I Think it depends on what you think the underlying causes of your symptoms are. If your depressed because you got dumped or something else equally mundane (not that you still couldn't be really depressed by it!) I don't think DMT will make much of a difference. At least not long term. 'Shrooms or LSD might be a better choice for DIY psychotherapy... Let us know how it goes.

The afterglow from spice is truly astounding. Now, not as astounding as the actual spice experience, but nonetheless, SWIM believes quite a bit of that somewhat "anti-depressant" feeling that comes from smoking spice can be chalked up to the afterglow, in conjunction with an amazing journey full of beauty and lessons.

It's nearly impossible for SWIM to not feel ON TOP OF THE DAMN WORLD once he comes back from a spice journey. He feels so warm, so loved, so compassionate, so... happy. Just like it is for most all of you, correct?

With such great feeling both inside and out, SWIM can certainly see the 'healing' properties of DMT in this aspect. Nothing like the spice to not only make you feel so ALIVE (thanks, journey), but feel so GOOD to be ALIVE (thanks, afterglow).

Question 1) YES! Anti-depressant effects for sure. Both my friend and I use vaporized spice as a type of "reset" button in addition to the spiritual side of the experience. We find that during a period of depression smoking spice (or even better an Aya cerimony) will reset our perspective on our situation. It also seems to have a very powerful aferglow that lasts long beyond the day of smoking. It IS NOT a pancea; it will not cure every ailment, but we have found that it sure can help with mental issues. It will NOT stop addiction in its tracks, but it WILL help set you on the path of recovery. It will NOT fix the underlying cause of depression, but it can help to see things in a new light. It can give you a feeling of worth, of love, and of mattering in this vast universe. It won't cure depression/anxiety, but it can help to reduce the symptoms. Ayahuasca especially can be used, over time, to find the root of the problem and help you to heal.



Question 2) Please take this question to the suppliers thread.

Correct! I wasn't thinking of that part of the trip when I posted above but yeah if you were depressed once you got back from your peak you couldn't help but feel great I would guess.

As long as your not on any anti-depressant meds you should try it when your ready and let us know how it goes. I for one am really interested to see your results as someone who suffered from clinical depression in the past.

I don't get a sudden Prozac type anti-depression effect, but when I'm swinging low (and I can get low!) & have felt shitty for a week or two, a heavy DMT experience can have that "afterglow" for a few days that feels like a resetting of my feelings/thoughts on the situation, just like Acolon5 said!
But it doesn't cure depression, it helps you to get out from under those negative thought processes that seem so serious & "real" when your depressed, so you are able to think objectively & get over/around it.



Again I could not agree more with acolon_5, that Ayahuasca is much better for helping you to actually cure your depression!!!
Where vaporized DMT can have an anti-depressant effect, it is only temporary & very subtle.
If you are not the kind of person who pays very close attention to how these depressive thought patterns start & manifest & how they are different form your normal thought patterns, you may not even notice the change that smoked DMT can have.

However, Ayahuasca definitely helps cure depression!!
It's not a one time thing though, you have to work with it regularly for a while & that's not always "fun", especially if your trying to help ease regular swings of heavy depression.
Like therapy, Ayahuasca help's you to get in there & figure out why your depressed so often in the first place, so you finally deal with it.

I'm not saying that Ayahuasca is a replacement for a real psycho-therapist if you need that, but a few regular, strong doses of Aya & the direct intentions of going in to your past to dig up those negative issues, that's you unconsciously chose to bury back then for one reason or another & expose them to be dealt with!!

I'll give you a rather personal example from a recent experience.
I literally relived a certain experience from my childhood that I had completely blocked out & forgotten!!
It was one of those experiences that instantly changes who you are from that moment on whether good or bad or even if you don't realize it's significances at that time.
It was that something happened when I was 8-9yrs old during my parents divorce, that caused me (I'll try not going to go into too much detail here...) to see my father as cold & unloving towards me & my sister...as if we were just "child support" he had to pay...another bill.
I not only relived it like I was there, but I was also able to feel the persecution & abandonment that he was feeling (not that it justified anything) & caused him to lash out like he did.
Not only that, but I could also feel how my mother was deeply hurting & feeling guilty about the whole situation & how it as going to effect my sister & I for a long time to come, etc..., Then the stabbing pain when dad said what he said, did what he did...
There was also my sister & her confusion, mixed with mine & the feelings like we caused it all...

So as you can imagine, that was not a easy experience whatsoever!!
It was quite excruciating to be honest & when it was over, I was completely wore the fuck out & exhausted!!
In fact just typing it out now hurts...
But after experiencing that through Ayahuasca, with her there to guide & comfort me, I was able to finally understand why I have the relationship (or lack there of...) that I have with my father. For better or worse, it has unburdened me & helped me to feel empathy for him & that issue no longer causes depression in me anymore.
It's not gone completely, but that is not a part of it anymore.
(Peeling away the layers with time...)

Ayahuasca did not take it away with the end of the experience, it was weeks/months later, after thinking about it from all the new angles, analyzing how it's shaped my life & finally coming to terms with it & letting it go.
Aya just showed it to me directly & opened up the whole experience to me, so I could deal with it.
Not just bury it further down with another drug!!


Whew...damn...well that's my input for the day!

BTW, if you are on a prescription SSRI (a lot of anti-depressant's are SSRI's) for your depression, Ayahuasca & DMT are not a good idea.
The MAOI's (in this case RIMA's) can be extremely dangerous if mixed with SSRI's

WS

Thank you for the great post WS... I thoroughly enjoyed it. And what you and acolon said about WHY aya can be so healing is, in my eyes, 100% dead on. For the record, SWIM has not personally tried aya, but looks forward to when he feels it's time.

Yes WarrenSaged - that was a really nice example of the work Aya can help us with. I myself have experienced much more subtle versions of this in my limited few experiences with Ayahuasca; the way it can show you how others feel in current or past situations, its like it connects you with the universal grid of conciousness, using DMT as its torch to light up parts of yourself, and shake up things that have been long buried so they float to the surface of your awareness.

Smoking DMT I find amazing and eye-opening and uplifting, but its quite short-term, although there are subtle long term effects also... However I think it takes skill to use it for deep healing work. But with Aya, there is a sense of all-encompassing love and compassion guiding you all the way. It is one amazing plant!