 2017 them. However, those with so-called ‘psychoneurotic’ disorders sometimes benefited considerably from Available online xxx their tendency to ‘loosen’ otherwise fixed, maladaptive patterns of cognition and behaviour, particularly when given in a supportive, therapeutic setting. Pre-prohibition studies in this area were sub-optimal, Keywords: Psychedelics although a recent systematic review in unipolar mood disorder and a meta-analysis in alcoholism fi Psychiatric disorders have both suggested ef cacy.
    [Show full text]
  • Finding Aid to the Rick Strassman Papers, 1989-1991
    FINDING AID TO THE RICK STRASSMAN PAPERS, 1989-1991 Purdue University Libraries Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center 504 West State Street West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2058 (765) 494-2839 http://www.lib.purdue.edu/spcol © 2011 Purdue University Libraries. All rights reserved. Processed by: Kristin Leaman, December 8, 2011 Descriptive Summary Creator Information Strassman, Rick, 1952 Title Rick Strassman papers Collection Identifier MSP 93 Date Span 1989-1991 Abstract This collection consists primarily of correspondence that documents Strassman’s relationship with Peter Meyer, particularly on the subject of DMT. The collection also includes a DMT questionnaire designed by both Strassman and Meyer for Strassman’s FDA approved work with DMT as well as an article reprint of Strassman’s “Human Hallucinogenic Drug Research in the United States: A Present-day Case History and Review of the Process.” Extent 1 Folder Finding Aid Author Kristin Leaman, 2011 Languages English Repository Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries Administrative Information Location Information: ASC Access Restrictions: Collection is open for research. Acquisition Purchase, Flashback Books/Michael Horowitz, 2011 Information: Accession Number: 20110601 Preferred Citation: MSP 93, Rick Strassman papers, Archives and Special Collections, Purdue University Libraries Copyright Notice: The copyright of some items in this collection may be held by their respective creators. Consult a reference archivist for details. 2/8/2012 2 Subjects and Genres Persons Strassman, Rick, 1952- Meyer, Peter, 1954 Topics DMT LSD Psychotropic drugs Form and Genre Types Correspondence Questionnaire Reprint Occupations Psychiatry 2/8/2012 3 Biography of Rick Strassman Rick Strassman was born in 1952 in Los Angeles, California.
    [Show full text]
  • N, N-Dimethyltryptamine and Biological Reductive Accounts for Religious and Spiritual Experiences
    Liberty University Department of Philosophy N, N-DIMETHYLTRYPTAMINE AND BIOLOGICAL REDUCTIVE ACCOUNTS FOR RELIGIOUS AND SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES A Paper Presented to the Liberty University Graduate Research Symposium Shaun M. Smith 30 April 2014 Abstract There is unquestionably a plethora of details and mysteries regarding the mind and the body. However, with the advent of psychopharmacology (the study of how psychedelics inform or alter brain states), there are more issues at hand. Do psychedelics allow us to access deeper areas of our consciousness? Are we having a spiritual experience under the influence of psychedelics? Dr. Rick Strassman does not want to continue asking these rather conspiratorial- like questions. Instead, Dr. Strassman believes that there is one special, endogenous psychedelic, synthesized within the human physiological framework: N, N-Dymthethyltryptamine. Dr. Strassman concludes that this chemical is produced within and around the pineal gland, and is often the catalyst for spiritual and religious experiences. I will explore this topic further under the framework of discovering whether a naturalistic type explanation of spiritual experiences accounts for all types of spiritual experiences and whether one may be rational or justified in believing in God if a naturalist could explain spiritual experiences. Keywords: N, N-Dimethyltryptamine, DMT, Mystical Experiences, Non-Mystical Experiences, Justified Religious Belief 1 I. Introduction In essence, this essay is an attempt to address a very special explanation for the existence of spiritual experiences. For years, as biology and neurophysiology have evolved into a force for explanatory power, there is often a trend to begin with the antecedent condition of materialism, and by way of Ockham’s Razor, reduce our explanations to purely physical phenomena.
    [Show full text]
  • DMT: the Spirit Molecule
    h Оцифровано владельцем ящика [email protected] ICQ# 779957 С уважением, Тимофей. Advance Praise for DMT: The Spirit Molecule "Strassman's important research contributes to a growing awareness that we inhabit a multidimensional universe that is far more complex and inter- esting than the one our scientific theories have shown us. It is of the utmost importance that we face the implications of this discovery, for it has so much to tell us about who we are and why we are here." John Mack, author of Abduction and Passport to the Cosmos "The most extensive scientific study of the mental and perceptual effects of a psychedelic drug since the 1960s. Strassman provides fascinating insight into the world of psychiatric research as he seeks to understand these most mysterious substances and their profound effects on human consciousness." Ralph Metzner, Ph.D., author of Ayahuasca: Consciousness and the Spirits of Nature "This book is essential reading for anyone with an interest in the mind, philosophy, the nature of reality, and spirituality. The world's foremost ex- pert on DMT has created a masterpiece of the genre, as he brilliantly leads the reader through a series of startling revelations about the nature of the universe, revealed behind the doorway once DMT turns the key." Karl Jansen, M.D., Ph.D., author of K. Ketamine: Dreams and Realities "DMT: The Spirit Molecule points the way beyond the present impasse of the reigning "drug abuse" paradigm. We owe a debt of gratitude to Strassman for persevering in the face of bureaucratic obstacles to conduct important research into the human pharmacology of DMT and elucidate it for the general public, in both scientific and humanistic terms." Jonathan Ott, author of The Age of Entheogens and Hallucinogenic Plants of North America A Doctor's Revolutionary Research into the Biology of Near-Death and Mystical Experiences Rick Strassman, М.D.
    [Show full text]
  • Quality of Acute Psychedelic Experience Predicts Therapeutic Efficacy of Psilocybin for Treatment-Resistant Depression
    ORIGINAL RESEARCH published: 17 January 2018 doi: 10.3389/fphar.2017.00974 Quality of Acute Psychedelic Experience Predicts Therapeutic Efficacy of Psilocybin for Treatment-Resistant Depression Leor Roseman*, David J. Nutt and Robin L. Carhart-Harris Psychedelic Research Group, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom Introduction: It is a basic principle of the “psychedelic” treatment model that the quality of the acute experience mediates long-term improvements in mental health. In the present paper we sought to test this using data from a clinical trial assessing psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression (TRD). In line with previous reports, we hypothesized Edited by: that the occurrence and magnitude of Oceanic Boundlessness (OBN) (sharing features Rick Strassman, with mystical-type experience) and Dread of Ego Dissolution (DED) (similar to anxiety) University of New Mexico School of Medicine, United States would predict long-term positive outcomes, whereas sensory perceptual effects would Reviewed by: have negligible predictive value. Katherine MacLean, Johns Hopkins University, Materials and Methods: Twenty patients with treatment resistant depression United States underwent treatment with psilocybin (two separate sessions: 10 and 25 mg psilocybin). Manish Kumar Jha, The Altered States of Consciousness (ASC) questionnaire was used to assess the quality University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, United States of experiences in the 25 mg psilocybin session. From the ASC, the dimensions OBN and *Correspondence: DED were used to measure the mystical-type and challenging experiences, respectively. Leor Roseman The Self-Reported Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptoms (QIDS-SR) at 5 weeks [email protected] served as the endpoint clinical outcome measure, as in later time points some of the Specialty section: subjects had gone on to receive new treatments, thus confounding inferences.
    [Show full text]