The DMT Gland
The Pineal, The Spirit Molecule, and Popular Culture
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/ijsnr.v7i2.31949Keywords:
Occulture, DMT, entheogenic esotericism, Rick Strassman, popular cultureAbstract
With clinical psychiatrist Rick Strassman's DMT: The Spirit Molecule as a vehicle, the pineal gland has become a popularly enigmatic organ that quite literally excretes mystery. Strassman’s top selling book documented ground-breaking clinical trials with the powerful mind altering compound DMT (N,N-dimethyltryptamine) conducted at the University of New Mexico in the early 1990s. Inflected with Buddhist metaphysics, the book proposed that DMT secreted from the pineal gland enables transit of the life-force into this life, and from this life to the next. Since that study, the hunt has been on to verify the organ’s status as the “lightening rod of the soul” and that DMT is the “brain's own psychedelic.” While the burden of proof hangs over speculations that the humans produce endogenous DMT in psychedelic quantities, knowledge claims have left the clinic to forge a career of their own. Exploring this development, the article addresses how speculation on the DMT-producing “spirit gland”—the “intermediary between the physical and the spiritual”—are animate in film, literature, music and other popular cultural artefacts. Navigating the legacy of the DMT gland (and DMT) in diverse esoteric currents, it illustrates how Strassman’s “spirit molecule” propositions have been adopted by populists of polar positions on the human condition: i.e. the cosmic re-evolutionism consistent with Modern Theosophy and the gothic hopelessness of H. P. Lovecraft. This exploration of the extraordinary career of the “spirit molecule” enhances awareness of the influence of drugs, and specifically “entheogens,” in diverse “popular occultural” narratives, a development that remains under-researched in a field that otherwise recognises that oc/cult fandom—science fiction, fantasy and horror—is a vehicle for religious ideas and mystical practices.
References
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Badiner, Allan. 2015. Zig Zag Zen: Buddhism and Psychedelics. Santa Fe, NM: Synergetic Press.
Barker, Steven A., Jimo Borjigin, Izabela Lomnicka and Rick Strassman. 2013. “LC/MS/MS Analysis of the endogenous dimethyltryptamine hallucinogens, their precursors, and major metabolites in rat pineal gland microdialysate.” Biomedical Chromatography 27(12): 1690–1700. https://doi.org/10.1002/bmc.2981
Blavatsky, Helena P. 1888. The Secret Doctrine: The Synthesis of Science, Religion and Philosophy. Vol. II (Anthropogenesis). London: Theosophical Publishing Company, Ltd.
Blavatsky, Helena P. 1889. “Dialogue on the mysteries of the after life [Part 2].” Lucifer 3 (Jan 15): 407–417.
Brown, William and David H. Fleming. 2015. “Voiding cinema—subjectivity beside itself, or unbecoming cinema in enter the void.” Film-Philosophy 19: 124–145.
Cardin, Matt. 2011. “H. P. Lovecraft, DMT, and the mysteries of the pineal gland.” The Teeming Brain. http://www.teemingbrain.com/2011/07/04/h-p-lovecraft-dmt-and-the-mysteries-of-the-pineal-gland/
Cowan, Douglas E. 2008. Sacred Terror: Religion and Horror on the Silver Screen. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press.
Cowan, Douglas. 2015. “The crack in the world: New thoughts on religion and horror.” Religious Studies Review 41(4): 133–141. https://doi.org/10.1111/rsr.12268
Doyle, Richard M. 2011. Darwin’s Pharmacy: Sex, Plants, and the Evolution of the Noösphere. Seattle: University of Washington Press.
Eldritch, Tristan. 2013. “Towards the visionary antipodes of the human psyche, part 2: H.P. Lovecraft and the door in the wall.” A Few Years in the Absolute Elsewhere. http://2012diaries.blogspot.com/2013/08/towards-visionary-antipodes-of-human.html. Accessed August 4, 2015.
Ellens, J. Harold. 2014. Seeking the Sacred with Psychoactive Substances: Chemical Paths to Spirituality and to God. 2 vols. Praeger.
Gallimore, Andrew and David Luke. 2015. “DMT research from 1956 to the end of time.” In Neurotransmissions: Essays on Psychedelics from Breaking Convention , edited by D. King, D. Luke, B. Sessa, C. Adams, and A. Tollen, 291–316. London: Strange Attractor.
