DMT trip - what happens in the brain?

[Faust]

Interesting.
Fuck!
When you think of it, we only use such a small territory of our brain!
Immagine that we could be able to experience the power of a full 100% active brain, like all possible connections made with every neurotransmitter, gland and receptor there is.
These substances are just "keys" to take us to the door of something unimaginable.

You use 100% of your brain. It's just that a large part of it consists of myelin which doesn't really do any 'thinking'. Thats where the myth originated from that we only use 10% (or whatever the number was).

 

[IJesusChrist]

We only use 10% at a time I think isn't it?

And yeah... when I'm booming I sure as fuck feel like every neuron is connected. I know for a fact I come out of a trip with an increase in neuron connections... You go from thinking about what you're wearing - to who you are - to why you are - to why any body is - to what is "is".

If you reach any conclusions, you can bet for damn sure you just made thousands if not millions of new neuron connections.

 

[Faust]

I just said that we don't use just 10%. Theres just a load of myelin in your brain which makes up aroun 90% of the entire mass (white matter). 10% are neurons (grey matter). It's not like we don't use the myelin, it has a function.

 

[Caduceus Mercurius]

This is even better:

When the Endogenous Hallucinogenic Trace Amine N,N-Dimethyltryptamine Meets the Sigma-1 Receptor (subscription required)

Abstract: N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is a hallucinogen found endogenously in human brain that is commonly recognized to target the 5-hydroxytryptamine 2A receptor or the trace amine–associated receptor to exert its psychedelic effect. DMT has been recently shown to bind sigma-1 receptors, which are ligand-regulated molecular chaperones whose function includes inhibiting various voltage-sensitive ion channels. Thus, it is possible that the psychedelic action of DMT might be mediated in part through sigma-1 receptors. Here, we present a hypothetical signaling scheme that might be triggered by the binding of DMT to sigma-1 receptors.

And:

http://psychedelicresearch.org/?p=115

The binding, biochemical, physiological, and behavioral studies reported here all support the hypothesis that DMT acts as a ligand for the sigma-1 receptor. On the basis of our binding results and the sigma-1 receptor pharmacophore, endogenous trace amines and their N-methyl and N,N-dimethyl derivatives are likely to serve as endogenous sigma receptor regulators. Moreover, DMT, the only known mammalian N,N-dimethylated trace amine, can activate the sigma-1 receptor to modulate Na+ channels. The recent discovery that the sigma-1 receptor functions as a molecular chaperone (30) may be relevant, because sigma-1 receptors, which are observed in the endoplasmic reticulum, associate with plasma membrane Kv 1.4 channels (22) and may serve as a molecular chaperone for ion channels. Furthermore, the behavioral effect of DMT may be due to activation or inhibition of sigma-1 receptor chaperone activity instead of, or in addition to, DMT/sigma-1 receptor modulation of ion channels. These studies thus suggest that this natural hallucinogen could exert its action by binding to sigma-1 receptors, which are abundant in the brain (1, 27). This discovery may also extend to N,N-dimethylated neurotransmitters such as the psychoactive serotonin derivative N,N-dimethylserotonin (bufotenine), which has been found at elevated concentrations in the urine of schizophrenic patients (10). The finding that DMT and sigma-1 receptors act as a ligand-receptor pair provides a long-awaited connection that will enable researchers to elucidate the biological functions of both of these molecules.

More here as well:

http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2009/February/12020901.asp

 

[maxfreakout]

The problem is that brain chemistry is impossible to connect up to conscious experience, so asking 'what happens in the brain?' does not provide any kind of meaningful explanation about the actual DMT trip itself

DMT fits into serotonin receptors, as does LSD, psilocybin and most psychedelics (Not Salvia though) but that doesnt explain why you experience all the crazy shit you do when you take it

 

[Crimzen]

it could if we knew more about the brain
but its incredibly difficult to do that as to operate it needs to be part of a living thinking person and to examine it in most cases would be to remove the brain or damage it in some way

 

[maxfreakout]

it could if we knew more about the brain

that is debatable, it seems to me there is an 'unbridgeable gulf' between the physical brain, and phenomenal consciousness

what could we possibly know about the brain that would explain the bizarre, other-worldly effect of a DMT flash?

 

[IJesusChrist]

conciousness is just a mechanism, an intense one, that is able to watch itself. It's like giving a computer a camera on itself, that is integrated at almost every part of the hard drive. It's the computer of the computer.

And I said we only use 10% of the brain at one time. If you used 100% of your brain the entire day you would be fried. not only because of the energy consumption, but of the fucking isanity you would experience. plus what the fuck would you get done thinking about everything at once?

 

[Vlad]

I believe there are energetic parts to the body just like occultists say there is the astral body and stuff like that. I don't understand it but I have experienced something severe 4 times by now which made me think it must be something like what I said.
Basically, and I know no one will believe this, I saw through my eyelids. My eyes were closed, fully well closed no doubt about it, no slits through which I saw, yet I saw clear as daylight.
I didn't take any drug the first time it happened, and I was walking around, saw moving images, not a still image like it would be a trick of the mind projecting in my mind an image of a familiar place or somethin like that.
It lasted maybe 2 seconds then it was over.

