A comparison of reactivation experiences following vaporization and intramuscular injection (IM) of synthetic 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) in a naturalistic setting

Background: suggests therapeutic potential 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT). However, online anecdotal reports have described a phenomenon following cessation of the acute effects of 5-MeO-DMT use which has been termed reactivation (i.e., re-experiencing ["flashback"]). To date, no research has investigated whether different routes of administration may confer different reactivation rates, effects and experiences.Aims: We aimed to assess whether intramuscular injection (IM) and vaporization of 5-MeO-DMT conferred different reactivation rates, changes in satisfaction with life as well as ratings of the experience with ego dissolution and the mystical.Methods: Using internet-based advertisements, 27 respondents (Mage = 32. SE = 1.43; males = 18; North America = 19) completed an online-based survey. Results: Of the 14 participants in the IM group, 3 (21%) reported reactivations; in contrast, of the 13 participants in the vaporization group, 9 (69%) reported reactivations. Redosing (more than 1 dose) occurred more frequently in the vaporization group (N = 8) (1-6 times with 3-35 mg of 5-MeO-DMT), relative to the IM group (N = 2) (1-5 times with 5-10 mg of 5-MeO-DMT). All participants in the IM group experienced release of physical tension, compared to 8 participants in the vaporization group. Participants in the IM group re-ported longer time of onset of acute effects (between 1 and 3 [N = 6] and 4-6 min [N = 6]), relative to the vaporization group where the majority (N = 11) reported a rapid onset of 1-50 s.Conclusion: Findings suggest that compared to vaporization, the IM route of administering 5-MeO-DMT is associated with lower and less doses, lower frequencies of reporting reactivation, a higher frequency of physical tension release, and a slower onset of acute effects

Isness: Using Multi-Person VR to Design Peak Mystical Type Experiences Comparable to Psychedelics

Studies combining psychotherapy with psychedelic drugs (PsiDs) have demonstrated positive outcomes that are often associated with PsiDs' ability to induce 'mystical-type' experiences (MTEs) - i.e., subjective experiences whose characteristics include a sense of connectedness, transcendence, and ineffability. We suggest that both PsiDs and virtual reality can be situated on a broader spectrum of psychedelic technologies. To test this hypothesis, we used concepts, methods, and analysis strategies from PsiD research to design and evaluate 'Isness', a multi-person VR journey where participants experience the collective emergence, fluctuation, and dissipation of their bodies as energetic essences. A study (N=57) analyzing participant responses to a commonly used PsiD experience questionnaire (MEQ30) indicates that Isness participants had MTEs comparable to those reported in double-blind clinical studies after high doses of psilocybin & LSD. Within a supportive setting and conceptual framework, VR phenomenology can create the conditions for MTEs from which participants derive insight and meaning

The therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs: past, present and future

Plant-based psychedelics, such as psilocybin, have an ancient history of medicinal use. After the first English language report on LSD in 1950, psychedelics enjoyed a short-lived relationship with psychology and psychiatry. Used most notably as aids to psychotherapy for the treatment of mood disorders and alcohol dependence, drugs such as LSD showed initial therapeutic promise before prohibitive legislature in the mid-1960s effectively ended all major psychedelic research programs. Since the early 1990s, there has been a steady revival of human psychedelic research: last year saw reports on the first modern brain imaging study with LSD and three separate clinical trials of psilocybin for depressive symptoms. In this circumspective piece, RLC-H and GMG share their opinions on the promises and pitfalls of renewed psychedelic research, with a focus on the development of psilocybin as a treatment for depression