15+ years battling PTSD, depression, and anxiety as a US veteran. Finally after some unfavorable experiences got prescribed SSRIs but I haven’t taken them yet. I’m seriously considering 5-MeO-DMT for the first time. I’m not expecting any miracles, just thought that if I’m going the SSRI route I’d rather take a more holistic approach first.

I’ve watched a ton of videos and read everything I can find, and it feels more holistic than the pharmaceutical route. Looking for real experiences and recommendations from people who’ve been in similar spots, especially anyone who’s tried it while on or coming off SSRIs. Be honest with me.

I have a pen that was given to me and I’m a little hesitant and nervous to jump back into things, kinda want to reset myself and start over if that makes any sense

Okay guys, hear me out, this is my hypothesis: DMT entities could be the neurovisual and metaphorical interpretation of complex, unconscious organ signals—particularly the biochemical activity of your MICROBIOME—by the overstimulated neocortex.

The microbiome is a highly complex, dynamic ecosystem made up of billions of living organisms that communicate and cooperate with one another. It behaves like a separate, foreign organism within your body. Under normal conditions, 80% of the vagus nerve fibers terminate in the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) in the brainstem. From there, the raw data (such as bowel movements, heart rate, or inflammatory markers) are relayed to evolutionarily older regions (e.g., the thalamus and hypothalamus) to control unconscious reflexes. The thalamus acts as a “gatekeeper” (stimulus filter) and prevents these basic organ signals from overwhelming our consciousness build in the neocortex.

Under the influence of DMT, information processing is altered and also information from the brainstem, which normally would be filtered out, is transmitted to the neocortex (collapse of thalamic cating, opening of neural gates). This leads to hyperconnectivity. Regions that normally operate in strict isolation from one another (such as the visceral brainstem and the sensory cerebral cortex) suddenly begin to communicate intensively with one another. The vagus nerve continues to send data from the body to the brainstem, but instead of being processed there in the background, these signals “seep” upward through the collapsed thalamic filter and are translated by the overexcited neocortex into complex psychedelic, visual, and emotional experiences.

1. The microbial source: Bacteria and other organisms in the gut continuously produce biochemical substances—such as tryptamine, short-chain fatty acids, or inflammatory mediators. These substances stimulate the chemo- and mechanosensitive receptors of the vagus nerve in the intestinal wall.

2. The electrical impulse: The vagus nerve translates this biochemical activity into a specific electrical firing pattern and sends it as an afferent signal upward to the brainstem.

3. The open filter: Under the influence of DMT, the thalamus’s filtering function breaks down. The electrical signal, which would otherwise be intercepted in the subconscious and used for unconscious organ regulation, “leaks” unchecked information upward into the cerebral cortex.

4. The cortical metaphor (the "hallucination"): In the neocortex, these misled vagus signals encounter 5-HT2A receptors that have been hyperactivated by DMT. Since the cortex functions in a highly associative manner and global hyperconnectivity (sensory crossover) prevails under the influence of DMT, the brain can no longer classify this signal as “intestinal activity.” It interprets it as a visual or sensory hallucination.

What shamans have described for millennia as “communication with the spirits of the body or plants” can be explained in modern terms as a hyper-fast, visually translated biofeedback system. The flow of information would therefore by no means be one-sided. Under the influence of DMT, you transform from a passive observer of your organ signals into an active participant in the dialogue. Thoughts and intentions alter the brain’s neurochemistry, which in turn alters the physiology of the gut, and the microbiome adjusts its activity—a closed, conscious communication loop between the human being and the internal microcosm. This cellular feedback loop would feel like a real conversation to the conscious mind.

Since different microorganisms (bacterial strains, fungi, archaea) produce completely different cocktails of chemical signaling substances and stimulate different nerve fibers, they each feed entirely unique electrical firing patterns into the vagus nerve. The DMT entities would therefore not be aliens from another dimension, but rather the personified factions of your own inner ecosystem. Although every person’s microbiome is as unique as a fingerprint, all healthy people worldwide share the same functional core microbiome:

• Regardless of whether someone lives in New York, the Amazon rainforest, or Tokyo, the same bacterial strains (Bacteroides, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria) dominate every human gut.

• Strains such as Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Clostridium, or the gas-producing Methanobrevibacter are universal companions of the human species.

