DMT: The Spirit Molecule

Scientific study induced Consciousness experience

I'd been wanting to listen to this book, but so many of the Consciousness study books bog me down with physics, philosophy, or science and I have quite a few that I am having to go back to again and again and still haven't finished because I either can't comprehend them or they are eye-glazers.

Thankfully, DMT The Spirit Molecule is written in an easy-to-understand narrative style. Of course, like many of the "left-brain" MD or PhD authors, the first few hours of the audio book are spent laying out a scientific and educational foundation on the topic to be covered. Defining terms, giving the history, and current state of things . . . then getting to what happened in their own work.

As with other books I've read by researchers, there is a lot of bureaucracy and some politics involved with studies done in areas at the edge of the accepted norm, and it is amazing any meaningful research ever gets done to push the "cutting-edge" out further. The frustration translated to me, the reader/listener. And, it is a similar theme to Candace Pert's book Molecules of Emotion, another book called The Big Fat Surprise by Nina Teicholz, and Science Set Free by Rupert Sheldrake.

The experiences the DMT injected volunteers related upon "return" were interesting. I had heard descriptions before of some of the entities, but never of "spider people" - yet the day after I finished the book I saw a photograph of some ancient rock art and there was one of the entity types I had previously heard of, and which were mentioned in this book, AND there were some drawings of entities that could be called spider people.

The narrator made this book easy to listen to. And the writing was great, with a human touch and interesting personal reflections. Unlike some of the other scientifically-written Consciousness-related books I've bought I was able to finish this in 2 days, because the writing is so interesting and understandable, while other books have languished for months.

19 of 19 people found this review helpful

A must-have for anyone interested in anything.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I recommend this book to anyone I think might read it. Powerful imagery, touching stories, and valuable knowledge of the history of psychedelic drugs are just the beginning.

What other book might you compare DMT: The Spirit Molecule to and why?

This book does not compare well to other works of literature. It has the somewhat dry, detailed explanation of procedures from Dr. Strassman himself, while at the same time encompassing a vast array of well worded vision and meaningful storyline.

What does Arthur Morey bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Arthur Morey is fantastic. I have owned hard copies of this book before, and I absolutely prefer to hear it read by Mr. Morey than to read it myself.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

If I were the director of a film based upon the notes contained in this book, the title would assuredly be

Any additional comments?

Check it out. This book will give you a broader sense of not only drugs, psychology, the brain, religion, society, etc. But will give you a deeper understanding (or questioning) of reality in general, and how we perceive it.

18 of 18 people found this review helpful

Good attempt to investigate a phenomenon

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

For any one interested in the "near-death experience" phenomenon, this book should be read. The author has made an attempt to systematically investigate psychedelic experiences that are mediated by DMT, a substance I personally knew nothing about before reading this book. The account of the difficulty he had getting approval for his studies, and how it affected some of his other involvements, is interesting, as well. Not having a strong neurochemical information background, I found it difficult to evaluate some of the information he presented, but I do think the book is well written and provokes questions and desire for more research on the part of the reader.

What other book might you compare DMT: The Spirit Molecule to and why?

I am not aware of many other books that purport to study psychedelic phenomena, at least in current times. This book is certainly more research based than most of the books I have read about altered states of consciousness.

What does Arthur Morey bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He treated the content with respect and thus supported the overall tone and nature of the book--that is, businesslike, but with appropriate emphasis, even on the personal material.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not necessarily, but it did hold my interest and there was a definite desire to finish it. HIs organization was logical and also showed a clear progression to the core of the results he found

Any additional comments?

This is a book that chronicles a more reasoned approach to altered states of consciousness than many of the other literature out there on this subject. He does a good job of labeling his biases when they come into play

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

wonderful insights... DMT is so beyond words!

I'm one of few fortunate to have experienced DMT and found this book fascinating... put simply, this experience was a zillion times beyond all experiences I've ever had (as I tell friends....combined!)...and I've explored oooodles of biochemical modulations...as an infomaniac, DMT spoke deeply and profoundly

I've attempted to understand and peered through many doorways...and the importance of the insights conveyed here...everyone should take the time to understand.

The experience of immersion into the electrical field of reality is the most profound experience of my 64 years of life. Rick sadly lays out our society's ignorant and unfortunate neglect of magical compounds nature avails us. I've often wondered how different the world would be if these doorways were explored by humans everywhere...

Reality is a trip and our vision is so cloudy...

14 of 15 people found this review helpful

Very Intriguing

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes.

What did you like best about this story?

Dr. Strassman is incredibly objective in his approach to DMT. There are times when I would have thought his own personal desire for data to reflect a certain outcome would have clouded his approach, but it certainly didn't.

Which character – as performed by Arthur Morey – was your favorite?

NA

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No... It was packed with so much to ponder that it would have been difficult to listen to all in one listening

Any additional comments?

There are some parts of the book that are overly detailed and tend to be redundant, such as when he is explaining his challenges getting FDA approval for testing. The book could have been shortened quite a bit, butt it was a fantastic book none the less.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

VERY WELL DONE

Books of this sort are always a risk but this was done with great professionalism and well written as well.
Its a fascinating group of stories, including the lengthy story of how he finally got to do this dicey research in the first place
I'm fascinated by what this recent explosion of research into various psychedelia, (including ayawaska) are finding.
I find it all enormously fascinating .I would bet that this is the Best book of its kind on the subject.. Fine narration and credit worthy.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Interesting study

Would you consider the audio edition of DMT: The Spirit Molecule to be better than the print version?

I never read the print version.

What did you like best about this story?

The journeys that the participants went on is fascinating. It is an amazing study

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Very Interesting and Insightful

What did you love best about DMT: The Spirit Molecule?

This book provides valuable insight into the studies of DMT and gives readers a chance to experience a realm we have early understandings of.

What was one of the most memorable moments of DMT: The Spirit Molecule?

I love the stories of the high-dose test subjects, very interesting stuff going on there...

Which character – as performed by Arthur Morey – was your favorite?

Well, the author's role: Dr. Rick StrassmanI think Arthur Morey did a great job conveying the emotions of Dr. Strassman.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It's pretty long, so one sitting would be tough. Let's say my interest never wavered.

Any additional comments?

I definitely recommend this book for anyone who's interested in the topic!

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Not what I was hoping for

I purchased this book with the expectation that I would be exposed to a work focused on the experiences of those participating in the Doctor's study.
While there certainly is some of that, the book goes into great detail about the science behind how the drug works and the logistics involved in setting up the study. This type of material might be interesting to some but it's not my cup of tea. Finishing the book become a chore.
A high point for me: I was intrigued by the author's comments on alien abductions and how that phenomenon may be related to DMT.

12 of 15 people found this review helpful

Door Opening

The story of the research done by Rick Strassman and the implications are nothing less than some of the most Humanly relevant ideas that I have ever heard in my life. I recomend this book to anyone that has any interest in religion or neurobiology.

8 of 10 people found this review helpful