5 MeO DMT and Depression 

5 MeO DMT and Depression 

5 MeO DMT. The God molecule. Bufo. The miracle venom from the Sonoran desert toad. A transformative hallucinogenic tryptamine. The power to heal and to nourish the body mind complex. A communion with spirit. A taste of divinity.  Ego death. A mystical other worldly experience. The ability to go out of yourself. The yielding to truth and source.

This is just a small glimpse of the infinite possibility that is 5 MeO DMT.  People more than ever, are feeling the calling to go beyond their own suffering. According to studies done at Brown University, since the pandemic, depressive symptoms have risen in Americans by 28%. More than ever, people are searching for mental clarity and  plant medicine is the journey for many to heal. 

Studies and research from institutions such as John Hopkins, prove that 5 MeO DMT has the ability to treat depression and anxiety. So, what exactly does such a psychedelic trip entail? We will unravel what this substance truly is and how it can be used to cure mental illness and increase overall life satisfaction. 

What is 5 MeO DMT? 

5 MeO DMT is a psychedelic substance from the venom of the Sonoran Desert Toad commonly found in the Southwest of the United States. Though the compound can be made synthetically, the magical little amphibian is known to hold the potent power of Bufo in its secretions. This is a psychedelic experience known to be more than six times as potent as regular DMT, toad venom is powerful. When vaporized in a ceremony with sacred ritual and a professional guide, the medicine provides a psycho-spiritual experience. When you honor the body and the medicine with ritual and trust, the experience honors you back.

Thus, Bufo Alvarius is not used as a recreational drug, it is not for parties or pleasure. It is used for expansion of consciousness and healing trauma. It is used in a ritualistic process similar to ayahuasca, though it lasts only 30-60 minutes compared to ayahuasca that can be six to ten hours of purging and releasing. Researcher Alan K. Davis, Ph.D says that  “Because 5-MeO-DMT is short-acting and lasts approximately 30-90 minutes, it could be much easier to use as an adjunct to therapy because current therapies usually involve a 60 - 90 minute session.” Even for psilocybin ceremonies, which are quite common, they can last up to five hours and do not have the same intensity or capacity to change the mental sphere as Bufo does. 5 MeO DMT is short and powerful. 

The toad secretion 5 MeO DMT enhances the feeling of oneness or a kind of unification with the cosmos and something greater than the mind and its proclivities. Many people have a string of life changing epiphanies, which allows them to shift their thoughts in the direction of a higher purpose or cause. 

‍

What role does Bufo play in mental health?

When vaporized, this psychedelic compound has enormous capacity to shift the mind into a heightened sense of awareness that takes you out of the stories of the past and into the present moment. In the creation of neural pathways, there are new empowering systems of belief that update the old outdated thoughts.

There is an overwhelming sense of peace. In a survey conducted by John Hopkins University, their studies show that about 80 percent of people using -MeO-DMT in a ceremonial setting felt that their depression or anxiety improved for months after using the psychedelic substance. When used in psychedelic therapy there are a variety of unintended improvements of spiritual significance thus leading to a lessening of things like drug abuse, alcohol abuse, and anxiety.

The insights gained were applied to relationships with self and others. Mystical happenings such as having an out of body experience, or ego dissolution allowed people to leave the confines of their mind. The serotonin receptors open and there are increases in joy. The clinical response to vaporizing Bufo is antidepressant, and creates intense feelings of harmony, what many would call spiritual oneness. There is a loss of time and judgment and space. The problems we once had do not seem as real or as heavy, in this higher state of consciousness. 

As Albert Einstein once said “We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." We cannot just expect things to change when we are trying to unravel them with the same type of thinking that stuck us into a particular issue. 

When doing Bufo there are no particular thoughts, but inherent feelings that take us out of the human predicament. There is the feeling of unity with the whole, there is a feeling of calm that is always here beyond all the self indulgent melodramas. 