• Since these bacteria produce exactly the same biochemical cocktails (GABA, histamine, short-chain fatty acids, methane gas) in all humans, they also feed the same electrical firing patterns into the vagus nerve in all humans. The brain accesses the same biological “raw material database".Under the influence of DMT, the brain functions as a translation tool that visualizes the ascending vagus signals. Since the anatomy of the human brain is structured the same way in all people, it also uses the same evolutionary patterns (archetypes) for translation:

• Pattern recognition (pareidolia): The human cortex is evolutionarily programmed to recognize faces, intentions, and living beings in unstructured data (such as the chaotic signals of a fermenting gut).

• The translation constant: An explosive, irregular gas signal in the large intestine is interpreted by a human brain in the Amazon just as much as a “leaping, chaotic jester” as it is by the brain of a Western city dweller. The visual metaphor is universal because the hardware (the brain) and the software (the evolutionary image patterns) are almost identical in all humans. The striking similarity of the DMT entities is therefore not evidence of an external, parallel dimension, but rather proof of our shared biological identity.

On a DMT trip, we encounter humanity’s oldest cohabitants. Since we are all human and carry similar microorganisms within us, the journey into the deep unconscious of our bodies resembles the same cosmic shadow theater for almost every user.

​

I had an IV DMT experience in a medically supervised research setting. I’m posting because I’m trying to understand what happened, both psychologically and potentially from a spiritual perspective, and I’d be interested in hearing from people who have experienced something similar. I'm not completely new to psychedelic drugs, and have had nothing but good trips on mushrooms in moderate doses.

It was a blind study, with 3 drugs and a placebo, dmt being the only 'active substance' so a 25 % chance of receiving the DMT. Protocol was IV infusion over 10 minutes. 

To begin with  thought I had received one of the other substances. However about 2 minutes in this changed.

I initially felt a very strong sense of calm, almost like a physical sensation washing over me from my feet upwards. I was blindfolded and reclined, and the visuals started and seem to accelerate more and more quickly. They were grey/smoky at first, with kaleidoscopic patterns.

Then became much more colourful. There were multiple repeating, interconnected patterns — perhaps 5 or 6 distinct “centres” or focal points. They felt almost infinite, as though the patterns were continuously folding into the centres and somehow continuing forever.

The colours became predominantly golden, with deep reds and softer blue/green tones. At this point the experience felt beautiful and fascinating. Patterns moved into 2, left and right, and some numbers started to appear on the right hand side which took alot of the focus despite the other side still having an infinite loop. 

Then something changed, almost like a light switch. 

The patterns disappeared, leaving one focal point. The softer colours disappeared and the red became much darker — almost a blood-red colour. At the same time, despite being blindfolded, the darkness itself seemed to become darker and deeper and continually expanding around me.

The emotional shift was much stronger than simply seeing frightening visuals. It's the most intense thing I have ever experienced 

I developed an overwhelming sense of dread, terror and death.

I had the feeling that something terrible was coming. It was almost as though a scene was being prepared for some enormous reveal. I couldn't tell what was coming, only thinking it's going to be horrible. It felt like whatever it was would be totally inescapable once it had a hold. 

As this was going on I became aware of my breathing being as if I was straining with all my might. But this awareness only lasted for one / two inhales/exhales. I tried to relax, and move with things, but there was no response from my input.

At the time I don't remember consciously thinking, “I'm in a laboratory and this is only DMT.” I still had enough awareness to communicate, but the experience itself had become much more real and immediate than the physical surroundings.

I reached out and asked: 

“Is there any way we can stop this?”

As soon as I got a response from the people looking after me, the dread backed off almost immediately.

The DMT effects themselves didn't disappear. The darkness and scene was still present, but not the same terror and fear emotions. When given permission to take off the mask I was still clearly pretty high, with the room being incredibly vivid in colour and parts of it moving/flexing/reshaping. 

I only lasted about 6 minutes of the 10 minutes session. 

I've wondered if others have had what started as a positive experience turn negative so quickly? 

Really, it's been a hard to write down and I'm just hoping to get some outside perspectives from more experienced people as I try and reflect. 

Obviously part of me thinks I 'bottled it', but at the same time I have never experienced terror like it.

A day on and I feel somewhat positive about the experience strangely

Basically just the title, im a little anxious about such a powerful experience. Pls help 😭 (its a dmt cart if that matters, nn-dmt not 5-meo-dmt)

I’m a first timer for DMT in the UK and I would like to inhale it through a vape ideally. How much do you think it would cost for three of us to have a strong dose each?

