Don't Panic
Posts: 756 Joined: 28-Dec-2014 Last visit: 01-Oct-2022 Location: Everywhen
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I want to preface this argument by saying I have yet to ingest DMT. I'm at a stage of my life where I possess neither the liberty nor the money to delve into this substance. I've had my eyes on it for a loooooong time. I'm a pretty heavy MJ user. And I get mini ego deaths from MJ. I trip hard. This is something I thought about while high, and when I assessed my thoughts when sober, I think it has some validity.
My research into DMT is fairly deep, but not as deep as many of you. However, I'm sure you're all aware, DMT isn't researched heavily due to its legal status and social stigma. Therefore, my thinking is that the long term effects haven't been studied. These include mental and physiological. One of the common effects of DMT is stuff like ego death. So, here's my thought.
The stress responses that humans share with other animals is identical, except we use it for extremely novel purposes. I'd assume a gazelle lives a pretty stress-free life, except when it is running to preserve it. This lasts, what, 5-10 minutes? The gazelle either runs away successfully or gets eaten. People keep up their stress levels for decades over unpaid mortgages. And it has a huge impact on their health, both mental and physiological.
So what happens with us when we go through multiple ego deaths? From what I've seen, DMT seems to be released in the moments of life and death. So, if we are making our minds "die" a lot, will it affect our physiology or mental well being? Did the Amazonian shamans drink ayahuasca a lot, or only for special occasions? If they did drink it a lot, and they were healthy in body and mind, then that answers the question. But if they did have problems, multiple questions arise. How much DMT did they ingest over their lifetime? How often did they ingest? Other factors to consider? These are all things I think about a lot. When it comes to psychedelics, or anything for that matter, I'm a huge proponent of balance. I balance between sobriety and psychedelia, since I feel like my trips become more meaningful the more thoughts I give them. I essentially feed my trips with my experiences and thoughts. I document every thought I find noteworthy when I'm voyaging through my mind. I'm also a huge brooder, so I propose questions for myself. In this case, I'm also proposing it to you. What are your thoughts on this? Even better, do you guys have any evidence to put my mind at ease?
The reason why I ask this is because I'm a psychonaut. When I do start ingesting DMT, it wont be once in a life time."A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools."
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☂
Posts: 5257 Joined: 29-Jul-2009 Last visit: 24-Aug-2024 Location: 🌊
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Bodhisativa wrote: Did the Amazonian shamans drink ayahuasca a lot, or only for special occasions? If they did drink it a lot, and they were healthy in body and mind, then that answers the question. You can already find the answer to that question. There has also been studies on long-term users of ayahuasca that you might find interesting. http://www.singingtothep.../08/new-ayahuasca-study/And here is a number of other threads on this topic with more info. Psychologically, DMT and other psychedelics of course have their risks if not dealt with carefully. But I don't think any possible physiological risks with DMT (which I don't know of any besides drug interactions with harmalas, or external complications) would have anything to do with "ego-death" specifically; something which people tend to define differently and which isn't necessarily something that happens each experience anyways. Also the idea of DMT being released at birth/death is interesting but still mostly speculation at this point. There is some very interesting correlations between psychedelic experiences and near-death experiences and so on, but the jury is still out.
<Ringworm>hehehe, it's all fun and games till someone loses an "I"
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DMT-Nexus member
Posts: 267 Joined: 09-Mar-2012 Last visit: 31-Dec-2022
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What kind of long-term problems are you suggesting DMT users might note? I've smoked DMT probably ~40 times and had 4-5 pharmahuasca sessions since discovering it about 4 years ago. I haven't noticed any physiological effects, but mentally and spiritually, I feel like I've gone a great distance from where I once was. It's different, probably more challenging, but I wouldn't say negatively or that it's a problem. Sometimes my parents or an old friend will bring up a memory from my past, before DMT, and my mind recalls it as if from another life. Many times on DMT I felt reborn, like my slate is wiped clean and I can continue in any new direction; shedding my past like a skin. That's the ego death to me and I find it very refreshing.
