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Micro-phenomenology of immersion and perceived presences under DMT.

James W. Sanders, Raphaël Millière, Ema Demšar, Zachary G. Daily, David Erritzøe, Robin Carhart-Harris, Christopher Timmermann

Neuroscience of Consciousness 2026 DOI: 10.1093/nc/niag015 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

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Characteristics Experimental study with micro-phenomenological interview Peer reviewed
Sample size 23
Population Healthy adults receiving intravenous DMT
Intervention DMT
Dose 20 mg intravenous
Topics Altered states of consciousness DMT Philosophy of mind
Keywords Immersion Micro-phenomenology Multisensory integration Neurophenomenology Perceived presences Psychedelics
Key findings Immersion under DMT follows a structured continuum from subtle to gross forms, with perceived presences emerging only after multisensory integration and 3D spatial characteristics have developed.

Abstract

Psychedelic compound N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is renowned for inducing highly immersive experiences, often including encounters with seemingly sentient presences. While such phenomena are well documented, immersion under psychedelics remains conceptually underdefined and phenomenologically underexplored. Here we apply micro-phenomenology to characterize immersion under DMT as a structured continuum from subtle to gross forms of immersion, and to examine how perceived presences arise within this continuum. Twenty-three participants received 20 mg intravenous DMT during simultaneous fMRI-EEG acquisition, followed by detailed micro-phenomenological interviews focused on the temporal unfolding of experience. Micro-phenomenological analysis methods yielded 125 phenomenological categories describing structural dimensions, including sensory and amodal faculties, spatial organisation, self-world configuration, and modes of social relatedness. Dynamic analysis revealed reliable developmental patterns, with bodily effects typically preceding visual and auditory ones, and perceived presences emerging only after multisensory integration and 3D spatial characteristics had developed, illustrating a hierarchical relationship between subtle and gross forms of immersion. Perceived presences varied widely in sensory modality, semantic complexity, and relational mode. These findings show immersion under DMT as a dynamic, constructive process, providing precise structural features for future neurophenomenological modelling, and supporting the view that DMT research may inform our understanding of immersive experience across other aetiologies, including ordinary experience of the world.

Comparable studies

Other experimental studies on DMT, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Short term changes in the proteome of human cerebral organoids induced by 5-MeO-DMT. Human cerebral organoids 2017 Experimental study
Prospective examination of synthetic 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine inhalation: effects on salivary IL-6, cortisol levels, affect, and non-judgment Volunteers 2019 Within-subjects experimental study n = 11
Metabolism and disposition of N,N‐dimethyltryptamine and harmala alkaloids after oral administration of ayahuasca Healthy male volunteers 2012 Observational pharmacokinetic study n = 10
Unmasking of a neonatal somatovesical reflex in adult cats by the serotonin autoreceptor agonist 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine. Adult cats 1990 Experimental study n = 10
Studies on the Mechanism of Action of Monoamine Oxidase: Metabolism of N,N-Dimethyltryptamine and N,N-Dimethyltryptamine-N-Oxide 1962 Experimental study

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Altered states of consciousness DMT Philosophy of mind 5-MeO-DMT