So I've yet to have a breakthrough dmt experience. On my last trip I felt almost out of body but my CEV's are still abstract and geometric. Based on my reading of various trip reports, it seems like breakthrough experiences tend to have some sort of narrative and visuals move from the abstract to representative. I'm speaking of interaction with various entities and seeing cities, buildings, etc.. Is this generally the case? I'm guessing that this is why people say that sub-breakthrough and breakthrough dmt doses are like doing two totally different drugs?

Breakthroughs can be plenty abstract, and sub-breakthroughs can have well-defined narratives with clearly established entities, objects and places. I suppose breakthroughs may tend to have a narrative more of the time, though I would say that it still could be pretty indecipherable often, but there is quite a lot that can happen at the sub-breakthrough range.

Pretty much what global said

But sub breakthroughs for me do tend to be a bit more confusing and less coherent than breakthroughs. Probably because my left brain is still more capable of fighting/resisting the experience, whereas with a breakthrough it usually gets more over powered, forcing it to loosen its grip and let go more. Sometimes it can just be like your caught in this tornado of spirits and things between the dimensions, while other times it can be very coherent. Most of my sub-breakthrough experiences have been pretty great, so I'm not recommending that anyone try and avoid it or anything like that. Also, harmalas greatly enhance what seems to be possible with these sub-breakthrough doses of dmt.

The two states aren't like two different drugs to me really (although sometimes dmt trips can be so different that they all seem like different drugs! ). Sub-breakthroughs are sort of like watching this hyperspatial mode emerge from the depths of the ocean. There can be very well defined entities, places, narratives, and more that becomes apparent. And once it emerges it might be a very coherent "narrative" with alien cities, entities, planets, and hyperdimensional goop of all sort, or it might be even more abstract, bizarre, and confusing than the sub-breakthrough... or anything in between (and outside!)

the narrative is only human

its the way how we understand all of this , for what goes on is so bizzare that to explain it in human language is not possible

thus the narrative , as real as it is , is still far from what really happens

no doubt i remember more from my breakthrough trips , i believe its because of the stronger imprint on my mind , however the narrative is mostly like a story to describe what happened or just a very tiny bit of what happened

I think the term 'narrative' here has been used to refer to a coherent stream of events/not pure-geometric abstraction more so than our understandings of the sequence of events or personal narrations.

^^yes i understand

however there is nothing much i can say that will offer any clarity on the subject

the stream of events can be coherent or just too much or even beyond that, depending on doseage and smoking technique and other factors

the only way for the OP to know is to experience it

edit : also i am no expert as i have recently learned that the rabbit hole goes way deeper than i could have ever imagined , i am at a loss for words when i think about it ,

Its hard to get an accurate picture based on other peoples experience.
Once i began delving into this I realized quickly that what I was experiencing
was quite different than what I expected and what I had read regarding other peoples experiences.

The dosage curve isn't necessarily a linear one although we do know that things get more unpredictable at higher dose ranges. Everyone is different but for me slowly ramping up works well. Sudden and catastrophic immersion can be so terrifying that its hard to really pay attention other than fight for your life.
The narrative is different for everyone. I say building a long term relationship with it is the ultimate key to a better understanding because repeated experience allows you to pay more attention without fear.