I think frequent use can start defeating the purpose though. It's nice to give weeks or months of experience in between trips to have some content to stamp down. In my initial excitement, I smoked DMT like every day for a week trying to achieve desired effects -- and that, I did not like or find as beneficial. I do get worried for other's well being when I hear they're chasing it that aggressively.
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DMT-Nexus member
Posts: 406 Joined: 10-May-2014 Last visit: 08-Jan-2020
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I agree with the above comments completely. I think everything should be done In moderation but I don't think excessive use of DMT will be truly negative. You may have to work through some earth shattering experiences afterwards but as far as permanent damage to the psyche I don't think it's of much worry. Of course there are exceptions in regards to everything and you may want to consider that be fire using DMT if your that concerned. Hell I've read reports in which people said one shroom experience was enough to permanently mess with their mind ever since. However i feel this is extremely rare. I believe natural substances derived from plants should be much safer than synthed molecules due to one knowing what they have. I've done LSD, MDMA, and I'm sure other research chemicals that were being sold as one of the above with no ill permanent effects other then a change in a way cannabis effects me. Also I've done LSD and MDMA too many times to count. I've also done dmt multiple times as well as mushrooms many times. The only difference now is that I have a bigger hesitation to indulge in these gifts as I know of their power. Be safe , know what your ingesting, be smart in dosage, set and setting , and I would assume you'll be fine. That moment when you wonder if this time you went too far....
Obviously everything discussed here is the fictional accounts of someone with an out there imagination. I mean really could any of these tales be real?
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Don't Panic
Posts: 756 Joined: 28-Dec-2014 Last visit: 01-Oct-2022 Location: Everywhen
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Thanks for all the messages guys. It's not that I was dubious about DMT, in fact I revere it. But one of the things I discovered on my own was everything in moderation. I never truly understood the sentiment of that statement until I discovered it for myself. That's why I was a bit apprehensive about ingesting it over a long period of time. My goal is to ingest it once a month, so I can assess my life at regular intervals. I do plenty of that when I'm sober, so I want to explore my inner psyche, with DMT showing me the way."A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools."
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☂
Posts: 5257 Joined: 29-Jul-2009 Last visit: 24-Aug-2024 Location: 🌊
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Sure, everything in moderation...even moderation 
<Ringworm>hehehe, it's all fun and games till someone loses an "I"
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DMT-Nexus member
Posts: 4031 Joined: 28-Jun-2012 Last visit: 05-Mar-2024
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If there is one reference I take for works with the so called medicine, I look at many people who do so since long, and ask myself, is this person a nice one? In most cases they are, but not all succeeded to become nice (this is subjective indeed). The seed and humus of the soul is still paramount for the outcome, IMHO.
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DMT-Nexus member
Posts: 34 Joined: 24-Aug-2014 Last visit: 21-Jan-2019 Location: This forum :)
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I've been thinking about ego death and stress lately. For me, the ego has always been the "I" in the sort of yin yang sense. The "I" being the yin and the universe being the yang. That ego death which causes you to be one with the universe is going to the yang side. Balance allows you to be comfortable with the "I" of you and the "universe" of you such that you realize that you're both and neither. The stress and anxiety of it enters in when you try to find that balance or are trying to find something in particular. The stress of not having that thing that you want, and so you give yourself a project that causes anxiety...anxiety over potentially not achieving it, or otherwise the struggle of achieving it. Except that there is no achievement to be had. You made it up to begin with. The only thing that you need is to be yourself and enjoy life. In this simple understanding is the peace of knowing that you do have an ego, but that you can control it by not controlling it. By letting it wash over you like a gentle rain. When you do this, you never truly forget who you are in a DMT excursion. You can dance with the elves, or whatever you like, and be at peace with them, and they with you.
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DMT-Nexus member
Posts: 156 Joined: 05-Oct-2014 Last visit: 07-Jun-2018 Location: Cardiff
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DMT will find you when you are ready as it did me.
just a note that if you are a heavy MJ user you should have no problem funding your own DMT if you fund your own MJ.
I've had about 30-40 experiences with DMT since September 2014 so in a very short place. I plan to use it more mainly for study purposes.
As far as I have come I can only see positives from it. Although i would note that it is almost certainly not for everyone.
good luck on your journey my friend
peace
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