Might DMT exert an effect on our normal everyday awareness? The fact that the brain actively transports the spirit molecule across the blood-brain barrier suggests this might be the case. I pointed out that the brain seems to "hunger" for DMT; it expends precious energy actively transporting the drug from the blood into its inner recesses. It is as if DMT were necessary for normal brain function. Perhaps just the right amount of DMT is involved in the brain's maintenance of the correct receiving properties. That is, it keeps our brains tuned in to Channel Normal. Too much, and all manner of unusual and unexpected programs appear on the mind's screen. Too little, and our view of the world dims and flattens. In fact, these types of numbing, vitality-draining effects are what normal volunteers describe when they take antipsychotic drugs. These drugs may block the effects of endogenous DMT. Perhaps we see and feel what we do on this level of existence because of just the right amount of endogenous DMT. It is an essential component maintaining our brain's awareness of everyday reality. In a way, we might consider DMT to be a "reality thermostat" keeping us in a narrow band of awareness so as to ensure our survival.

- Rick Srassman -

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