DMT stands for N,N-dimethyltryptamine. It is a chemical closely
related to the brain neurotransmitter serotonin, and the pineal
hormone melatonin. It is a powerful hallucinogen that occurs in
many plants and animals, including humans. DMT was first
synthesized in the 1930s, and was known to exist in
hallucinogenic Amazonian plants, but it was not until 1955 that
we found out about its psychedelic effects. DMT belongs to the
family of compounds called the hallucinogens or psychedelics.
Other members of this family include LSD or "acid," psilocybin
in "magic" mushrooms, and mescaline from the peyote cactus.
Effects of DMT in many ways are typical of other psychedelics,
where kaleidoscopic visual displays are common with eyes opened
or closed; powerful emotions of either a positive or negative
nature; new insights into personal or religious questions; and
effects on our sense of bodily integrity. At high doses, DMT not
infrequently seems to provide entry into a non-physical world
inhabited by beings of lights wi