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147 UNDER THE INFLUENCE + sons we decided to place black silk eyeshades on all the volunteers be- fore we gave any DMT. Subjects saw all sorts of imaginable and unimaginable things. The least complex were kaleidoscopic geometric patterns, which sometimes partook of "Mayan," "Islamic," or "Aztec" qualities. For example, "beau- tiful, colorful pink cobwebs; an elongation of light," "tremendously intricate tiny geometric colors, like being one inch from a color television." The colors of this imagery were brighter, more intense, and deeper than those of normal awareness or dreams: "It was like the blue ofa desert sky, but on another planet. The colors were a hundred times deeper." Background and foreground distinctions might merge so that countless images would occupy a volunteer's visual field. It was impossible to tell what was "in front" and what was "behind." Many used the term "four- dimensional" or "beyond dimensionality" to describe this effect. There were more formed, specific visual images, too. These included "a fantastic bird," "a tree of life and knowledge," and "a ballroom with crystal chandeliers." There were "tunnels," "stairways," "ducts," and "a spinning golden disc." Others saw the "inner workings" of machines or bodies: "inside a computer's boards," "DNA double helices," and "the pulsating diaphragm around my heart." Even more impressive was the apprehension of human and "alien" figures that seemed to be aware of and interacting with the volunteers. Non-human entities might be recognizable: "spiders," "mantises," "rep- tiles," and "something like a saguaro cactus." Visual effects lingered as volunteers' bodies rapidly metabolized the DMT. The room was uncomfortably bright when they removed the eyeshades or opened their eyes. Objects in the room took on a wavy, un- dulating motion, radiating with their own inner light. Subjects commented on an exaggerated depth perception, sometimes being mesmerized by the patterns in the wooden bathroom door. A few participants told us of a peculiar breakdown in the normal flu- idity of their vision: "Your movements were not your own, they were no longer smooth and coordinated," and "You guys looked robotic; moving jerkier, more mechanical, geometric."