Any takers?

Yeah I saw that a few days ago actually. Dawkins stated that he'd only do it under clinical supervision . He seemed to be curious in regards to the psychedelic experience, but idk..his approach doesn't seem too fitting. A clinical setting would be an incredibly odd setting, especially the mindset it could potentially cause...knowing that there's a bunch of pencil pushing medical/psych professionals around you taking note. Idk...that just seems like the wrong approach imho. He obviously could afford a trip to Peru, why not just go do that, or some form of an aya retreat?

I like Dawkins n' all, I have his book "God Delusion", so I like him in certain aspects, but I just feel his approach is a little off.

I can't blame him for being apprehensive - he would probably have a heap of crap to work through . I know I did initially.

I am sure with his connections he will probably find some experienced guidance, both to give him the support he wants available during it and to explain to him why it's not clinical support he needs.

The crucial thing will be to get him to the point of having a positive high dose experience. If he comes out of it saying that these substances just make you see a few colours (e.g. Schultes) or that they make you temporarily insane, that won't be helpful to anyone. It need not be a religious ecstasy. Just something to remind him of the incredible landscapes of consciousness should get the cogs turning.

What really surprises me is that Dawkins hasn't tried them already, given that he has obviously done a good deal of reading on the matter. When I read the Doors of Perception as a teenager, seeking out that experience for myself became an obsession that lasted for years until the curiosity was satisfied. It sounds like he has the same burning curiosity about the nature of our existence as I do, and yet he has not sought it out.... ? This brings me back to my opening sentence.

I honestly don't think it will change his beliefs about atheism which the questioner appears to believe will happen. Psychedelics didn't do anything except elicit spiritual feelings and lead me to research to find out my pre-existing beliefs would be classified as naturalistic pantheism.

Which even then, that's basically spiritual atheism to a degree.

Yep - what it may change is his focus on materialism. Perhaps a seed of doubt may be sown in his mind about the prospects of ever being able to understand consciousness as simply an emergent phenomenon of matter.

He has already acknowledged consciousness as "the most profound mystery facing modern biology" (The Selfish Gene) so he's not completely dismissive of it. On the other hand, his comments above suggest he's confident it's purely a property of physical processes in the brain.

Doing DMT in a clinical setting wouldn't be my idea of a good placed to try it for the first time. I don't really like to be around people when I blast off and would hate to have people taking notes about me and stuff like that. As an atheist/non spiritual person myself I doubt it is going to make him into a spiritual person. While I have seen many awesome things while using the spice, it hasn't led me to any sort of spirituality or any sort of belief in the supernatural. Others probably have had wildly different experiences, but that is mine, for what its worth.