Hello. all.

So, here I am, another prospective hyperspace explorer. I'm male, fifty-one years old, not a particularly large person (5'6"/167cm height, 135lbs/61kg weight), with a lot of experience with cannabis but only minimal experience with entheogens (Salvia, Amanita muscaria mushrooms, and LSA from HBWR seeds). I've been reading about and watching videos about DMT off and on for a few years now, and yes, I fully expect DMT will completely surpass anything I've experienced before with the possible exception of Salvia. One of my experiences on Salvia involved a sort of clown made of clowns meta-clown being that reminds me a lot of some of the "jesters" I read about in DMT forums, and I always found that fascinating.

While I haven't had nearly as much entheogenic experience as probably most people here, I find it interesting how many people who have had the "DMT flash" say things that make so much sense to me. I'm never really sure how to explain my take on metaphysics though, so maybe I'm just misreading everyone. I actually don't consider myself either "spiritual" OR "materialist," because I suspect that dichotomy is something humans just made up. I'm very open to things that are often CALLED spiritual, but I just don't think that's what they are. Same thing for things which bear the label "materialist." I'm open, but I just don't think the label fits. I'm pretty sure that DMT causes something to happen which we don't entirely understand and which can, under some circumstances, be very beneficial. Whether it's "spiritual" or "material" is, for me...kind of immaterial, ha ha. Connection with life is connections with life, regardless of which labels we put on it. I think verbs probably serve better than adjectives anyway for these things, but I digress into a semantic rabbit-hole...The connection and multiplicity that people describe experiencing via the DMT flash really fascinates me. I love to read about comparative philosophy, and the DMT flash reminds me a lot of what I've read of the concept of gnosis.

There's another thing that interests me about DMT, and this is connected to my visual impairment. I have a condition called optic atrophy, which basically means my optic nerves are too thin for much vision. One could think of it as a sort of bandwidth issue. My vision in my left eye is (by US measures) 20/200, and the vision in my right eye is officially given as 20/600 (though I think mostly that's just to have a number there). My acuity is less than 30 degrees. I can function with very minimal adaptation, mostly. I sometimes read a computer screen with a bit of magnification. I do have to watch more carefully where I'm going, since my peripheral vision sucks. I'm considered "legally blind," though that does not mean totally blind. It basically means "No driver's license for you." Oh, and I also have a pretty bad nystagmus (eye-jiggling due to compensating for a narrow field).

It's been a few years since I did Salvia, but I remember that one of the things that always happens with me during the come-up is that suddenly it feels really strange that my right eye barely works. Then it starts to feel weird that it feels weird, if that makes sense...like "Oh shit, what's wrong with my right eye? Wait...It's never worked right...but why does it feel weird not to see out of it?..." That's how I know a Salvia trip is going to get really intense, when I start feeling that discontinuity. I've read some threads already about totally blind people doing DMT, and I'm wondering if it would cause me to experience full right-side "vision" (though I realize the vision would be coming from DMT space, not consensus reality space). I wonder how the experience of my visual field suddenly expanding would feel.

I'm also wondering whether I will even be able to do an extraction. I can do basic cooking, etc., but dealing with heated naphtha, pouring off layers of liquid, etc. seems like maybe something I'd better not risk without help. I'm actually hoping some day to see someone do an extraction so I can get an idea whether it's something I'd be able to even attempt safely. Or perhaps some day there'll be a research program testing DMT with physical disabilities. I would love to have a functional MRI tell whether DMT effects my vision any differently than it does most people. I've also considered just heading on down to an ayahuasca retreat center amd javomg tje experience that way, though that certainly wouldn't provide objective proof of what's really happening within my brain.

Anyway, while waiting either to find or (maybe) make DMT, or waiting for it to find me, I'm glad there's a space where I can continue finding out more about this compound. Regardless of whether it's "spiritual" or not, I've seen enough positive experiences with it to be completely fascinated.

Thanks for reading my hopefully at least semi-coherent rambling.

Yes, it is very easy if you are informed and careful about the procedure.
Heated Naptha is never really necessary. In fact, i would recommend against it even if it means losing a bit of yield. It's a hassle to deal with the fumes and the ignition risk. A simple STB like nomans can be done without heat just fine. But there are many other teks now that are arguably more sophisticated but still do not require a degree in chemistry.

Make sure to only pull the solvent layer (100% no contaminations!)
Wear eye protection and gloves

and you'll be fine.

Hello!

Has any of your other senses such as hearing or touch improved to compensate impairment of vision?

I have heard that some blind people may have developed better touch or hearing than average person, so I wonder if their psychedelic experiences are more auditory or full of other kind of sensory hallucinations.

Personally I think that it would be good for you to have someone assisting you with the extraction, at least for the first time. After that you would know if you can do it alone. It is pretty easy process, but as obliguhl stated, you have to make sure that you only pull the solvent layer. For someone with impaired vision it may be hard to notice some of the smallest contaminations. An assistant would prpably reduce the risk any accidents that can happen.

It would be fascinating to read about your journey, or even that of a blind person, but being visually impaired you should be incredibly careful if extracting to find someone to assist or better yet do it for you. Personally, if you have the means I would highly suggest a retreat. Just make sure you do your research and find a reputable retreat.