Rick Strassman a professor of psychiatry at the University of New Mexico. After 20 years of intermission in psychedelic research, he was the first person in the United States to undertake human research with a psychedelic. He performed groundbreaking research on N,N-dimethyltryptamine, or DMT, which he wrote up in his hugely successful book DMT: The Spirit Molecule, which was later made into a documentary. He is also the author DMT and the soul of prophecy and an autobiographical novel called Joseph Levy Escapes Death. Today we talk about his research into DMT.

Topics & timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
0:51 Becoming interested in psychedelics and spirituality
2:55 Is melatonin a psychedelic?
5:34 Pioneering research with DMT
13:33 Unitive vs. interactive psychedelic experiences
17:28 Why do psilocybin and DMT have different effects when they’re so chemically similar?
28:18 What is a DMT experience like?
40:00 DMT & Near death experiences
46:58 The “DMT in the pineal” meme
54:34 Is there a conspiracy to suppress knowledge of DMT?
1:04:46 closing

Welcome to Living Mirrors with Dr. James Cooke. Living Mirrors is a new podcast in which neuroscientist Dr. James Cooke will be interviewing people on topics like consciousness, science, spirituality, meditation and the renaissance in psychedelic research. Subscribe now wherever you get your podcasts.

#psychedelics #DMT #DMTthespiritmolecule
Ask questions for the next AMA via patreon or the channel membership community (click the "join" button above):
https://www.patreon.com/DrJamesCooke

We live in a world filled with suffering, where attempts to help have been split into largely separate scientific and spiritual communities. As a spiritually engaged neuroscientist I hope to communicate how these seemingly separate world views can be reconciled. I produce weekly videos on topics at the intersection of neuroscience and wellbeing, including consciousness, meditation and psychedelic science.


Dr. James Cooke:
Neuroscientist, writer & speaker, focusing on perception, meditation, psychedelics, mental health and wellbeing.
PhD in Neuroscience, Oxford University
MSc in Neuroscience, Oxford University
MA in Experimental Psychology, Oxford University


Follow me on Twitter:
https://www.twitter.com/DrJamesCooke


Follow me on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/DrJamesCooke


Follow me on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/DrJamesCooke


Join the subreddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/DrJamesCooke


Visit my website:
https://www.DrJamesCooke.com


Consider supporting this work on patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/DrJamesCooke