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"No." 130 * SET, SETTING, AND DMT Disturb" sign on the outside of the door. Sometimes even this didn't work. Once or twice housekeeping staff, accustomed to entering hospital rooms at will, noisily intruded upon sessions. Unexpected phone calls also were not welcome. Making certain the phone was unplugged from the outlet in the wall, I walked around Alex's bed and took my seat. "Here's the DMT," I said, pulling out the little syringe from my shirt pocket and placing it on the bed next to Alex's leg. We spent a few minutes catching up on any important news and pre- paring for the session. While we were talking, I opened up the top drawer of the nightstand near his bed and took out another vial of sterile saltwa- ter. Inserting the needle into the vial, I drew back enough saline to nearly fill the DMT-containing syringe. This additional volume in the syringe made it easier to control the rate of injection. The nurses wanted me to keep the saline vials for this purpose separate from the ones they used. They were afraid that if a drop or two of DMT leaked into one of their vials, it might cause an unwelcome and unexpected "trip" in one of the ward's other residents. Initiating my own ritual while talking and listening, I placed my yel- low notepad in a clipboard and wrote down Alex's DMT number, the date, the protocol number, and the dose. In the left-hand margin, I scribbled a column of minutes at which I would measure blood pressure and heart rate: -30,-1,2,5, 10, 15, 30. I asked, "Did you have any dreams last night?" A volunteer's dreams the night before a study might give us insights into fears, hopes, and wishes about the upcoming session, or about previ- ous ones. Alex couldn't recall any. I pulled the saltwater-flush syringe and the alcohol swabs out of my pocket, placing them all on the bed next to the DMT solution. "Did you take any medications this morning or last night?" "What are you doing after today's session?" "I've got a few hours of work to do. Then, not too much. Relax, think about tomorrow. Get a good night's sleep." Sometimes these little visits took the form of brief counseling or therapy