#hallucinogenics

N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is a naturally occurring tryptamine alkaloid and a potent 5-HT2A serotonin receptor agonist. It is found in numerous plants and with trace amounts in mammals. DMT was first synthesized by Canadian chemist Richard Manske in 1931, while its presence in nature was found by Oswaldo Gonçalves de Lima in 1946, and its psychedelic effects were discovered by Stephen Szára in 1956. Decades later, Dr. Rick Strassman utilized synthetic DMT, in an attempt to understand its profound psychological and spiritual impacts on human consciousness, coining the term 'spirit molecule'.

The recent phenomenon of being "banned" from the DMT realm by its entities is actually a recurring theme in online psychedelic communities, and its recent trendiness can be understood through several interconnected lenses. In my attempt to find the origin of this trend, my qualitative analysis of DMT experiences posted on the r/DMT subreddit and various other message boards covers a 10-year period from 2009 to 2018. While this doesn't pinpoint the start of this trend, it does show that by 2009, there was already a significant enough online community to generate thousands of trip reports for academic study.

This proliferation of anecdotal "lockout" stories in online communities like Reddit, were given a pseudo-scientific framework by figures like Andrew Gallimore. Gallimore's academic titles and institutional affiliations are genuine, but his speculative framework goes far beyond the established science in his field.

It's a Hypothesis, Not a Theory: His ideas are speculative leaps built on top of other speculative ideas (like Hoffman's "conscious realism," which is itself a philosophical position, not a proven scientific fact). A Publishers Weekly review of his book notes it is "long on strange and short on science".

It Explains Away, Rather Than Tests: Instead of proposing falsifiable experiments to disprove his own ideas, his framework is designed to absorb any contradictory evidence. A "bad trip" is reinterpreted as a "ban" by autonomous entities, making the experience unfalsifiable.

It's a Marketing Tool: This pseudo-scientific framework is a powerful marketing tool. It elevates the DMT experience from a subjective psychological event to an objective, cosmic one, which is a key selling point for the expensive retreats and guides discussed in our earlier conversation about commercialization and "scams."

There is no single, proven cause, but rather a convergence of psychological, cultural, and pharmacological factors on DMT bans.

This trend connects to the broader themes of biopiracy and epistemicide that we will begin to explore in this post. I argue that this "spirit molecule" myth, stripped of its true indigenous context and commodified via spiritual capitalism, has created this spiritual crisis. Western people are seeking profound meaning in this molecule, but when approaching it with the typical consumerist, entitled and disrespectful westernized attitude continuously, the experience is almost guaranteed to backfire spectacularly.

I believe this "spiritual ban" narrative is a modern, Westernized way of grappling with the profound power of these substances without the cultural framework and centuries of indigenous shamanic traditions that traditionally guided and contextualized such experiences. It's a symptom of epistemicide: the attempt to use this "technology" without wisdom, leading to a psychological and spiritual short-circuit.

The idea that DMT mimics what happens when we die is partially supported by psychological studies, but the theory that the brain releases a large amount of DMT during death remains largely scientific myth. While a DMT trip simulates the subjective experience of dying, actual neuroscience points to different biological causes when it comes to NDE's aka Near Death Experiences.

🧠 The Subjective Overlap (What Mimics Death)

Scientific studies, including prominent clinical trials at Imperial College London, have compared DMT trips directly against validated medical scales used to measure NDE's. They found massive overlapping features:

Ego Dissolution: A complete loss of self and a feeling of separating from the physical body.

Alternative Realms: Entering an different, highly vivid reality or dimension.

Entity Encounters: Meeting seemingly intelligent, non human or spiritual beings.

✖️The Core Differences

Despite the similarities, a study published in Psychology Today highlights the distinct psychological differences that separate a DMT trip from an actual NDE:

Life Review: People experiencing actual NDEs frequently have reported a linear "panoramic life review" where they re-watch their memories. This rarely occurs during a DMT trip.

The Threshold: True NDEs often feature a definitive border or point of no return, like a wall, river or gate which is mostly absent from DMT experiences.

Deceased Loved Ones: People near death regularly encounter spirits of specific dead relatives, wheares DMY users usually report abstract, alien like entities.

Lack of Transformation: In Pott's review he noted subjects using DMT, lacked the powerful transformative after effects of NDEs. He concluded that in NDEs permanent change is the rule rather than the exception, whereas it is the exception rather than the rule with DMT.

🔬Biological & Scientific Reality vs The Pineal Gland Myth

The popular theory that the pineal gland floods the brain with DMT at death was popularized by Dr. Strassman in the 1990's has still never been proven and has been refruted by modern neuroscience.

Mainstream neuroscience indicates that while the human brain can produce trace amounts of DMT, the pineal gland lacks the biochemical machinery to accumulate or release a massive trip inducing dose. Instead when the heart stops and the brain experiences a lack of oxygen via hypoxia, the actual trip of "dying" is caused by a complex coctail of surging gamma brain waves alongside the heavy release of other natural neurochemicals like endorphins, dynorphins and glutamate.