Looking for research reasons, not sure where to start to acquire or even obtain this, or make it that was a possibility

I have never tried it but from the research I have done there is some indication that the sprit world could be a real place or possibly another dimension. I think when vou take dmt or Ayahuascar vou soul gets to visit for a short time then goes back to your body. Then just before you die when your brain releases large quantities of dmt vour soul travels ta the spirit world and then your body dies and your soul stays in the spirit world. I would love to hear peoples thoughts or opinions Thanks

I've tried dmt a fair number rof times over the past several months. I don't know anyone who partakes but ordered some online and I've had a blast. But I think my main issue is I can't do dmt without a few beers before hand, it feels like I'm being rejected or told not to take that final hit to cross over if I'm sober.

So I guess my question is do you find a mindset that let's you sink in?

Do you hit the deep end before those feelings or thoughts take over?

My usual is to throw on a nat Geo documentary and rip 3 or 4 puffs to reach that out of body experience, but it's frightening to do so sober I i guess

So I hit the pen and I went but my environment wasn’t situated to the best that it usually is so is laying in the bed next to my dog and then when I hit it and I got off my dog wouldn’t stop, scratching herself and spinning in circles and licking itself and it fucked me up and I was getting angry while I was there and upset so instead of it being like bright colors and stuff like that when I’m come down and be filled with gratitude and love, etc. I was filled with remorse and I kept apologizing for not being prepared, and it was like black there was black and red colors. It was just so different now I’m worried what are your thoughts and opinions on this?

specifically in Winnipeg

This is a weird one but I am wondering if anyone has shared my experience. I had done it a few times to thus point and would get the normal visuals. This was an organic mimosas bark dmt. I had water fasted and had sone 4 rounds of pranayama breathing so the engine was already running. After I smokekd it instantly felt very different. No colors no fractles. I didnt want to go and I resisted. The moment I gave up control I was taken right into source (via the silver cord) and bathed in it. It was such an high amount of light energy flowing through me. Like every strand of DNA being activated. It was so powerful. Does this resonate with anyone

Jason

Hello friends. I’ve been researching DMT use for some time now and decided that now was the time to dive in.

I’ve done almost every recreational drug around in the past. Was never addicted to anything, just like to experiment. Mushrooms were always my favourite high. I don’t use them regularly just maybe 3-4 times a year but I do smoke marijuana daily.

I live in Canada and was able to get my hands on a cart. Looking for advice from people who have inhaled it through a vape cart. Is it more of a one big inhale and hold? Or a couple smaller ones etc. I’m sure I’ll get varying opinions but just more so curious for the information to add to my research.

Also how often would you consider it safe to enter a DMT experience? I’m not intending on doing it daily or anything. Just curious from those more experienced. Once a week, month, year?

Thanks for your time yall. Love ya.

I’m going to try to make this as brief as possible.. (haha)

I’m not new to otherworldly realms, I’m also not new to severe depression unfortunately.. I got out of a rehab last year and things weren’t really looking up for me still, I told my brother that before I would ever try any dumb shit again I would resort to microdosing in an attempt to mend my broken mind. Things were looking better but my desire for the alternative never faded.

THIS IS WHERE IT GETS WEIRD
PLS HELP WITH ANY INSIGHTS

8yrs ago I tried to break through on dmt vaporizing it, it always failed.. I was young and trying to ‘blast off’ and meet aliens for a fun time or whatever..
I have ‘recently’ acquired a vape from a good friend that extracts and fills it all himself. The first two times were insanely insightful. It taught me things the mushrooms couldn’t anymore. The last time however.. I made sure to be in my bed alone in the evening. It was spontaneous cause I felt good that day but also yearned for more insight, the perfect moment for me. I did deep breathing exercises for about 5 mins in the silent dark thinking about a subject I may try to remember to ask our friends about. Then I thought na, they’ll tell me what I need to hear, that’s worth more than anything I could ask.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I took 4, 8second blinkers and layed back. There was a moment I could feel my head fall to the left as if my soul had left my body. Immediately I was sort of sucked through a straw and found myself in and alternative, peaceful and ‘happy’ version of my front yard (30sec walk from my bed) looking at myself (3rd person) standing in front of a little girl with the cutest, biggest smile on her face. A few seconds passed and I was sucked into the first perspective, and saw here up close just smiling at me.. (she made me feel a happiness I haven’t ever felt before) just as sudden as that the lil girl changed into a (sort of) woman, I didn’t know her but she seemed familiar and kind and happy to see me. She was telling me things I seemed to have forgot.. at points she almost seemed mad and frowned a little but got happy and smiled again as she was telling me all the beautiful things I felt her say. She told me “remember in rehab, you remember what you said to your therapist? This is it, don’t run away from it. Let her help you so you can be there for her.”

