Entity and environment relationships in psychedelic experiences resulting from inhalation of N,N-dimethyltryptamine
Stephen Kagan
Journal of Psychedelic Studies September 8, 2025 DOI: 10.1556/2054.2025.00438 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative analysis of narrative accounts Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Online narrative accounts of DMT experiences |
| Interventions | N N-dimethyltryptamine |
| Topics | 5-MeO-DMT DMT |
| Key findings | Consistent patterns exist between the types of entities encountered and the environments in which they appear during DMT experiences. |
Abstract
AbstractAimGaining a more detailed understanding of the patterns of relationship of the content of psychedelic experiences can help build a deeper understanding of the nature of consciousness and assist in navigating those extraordinary experiences for therapeutic, spiritual, exploratory and creative purposes. To help achieve this goal, this study examines the patterns of relationship between Entities and Environments found in narratives of complex psychedelic experiences resulting from smoking N,N-dimethyltryptamine.MethodsThe narrative accounts examined in this study were drawn from a variety of online sites and were analyzed in order to examine the patterns of relationships between different types of Entities and Environments encountered during psychedelic experiences resulting from inhalation of N,N-dimethyltryptamine. In this study different types of Entities were identified and charted in relation to the frequency of the different Environments they appeared within.ResultsSome consistency was found in encounters described with Entities and the Environments they appeared within. Various types of Entities were encountered with greater frequency in some Environments and various Environments had unique mixtures of dominant and less common varieties of Entities.ConclusionsThis study helps advance our understanding of the subjective psychedelic experiences resulting from ingestion of DMT. It reveals some of the distinct relationships between Entities and the Environments in which they appeared and provides a framework for developing a predictive model of those relationships and the progression of those psychedelic experiences.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on 5-MeO-DMT, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phenomenology and content of the inhaled N, N-dimethyltryptamine (N, N-DMT) experience. Naturalistic inhaled N,N-DMT experiences posted to the r/DMT Reddit community | 2022 | Qualitative analysis | n = 3,778 |
| The content of complex psychedelic experiences resulting from inhalation of N,N-dimethyltryptamine People who smoked N,N-dimethyltryptamine and posted narrative accounts online | 2023 | Qualitative study | |
| Phenomenology and Content of the Inhaled N, N-Dimethyltryptamine (N, N-DMT) Experience Users of the r/DMT Reddit community who posted about their inhaled N,N-DMT experiences... | 2022 | Qualitative analysis | n = 3,778 |
| 5-MeO-DMT in the complete resolution of the consequences of chronic, severe sexual abuse in early childhood—a retrospective case study A woman in her mid-thirties with severe childhood trauma | 2024 | Retrospective ethnographic inquiry | n = 1 |
| Exploratory Insights into 5-MeO-DMT Experiences on Reddit: A Thematic Analysis Reddit posts about 5-MeO-DMT experiences | 2026 | Qualitative study | n = 120 |
Citations in the library
Cites 3
- Survey of entity encounter experiences occasioned by inhaled N,N-dimethyltryptamine: Phenomenology, interpretation, and enduring effects. Journal of Psychopharmacology September 1, 2020
- Waves of the Unconscious: The Neurophysiology ofDreamlikePhenomena and Its Implications for the Psychodynamic Model of the Mind Neuropsychoanalysis 2007
- The content of complex psychedelic experiences resulting from inhalation of N,N-dimethyltryptamine Journal of Psychedelic Studies January 16, 2023