r/terencemckenna

Okay guys, hear me out, this is my hypothesis: DMT entities could be the neurovisual and metaphorical interpretation of complex, unconscious organ signals—particularly the biochemical activity of your MICROBIOME—by the overstimulated neocortex.

The microbiome is a highly complex, dynamic ecosystem made up of billions of living organisms that communicate and cooperate with one another. It behaves like a separate, foreign organism within your body. Under normal conditions, 80% of the vagus nerve fibers terminate in the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) in the brainstem. From there, the raw data (such as bowel movements, heart rate, or inflammatory markers) are relayed to evolutionarily older regions (e.g., the thalamus and hypothalamus) to control unconscious reflexes. The thalamus acts as a “gatekeeper” (stimulus filter) and prevents these basic organ signals from overwhelming our consciousness build in the neocortex.

Under the influence of DMT, information processing is altered and also information from the brainstem, which normally would be filtered out, is transmitted to the neocortex (collapse of thalamic cating, opening of neural gates). This leads to hyperconnectivity. Regions that normally operate in strict isolation from one another (such as the visceral brainstem and the sensory cerebral cortex) suddenly begin to communicate intensively with one another. The vagus nerve continues to send data from the body to the brainstem, but instead of being processed there in the background, these signals “seep” upward through the collapsed thalamic filter and are translated by the overexcited neocortex into complex psychedelic, visual, and emotional experiences.

1. The microbial source: Bacteria and other organisms in the gut continuously produce biochemical substances—such as tryptamine, short-chain fatty acids, or inflammatory mediators. These substances stimulate the chemo- and mechanosensitive receptors of the vagus nerve in the intestinal wall.

2. The electrical impulse: The vagus nerve translates this biochemical activity into a specific electrical firing pattern and sends it as an afferent signal upward to the brainstem.

3. The open filter: Under the influence of DMT, the thalamus’s filtering function breaks down. The electrical signal, which would otherwise be intercepted in the subconscious and used for unconscious organ regulation, “leaks” unchecked information upward into the cerebral cortex.

4. The cortical metaphor (the "hallucination"): In the neocortex, these misled vagus signals encounter 5-HT2A receptors that have been hyperactivated by DMT. Since the cortex functions in a highly associative manner and global hyperconnectivity (sensory crossover) prevails under the influence of DMT, the brain can no longer classify this signal as “intestinal activity.” It interprets it as a visual or sensory hallucination.

What shamans have described for millennia as “communication with the spirits of the body or plants” can be explained in modern terms as a hyper-fast, visually translated biofeedback system. The flow of information would therefore by no means be one-sided. Under the influence of DMT, you transform from a passive observer of your organ signals into an active participant in the dialogue. Thoughts and intentions alter the brain’s neurochemistry, which in turn alters the physiology of the gut, and the microbiome adjusts its activity—a closed, conscious communication loop between the human being and the internal microcosm. This cellular feedback loop would feel like a real conversation to the conscious mind.

Since different microorganisms (bacterial strains, fungi, archaea) produce completely different cocktails of chemical signaling substances and stimulate different nerve fibers, they each feed entirely unique electrical firing patterns into the vagus nerve. The DMT entities would therefore not be aliens from another dimension, but rather the personified factions of your own inner ecosystem. Although every person’s microbiome is as unique as a fingerprint, all healthy people worldwide share the same functional core microbiome:

• Regardless of whether someone lives in New York, the Amazon rainforest, or Tokyo, the same bacterial strains (Bacteroides, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria) dominate every human gut.

• Strains such as Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Clostridium, or the gas-producing Methanobrevibacter are universal companions of the human species.

• Since these bacteria produce exactly the same biochemical cocktails (GABA, histamine, short-chain fatty acids, methane gas) in all humans, they also feed the same electrical firing patterns into the vagus nerve in all humans. The brain accesses the same biological “raw material database".Under the influence of DMT, the brain functions as a translation tool that visualizes the ascending vagus signals. Since the anatomy of the human brain is structured the same way in all people, it also uses the same evolutionary patterns (archetypes) for translation:

• Pattern recognition (pareidolia): The human cortex is evolutionarily programmed to recognize faces, intentions, and living beings in unstructured data (such as the chaotic signals of a fermenting gut).

• The translation constant: An explosive, irregular gas signal in the large intestine is interpreted by a human brain in the Amazon just as much as a “leaping, chaotic jester” as it is by the brain of a Western city dweller. The visual metaphor is universal because the hardware (the brain) and the software (the evolutionary image patterns) are almost identical in all humans. The striking similarity of the DMT entities is therefore not evidence of an external, parallel dimension, but rather proof of our shared biological identity.

On a DMT trip, we encounter humanity’s oldest cohabitants. Since we are all human and carry similar microorganisms within us, the journey into the deep unconscious of our bodies resembles the same cosmic shadow theater for almost every user.