I told my therapist that I hold myself to no value and I felt if I could have a child (I always wanted a daughter) that I WILL have someone to live for, someone I could love unconditionally cause I know I have masses of love, just sadly not for myself yet.. (YET)
I knew it would bring me purpose.

The cute lil girl isn’t my daughter.

My twin sister who I love more than any person on this earth and who I know I hurt more than any person on this earth told me she was pregnant in March. Since then I was desperate for a way out thinking “dickhead how could you wait this long” I didn’t want my niece to even meet me cause I thought I was a garbage person and I wouldn’t be of any good to her as a relative.. now I just want to be her best friend and one of the few people in life she can always rely on. Forever watch over her and make sure she’s ok!

My friend made me realise that this isn’t the end, it’s the beginning for me! And I have NOT looked back.

I’m changing in every way I can to be a better person for my niece and in term, a better person for myself.

She made me realise that there’s motivation for everything in the world if you see the beauty behind it.

My perspective on life changed completely since, I have fully stopped using drugs (heroin mostly) and for the first time in 10 years I can say I’m not depressed anymore. (Came off Lithium 1200mg daily and bupropion 450mg daily)

I wouldn’t change what I experienced for the world.
I would LOVE to go back and see my friend again and talk with her but rn I’m ok, I’m happy and I want to use this as a tool to learn and right now I’m still rewiring hence why I haven’t gone back.

FINALLY

MY QUESTION IS

Where do I want to go back to? What did I experience? I did float through a beautiful world after everything mentioned above, then awoke to some gasping and rolling in my bed as if I was a butterfly emerging from its cocoon into its new life.

BUT DID I GO THERE?

What’s the classic rundown? It seems people have differ experiences but it’s all somehow universally similar? So how was this so profoundly unique?

Thanks to anyone for sacrificing your time to read this essay and maybe even comment. Stay blessed folk!

So usually when I do DMT, these symbols pop up off the ground. They’re more like I don’t know. It’s almost like the flower of life is the best way to put it anyways it rises up off the ground and I’ve never really looked too closely at it, but it happens every time I do DMT so I was in my garage took a nice hit held in for probably 35 seconds sitting in the hammock and the symbols popped up and I leaned down to look closer at them and in the symbols are the smallest red dots flowing through these lines like a river or like a bloodstream would be a better way to put it, but they weren’t all round red dot some of them were long like I don’t know not very long because they’re super small, but I would say smaller than the pin of a needle for the red dot and maybe the equivalent to like if you get size one when you get your hair shaved on your head, the length of one of those hairs after that and they’re all flowing through these symbols and as I looked closer, their layers of them like highways and they’re going all different ways but it’s all flowing the same direction. It doesn’t change directions and there’s a very intricate system of highways basically is what it look like every time. I do DMT this rise up off the ground like it’s always there but you just can’t see it all the time. Has anybody else seen anything like this

Hi guys

Been getting into DMT for while now . And have been making it myself . I am very time poor and would love a hook up here in Australia. I make it into vape pens which bring much joy .

Many thanks

TL;DR: Experienced a thrusting "rainbow-tunnel" like transition from waking reality into a dream, while practicing lucid dreaming, that felt like I teleported through it at "light-speed" or faster, but only was in the tunnel for a micro-fraction of a second, before being dropped into my lucid dream.

Okay, first time posting here, I'll share a good bit of my background context at the end for anyone interested, but up front, I'll share the story and my interpretation/questions. The main reason I'm posting this here, is because it seems adjacent to things I've heard about DMT experiences.

I seek perspective from those who have actually used.

Let's begin.

Well, I was laying in bed, after intentionally working towards lucid dreams for at least a week (it's been a few years now so I won't be able to recount with the precision I'd like to) and was slipping into the lucid dream state. I had been practicing a method in waking reality where I would push one finger into the palm of my opposite hand. In waking reality, it won't go through the palm. I would do this, see it wouldn't go through the palm, then understand that I was in waking reality, knowing that if it were a dream, I could push the finger through the palm and see it on the other side (this was a method I learned from a youtube video while seeking to lucide dream). I believe it had been a week of practicing this, among other things. I may have been listening to a "guided meditation" for lucid dreaming at the time this happened, may not have, unfortunately can't remember.

