Hello fellow travelers!

I finally remembered to register on a weekend, but have been actively consuming the wealth of information here for the last couple months.

I'm happy to report 2 successful MHRB extractions thanks to all the information here (yielding roughly 1% of yellowish spice via the Max Ion Tek, minus the acid cook).

This might deserve a future thread of its own, but I wanted to post my initial breakthrough experience, as well as throw out some of my (many) questions that linger.


1st BREAKTHROUGH: The Source

I've been using the GVG from the beginning, and sampled 20 & 40 mg of my whitest spice. These were very strange experiences, cold and mathematical and sub-breakthrough. I really did not like the waiting room I ended up in on 40mg, it was incredibly lonely and mathematical and devoid of meaning.

SO, I got crazy and loaded up 60mg on some dried peppermint, and essentially inhaled the entire dose in one breath. The onset was ultra powerful, and so fast that it felt like being launched out of a cannon. The chrysanthemum that I clearly experienced on 40mg either didn't happen or it happened so fast I don't even remember it. I also (unfortunately) have no memory of actually going through any "tunnel" or what I even saw during this time. What I do remember was finding myself floating in this place that was utterly transcendental: a place of incredibly intense light that felt ultimate--pure knowledge and power and truth and love, wrapped into an ether of light that felt soul-penetrating. It felt like the center of everything. I have long been a stark athiest, skeptic, and materialist. But this felt like it was the essence of God, or at least of Truth. While more may have been said, I felt a powerful voice speaking through me as I floated in this indescribable light... it said quite unambiguously: "The purpose of life is to love and care for others."

As I gradually settled back into my body, I couldn't help but think that this experience felt incredibly special. Having done some reading, it sounds like this *may* have been the experience that some describe as the "Source" or "Central Light". I have had several breakthroughs since, but none have taken back to this place... I would really love to hear if others have experienced this or something similar.



QUESTIONS:

For anyone experienced reading this I'd LOVE input on some of these questions:

1. Does peppermint (or other herbs) reduce the chances of burning the spice? I've tried it with and without, and found the GVG much trickier to use without it, but also wonder if it soaks up some liquid spice and makes it harder to get the full hit in one toke.

2. Do most of you try to take a breakthrough dose in a single breath? I'm doing this solo, so additional tokes have proved very difficult to manage and also quite distracting from the experience.

3. I'm a little disappointed and frustrated with how LITTLE I remember from these experiences. I've had a couple breakthroughs where I came back remembering almost nothing at all. Does this improve with time? Are there any tricks to improve retention besides trying to write it down immediately?

4. Besides my first breakthrough (described above), the rest have felt like I have gone to a similar place each time. I haven't experienced the wide breadth of experiences (or visuals) that others have described, nor do I feel like I have really *met* entities. While conversations have sort of felt like they were happening, much of it feels like the deep self-talk that is common on lesser psychadelics, not like speaking to an autonomous entity. It has felt incredibly real and profound, but I wish could write trip reports like some of you; but I simply can't remember.

5. Yellow spice: Sounds like it's mostly safe to smoke... however, what do the other alkaloids actually DO? I've had a couple experiences with an uncomfortable pulsing or high-frequency vibration, especially on the come-down, that didn't feel good at all. Wondering if that was impurities having adverse effects?

6. Are torch lighters really the best for the GVG? It feels like the margin of error to burn the spice is very small. Corollary question: if using 7 or 8 filters, is it likely that after a few hits they will get clogged with plant oils? I had a problem with several hits in a row being almost ineffective--wondering if this might be a part of it.

7. One thing that almost all breakthroughs have had in common is this powerful feeling during the come-up of "OF COURSE, NOW I REMEMBER", which continues to nibble at my once-infallible construction of reality. Do any of you ever remember enough of this to describe what it actually IS that we remember as we enter this realm?


Thanks for any and all advice, answers, and support. I'm excited to continue this journey with this remarkably intelligent and helpful community.

AS far as remembering....sometimes i do remember good chunks sometimes I dont. Try to focus on the feeling or the overall message not each and every word. although sometimes I remember it quite well. I think that comes with practice but also you can have that ability taken away from you if that makes sense. But like I said for me the important part is the message the visuals are cool but less important to me in some ways. Music helps as well. recently went through a hard time it was just a hard week but putting on a song that was playing during some of my early trips brought back the felling big time! made me smile and tear up. Try using that as a trigger to remember the feeling or the general message. I think we can get handed so much and so different than the everyday world once your back its hard. Also remembering details is easier right when you come out. have a note book and write things down. reading that can also bring back those feelings...as time goes on I remember less of the details.