**Why do you take psychedelics? Trying to figure out my own answer after my GF asked me.**

My girlfriend (does no drugs or psychedelics at all) recently asked me something that sounds simple: why do I enjoy taking LSD or mushrooms? I do them maybe once a year.

I said: the visuals, the spirituality, the mind and universe exploration.

Ok, she says, but why psychedelics specifically? She has no experience with them, which is fine, but it was a fair question and I didn't have a clean answer ready.

What I landed on is that psychedelics alter your reality/mind/perspective, and I like that because I feel like an explorer as a person. I enjoy living experiences - travel, nature, adventure - so I enjoy mind trips the same way. If that makes sense.

Then she pushed further: most people aren't like you, and a lot of them couldn't handle psychedelics as smoothly as you do. So why does it work on you? Why are you so comfortable losing reality and losing your self? Does that say something about you? Are you trying to find or fix something?

I don't think I am. But I think it's worth the debate, and I couldn't fully argue my side.

So, what do psychedelics do for you? Is it practical, just fun, or something deeper you can't really put into words? And why do some of us enjoy altered reality while others don't?

Took the XUM Transcend plus 2 sample tabs.

Chewed the softgel a little alongside the tabs (to boost absorption).

Come up started out very slow then it got very intense and wild 40 minutes in.

Wild Acidlike visuals but with a profoundly sober headspace.

Got very rocky to find my footing at first but then I just focused on playing polyrhythms over and over on my drumkit.

I then had a 30mg thc/cbd gummy to give it some pep and just had an amazing, euphoric time drumming from then on.

I'd say 4-5 hours of me going bananas on my kit. Then afterwards I feel like im plateauing so I decide to do some DMT.

Wasn't planning to breakthrough but just wanting to add more spark to my trip. I took the hits and waited a long long time. This is the journal entry right after the experience I had at 9:22. It reads as follows.

"Was greeted by Jesters and Jokers, a lot of funny silly guys having a laugh and ball. I laughed aswell in real life because it was very fun and a very good time. Then they tried scaring me and startling me by hiding, popping back out, showing me silly faces. Then they showed me horrible demonic monstrosities and faces that they have locked up somewhere. Initially I had primal senses of fear, but that quickly faded away as I just laughed at the things they were trying to scare me with. I laughed at these things because it was just so silly. Then they realized I wasn't phased by the incredibly complex geometric shapes, faces, demons, mindfuckery, that they were throwing at me. It took a very very very long time in the waiting room (At this point you're thinking that you missed it and you'll have to try again later, all previous experiences with DMT were like this with me. Took enough for a breakthrough but always ended up in the "waiting room" with the impossible machinescapes). Then they showed me a window. A glimpse. It started with a cube. A cube I could shape, move, transform into any other shape I wanted (Sphere, Triangle, starting out simple 3d shapes, then 4d then incomprehensible shapes) I started zooming in and out of this ever expanding rectangular prism. Fantastic neon green and black colors in this hyperbolic geometry world. After they saw me playing with this "any shape that I want" tool, they shown me more and more impossible geometric toys. What was simple ball toys to them were utterly and profoundly incomprehensible to any human mind. I then saw another "window". I looked into this window and was transported to this endless impossible room with an Elephant diety? With many hands. It is almost impossible to explain what he was trying to tell me or show me in words. He started showing me incredibly incredibly complex shapes and rooms, more complex than what I saw previously. The gist of what he told me was that I was able to create these shapes in my own world. The elephant diety was very wise, welcoming, and instructive. Shown me incredible complex spinning machine scape rooms and shapes at varying speeds and angles and velocity. Then he raised one of his many hands and sent me away. I think they felt bad I was trying so hard to breakthrough so many times with my previous attempts but not being able to, so they send the cool diety elephant guy to satisfy my mind I guess?"

After doing some research afterwards I believe the elephant diety I saw was Ganesha. Trying to integrate what I just experienced afterwards is a challenge, and all I can really do is just laugh at the absurdity of the DMT experience.

But overall it was a blast and I would 100% do it again. Just coming down vibing to some Primus and Tool. Anyways XUM is a 10/10 product and I had a blast. Thank you for recommending this to me and creating this wonderful product. Thank you for reading, and please stay safe and steadfast on your journeys my friends. God bless

I dont want to sound like a crazy person but after having a profound experience last night where I dissolved into myself and found a higher intelligence communicate with me.

I took an edible, I dont know how strong but it was given to me by a friend, I was sitting watching the most recent Matrix movie and suddenly I am deep in introspective thought about reality. Next thing I know I am dissolving into a high frequency vibration. I was experiencing these collapsing daydream states where sharpe intense ideas dropped into my head. It felt impossible to catch and memorise them, like grabbing water on the side of a speeding boat. Voices begin filtering through in my own thoughts saying "do nothing but be good" "there is noting to control but the mind" "the universe is yours" "be the good light against the dark vale"

I have never in all my life of doing psychedelics have experienced this. Among other downloads, a message came that we are in for some really troubling times ahead and we really need to be prepared.