This is why I argue modern DMT usage is kind of a scam & in term a form of fraudulent spiritual capitalism.

Because DMT is only a "simulation" of an NDE it does not require biological or experiential perfection. It only requires the reproduction of specific, salient features under controlled conditions. DMT reliably reproduces the core subjective features of an NDE (disembodiment, entity encounters, peace) while missing the narrative and biological ones (life review, threshold, oxygen deprivation etc).

Therefore, it is a useful but imperfect model, a phenomenological simulation, not a genuine biological replica. The "scam" lies in conflating the two, using the unproven "death flood" myth to sell the idea that a drug-induced trip is the same as the actual experience of dying. The science says they are related, but they are far from identical.  It is a simulation of the phenomenology (the internal experience), not a simulation of the biology (the actual process of dying).

Cultural Appropriation, Epistemicide & Biopiracy: The Theft of Indigenous Knowledge and Resources

The most blatant form of colonization is biopiracy, the act of patenting or claiming ownership over traditional indigenous knowledge and biological resources without permission or fair compensation.

The Ayahuasca Patent: In 1986, a U.S. citizen was granted U.S. Plant Patent No. 5,751P for a variety of the Banisteriopsis caapi vine. This was a sacred plant, considered a "plant-teacher" by many Indigenous groups. The patent effectively claimed ownership over a specific genetic resource that Amazonian peoples had cultivated, used, and understood for centuries. Indigenous organizations and their allies fought against this patent, arguing that it was an act of biopiracy that violated their collective rights. The patent was eventually re-examined and invalidated, but it set a powerful precedent.

What is Biopiracy?: This process is not an isolated incident. The term was coined to describe how corporations and researchers from the Global North exploit the genetic resources and traditional knowledge of Indigenous communities in the Global South to develop commercial products, often securing patents that cut out the original knowledge holders.

Beyond the legal theft of plants, there is the colonization of knowledge itself, what scholars call epistemicide, or the killing off of existing knowledge systems.

Decontextualization: The global "ayahuasca tourism" industry strips sacred rituals of their context. For Indigenous groups like the Kichwa, drinking hayakwaska (the correct term in their language) is a collective act to maintain balance within the community and with the forest. In tourist retreats, it's often repackaged as a private, individualized "mystical shortcut to healing and enlightenment".

Erasure of Indigenous Science: Western science often frames itself as the discoverer of these substances, while Indigenous knowledge is dismissed as "tradition" or "belief". A prominent example was a 2023 headline in the journal Nature asking how psychedelic treatments work, which completely ignored the detailed expertise of traditional healers who have worked with these plants for generations. This act of erasure is a form of intellectual colonization.

Linguistic Distortion: Even the name "ayahuasca" is a point of contention. Kichwa activist Nina Gualinga explains that "ayahuasca" is a modern invention largely used in spiritual tourism, with "aya" meaning "soul of a dead person." The proper term in her language is hayakwaska, which means "bitter vine". The widespread use of the colonized name itself distorts the plant's meaning and origins.

The pitfalls of Spiritual Capitalism: Commercialization and "Scam" Element

This is where the "scam" aspect comes in, tying back to the earlier themes of biopiracy and spiritual capitalism via the commodification of this "spirit molecule."

The journey from the sacred hayakwaska of the Amazon to the "spirit molecule" sold at expensive retreats is a direct continuation of the colonial project. It began with the theft of land and indigenous lives, and continues today with the theft of knowledge and genetic resources.

The "spirit molecule" myth, while unscientific, is a powerful marketing tool that helps to decontextualize and commodify these plants. It allows the West to position itself as the discoverer and arbiter of these substances' value, while the Indigenous peoples who developed this "technology" over centuries are pushed aside, their knowledge erased, and their environments degraded but also contributes to the inauthenticity of the trip DMT users experience.

Selling the Narrative: This DMT "entity ban" is a powerful and frightening story. It reinforces the "spirit molecule" mythology by suggesting that DMT grants access to a real, autonomous realm with its own gatekeepers. This makes the experience seem more profound and legitimate, which is a key selling point for expensive retreats and guides.

A Rebranded Practice: Interestingly, the concept of a "lockout" or "ban" has been critiqued before as a modern, rebranded version of older spiritual practices like Spirit Releasement Therapy (SRT). This suggests that the underlying idea of spirits blocking or attacking a person is an old one, simply being repackaged for a modern, drug-centric audience.

Extractivism: While the global psychedelic industry generates millions, Amazonian Indigenous communities see little of this wealth. Unsustainable harvesting depletes the forest, and Indigenous leaders such as those at the 5th Indigenous Ayahuasca Conference in 2025 have formally rejected this unethical global market.

