“Science cannot solve the ultimate mystery of nature. And that is because, in the last analysis, we ourselves are part of nature and therefore part of the mystery that we are trying to solve.” –Max Planck, ‘Where Is Science Going?’
Commonly referred to as ‘the spirit molecule,’ the chemical compound dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is known for its mysterious role in connecting human consciousness with the physical body, and for the strong visionary effects it has when ingested.
DMT is being closely examined by researchers in many fields from around the world, but acclaimed psychologist Dr. Ede Frecska, Chairman of Psychiatry at the University of Debrecen in Hungary, is pushing the envelope, aiming to demonstrate that DMT can extend the life of consciousness beyond clinical death for a longer duration of time than is currently possible.
Found naturally in humans and many plant species, the DMT molecule itself quite fascinating:
“DMT, or dimethyltryptamine, the visionary chemical compound found in abundance throughout the plant kingdom and in many mammals, is naturally produced inside the human body. It is most plentiful in the pineal gland, which is considered to be the potential biological locus of human consciousness and the seat of the soul. The pineal gland is known as the third eye, or the point source from which consciousness manifests itself in the human body. It is suspected that, when a persona falls asleep, DMT is released into the brain from the pineal gland to induce dream states of consciousness, and also that, when a person dies, a flood of this chemical is released, accounting for the consciousness-expanding effects of near-death experiences and for the movement of the psyche into realms beyond waking life.”
– Dylan Charles
Dr. Ede Frecska and his team of researchers in Hungary are now curious to know if this abundant and mysterious chemical can actually fuel the continuation of consciousness in certain life-threatening emergencies by prolonging the period of clinical death, giving valuable additional time to rescue efforts.
Recent research in the UK has brought forth compelling evidence that consciousness does in fact survive death longer than we had previously thought, which adds credence to the possibility that we may be able to manipulate the experience of death with DMT.
“A team of researchers at Southampton University in the UK recently conducted one of the largest ever studies about what happens to consciousness after death. The conclusion: We still don’t know what happens, but consciousness and awareness appear to linger for sometime after physical death, suggesting that consciousness and the body are entangled actors somehow, and that may unravel and follow separate paths after what we refer to as death.”
The Spirit Molecule and Rainforest Medicine
A subject of infinite fascination, DMT is also the active ingredient in the world’s most potent psychedelic, Ayahuasca, an Amazonian tea brewed from at least two plants and has been used traditionally the chief spiritual tradition of many indigenous rainforest cultures. It gained notoriety from the 2010 documentary film, DMT: The Spirit Molecule, featuring the work of Dr. Rick Strassman.
Often referred to as a medicine, Ayahuasca is ‘capable of inspecting the innermost vibrations of the mind,’ says ethno-botanist Jonathon Miller-Weisberger in his book, Rainforest Medicine. Assisting in the evolution of human consciousness, Ayahuasca and DMT are changing the makeup of the Western psyche by offering ordinary people the chance to experience physical, mental, emotional, psychic and spiritual renewal on a level that is simply unheard of in Western medicine.
Helping to Survive Death
When the body physically shuts down and clinical death occurs, the patient has roughly 5 minutes to be resuscitated before serious brain damage or death occurs. CPR has proven to be the most effective technique for extending the possibility of life for the physical body, and Dr. Freckska is convinced that the future of life saving drugs may one day include DMT, and he is working to gain funding for a ground-breaking new study that will dive into this question.
“In response to a life threat situation, or at the first moments of agony, the lungs can synthesize large amounts of DMT and release it into the arterial blood within seconds. Since the heart has used its last systolic contractions, the brain does not have much time. It must use multiple active transport mechanisms for taking DMT from the blood, passing it through the neural membranes and concentrating it in the nerve cells. As a part of a desperate recuperative process, the DMT uptake mechanism has the potential to keep the brain alive longer, because DMT is a natural ligand of signal receptors which are signaling molecules for decreasing the energy utilization and the oxidation of cells.”
Co-author of the book, Inner Paths to Outer Space, Dr. Frecska is basing his hypothesis on previous research efforts, and in a publicly released video about the new project he discusses his request for crowd-funding of his independent research efforts at the University of Debrecen.
“The core of the proposal is that one of the physiological roles of endogenous DMT is protection against oxidative stress (e.g., hypoxia, lack of oxygen). Clinical death represents the most severe hypoxic condition and quickly progresses into terminal death. The reversible period of clinical death is limited by the brain’s tolerance of oxidative stress what DMT may improve. If our hypothesis is right, than DMT has the potential to extend the survival of brain in clinical death. The ultimate goal (our dream) is to have DMT ampoules for intravenous use on the crash carts of emergency vehicles, intensive care units and operating rooms. The first experimental step towards this goal involves neuronal tissue cultures exposed to hypoxic (low oxygen) condition. We need your support to expand our work into hypoxia studies, which are in the stage of in vitro (“test tube”) phase.”
Independent Consciousness Research
Some of the greatest questions of all time, such as ‘what happens to us when we die?,’ might be worth investing in, now that science and human thought are finally catching up to the possibility that consciousness does in fact survive what we humans consider to be death.
Research like the forthcoming project by Dr. Ede is often best supported by the global conscious community, and here you can take a look at the fundraising efforts for this interesting study into the depths of conscious, life, death, and the spirit molecule.
About the Author
Buck Rogers is the earth bound incarnation of that familiar part of our timeless cosmic selves, the rebel within. He is a surfer of ideals and meditates often on the promise of happiness in a world battered by the angry seas of human thoughtlessness. He is a staff writer for WakingTimes.com.
This article (DMT Research to Ask if Spirit Molecule Can Extend Life Beyond Clinical Death) was originally created and published by Waking Times and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Terence Newton and WakingTimes.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this copyright statement. Please contact [email protected] for more info.