Griffiths, R. R., W. A. Richards, U. McCann and R. Jesse. 2006. “Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance. Psychopharmacology 187: 268–283. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-006-0457-5
Hancock, Graham. 2011. Entangled: The Eater of Souls. London: Arrow.
Hanegraaff, Wouter J. 1998. New Age Religion and Western Culture: Esotericism in the Mirror of Secular Thought. New York: State University of New York Press.
Hanegraaff, Wouter J. 2010. “‘And end history. and go to the stars’: Terence McKenna and 2012.” In Religion and Retributive Logic: Essays in Honour of Professor Garry W. Trompf, edited by Carole M. Cusack and Christopher Hartney, 291–312. Leiden: Brill.
Hanegraaff, Wouter J. 2011. “Ayahuasca groups and networks in the Netherlands: A challenge to the study of contemporary religion.” In The Internationalization of Ayahuasca, edited by Beatriz C. Labate and Henrik Jungaberle, 85–103. Zürich: LIT.
Hanegraaff, Wouter J. 2013. “Entheogenic esotericism.” In Contemporary Esotericism (Gnostica), edited by E. Asprem and K. Granholm, 392–409. Durham: Acumen Publishing.
Hunter, Jack. 2015. “‘Between realness and unrealness’: Anthropology, parapsychology and the ontology of non-ordinary realities.” Diskus: Journal of the British Association for the Study of Religion 17(2): 4–20.
Keen, Roger. 2016. “Strange brew: DMT Cinema goes mainstream.” Reality Sandwich. http://realitysandwich.com/320913/strange-brew-dmt-cinema-goes-mainstream/
Lambie, Ryan. 2010. “Gaspar Noé interview: Enter the void, illegal substances and life after death.” Den of Geek. 21 Sept. http://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/16358/gaspar-no%C3%A9-interview-enter-the-void-illegal-substances-and-life-after-death
Lovecraft, H. P. 1934. “From Beyond.” The Fantasy Fan 1(10).
Luke, David. 2011. “Discarnate entities and dimethyltryptamine (DMT): Psychopharmacology, phenomenology and ontology.” Journal of the Society for Psychical Research 75(1): 26–42.
Lundborg, Patrick. 2012. Psychedelia: An Ancient Culture, A Modern Way of Life. Stockholm: Lysergia.
McKenna, Terence. 1991. “Linking the past, present and the future of psychedelics.” presented at The Bridge Psychedelic Conference, Stanford University, Stanford, California, February 2–3.
McKenna, Terence. n.d. “DMT, mathematical dimensions, syntax and death.” (from presentation). Uploaded to YouTube August 28, 2013. www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuEXBBaFAbw.
Newberg Andrew B. 2010. Principles of Neurotheology. Surrey: Ashgate Publishing.
O’Donnell, Shauna. 2011. “Interview with Alistar V of D.M.T.” Muen Magazine, January 17, www.muenmagazine.net/2011/01/interview-with-alistar-v-of-d-m-t/
Osto, Douglas. 2016. Altered States: Buddhism and Psychedelic Spirituality in America. New York: Columbia University Press. https://doi.org/10.7312/osto17730
Ott, Jonathan. 1996 [1993]. Pharmocotheon: Entheogenic Drugs, Their Plant Sources and History. Kennewick, WA: Natural Products Co.
Partridge, Christopher. 2003. “Sacred chemicals: Psychedelic drugs and mystical experience.” In Mysticisms East and West: Studies in Mystical Experience, edited by C. Partridge and T. Gabriel, 96–131. Milton Keynes: Paternoster Press.
Partridge, Christopher. 2004. The Re-Enchantment of the West: Alternative Spiritualities, Sacralization, Popular Culture and Occulture Vol 1. London: T&T Clark.
Partridge, Christopher. 2006. The Re-Enchantment of the West: Alternative Spiritualities, Sacralization, Popular Culture and Occulture, Vol 2. London: T&T Clark.