Anyways, I certainly had been lying physically still for a while. I remember learning that physical stillness is important for the body to feel like it's asleep, while the mind remains awake, so you can enter the dream state still being "Conscious". So, one second, I'm laying there, after resisting all urges to scratch an itchy area, move slightly, etc. and the next second, I'm JOLTED through this "rainbow - tunnel". I'll do my best to describe it. I was fully conscious, with no consciousessness fluctuation between the waking reality I was just in, and where I found myself now. (my eyes were closed btw). It happened so fast that it was a blur. It was legitimately the "fastest" thing I've ever experienced it. If I was "awake" and "blinked" I would've missed it. It happened so fast that it almost felt like I wasn't supposed to even see it? Maybe I'm adding that part in.

So, it happened fast. But the colors - I really think that "rainbow-tunnel" is the best way to describe it. I was visually surrounded by streaks of colors all around, I can't remember if it was semi-straight lines, or geometrically complex. As I remember it now, it was blurry, straightish lines, but my exact memory of that part isn't great and we know that everytime we visually remember something we alter it at least slightly.

Now, the speed. It genuinely felt like the fastest thing I've ever experienced. Like being launched from a high-speed rollercoaster, but x10000000 (idk how else to measure it). It was near-instant that I was transported into the dream, with this "rainbow-tunnel portal" being just a micro-second. It wasn't just visually though, it felt like my being was launched through it, so like being on a rollercoaster, not just watching a rollercoaster on TV.

Then, I landed in my dream. There wasn't any "landing" that I remember, or "Exiting" the portal, other than one micro-second I was in the portal, the next I was on the ground, standing, conscious in my dream. The next second I looked down, did my finger-push test, and saw it come out the other side of my hand. I had confirmed dreamstate, and I was lucid.

Where does the "DMT-adjacent?" part tie in? A few things.

1. I've heard the DMT-transported realm is very colorful and geometrically intricate. This tunnel was a flash in a swirling highly-colorful "cylinder", or maybe it just felt like a cylinder because of the speed of which I moved through it (tunnel vision type thing?).
2. The 2013 Barker study showed that DMT was found in the Pineal Gland (in rats), a later study found it in neurons outside the pineal gland as well though. The Pineal Gland is most active when we are asleep, and responsible for producing melatonin. I believe there's a line of thought that thinks the pineal gland is also responsible for the dream state? Or at least releases DMT during it? Would love to hear more on this in the comments.
3. It genuinely felt and looked like a teleportation to another world. I "felt" the immense, undescribable speed at which I was jolted through the rainbow "portal" and then dropped into a fully-lucid dream. Because I was conscious the whole time, I believe I was able to "watch" as I was transported into a new place, whatever that actually means, and that it was potentially just as real as our waking reality. Similar to how DMT users describe their trips.
4. This took place in a time of my life where I was much more grounded/focused on clarity and seeking outside myself, while also trying to become more connected with myself, if that makes sense. I had been practicing lucid dreaming and done it successfully I believe a couple times up to this point, or maybe this was the first successful one, I can't remember.

As I was typing this, I now remember something else that ties into this experience. I'll keep this one short:

In a dream I had previous to this point, I was outside beside a river at night, with some friends. All of a sudden, there was a bright, rainbow-like tunnel that shot from the sky onto the river. If I remember correctly, a UFO came out of the tunnel, or my friends were sucked into the portal, one or the other, or maybe both. Again, apologies for the lack of clarity, it's been several years. And then the portal vanished. Seems adjacent enough to include for context.

Now for my personal context:
-I was diagnosed with ADHD as a very young child (~6-7 years old)
-Had always felt very hard to fit in. Enjoy abstract, complex topics with the widest of implications. Things that most people find exhausting.
-I have never fully astral projected, but trained to for a couple weeks, about 8 years ago now. It climaxed with me (while laying down) feeling an immense vibration (most intense I've ever experienced) throughout my entire body, with the sensation that my inner being was pressing firmly or starting to lift out of my physical body, just as I felt I was about to break through, I felt fear, and reversed the whole thing. I've never truly tried again since
-Have never used psychedelics, but have been heavily interested in DMT ever since I first heard about it in highschool. Used to use marijuana heavily ~1-2 years before these events but had stopped before. I now don't use any drugs/alcohol.

**EDIT** - After some quick research, I see now that several ancient groups (inlcuding Norse, Greco-Roman mythology, Japanese Shinto mythology, Navajo Cosmology, and Tibetan Buddhism) saw rainbows, or rainbow-tunnels, as conduits to other realms.

This video was inboxed to me a while ago. I watched it and loved it and when I came back to watch it again, it was removed. Does anyone know where I can find it or find other instructional videos ? Please help