DMT Entity Encounters: Dialogues on the Spirit Molecule with Ralph Metzner, Chris Bache, Jeffrey Kripal, Whitley Strieber, Angela Voss, and Others

The hard problem of consciousness has been pondered since we started thinking about thinking. It’s been considered a separation from the body, considered simply a product of the brain, and considered a separate entity all together. It’s been described as everything and nothing and we’re no closer to knowing exactly what it is.Is consciousness the result of the activity of a physical neural network, sort of like an exhaust end product after several thousand other parts of an engine have churned over? Or is it a signal captured by the brain, like a television frequency coming into a television? If it’s the product of a neural network, does that mean it ceases to exist once that network is destroyed by death (like turning a computer off shuts down application functioning)? Or if a signal that resides in the brain, does it exist prior to inception and escape after death?This is a fascinating subject matter and despite what social scientists tell us, we really don’t know. The weight of the argument does, indeed, fall in the camp of consciousness as part of the material world. Simply put, we’ve ample evidence of materialism, none of anything outside this realm. So until that changes, the problem of consciousness appears to be a product of a computer (body) that works when the machinery is working but will cease to exist when the computer is turned off. How the body/brain produce it remains the question.My personal favorite theory is that consciousness doesn’t really exist at all but is a “catch all” term and explanation for what the brain is doing. We say consciousness until we can determine what it really is. It’s like saying car until we understand the engine, transmission, axels, etc. Or sort of like Freud’s use of the terms Ego, Id and SuperEgo. These are more placeholders to describe systems rather than actual parts we’ve yet to understand.The brain is a product of millions of years of evolution with pieces changing, adapting and piecing together to become what is now us. And we’re still changing as evolution doesn’t stop. In fact, we’ve reached a point where we’re guiding our own evolution as we prepare enhancements, surgeries and move towards transhumanism.But that analysis is meant for another time.DMT: Entity Encounters explores the who, what, where, but not necessarily the why or how of why psychonauts who use psychedelics (primarily DMT here) have encounters with creatures that appear more real than real. While under the influence of the psychedelics, entity reality isn’t questioned. In fact, those who use these substances can swear the worlds they explore while under the influence are more real than their known world, with clear differences known between imagination and reality. They’ll report that such experiences are much more than dream states so much so that many users change their opinions and matters of importance, mostly for the better, such as showing more concerns for climate change, other people in general or changing themselves for the better. Sometimes this happens after encountering entities that “assist” the experiencer, pointing out a better life path.And that leads us to discuss why these substances, DMT is this case, allow users to see these creatures and other worlds that appear (to the user) more real than anything else they can compare it to. This discussion then loops us back to consciousness. If consciousness is like that hypothetical television signal, is it possible consciousness gets dumbed down once inside the human brain, no longer able to perceive the greater universe? But that certain chemicals (such as DMT) allows for it to escape, if you will, if only temporarily, to see what’s really out there? Are the entities real?Once again, there’s zero evidence of such a speculative universe. But the reality of these perceptions (as reported by the experiencer) and the common themes and entity types makes for a case for study. And that’s where this book is lacking.If we want to entertain the possibility the mind is like a television signal trapped in the material world but allowed to wander reality with the help of certain chemicals, we need to test that. Except in one chapter in this book where MRIs and such were discussed while patients were under the influence, we’ve simply no more than reports to go off of. This is like trying to figure out UFOs, fairies and Bigfoot based off sightings and encounters. What we really need is scientific monitoring while under the influence. And if possible, patient real-time reporting to coincide with the observations from MRIs and other like scientific instruments. But as is discussed in this book, that’s difficult. Patients are usually all too immersed in the experience to be able to describe in real time what’s going in. In fact, an inability to describe the experience using words is a typical element.What would be ideal is if we were able to stimulate the same parts of the brain as psychedelics to see if we can generate a similar response. Just as we’ve been able to stimulate parts of the brain to generate religious experiences, what if we knew the right combination of areas to probe to simulate DMT? We simply don’t know enough about how DMT works on the brain to know how to reproduce it. There’s a lot of work yet to be done.For me, the most interesting aspect of all this are the people not under the influence of anything at all (as far as they know) who do have UFO, fairy and Bigfoot encounters. Since these encounters can be so similar as those from people under the influence, is it possible/probable there’s a natural occurring psychedelic experience, perhaps a natural jolt of DMT from within the brain itself, that causes paranormal experiences?Could brain chemistry itself be the cause of all this? Could the addition of DMT (and other psychedelics) be guarantees to see these worlds (real or imaginary) while others sometimes “misfire” and have such experiences all on their own?I don’t know. As I said, there’s a lot of work to be done. Right now, the greatest hinderance in these studies is that most these drugs are illegal. Progress was being made decades ago but the War on Drugs ceased all that. Hope is in the future, however, as these drugs are finding excellent results in the treatments of depression, addiction/recovery and PTSD and communities are beginning decriminalization.Maybe one day, we’ll have the tools to, if not explore real worlds filled with entities and great, mystical lands, but at least find safe playful outposts in dreams that feel more real than dreams. Talk about TOTAL RECALL.

Another very good variety of presentations and discussions on more than the encounter with entities. Wonderful to read such varied perspectives from kindred folk who explore the mysterium tremendum et fascinans of where the molecule brings us in research, contemplation, spiritual growth and in the journey of consciousness.