Dr Rick Strassman - A Conversation on DMT
Submitted by Greg on Fri, 30/04/2004 - 1:36pm.
Dr Rick Strassman is the author of DMT: THE SPIRIT MOLECULE (available from Amazon US and UK). [ The Spirit Molecule] DMT: THE SPIRIT MOLECULE is based on Dr Strassman's ground-breaking research on the effects on humans of N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT). The book "reviews what we know about psychedelic drugs in general, and DMT in particular. It then traces the DMT research project from its earliest intimations through the maze of committees and review boards to its actual performance". More information (including a sample chapter from the book) is available from Dr Strassman's website.
GT: Dr Strassman, thanks for taking the time to chat with us. If I could, I'd like to start out by asking about your reasons for taking on such a research subject. DMT is a controlled substance in the United States, and gaining permission to do research with it must have been an epic journey unto itself, let alone the design of the study. What was it about DMT that pushed you to go to such lengths?
RS: I had always been interested in a biological basis for mystical experiences. DMT as an endogenous hallucinogen, seemed like the logical choice for such a physical correlate of those experiences. DMT effects are pretty amazing, so it also seemed like a fascinating drug to study. Also, it'd been used previously in published human research so studying it in humans seemed easier than a drug, like 5-MeO-DMT, that's also endogenous, but hadn't been used in published studies. DMT is short-acting, so I thought that we could manage adverse effects in what was sure to be an aversive clinical research setting. And, it's relatively obscure, so wouldn't have garnered the publicity that beginning a research program with LSD would have.
The rest
here....
