This looks like it might be an interesting read Infundibulum, thank you for the link. Bookmarked for the morning. I have always found Strassman to be a little prone to confirmation bias and I often wonder why he is pursuing this connection between DMT and the pineal gland. Especially when the focus of his works appear to be elsewhere and not on how the study might benefit the world of psychiatry and mental health like one would typically expect.

Unless I am missing something of course. The day has been long so it is entirely possible...

Much love
Sally xx

Makes two of us.

Because he has a book to sell based on his musings about DMT and a tenuous biological/spiritual link? Or the short version: money?

(Added question marks so as not to sound too absolute ).

Or he simply really likes dmt.

He was (is?) a Buddhist for a very long time and has been engrossed by the whole dmt/pineal connection long before he ever even thought of writing a book about it (much less making money from it)...I don't agree with everything he says, not by a long shot, and it might be partially or mostly about money now a days for him (though i doubt it), but nevertheless I don't see any legitimate reason to just boil it down to only money at this point...especially in such a conclusive sounding manner.

He's a psychonaut who seems very interested in the same matters we are, for the most part. He has contributed to spreading awareness of DMT in a major way and helped jump start psychedelic research again after its 30 year hiatus. He might be mostly wrong or overly focused about the whole pineal/dmt thing, but when have any of us been completely right? Its good to point out the flaws in his thinking but to boil his actions all down to a dollar sign seems to be just a baseless assumption.

...although...i've been wrong before

Let me just add a question mark to my statement before it becomes a full on debate. I still think it's a reasonable guess (certainly not a baseless assumption at all) based on the points I and others have raised many times about Strassman in this and other threads. If DMT turns out to be produced in the lungs or kidneys, I will take bets as to whether the info will be released by Strassman himself. And I will take the side of anyone who says 'Not a freakin' chance'. Worth a gamble since it's remained (almost deliberately, it seems ) unclear for so long.

well, unlike you mere mortals: all the freakin' time.

That's an interesting thought. It does seem to be remarkably effective when the DMT concentration of the lungs is increased. Also, consciousness appears to falter when the lungs are prevented from fulfilling their normal function

Also interesting that it's produced in the 'lungs of the world'... the plants!
And things start to fade if 'they' are prevented from fulfilling their normal function.

I like

I think one of the major reasons for the speculation of it being the site of synthesis is the location of the pineal towards the center of the brain and the ample blood-flow it receives. Also, the idea that DMT (just an idea, but worth some thought considering the effects of smoked DMT) has a function in dreaming also fuels the speculation since the pineal is the site of melatonin synthesis apparently. Since the pineal receives information from photosensitive ganglia, it could be causing the intense visuals.

ok, this is a bit of an old thread to resurrect. And this post isn't really to do with DMT and the pineal. Nevertheless...



On re-reading this, it seems somehow crucial.

I am reminded how IME the nub of the properly executed nitrous oxide experience whereby the sense of being 'at one with the source' is immediately succeeded by the choice 'exist/don't exist' which soon boils down to the physical choice 'breathe/don't breathe'. Maybe simple anoxia manifests such subjective mental phenomena; the nitrous oxide merely facilitates its interpretation into a visionary state imbued with a sense of spiritual import.

Scientifically speaking, this needs to be retested using 80/20 Entonox (tm). While scanning the activity of the pineal gland