Oh 1 more thing....ask it to let you remember. One time I was so puzzled i couldn't remember ANYThing from it the next time i went back i asked it how can i remember these things.....i can remember that trip pretty well but ironically it had nothing to do with remembering any other experiences or teaching me how to remember future ones haha

Personally I believe the problem with remembering a lot of deeper trips is that it’s so difficult if not out right impossible to recreate it in your mind once you return. I can remember most of my deep dives in disturbing detail but also I have to put myself in a trance like state that borders on being considered tripping itself to do so. Another issue you’ll have to face with remembering and reflection is can you trust yourself to not be filing in the blanks with your creation that seems like it fits. That I think is the most difficult part and still struggle with. It’s something your subconscious does naturally though so you need a modicum of control over something that controls you. It gets weird. Something I think will help is going forward knowing every little thing has a meaning but that may still have no meaning to you. Accept everything for what it is and don’t try to explain it past the first understanding. If there aren’t words don’t put them there. If there isn’t a message don’t look for one. If there is a message listen and if there are words speak them. I don’t mean to sound pretentious saying its so simple but it’s not at all simple to accomplish. But no matter what go with love and safe travels to you

As for the familiarity of after breakthrough that one kinda dips into religion vs science. Science says it’s more akin to a ptsd response feeling the repressed memories of birth where you experience your first explosion of dmt and your suddenly hyper active mind is attempting to recreate your memories of interacting with reality for the first time with no concept of it. On the spiritual side it’s more viewed as the “other side” or pre/after life. Where all our souls came from and will eventually return. There’s a plethora of other ideas that blend the two or tweak them individually but really what you just asked ends up being the ultimate question for us. My personal belief is everyone has a little piece of the picture and in the grand scope of infinity there’s no reason they can’t all be an element of truth. No one alive can truly answer that one for you just find what sits best and accept that for you as “you” here right now it doesn’t even matter either way. If it’s science your answers you find are still your answers and if it’s spiritual what came before our will come after has no bearing on this rite of passage. Don’t let questions get in the way of your experience.

1. I've never tried with herbs in any capacity, but it was always my understanding that using fluffers like peppermint was done in a bong. Not sure.

2. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. It can be daunting to take the final hit when you're staring down six pipes and twelve hands, but you just get used to managing to stay focused and doing it. The goal is to get enough DMT into your bloodstream quick enough to have a breakthrough, just keep that in mind and accomplish that in whatever way ends up working for you.

3. One of the endlessly bewildering things about DMT to me is that sometimes I can remember a lot about my experiences, and sometimes, I can remember nothing. It just happens. Changa will go a long way with being able to bring your experiences onward into your continuing present moment. Then again, there's something to be loved about that eruption of raw standalone DMT. Up to you.

4. I had similar feelings over the course of my first couple experiences. I wanted to meet the aliens et al. What I found was that in the beginning I was having experiences that didn't exactly check boxes I was hoping to check. Then, when those things DID happen that I was waiting for (meeting entities, having conversations with them), I realized that my prior experiences already had more profoundness and astonishment than I had maybe given them credit for. That's not to say that meeting and interacting with entities isn't awesome, because it is! It's awesome ALL the way. Don't worry about the molecule not giving you what you thought it would. DMT has a way of lulling you in one direction, and then blowing your face off from a different direction with something wonderful anyways.

5. Yellow DMT can range from very clean and pure to downright gunk. It takes very little impurity to end up yellow, so its hard to say. More oils/fats (whatever they are) make it harder to vaporize and easier to burn, making experiences worse.

6. Not sure. IMO the best setup that no one really talks about is this:

https://www.shroomery.or...flat.php/Number/25155593

using this vaporizer: https://discountvapepen....ick-v8-baby-starter-kit/

7. DMT has a strange way of reminding you of things you've seen on it but forgotten. I welcome these flashbacks pleasantly during take off and along the journey but don't read too much into it. Remembering is cool, but living in the moment is cooler and more deserving of my focus.


Safe travels.