Ricard, Sarah. 2015. “13 questions about Netflix’s new series Sense8 answered. Co-creator J. Michael Straczynski explains all.” Rotten Tomatoes. June 3. https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/13-questions-about-netflixs-new-series-sense8-answered/
Roeland, Johan, Stef Aupers, and Dick Houtman. 2012. “Fantasy, conspiracy and the romantic legacy: Max Weber and the spirit of contemporary popular culture.” In Handbook of Hyper-real Religions, edited by Adam Possamai, 401–422. Leiden: Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004226944_022
Ruck, Carl A. P., Jeremy Bigwood, Danny Staples, Jonathan Ott and Gordon Wasson. 1979. “Entheogens.” Journal of Psychedelic Drugs 11(1–2): 145–146. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.1979.10472098
Shoja, Mohammadali. M., Lauren. D. Hoepfner, Paul. S. Agutter, Rajani Singh, and R. Shane Tubbs. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-015-2636-3 2016. “History of the pineal gland.” Childs Nervous System. 32(4): 583–586.
St John, Graham. 2013. “Aliens are us: Cosmic liminality, remixticism and alienation in Psytrance.” Journal of Religion and Popular Culture. 25(2): 186–204. https://doi.org/10.3138/jrpc.25.2.186
St John, Graham. 2015. Mystery School in Hyperspace: A Cultural History of DMT. Berkeley: North Atlantic Books/Evolver.
St John, Graham. 2017. “Hyperspace in cyberspace: DMT and meta-ritualisation.” Drogues, santé et société 16(2) [Forthcoming].
Strassman, Rick. 1991. “The pineal gland: Current evidence for its role in consciousness.” Psychedelic Monographs and Essays 5: 167–205.
Strassman, Rick. 1996. “Sitting for Sessions: Dharma and DMT Research.” Tricycle: The Buddhist Review Fall: 81–88.
Strassman, Rick. 2001. DMT: The Spirit Molecule: A Doctor’s Revolutionary Research into the Biology of Near-Death and Mystical Experiences. Rochester, VT: Park Street Press.
Strassman, Rick. 2008. “DMT: The Brain’s Own Psychedelic.” In Strassman, Wojtowicz, Luna, and Frecska, Inner Paths to Outer Space: Journeys to Alien Worlds through Psychedelics and Other Spiritual Technologies. Rochester, VT: Park Street Press.
Strassman, Rick. 2014. DMT and the Soul of Prophecy: A New Science of Spiritual Revelation in the Hebrew Bible. Rochester, VT: Park Street Press.
Thompson, Hunter S. 1971. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream. Random House.
Discography
Simpson, Sturgill. 2014. Metamodern Sounds in Country Music.
Transmissions. 2012. Compiled by Boom Shankar and Alexsoph.
Filmography
Erickson, Blair, dir. 2013. Banshee Chapter. Sunchaser Entertainment.
Gelb, David, dir. 2015. The Lazarus Effect. Blumhouse Productions.
Gordon, Stuart, dir. 1986. From Beyond. MGM.
Jung, David, dir. 2014. The Possession of Michael King. Gold Circle Films, Quickfire Films.
Noé, Gaspar, dir. 2009. Enter the Void. Fidélité Films, Wild Bunch, BUF.
Schultz, Mitch, dir. 2010. DMT: The Spirit Molecule, Spectral Alchemy, Synthetic Pictures.
Badiner, Allan. 2015. Zig Zag Zen: Buddhism and Psychedelics. Santa Fe, NM: Synergetic Press.
Barker, Steven A., Jimo Borjigin, Izabela Lomnicka and Rick Strassman. 2013. “LC/MS/MS Analysis of the endogenous dimethyltryptamine hallucinogens, their precursors, and major metabolites in rat pineal gland microdialysate.” Biomedical Chromatography 27(12): 1690–1700. https://doi.org/10.1002/bmc.2981
Blavatsky, Helena P. 1888. The Secret Doctrine: The Synthesis of Science, Religion and Philosophy. Vol. II (Anthropogenesis). London: Theosophical Publishing Company, Ltd.
Blavatsky, Helena P. 1889. “Dialogue on the mysteries of the after life [Part 2].” Lucifer 3 (Jan 15): 407–417.
Brown, William and David H. Fleming. 2015. “Voiding cinema—subjectivity beside itself, or unbecoming cinema in enter the void.” Film-Philosophy 19: 124–145.
Cardin, Matt. 2011. “H. P. Lovecraft, DMT, and the mysteries of the pineal gland.” The Teeming Brain. http://www.teemingbrain.com/2011/07/04/h-p-lovecraft-dmt-and-the-mysteries-of-the-pineal-gland/
Cowan, Douglas E. 2008. Sacred Terror: Religion and Horror on the Silver Screen. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press.
