DMT The Spirit Molecule - Rick Strassman-pages

Page 345 of 369

Page 345 of 369
DMT The Spirit Molecule - Rick Strassman-pages

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certain intellectual dishonesty in using the data in such a self-serving manner.” 336 * WHAT COULD AND MIGHT BE his case, we proposed a hard-wiring, genetic predisposition to his mild DMT response. He was born that way. I therefore needed to be more modest in attributing Sophie's minimal reaction to her prior mystical experience. Of course, it's possible that each hypothesis was true for the particular individual, but there would be a While the above projects would go a long way toward legitimizing the study of highly unusual states of mind, they no longer hold the appeal for me they once did. I am now less interested in the "how" than in the "if so, so what?" Whether what we learn is ultimately helpful depends upon how we use that information. I believe the best research use of psychedelics is to treat uniquely human disorders and to enhance distinctly human characteristics. Let's then vi- sualize an optimal setting for administering and taking psychedelic drugs that accepts these challenges. Such a center would exist in a beautiful natural setting but would possess all the required medical facilities for emergency backup. There would be examples of exquisite art and architecture that could provide inspiration for those participating in the research protocols. Research scientists and staff would possess psychotherapeutic, psychedelic, and spiritual training and would work under medical direction. Protocols would occur in the fields of psychotherapy, creativity, spirituality, and the dying process. There would be studies, too, of the being-contact phenomenon and its relationship to parallel universes and dark matter. Time and again we saw how the Research Center environment nega- tively impacted our DMT sessions. The clinical environment was even more problematic for the longer psilocybin sessions. While a more pleas- ant setting is essential, one of great beauty is even better suited to guide and support research subjects during their highly suggestible and vulner- able experiences. Nevertheless, there are potentially dangerous adverse physical, especially cardiovascular, effects of psychedelics, and equip- ment and staff must exist to respond to them.