Near the end I asked what is beyond our reality and this universe and the voice said the universe is a reflection of itself, like a mirror. Everything inside it, is a piece of intelligence like the arm of an octopus. It explained light is a constant because its form of energy continually bouching back on itself infinitely and dark matter is what holds this mirror like structure together. This structure or field is in a constant state of flux, manipulated and distorted via gravity as we observe it as an expansion.

I have no idea if any of that makes sense!

i'm looking for artist with psychotic disorders like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
Someone kind of Edvard Munch or Louise Wain but contemporary.
I just know Yayoi Kusama but im not really sure about her illnes, her history is strange.

Link to the video: https://youtu.be/QZ9GNAZphjY?is=VwMe\_iItfvCZmJ2Z

Let this be the one long form video you watch today!

Watching this video is like getting a front row seat in a lecture hall of a world class institute and listening to the best researchers and teachers of the world from the comfort of our homes. Super grateful for this gift.

I promise you, it will be more exciting and thrilling than the show or movie you had planned to watch on the OTT platform of your choice.

Such an important and insightful conversation between a philosopher, Acharya Prashant and a cognitive neuroscientist, Professor Steve Fleming.

Dare I say, it blew "me" away!

Whether it is going back to basics of the difference between the brain and the mind or diving deeper into the functioning of both (multiple researchers cited in this talk) and the one who sneaks in to claim credit for the functioning "The ego".

Whether you're a school/college going student or working professional, a stay at home human, or a scientist, this conversation has a lot to offer to everyone!

I plan to rewatch this instead of 'my comfort' show tonight.

If you've ever wondered (or to take it to the other extreme) ever been bothered by, tortured by your thoughts, your past, the mistakes you made, your regrets, the fear of the future... please do watch the video, there are many practical takeaways.

How much of 'my decision making' is really 'my' own?

How much of 'my thinking' is really my own?

What's the underlying apparatus that's keeping 'me' and 'my memories' alive?

How different really, is 'my' functioning to that of a bee or an ant or an octopus or a chimpanzee?

What exactly is this thing called 'I'?

Lastly... can the body function without 'me'?

Can life be lived without 'me'.

Please do share your takeaways after watching the video in the replies below. 'I' would love to learn from you. :)

"This most bizarre and most unexpected of all companions to our historical journey is now if not already in existence then certainly in gestation."

- Terence McKenna

Terence McKenna, Rupert Sheldrake & Ralph Abraham. Trialogues (excerpt, Edge of the Millennium). AI

link to entire Trialogues set edited by adam sturch

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDshQLY127HYqyOwvt_dh73vhyCtsbea_&si=dDXin2Q-V7OjJTU0

🤖

AI rocks.

Claude Code finding gaps in Uutter TM archive

For some context: I've been running Asktmk/Uutter for some time now. Part of the reason why I moved away from Asktmk to Uutter was to take advantage of AI powered transcription.

On Asktmk it used to take weeks if not months to gather enough people interested in possibly helping out with transcribing. And while a lot of people did help it still took too long and the idea of having everything Terence McKenna ever said on tape searchable seemed like it would never be accomplished.

Even archival stuff - Ageees. "Oh this talk seems new, when and where was this talk recorded?"... The rabbit holes I've been down just to figure out the date of a recording has consumed so much of my time but on the plus side it can also lead to discovery.

The human capacity for this is just very limited.. Unless there's an organisation or company behind it with economic incentive it's very rare for enough individuals to band together behind something and make a significant impact. There are exceptions ofc..

Anyway, I've been using AI a lot in my workflows. And along with being able to transcribe stuff on the fly is archival work. Instead of me spending hours searching and looking through links and trying to find leads on something, I'll just tell the AI to do it.

And so here are the results:

~31 hours of new material in a couple of hours. Highlights:

• The Tao And The Timewave — the complete 12-tape Esalen workshop. 14hrs 51min. It existed online in six chunks on a channel with a few hundred subs. Nobody had put it together.
• Amazonian Shamanism (1989) — the full weekend with Amazon explorer Nicole Maxwell, 6hrs 24min. I only had a 1-hour excerpt and couldn't find the rest until now.
• Magical Material — 4hrs 16min, which had been sitting on my own hard drive unnoticed (oops).
• Four recordings from Esalen's own archive, incl. Aliens, AI and Art (Aug 1997), The Stoned Ape Hypothesis (Aug 1992) and Politics and Ethos.
• Metamorphosis (1995) — the trialogue with Sheldrake and Abraham.

Also finally dated the "lost" Daryl Gates KFI interview, and correctly retitled a 5½-hour Esalen workshop that's been circulating under the wrong name for years — it's Eros, Chaos & Meaning's Edge.

That puts the collection at 338 entries, ~600 hours — all transcribed and searchable.

Total words transcribed: 4,500,378
Total non-stop listening duration: 24d 20h 16m 32s

uutter.com/c/terence-mckenna