Cowan, Douglas. 2015. “The crack in the world: New thoughts on religion and horror.” Religious Studies Review 41(4): 133–141. https://doi.org/10.1111/rsr.12268
Doyle, Richard M. 2011. Darwin’s Pharmacy: Sex, Plants, and the Evolution of the Noösphere. Seattle: University of Washington Press.
Eldritch, Tristan. 2013. “Towards the visionary antipodes of the human psyche, part 2: H.P. Lovecraft and the door in the wall.” A Few Years in the Absolute Elsewhere. http://2012diaries.blogspot.com/2013/08/towards-visionary-antipodes-of-human.html. Accessed August 4, 2015.
Ellens, J. Harold. 2014. Seeking the Sacred with Psychoactive Substances: Chemical Paths to Spirituality and to God. 2 vols. Praeger.
Gallimore, Andrew and David Luke. 2015. “DMT research from 1956 to the end of time.” In Neurotransmissions: Essays on Psychedelics from Breaking Convention , edited by D. King, D. Luke, B. Sessa, C. Adams, and A. Tollen, 291–316. London: Strange Attractor.
Griffiths, R. R., W. A. Richards, U. McCann and R. Jesse. 2006. “Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance. Psychopharmacology 187: 268–283. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-006-0457-5
Hancock, Graham. 2011. Entangled: The Eater of Souls. London: Arrow.
Hanegraaff, Wouter J. 1998. New Age Religion and Western Culture: Esotericism in the Mirror of Secular Thought. New York: State University of New York Press.
Hanegraaff, Wouter J. 2010. “‘And end history. and go to the stars’: Terence McKenna and 2012.” In Religion and Retributive Logic: Essays in Honour of Professor Garry W. Trompf, edited by Carole M. Cusack and Christopher Hartney, 291–312. Leiden: Brill.
Hanegraaff, Wouter J. 2011. “Ayahuasca groups and networks in the Netherlands: A challenge to the study of contemporary religion.” In The Internationalization of Ayahuasca, edited by Beatriz C. Labate and Henrik Jungaberle, 85–103. Zürich: LIT.
Hanegraaff, Wouter J. 2013. “Entheogenic esotericism.” In Contemporary Esotericism (Gnostica), edited by E. Asprem and K. Granholm, 392–409. Durham: Acumen Publishing.
Hunter, Jack. 2015. “‘Between realness and unrealness’: Anthropology, parapsychology and the ontology of non-ordinary realities.” Diskus: Journal of the British Association for the Study of Religion 17(2): 4–20.
Keen, Roger. 2016. “Strange brew: DMT Cinema goes mainstream.” Reality Sandwich. http://realitysandwich.com/320913/strange-brew-dmt-cinema-goes-mainstream/
Lambie, Ryan. 2010. “Gaspar Noé interview: Enter the void, illegal substances and life after death.” Den of Geek. 21 Sept. http://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/16358/gaspar-no%C3%A9-interview-enter-the-void-illegal-substances-and-life-after-death
Lovecraft, H. P. 1934. “From Beyond.” The Fantasy Fan 1(10).
Luke, David. 2011. “Discarnate entities and dimethyltryptamine (DMT): Psychopharmacology, phenomenology and ontology.” Journal of the Society for Psychical Research 75(1): 26–42.
Lundborg, Patrick. 2012. Psychedelia: An Ancient Culture, A Modern Way of Life. Stockholm: Lysergia.
McKenna, Terence. 1991. “Linking the past, present and the future of psychedelics.” presented at The Bridge Psychedelic Conference, Stanford University, Stanford, California, February 2–3.
McKenna, Terence. n.d. “DMT, mathematical dimensions, syntax and death.” (from presentation). Uploaded to YouTube August 28, 2013. www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuEXBBaFAbw.
Newberg Andrew B. 2010. Principles of Neurotheology. Surrey: Ashgate Publishing.
O’Donnell, Shauna. 2011. “Interview with Alistar V of D.M.T.” Muen Magazine, January 17, www.muenmagazine.net/2011/01/interview-with-alistar-v-of-d-m-t/
Osto, Douglas. 2016. Altered States: Buddhism and Psychedelic Spirituality in America. New York: Columbia University Press. https://doi.org/10.7312/osto17730
Ott, Jonathan. 1996 [1993]. Pharmocotheon: Entheogenic Drugs, Their Plant Sources and History. Kennewick, WA: Natural Products Co.
