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Psychedelic Sandwich

By Gregon

Reality Sandwich has a couple of fascinating interviews posted regarding shamanism and entheogens. Yesterday I posted an embedded video of RS’s Jonathan Phillips interviewing Jeremy Narby, author of The Cosmic Serpent (Amazon US and UK). Narby discusses his work investigating ayahuasca, how it personally affected his worldview, and some of the insights and discoveries he has made in researching the Amazonian entheogenic brew.

Also new from Reality Sandwich is Martin Ball’s interview with DMT researcher Rick Strassman (published in text format), regarding his new (co-authored) book Inner Paths to Outer Space: Journeys to Alien Worlds through Psychedelics and Other Spiritual Technologies (Amazon US and UK). Rick discusses DMT entities, new ideas for scientific research with entheogens, ‘quantum consciousness’ and much more.

Remember that Rick Strassman is currently discussing the book on Graham Hancock’s Author of the Month messageboard (until the end of July). Also, previously on TDG: my interview with Dr Rick Strassman, and also a review of DMT: The Spirit Molecule (Amazon US and UK).

Greg
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Greg is the owner-editor of The Daily Grail, as well as the author of a number of books including Stop Worrying, There Probably is an Afterlife.
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6 Comments

  1. Another Excellent Article
    Is available at National Geographic. The writer Kira Salak shares a tremendously detailed account, that veers from terror to bliss, includes encounters with past and future incarnations, and results in resolution of some long-term psychological issues. She also underwent a reversal of her lifelong view of atheism.

    It’s a fascinating read, and her comment towards the end is intruiging:

    Me, I’m ready to go home. I sit up with difficulty, as if waking from decades of sleep. It would be easier for me to call it all a dream, a grand hallucination. Then I could have my old world back, in which I thought I knew what was real and unreal, true and untrue. Now the problem is, I don’t know anything.

    1. Knowing nothing
      I remember posting this a couple of times, it’s a good read. Especially telling is how the ayahuasca experience completely shattered not only her atheistic beliefs, but propelled her into another world she didn’t think possible. I might try and contact her, and ask her for a follow-up. How does she feel and think two years on? There’s literature describing the immediate effects, but not many (recent) accounts of ayahuasca and long-term experiences. That might be a good question to pose to Dr Rick Strassman…

      1. Yes it would
        I’d be interested in that as well.

        The Ayahuasca experience reports seems to be much deeper and more profound than those of other psychedelics. Allan Smith’s comparison of the spontaneous onset of Cosmic Consciousness and the LSD experience concluded that while there were similarities, the CC event was the most significant experience of his life, and led to dramatic changes that have endured.

        After reading Kira’s account, I can’t help but think that she would have experienced enduring change as well, but at the same time, not all DMT experiences appear to have anywhere near the depth and complexity hers did.

        In the end, I think that psychedelic research is very valuable, but the reports of spontaneous CC and kundalini awakening, profound realizations achieved through meditation, and other assorted unity experiences are even more intriguing because they occur naturally.

        1. Going Deeper
          [quote=Michael H]The Ayahuasca experience reports seems to be much deeper and more profound than those of other psychedelics.[/quote]

          Iboga is perhaps considered even more ‘deep’ than ayahuasca. Not so much transcendent though – more like taking to your psyche with a pick-axe and digging out the clods of mud.

          [quote]After reading Kira’s account, I can’t help but think that she would have experienced enduring change as well, but at the same time, not all DMT experiences appear to have anywhere near the depth and complexity hers did. [/quote]

          While DMT is a part of ayahuasca, they shouldn’t be conflated. A DMT experience is usually that chemical alone, and is usually smoked, meaning a 15 minute trip blasted out of a cannon. Ayahuasca has added chemicals (eg. harmaline), and lasts 8 hours…more time to contemplate and integrate what is happening.

          Kind regards,
          Greg
          ——————————————-
          You monkeys only think you’re running things

          1. Hmmmmm . . .
            [quote=Greg]Iboga is perhaps considered even more ‘deep’ than ayahuasca. Not so much transcendent though – more like taking to your psyche with a pick-axe and digging out the clods of mud. [/quote]

            OUCH!!!

            [quote]While DMT is a part of ayahuasca, they shouldn’t be conflated. A DMT experience is usually that chemical alone, and is usually smoked, meaning a 15 minute trip blasted out of a cannon. Ayahuasca has added chemicals (eg. harmaline), and lasts 8 hours…more time to contemplate and integrate what is happening.[/quote]

            I did not realize the chemical differences, though I did grasp that direct DMT was a briefer experience – Strassman says his subjects received IV dosages which were essentially eliminated from the system in 30 -60 minutes.

            Since this is the case, wouldn’t it be wiser to investigate the deeper ayahuasca experiences rather than the cannon shots?

            I’ll volunteer. I’m sure there’s demons in need of exorcism within me. Pesky buggers . . . 🙂

          2. Aya
            Dr Strassman’s voluneers were given almost 100% pure DMT, intravenously. Blasted out of a cannon indeed! But I don’t think we’ll see Dr Strassman conducting an ayahuasca clinical study anytime soon. For one thing, ayahuasca is intrinsically linked to its environment — taking it in an urban hospital ward wouldn’t have the same effects. Also, I doubt the nurses who worked with Dr Strassman would appreciate dealing with diapers and buckets during an eight-hour ayahuasca trip! 😉

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