The "Scam" is the System: As we've discussed earlier, the real "scam" isn't a single person or event. It's the systemic exploitation of Indigenous knowledge and the commodification of a sacred experience aka spiritual capitalism. The "entity ban" is just another trendy narrative being used to sell that experience.

The Pharmacological Reality: What the Science Says

While the subjective experience of a "ban" is very real, neuroscience offers a different explanation. It's crucial to distinguish between the feeling of being banned and the objective reality of what is happening in the brain.

The 5-HT2A Receptor: DMT is a potent agonist at the serotonin 2A receptor (5-HT2A) in the brain. This receptor is heavily involved in high-level cognitive functions, including perception, cognition, and mood.

What a "Ban" Might Biologically Represent: A "ban" could be the brain's way of processing a negative emotional state (fear, anxiety, disrespect) that is amplified and projected outward by the drug's effect on the 5-HT2A receptor system. Instead of a warm, welcoming experience, the brain constructs a narrative of rejection and hostility.

Entity Encounter Statistics: A study by parapsychologist David Luke found that while 90% of participants encountered entities and 85% believed they were real, some were "blocked from returning". However, the study also notes that most encounters are "warm, healing interactions," and that negative or malicious experiences are less common.

A Crisis of Meaning, Literacy, Empathy & Critical Thinking Skills aka Spiritual Stupidity

This trend connects to the broader themes of biopiracy and epistemicide we've previously explored. The "spirit molecule" myth, stripped of its true Indigenous context and commodified for capitalistic purposes, has created in turn a spiritual crisis.

In short: The trend of being "banned" from DMT realm by entities is likely a combination of:

A psychological reaction to poor "set and setting," manifesting as a terrifyingly vivid metaphor for rejection.

A cultural reinforcement of the "spirit molecule" mythos, which gives the experience a narrative of objective reality.

A pharmacological amplification of underlying emotional states by the drug's action on the brain's serotonin system.

A symptom of a deeper crisis the attempt to find meaning in a molecule divorced from the cultural context that gave it that meaning.

The most logical conclusion? Immunity from overuse - frequent users might have simply built a higher tolerance to the molecule rendering the simulation of this experience no longer effective. Which begs an additional question, when they do eventually die - will they actually experience anything at their actual end?

As a recent 2025 comparative study concluded, "DMT is distinctly unique in its qualitative content" and "the two experiences clearly diverge" when examined in detail in comparison to a NDE.

The DMT scam is not merely about selling a drug and it's hallucinogenic properties. It is about stealing a rainforest's genetic heritage, erasing the intellectual lineage of its guardians, wrapping the spoils in a debunked neuro-mythological wrapper, and selling it back to the world as a "spirit molecule." That's spiritual capitalism for you, ensuring that you get trash repackaged as an authentic spiritual experience. The greatest hallucination is not the trip itself, it is the belief that this extraction, erasure, and exploitation somehow constitutes healing. I mean have you seen the people who use DMT?

Western arrogance and entitlement, rooted in colonialism has led to a cult of stupidity that commodifies, distorts, and ultimately hollows out a genuine spiritual practice, giving birth to spiritual capitalism and the ensuing DMT scam, breeding a bastion of slobbering drugged out idiots who think they having a spiritually profound experience.

Spiritual capitalism is not just selling a drug; it is selling the illusion of authenticity. It tells Westerners, "You don't need to learn a language, respect a culture, or do the hard work of community-building. Just pay us, drink or smoke this, and you will have the profound experience you seek."

This is the lie and this is the stupidity of it all. And it is a lie built on the twin pillars of Western arrogance and the erasure of Indigenous truths. It's also why these dumbasses eventually get banned from their supposed DMT realm by entities, which to be frank is only faint copy of it's true spiritual reality.

This post has been brought to you by my lovely neighbor John whom after his DMT trip, broke into my garden in my back yard and pissed on my three year old baby magnolia tree, effectively killing it. Then John had nerve to complain to me after sobering up that he's been banned from the DMT realm. That baby magnolia was three years of my careful work and cultivation down the drain!

You're not spiritual, you're fucking kook! Go fuck yourself John & the rest of you DMT users!

As for the rest of you, have a good day and goodbye!

xoxo

you ain't never had no chia pet pussy!!

@room-on-broom asked: @febuwhump Day 5: Not Trusting Reality @loopstagirl recommended Gordon The rest, as they say, is history.

~

A three-day break on the French Riviera was just the tonic Gordon needed. Rescues had been thick and fast and the last one was the straw that broke the camel’s back - almost literally.

Three days on his strongest painkillers followed by a week of intense physio and at least he could move now, even if it wasn’t as freely as he’d like it to be.

So Grandma had ordered him to go away for a few days, Penny had said she had a thing in France and would he like to accompany her and Gordon and said yes before finding out what said ‘thing’ was…

To start the appetite here is an extra sketch of Spock in traditional Vulcan underwear.

✨ See below the cut for a little teaser of CampySpaceSlime's awesome writing. And believe me, you want to read it.

Pushing past the limit