Partridge, Christopher. 2003. “Sacred chemicals: Psychedelic drugs and mystical experience.” In Mysticisms East and West: Studies in Mystical Experience, edited by C. Partridge and T. Gabriel, 96–131. Milton Keynes: Paternoster Press.
Partridge, Christopher. 2004. The Re-Enchantment of the West: Alternative Spiritualities, Sacralization, Popular Culture and Occulture Vol 1. London: T&T Clark.
Partridge, Christopher. 2006. The Re-Enchantment of the West: Alternative Spiritualities, Sacralization, Popular Culture and Occulture, Vol 2. London: T&T Clark.
Ricard, Sarah. 2015. “13 questions about Netflix’s new series Sense8 answered. Co-creator J. Michael Straczynski explains all.” Rotten Tomatoes. June 3. https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/13-questions-about-netflixs-new-series-sense8-answered/
Roeland, Johan, Stef Aupers, and Dick Houtman. 2012. “Fantasy, conspiracy and the romantic legacy: Max Weber and the spirit of contemporary popular culture.” In Handbook of Hyper-real Religions, edited by Adam Possamai, 401–422. Leiden: Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004226944_022
Ruck, Carl A. P., Jeremy Bigwood, Danny Staples, Jonathan Ott and Gordon Wasson. 1979. “Entheogens.” Journal of Psychedelic Drugs 11(1–2): 145–146. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.1979.10472098
Shoja, Mohammadali. M., Lauren. D. Hoepfner, Paul. S. Agutter, Rajani Singh, and R. Shane Tubbs. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-015-2636-3 2016. “History of the pineal gland.” Childs Nervous System. 32(4): 583–586.
St John, Graham. 2013. “Aliens are us: Cosmic liminality, remixticism and alienation in Psytrance.” Journal of Religion and Popular Culture. 25(2): 186–204. https://doi.org/10.3138/jrpc.25.2.186
St John, Graham. 2015. Mystery School in Hyperspace: A Cultural History of DMT. Berkeley: North Atlantic Books/Evolver.
St John, Graham. 2017. “Hyperspace in cyberspace: DMT and meta-ritualisation.” Drogues, santé et société 16(2) [Forthcoming].
Strassman, Rick. 1991. “The pineal gland: Current evidence for its role in consciousness.” Psychedelic Monographs and Essays 5: 167–205.
Strassman, Rick. 1996. “Sitting for Sessions: Dharma and DMT Research.” Tricycle: The Buddhist Review Fall: 81–88.
Strassman, Rick. 2001. DMT: The Spirit Molecule: A Doctor’s Revolutionary Research into the Biology of Near-Death and Mystical Experiences. Rochester, VT: Park Street Press.
Strassman, Rick. 2008. “DMT: The Brain’s Own Psychedelic.” In Strassman, Wojtowicz, Luna, and Frecska, Inner Paths to Outer Space: Journeys to Alien Worlds through Psychedelics and Other Spiritual Technologies. Rochester, VT: Park Street Press.
Strassman, Rick. 2014. DMT and the Soul of Prophecy: A New Science of Spiritual Revelation in the Hebrew Bible. Rochester, VT: Park Street Press.
Thompson, Hunter S. 1971. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream. Random House.
Discography
Simpson, Sturgill. 2014. Metamodern Sounds in Country Music.
Transmissions. 2012. Compiled by Boom Shankar and Alexsoph.
Filmography
Erickson, Blair, dir. 2013. Banshee Chapter. Sunchaser Entertainment.
Gelb, David, dir. 2015. The Lazarus Effect. Blumhouse Productions.
Gordon, Stuart, dir. 1986. From Beyond. MGM.
Jung, David, dir. 2014. The Possession of Michael King. Gold Circle Films, Quickfire Films.
Noé, Gaspar, dir. 2009. Enter the Void. Fidélité Films, Wild Bunch, BUF.
Schultz, Mitch, dir. 2010. DMT: The Spirit Molecule, Spectral Alchemy, Synthetic Pictures.
Published
2017-02-20
Issue
Section
Articles
How to Cite
St.John, G. (2017). The DMT Gland: The Pineal, The Spirit Molecule, and Popular Culture. International Journal for the Study of New Religions, 7(2), 153-174. https://doi.org/10.1558/ijsnr.v7i2.31949
