Chapter
Thirteen
Altered states of consciousness
Another powerful psychedelic and entheogen found in plants is DMT (N,N-di-
methyltryptamine). Sometimes called the ‘spirit molecule’, DMT induces vivid
visual and auditory hallucinations, as well as bodily distortions and out-of-body
experiences. American mystic and psychonaut Terence McKenna reportedly said,
‘You cannot imagine a stranger drug or a stranger experience’, and he had had
some very strange experiences.
Smoked in its pure form, DMT acts very fast, the dramatic visual hallucinations
and weird sounds coming on almost immediately and lasting only briefly, inviting
comparisons with an eight-hour LSD trip compressed into fifteen minutes. For
psychologist Ronald Siegel, ‘DMT trips are among the most intense drug experi-
ences in the world, and only their brevity makes them bearable’ (1992, p. 35). Nick
Sand, the underground chemist who first synthesised DMT and discovered that it
could be smoked, says, ‘What DMT opens up in us is so profound that it is impossi-
ble to truly express’. The experience ‘has never ceased to amaze me’ (Sand, 2014).
Frequent users talk of the DMT ‘breakthrough’ and take high doses to achieve it,
but while some say the breakthrough is a transition into DMT Hyperspace and a
very obvious altered state, others say it cannot be described at all.
Swallowing DMT ought to mean a slower and longer-lasting effect, but DMT is
quickly destroyed in the stomach by the group of monoamine oxidase (MAO)
enzymes that break down adrenaline, dopamine, serotonin, and melatonin. Yet
Amazonian shamans have been brewing and drinking DMT in the form of the
traditional healing brew called ayahuasca or yagé for hundreds, and possibly
thousands, of years. How is this possible?
Ayahuasca is based on the vine Banisteriopsis caapi (also called the spirit vine,
soul vine, or vine of the dead) mixed with other leaves (e.g. Psychotria viridis or
Psychotria carthagenensis). It is ‘one of the most sophisticated and complex drug
delivery systems in existence’ (Callaway, 1999, p. 256; see also Metzner, 1999). The
mixture works because the caapi vine contains MAO inhibitors (the β-Carbolines
harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmine), while the other plants contain DMT.
If it seems impossible that ancient peoples could have developed this mixture
without knowing any chemistry, the truth is probably simpler. When taken alone,
the caapi vine has some psychoactive properties – it increases the levels of mono-
amines such as dopamine and serotonin – so it is possible that this was discov-
ered first and other DMT-containing plants added later.
Traditionally a healing drug, ayahuasca is becoming more popular far away from
its original setting, with ‘ayahuasca tourism’ on the increase. One frequent effect is
powerful vomiting, giving the drug another of its common names: the ‘vomit drug’.
Otherwise, after anything from a few minutes to an hour come a bewildering vari-
ety of bodily sensations, transformations, visions, and insights (Metzner, 1999; Sha-
non, 2002; Luna and White, 2016); we will learn more about the perceptual effects
in the section on hallucinations in Chapter 14. A sense of communion with plants
and animals is common, and sometimes users feel transformed into the shape
and mind of another creature. Contemplation of death is common, as are mystical
insights into personal matters and deep existential questions. As with the last drug
in this section, drinking ayahuasca is a journey not to be undertaken lightly.
The final drug in this category is often considered to be the ultimate mind-
revealing psychedelic: LSD, or d-lysergic acid diethylamide. LSD has a famous