Survey of entity encounter experiences occasioned by inhaled N,N-dimethyltryptamine: Phenomenology, interpretation, and enduring effects.
Alan K. Davis, John Clifton, Eric G Weaver, Ethan Hurwitz, Matthew W Johnson, Roland R. Griffiths
Journal of Psychopharmacology September 1, 2020 DOI: 10.1177/0269881120916143 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 2,561 |
| Population | People who had a memorable entity encounter after taking N,N-dimethyltryptamine |
| Interventions | N N-dimethyltryptamine |
| Topics | 5-MeO-DMT DMT Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | N,N-Dimethyltryptamine Psychedelic experiences Psychedelics Altered states Mystical experiences Entheogens Spiritual transformation Worldview change Atheism conversion Personal growth Spiritual awakening Existential shift Meaning Entity encounters Guide interactions Telepathic experiences Benevolent entities Subjective effects research Qualitative research Experiential reports Personal accounts |
| Citations | 144 |
| Key findings | DMT-occasioned entity encounters are profound, often positive experiences that can shift worldview and reduce atheism, with enduring improvements in life satisfaction and meaning. |
Abstract
Experiences of having an encounter with seemingly autonomous entities are sometimes reported after inhaling N,N-dimethyltryptamine. The study characterized the subjective phenomena, interpretation, and persisting changes that people attribute to N,N-dimethyltryptamine-occasioned entity encounter experiences. Two thousand, five hundred and sixty-one individuals (mean age 32 years; 77% male) completed an online survey about their single most memorable entity encounter after taking N,N-dimethyltryptamine. Respondents reported the primary senses involved in the encounter were visual and extrasensory (e.g. telepathic). The most common descriptive labels for the entity were being, guide, spirit, alien, and helper. Although 41% of respondents reported fear during the encounter, the most prominent emotions both in the respondent and attributed to the entity were love, kindness, and joy. Most respondents endorsed that the entity had the attributes of being conscious, intelligent, and benevolent, existed in some real but different dimension of reality, and continued to exist after the encounter. Respondents endorsed receiving a message (69%) or a prediction about the future (19%) from the experience. More than half of those who identified as atheist before the experience no longer identified as atheist afterwards. The experiences were rated as among the most meaningful, spiritual, and psychologically insightful lifetime experiences, with persisting positive changes in life satisfaction, purpose, and meaning attributed to the experiences. N,N-dimethyltryptamine-occasioned entity encounter experiences have many similarities to non-drug entity encounter experiences such as those described in religious, alien abduction, and near-death contexts. Aspects of the experience and its interpretation produced profound and enduring ontological changes in worldview.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on 5-MeO-DMT, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 111
- The Subjective Effects of Psychedelics May Not Be Necessary for Their Enduring Therapeutic Effects ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science December 10, 2020
- Pharmacological, neural, and psychological mechanisms underlying psychedelics: a critical review Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews September 1, 2022
- Psychedelics alter metaphysical beliefs. Scientific Reports November 23, 2021
- The Watts Connectedness Scale: a new scale for measuring a sense of connectedness to self, others, and world Psychopharmacology August 8, 2022
- Validation of the Psychological Insight Scale: A new scale to assess psychological insight following a psychedelic experience. Journal of Psychopharmacology January 5, 2022
and 106 more in the library
Cites 23
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- Psychological flexibility mediates the relations between acute psychedelic effects and subjective decreases in depression and anxiety. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science 2020
- Neural correlates of the DMT experience assessed with multivariate EEG. Scientific Reports November 19, 2019
and 18 more in the library