DMT: Encountering Entities

[Gareth]

I have some follow up questions from your experience in the other thread (if you feel like answering):

1. Were you the only person in the group that experienced the presence of an 'entity' within?

2. Did you have any awareness of the entity in the subsequent trips? how about when sober?

3. Did the shaman indicate concern at this, or was it just another day at work?

[BrandonD]

Originally Posted by GSB

I have some follow up questions from your experience in the other thread (if you feel like answering):

1. Were you the only person in the group that experienced the presence of an 'entity' within?

2. Did you have any awareness of the entity in the subsequent trips? how about when sober?

3. Did the shaman indicate concern at this, or was it just another day at work?

There is really sooooo much stuff to this shaman trip, I wish I could just download the whole thing to other peoples' heads. But answering these questions is at least a start...

1. Actually many of these people had the experience of entities inside them. And many times when they threw up, they saw the entities leave their bodies.

I only threw up once during the entire time in Peru, and strangely enough it was during the third ceremony when I sensed this entity and felt that the shaman was trying to get it out.

I remember an older woman nearby (about 60) saying that when she vomited she saw a spider-like entity come out of her mouth. She said she was very glad to be rid of it.

2. I did not have an awareness of this thing during subsequent trips, or any time afterwards. I wrote in my journal the next day that I didn't think I was successful in removing it though. My impression of the situation was that I need to be in a very deeply altered state to recognize the other-ness of this entity, that it is not a part of me. In ordinary consciousness I simply assume that its thoughts and feelings are my own, I can't tell them apart. Sort of like siamese twins in the movies.

This is all assuming of course that this entity exists as an actual "thing".

I did see the floating multi-colored ball of light while sober, which was an entity according to the shaman apprentice. Technically I had just swallowed ayahuasca, but trust me when it 'hits you' you can recognize it. It always took a while to kick in for me and it hadn't yet, so I was lying there on my cot in completely ordinary consciousness waiting for it to take effect.

Every other experience under the ayahuasca took place in a recognizeable altered state, except for the glowing ball of light in the last ceremony. It stood out because my mind and the rest of the world felt absolutely normal.

3. The shaman didn't really indicate concern for anything at all. He was a very calm guy. It's apparently very common for people to feel and expel these entities, it's all part of the process according to him.

After the second ceremony when nothing happened, I went up to him and I expressed my concern. He promised me that this would not happen in the next ceremony, though I didn't believe him.

[Gareth]

Fascinating stuff - thanks for indulging me. For a few years now Ive had an interest in the idea of taking psychedelics in the presence of a shaman. Reading the other thread, I think you hit the nail on the head as far as looking at drugs as entertainment or learning. I was initially pretty surprised that you had not taken a drug before Peru - but after reading the thread I understand completely.

Its funny - I look at the prospect of doing some sort of guided 'trip' like you have done as something I want to do, but at the same time something something that scares the shit out of me. Very much like bungee jumping or sky diving. Not that I HAVE to do either of those but it feels like an experience I should have at least once.

Any other stand out memories from the experience you can think of sharing?

[BrandonD]

Originally Posted by GSB

Any other stand out memories from the experience you can think of sharing?

Here's another one I don't think I've mentioned yet:

During the third ceremony (which I nicknamed the "hell experience") I called out for help. This is against my nature, but I felt certain that something horrible had gone wrong and I was going to die. One of the apprentices came up to the side of my cot and held my hand. She told me to repeat phrases such as, "Thank you God for this precious gift of life", and "Thank you God for always protecting me", and other statements of gratitude.

My feelings didn't reflect these statements at all, but I felt that my mind was being dismembered and these words were literally all that I could hold on to. So I repeated what she told me, but I repeated the phrases as quietly as I possibly could because I didn't want anyone else to hear me saying them. Also because there's no talking allowed during the ceremony.

I continued repeating these phrases to myself for the next few hours, very quietly and barely above a whisper.

The next day, I was mentally and physically exhausted. I skipped breakfast and walked to lunch like a zombie. When I entered the common hut where they were serving lunch, several people turned around and made some laughing comments. One of them said, "Had a good night, eh?"

I was not thinking this was very funny at all, so I just replied "no". They said, "Well that's not how it sounded to us."

I asked them what they were talking about, and they explained to me that during the ceremony I had begun shouting out phrases like "I am filled with God's love" and I was SINGING wordless melodies out loud! Everyone in the ceremonial hut heard me, and they said it sounded like I was in ecstasy like an evangelical preacher or something.

