Rick Strassman
Encyclopedia
Dr. Rick Strassman is a medical doctor specialized
in psychiatry
with a fellowship in clinical psychopharmacology
research. Strassman was the first person in the United States after twenty years of intermission to embark in human research with psychedelic
, hallucinogenic
, or entheogenic substances. During the intermission period, research was restricted by law to animals studies only.
(DMT), a powerful entheogen
, or psychedelic
, that he hypothesizes is produced by the human brain
in the pineal gland. DMT is found naturally in various natural sources, and is related to human neurotransmitter
s such as serotonin
and melatonin
.
There is speculation involving the role DMT may play in the dream state. Upon entering the R.E.M stage of sleep, minute amounts of DMT are most likely released into the bloodstream after one has fallen asleep. Strassman refers to DMT as the "god molecule" or "spirit molecule" due to many users claiming of contacting non-human or god-like beings under the alkaloid's influence. During the project's five years, he administered approximately 400 doses of DMT to 60 human volunteers. Of the 60 human volunteers who've ingested DMT under Strassman's watch, more than half reported similar experiences. These experiences ranged from profound encounters/interaction with non-human beings to observing highly detailed, self-transforming geometric patterns and other things of similar nature. This research took place at the University of New Mexico's School of Medicine
in Albuquerque, New Mexico
where he was then tenured Associate Professor of Psychiatry
. Dr. Strassman has conjectured that when a person is approaching death or possibly when in a dream state, the pineal gland
releases DMT in a relatively large amount, accounting for much of the imagery reported by survivors of near-death experiences.
However, Strassman has not provided much of the explanation for the mechanism's mysterious qualities by which this synthesis could produce levels of DMT that would lead to such effects. Although the necessary constituents (see methyltransferases) needed to make DMT are found in the pineal gland, the enzyme's stereo-specificity only allows for the conversion of serotonin to melatonin and vice versa. Others in the field of neurochemistry have not accepted this explanation of DMT's role in this function due to the absence of supporting evidence (i.e. a plausible synthesis mechanism or direct evidence that DMT is found in higher concentration in the body under these circumstances). Dr Strassman has also observed and noted that DMT is first produced by the human fetus on the forty-ninth day of development, something he has attributed to being the "beginning of the soul". He has detailed his research in his book DMT: The Spirit Molecule; and a documentary film by the same name, based on this book has also been produced. Dr. Strassman has also conducted similar research using psilocybin
, a psychedelic alkaloid
found in hallucinogenic mushrooms.
Specialty (medicine)
A specialty in medicine is a branch of medical science. After completing medical school, physicians or surgeons usually further their medical education in a specific specialty of medicine by completing a multiple year residency to become a medical specialist.-History of medical specialization:To...
in psychiatry
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
with a fellowship in clinical psychopharmacology
Psychopharmacology
Psychopharmacology is the scientific study of the actions of drugs and their effects on mood, sensation, thinking, and behavior...
research. Strassman was the first person in the United States after twenty years of intermission to embark in human research with psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
, hallucinogenic
Psychedelics, dissociatives and deliriants
This general group of pharmacological agents can be divided into three broad categories: psychedelics, dissociatives, and deliriants. These classes of psychoactive drugs have in common that they can cause subjective changes in perception, thought, emotion and consciousness...
, or entheogenic substances. During the intermission period, research was restricted by law to animals studies only.
Clinical research in Psychoactives
Dr Strassman's studies aimed to investigate the effects of N,N-dimethyltryptamineDimethyltryptamine
N,N-Dimethyltryptamine is a naturally occurring psychedelic compound of the tryptamine family. DMT is found in several plants, and also in trace amounts in humans and other mammals, where it is originally derived from the essential amino acid tryptophan, and ultimately produced by the enzyme INMT...
(DMT), a powerful entheogen
Entheogen
An entheogen , in the strict sense, is a psychoactive substance used in a religious, shamanic, or spiritual context. Historically, entheogens were mostly derived from plant sources and have been used in a variety of traditional religious contexts...