Though this psychedelic experience is quite intense, research from The Journal of Psychopharmacology proves that 5-MeO-DMT has an overall safe profile and low risk impact for health conditions. This means that it can be suitable for anyone without extreme pre-existing mental health conditions. At a qualified retreat center, they will have a doctor assess you beforehand to make sure that this substance will be okay for you and your current condition. Bufo is also not addictive, quite the opposite, as it is known to actually lower rates of addiction and abuse for substances such as alcohol. 

Research for 5 MeO DMT is still in its infancy and there is much more work to be done, but so far the studies look promising and there have been no noted negative side effects that are substantial. Discomfort is part of the process, and once you can surrender to the unknown, then the deeper the medicine will take you. 

For those suffering from treatment resistant depression and have previously tried traditional therapy and pharmaceutical drugs, plant medicines can be the revolutionary healing that people have been waiting for. Centers such as U.K.-based Beckley Psytech and Ireland-based GH Research PLC have been using science to understand the healing power of psychedelics and make it readily accessible to the general public. 

The goal according to one of the chairmen of research Florian Schönharting is for “executing an accelerated clinical development program with GH001 in patients with treatment-resistant depression. GH001 has the potential to establish a new paradigm in the treatment of a range of mental diseases.” The merge of science and spirit is underway, this is the key to letting go of depression, to enter the world of the mystics, where life’s problems are not as laborious. 

‍

Want to be a better version of yourself with plant medicine?

‍

{{CTA-Upcoming-Retreats="/utility/components"}}

‍

‍

Mystical Nature

Trying to cure the mind and mental health through the mind and society that created the problems of the conditioned mind, can only go so far. There must be a departure from the third dimension of reality into the mystical realm. Depression happens because of feelings of disconnection, whether it is from the self or family or the place we were raised in. When we are placed in the realm of spirituality, there is a remembering of the mystery of life, and the inexplicable oneness. We realize that we do not know anything at all, and it is okay. We can embrace the mystery and uncertainty instead of fear it. 

Modern day people are spiritually impoverished and have mistaken the material world as plainly all of the world. In the mystical world, there is a merging with energy, and energy is not good or bad or right or wrong, it just is. 

Through this mystic state, spiritual attunement creates harmony in the emotional and physical realms, as they are all interconnected. Sadly, the spiritual realm has been neglected due to logical western thought that cannot quantify or fully explain these higher states of being. It seems that the most beautiful things in life are not comprehensible, they demand to be felt rather than analyzed. 

In the mystic world, there is a domain within us that is universal, beyond our own stories and small preconceived notions of life. There is a sacred space within us that is quiet and still, though ever resting. Thus, the world opens up to us when we let go of the limitations of mind and incessant thought. 

The mental illness falls away.

 Overall the psychoactive effects of the 5 meo dmt experience help with a variety of things from depressive disorder to anxiety disorder and even potentially alzheimers disease.

When coming back down to Earth, we bring the mystical state of peace and acceptance into daily life. As Mike Yaconelli says, “Spirituality is not a formula; it is not a test. It is a relationship. Spirituality is not about competency; it is about intimacy. Spirituality is not about perfection; it is about connection. The way of spiritual life begins where we are now in the mess of our lives.”

In accordance with spirit, we see that there is a sacredness and divine play in all moments of life, even in the midst of deep suffering. It is all used for growth and self actualization if there is awareness. 5 MeO DMT can give us the taste of this world that is always here, but you must be available for it.

Life does not need to be based on personal identifications with depression or emotional states. You are beyond the sadness of the mind, and the stories it tells you. Your life does not need to be pain or drowning in the deep end of life. You can float.

‍

Ready to heal?

‍

{{CTA-Upcoming-Retreats="/utility/components"}}

‍

Behold Retreats facilitates private retreats and small group plant medicine retreats in Costa Rica, Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain, with either Bufo, Ayahuasca, Psilocybin, or San Pedro.

They provide a comprehensive 7-week life-accelerator program to help you prepare and integrate your experience alongside 1-1 coaching or therapy sessions with one of their expert team members.

‍