This was absolutely nuts. I was awake the whole time, I was saying those words as quietly as I possibly could, I had no desire whatsoever to sing, and I DEFINITELY wasn't feeling ecstatic... I was feeling absolutely miserable.

This one is a mystery, who knows why it occurred. But I was the only person who was struck with this fit of "speaking in tongues".

[Gareth]

Wow, thats some fascinating stuff. Thats the sort of stuff I find truly amazing about these experiences. That, and the night when you all had some sort of crystal clear night vision. Truly awesome.

Not to take you back to the 'horror', but do you remember what was causing it? I assume it was related to this entity?

[7 String]

I took a suppository once when I was a kid,,, I took it with milk! Don't remember whether I puked or pooped.....

~A

[BrandonD]

Originally Posted by GSB

Not to take you back to the 'horror', but do you remember what was causing it? I assume it was related to this entity?

Actually talking about it doesn't ever take me back to the horror, I can talk about it pretty easily. But weirdly enough certain smells take me back to that experience, I get this sort of bodily panic.

The fear is almost impossible to relate because it wasn't any physical discomfort, and it wasn't fear of anything in particular (because I didn't see the entity until several hours into the experience). As best as I can remember, I sensed some kind of force approaching, an impression like a big storm coming on the horizon. I had this terrible fear but I resisted calling out for help. It got steadily closer and I continued to resist.

Then it was upon me and all around me. I had this intense feeling that my mind was being dismantled and I was going to die, I couldn't resist any longer and so I called out for help.

[Rob]

Brandon, have you ever seen the documentary "D'Autres Mondes" (Other Worlds) by the French film director Jan Kounen? http://otherworlds.jankounen.com/

A short description from Variety -
"Other Worlds is an intriguing and well-lensed first-person introduction to the parallel universe that some Amazonian indigenous peoples consider to be 'reality.' Jan Kounen went through more than 100 sacred-plant elixir sessions with a shaman during four years. Blending talking heads with heady imagery, film makes an excellent case for the meeting up of contemporary science and ancient wisdom."

[BrandonD]

Originally Posted by Rob

Brandon, have you ever seen the documentary "D'Autres Mondes" (Other Worlds) by the French film director Jan Kounen? http://otherworlds.jankounen.com/

A short description from Variety -
"Other Worlds is an intriguing and well-lensed first-person introduction to the parallel universe that some Amazonian indigenous peoples consider to be 'reality.' Jan Kounen went through more than 100 sacred-plant elixir sessions with a shaman during four years. Blending talking heads with heady imagery, film makes an excellent case for the meeting up of contemporary science and ancient wisdom."

Wow that sounds like something I'd be very interested in, I'll definitely check it out.

[BrandonD]

I'll tell another cool story just to give you guys an impression of the weird world I was in during those few weeks.

I consider myself to be the type of person who is going to follow through with something all the way once I've made the decision to do it. But after that hell ceremony, I had this feeling like I had been completely drained of energy. I told myself that I would never be able to go through one of those ceremonies again in my life. And yet I was supposed to drink ayahuasca in another ceremony the very next evening.

I wanted to follow through with what I had decided, but I honestly felt that I was physically and emotionally unable to. I tried to talk myself into continuing but I couldn't do it. The shaman had recommended cold showers after a ceremony. Well I took like 5 showers and I still didn't feel any better.

Later that day the shamans got a group of us and took us to the amazon river, and wanted us to go swimming. I went swimming, which seemed pleasant enough. The water was a good temperature and no one got eaten by piranhas.

But the weird thing was that as soon as I got out of the river, I realized that I had somehow been completely replenished. It was like night and day, my energy had returned and I was ready to continue with the ceremonies.

What a weird feeling it was. Earlier in the day I felt like I would never be able to drink ayahuasca again in my life. Then after the river I felt like I was already able to do it that very night. I was confused but thankful that something had changed inside me.

I've wondered about what caused it. I can't imagine that it was suggestion of some sort... I pretty much felt traumatized before going to that river, and the shaman didn't even tell us that he was taking us to the river to help us. I thought we were just going as a touristy side-trip.

It couldn't have just been contact with cold water because I took several cold showers and they didn't help. But I still feel it must be something related to water since showers were recommended after the ceremonies.

Anyway, just another day in narnia over there.