This is what your brain looks like on DMT - the powerful chemical in ayahuasca ... trends now
New images taken by scientists have revealed what the brain looks like while tripping on the psychoactive chemical DMT — which Prince Harry said helped him heal the trauma he felt after the death of his mother.
N,N-Dimethyltryptamine, or DMT, is the strongest psychedelic known to man and a key ingredient in the potent brew ayahuasca, used by tribal societies widely in the Amazon basin, where it is considered a 'wisdom' plant that allows entry into the spiritual world.
It has permeated the mainstream in the past few years with famous figures like Joe Rogan, Mike Tyson and Lindsay Lohan claiming it changed their perspective on life and freed them from past trauma. Most recently, Jake Paul claimed he did ayahuasca with NFL star Aaron Rodgers.
It is being explored as a therapeutic for depression and PTSD by research teams in the US and around the world.
Fascinating MRI and EEG brain scans show it lights up regions of the brain responsible for memory and imagination while shutting down the main rhythms of the brain which inhibit and constrain brain function.
Brain connectivity during a DMT trip is increased, and ranges from red to orange to yellow
Prince Harry has admitted using psychedelics - magic mushrooms, psilocybin (the active component of magic mushrooms) and ayahuasca, a plant-based psychedelic from the leaves of a shrub - in an attempt to help him heal from 'grief'
Prince Harry has admitted using psychedelics - magic mushrooms, psilocybin (the active component of magic mushrooms) and ayahuasca, a plant-based psychedelic from the leaves of a shrub - in an attempt to help him heal from 'grief'
Scientists investigating DMT said pictures of the brain helped them understand that the drug makes brain activity more chaotic or information-rich.
Researchers from Imperial College London injected 20 healthy volunteers, with an average age of 33, with a high 20mg dose of the drug.
They also took detailed brain images with two kinds of scans: functional Magnetic resonance imaging (f-MRI), which measures small changes in blood flow that take place with brain activity, and electroencephalogram (EEG), which measures the electrical activity of the brain.
Professor Robin Carhart-Harris, founder of the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London, and senior author on the paper said: 'fMRI allowed us to see the whole of the brain, including its deepest structures, and EEG helped us view the brain’s fine-grained rhythmic activity.'
Brain images were taken from eight minutes prior to the DMT trip to 20 minutes after.
The images reveal a significant impact on the brain, especially in regions necessary for planning, language, memory, intricate decision-making and imagination.
The brain areas from which we produce our reality become super-connected and communication more random and fluid.
Professional boxer Mike Tyson said ayahuasca and other psychedelics saved his life, while Hunter Biden said profound trips helped him reach sobriety
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