, or psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
, that he hypothesizes is produced by the human brain
Human brain
The human brain has the same general structure as the brains of other mammals, but is over three times larger than the brain of a typical mammal with an equivalent body size. Estimates for the number of neurons in the human brain range from 80 to 120 billion...
in the pineal gland. DMT is found naturally in various natural sources, and is related to human neurotransmitter
Neurotransmitter
Neurotransmitters are endogenous chemicals that transmit signals from a neuron to a target cell across a synapse. Neurotransmitters are packaged into synaptic vesicles clustered beneath the membrane on the presynaptic side of a synapse, and are released into the synaptic cleft, where they bind to...
s such as serotonin
Serotonin
Serotonin or 5-hydroxytryptamine is a monoamine neurotransmitter. Biochemically derived from tryptophan, serotonin is primarily found in the gastrointestinal tract, platelets, and in the central nervous system of animals including humans...
and melatonin
Melatonin
Melatonin , also known chemically as N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine, is a naturally occurring compound found in animals, plants, and microbes...
.
There is speculation involving the role DMT may play in the dream state. Upon entering the R.E.M stage of sleep, minute amounts of DMT are most likely released into the bloodstream after one has fallen asleep. Strassman refers to DMT as the "god molecule" or "spirit molecule" due to many users claiming of contacting non-human or god-like beings under the alkaloid's influence. During the project's five years, he administered approximately 400 doses of DMT to 60 human volunteers. Of the 60 human volunteers who've ingested DMT under Strassman's watch, more than half reported similar experiences. These experiences ranged from profound encounters/interaction with non-human beings to observing highly detailed, self-transforming geometric patterns and other things of similar nature. This research took place at the University of New Mexico's School of Medicine
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
in Albuquerque, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
where he was then tenured Associate Professor of Psychiatry
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
. Dr. Strassman has conjectured that when a person is approaching death or possibly when in a dream state, the pineal gland
Pineal gland
The pineal gland is a small endocrine gland in the vertebrate brain. It produces the serotonin derivative melatonin, a hormone that affects the modulation of wake/sleep patterns and seasonal functions...
releases DMT in a relatively large amount, accounting for much of the imagery reported by survivors of near-death experiences.
However, Strassman has not provided much of the explanation for the mechanism's mysterious qualities by which this synthesis could produce levels of DMT that would lead to such effects. Although the necessary constituents (see methyltransferases) needed to make DMT are found in the pineal gland, the enzyme's stereo-specificity only allows for the conversion of serotonin to melatonin and vice versa. Others in the field of neurochemistry have not accepted this explanation of DMT's role in this function due to the absence of supporting evidence (i.e. a plausible synthesis mechanism or direct evidence that DMT is found in higher concentration in the body under these circumstances). Dr Strassman has also observed and noted that DMT is first produced by the human fetus on the forty-ninth day of development, something he has attributed to being the "beginning of the soul". He has detailed his research in his book DMT: The Spirit Molecule; and a documentary film by the same name, based on this book has also been produced. Dr. Strassman has also conducted similar research using psilocybin
Psilocybin
Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychedelic prodrug, with mind-altering effects similar to those of LSD and mescaline, after it is converted to psilocin. The effects can include altered thinking processes, perceptual distortions, an altered sense of time, and spiritual experiences, as well as...
, a psychedelic alkaloid
Alkaloid
Alkaloids are a group of naturally occurring chemical compounds that contain mostly basic nitrogen atoms. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Also some synthetic compounds of similar structure are attributed to alkaloids...
found in hallucinogenic mushrooms.
Further reading
- Rick Strassman (with Slawek Wojtowicz, Luis Eduardo Luna and Ede Frecska), "Inner Paths to Outer Space: Journeys to Alien Worlds through Psychedelics and Other Spiritual Technologies" , 376 pages, Park Street Press, 2008, ISBN 978-1594772245
- Rick Strassman, DMT: The Spirit Molecule: A Doctor's Revolutionary Research into the Biology of Near-Death and Mystical Experiences, 320 pages, Park Street Press, 2001, ISBN 0-89281-927-8
- Rick Strassman, Hallucinogens (chapter), in Mind-Altering Drugs: The Science Of Subjective Experience, 402 pages, Oxford University Press, 2005, ISBN 0-19-516531-4