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132 SET, SETTING, AND DMT "T'll tell you when I start. It might feel cold, or tingly. Maybe it will burn slightly, or feel a little bubbly; some people describe those sensa- tions. The DMT goes in over 30 seconds. Once it's all in, I'll tell you. Then there will be 15 seconds of saltwater flush of the tubing, to make sure all of the DMT gets into you and there's none left in the line. I'll tell you when I start and finish the flush, too. Any questions so far?" "That's pretty straightforward." The ebb and flow of tension in the room at this point was always fas- cinating. Only one of our many volunteers had ever used a recreational drug intravenously before, and no one had taken a psychedelic that way. The novelty of this element itself was sufficient to get all our nerve end- ings more alert than usual. As I described the process to Alex and prepared this small dose, I was thinking ahead to how Alex would negotiate tomorrow's high dose. However, there was no guarantee that this minor dose might not have some major effects. Several people did drop out after this first session. Others we had to excuse because their blood pressure surpassed our pre- determined cutoff point. I continued: "Alex, it starts fast. Perhaps even before the injection is done. It can be a little frightening. Do your best to remain alert and re- laxed, poised but passive. The effects will peak in a couple of minutes. Then relax and wait a while until you decide to start talking. It's tempting to speak right away, but you'll miss some of the subtle coming-down ef- fects if you don't wait at least 10 or 15 minutes, even today. So, let's get started. Are you ready?" Alex answered, "Sure, I'm ready." For the deep letting go and relaxing necessary to successfully experi- ence the full effects of DMT, it was best if the volunteers were lying down for the injection. Otherwise, there might be a lot of fussing involved with maneuvering Alex into a more comfortable position as he was losing nor- mal awareness of his body and the rush of psychedelic effects began. We adjusted his bed. Some volunteers liked their head a little el- evated. A few preferred to have their knees slightly bent, for which we raised that part of the bed or placed a pillow under the knees. We made