The second time it happened I smoked DMT and took golden dew (some gold containing liquid). I think it was the DMT since that could explain why it happened the first time. Again I saw through my eyelids.
The third and fourth time happened hours later that same day.
I was moving around outside in my garden and saw everything.
And the third or fourth time I was in a car driving (not me driving I was lying down), and saw the inside and everything with eyes closed.

My theory is DMT might open the link between the astral/consciousness-energy body/part of us and the physical, and maybe act as a gateway molecule.

 

[Meduzz]

it could if we knew more about the brain

that is debatable, it seems to me there is an 'unbridgeable gulf' between the physical brain, and phenomenal consciousness

what could we possibly know about the brain that would explain the bizarre, other-worldly effect of a DMT flash?

Scientific chauvinism + pessimism
in my opinion

 

[maxfreakout]

Scientific chauvinism + pessimism
in my opinion

well science hasnt yet shed any light whatsoever on the amazing conscious experiences revealed by DMT, the most they can say, is that it activates serotonin receptors, but this does not explain the jewelled, revolving palaces of awe-inspiring hyperdimensional geometric patterns and dancing elfin beings that you actually see when you smoke DMT

this is not 'pessimism', it is a fact about the current state of scientific explanation

but there is a deeper point, which concerns the relationship between conscious experience, and the physical brain, not only has science been unable to shed light on this relationship, but also it hasnt given any evidence that it would even be possible to scientifically explain it. And that is the basis of the comment i made

 

[Meduzz]

max,

You suppose everything is known and there is nothing left?
You believe that because you don't know something that it's unbridgeable?

hence chauvinism and pessimism

 

[maxfreakout]

You suppose everything is known and there is nothing left?

no the opposite, i think practically nothing is 'known', we have models with a certain degree of explanatory power, but that is not 'knowledge'

You believe that because you don't know something that it's unbridgeable?

no not at all, my point is that science hasnt been able to shed any light whatsoever on the relationship between the brain and conscious experience, they havent even begun to bridge the gap between them. So why would you assume that they would be able to?

personally i think scientific methodology is fundamentally the wrong approach, i think phenomenology is the correct approach

 

[GOD]

" dancing elfin beings that you actually see when you smoke DMT "

That some people see .

" it is a fact about the current state of scientific explanation"

Its your personal theory .

Your at it again mad-max . First you say there are no facts , no proofs and that science isnt an adequate explenation then you start talking about facts and scientific explenation and useing them to back your confused personal theorys .

 

[maxfreakout]

That some people see

EVERYBODY who smokes DMT properly sees the crazy, otherworldy palaces of revolving geometric patterns and various other crazy shit. And the point is, science hasnt even attempted to explain this in any meaningful way

" it is a fact about the current state of scientific explanation"

Its your personal theory .

no it isnt my personal theory, it is a fact about the current state of scientific explanation, if you disagree with this, then please tell me what explanation science has to offer about the crazy effects of DMT? All that they can say, is that DMT activates serotonin receptors, but that is meaningless in the face of the actual subjective experience of the DMT flash

 

[GOD]

Your either very , very confused again and / or being dishonest . I quoted the crap you said "" dancing elfin beings that you actually see when you smoke DMT " " wich isnt true . Some people see things like that others dont .

 

[maxfreakout]

I quoted the crap you said "" dancing elfin beings that you actually see when you smoke DMT " " wich isnt true . Some people see things like that others dont .

you misquoted me by cutting off the first part of the sentence you quoted, i wasnt JUST talking about elfin beings, that is just one aspect of it. I am talking about the overall range of phenomena that people see when they smoke DMT

a very large proportion of people see these kind of apparently discarnate entities (whether they are elfin, insectoid, alien or whatever) you only have to look at erowid trip reports or Strassman's book to see that

But that isnt the point of what i am saying, EVERYBODY who takes DMT sees bizarre, otherworldly phenomena, very startling, brightly coloured, perfectly formed, astonishingly beautiful etc and science is completely unable to (even begin to) explain how this is possible, at least it has been up to the present. ALL that science can say is that DMT activates the serotonin receptors in the brain, but there is still an as-yet unbridged gap between physical serotonin receptors, and the actual phenomenal content of the DMT flash

and this complete inability of science to meaningfully explain the DMT flash is, in my opinion, probably because of the unbridgeability of the gap between the physical brain and consciousness

 

[GOD]

Your being dishonest again .

 

[IJesusChrist]

... consciousness is just the watcher of the watcher.
I don't understand it, and hopefully we never will, otherwise we'll probably all get depressed and self-destruct.

 

[maxfreakout]

... consciousness is just the watcher of the watcher.

do you think that leads to an infinite regress? the watcher watching the watching watcher

I don't understand it, and hopefully we never will, otherwise we'll probably all get depressed and self-destruct.

lol yes, a complete, all-inclusive map of the cerebral cortex may indeed be the 'final alienation of mankind'

well some positive news, science is still a million miles away from fully mapping the brain successfully