By John E. Mack, M.D.
These comments were prepared by John E. Mack, M.D. in October 2000 for possible use by Rick J. Strassman, M.D. in support of his book, DMT: The Spirit Molecule (2001).
Explorers of human consciousness are discovering something of earthshaking importance: that there exist, in Rick Strassman’s words, “multiple invisible realms inhabited by intelligent life forms.” If one pioneer comes home to report that he has seen a remarkable, hitherto unknown, land on the other side of the mountains the community may be interested but doubtful. If, however, many independence explorers tell of the same world, the reality of its existence can no longer be denied.
The volunteers who have received Rick Strassman’s “spirit molecule” are often unfamiliar with the “alien abduction” literature, and are surely not seeking encounters of the kind that abduction investigators report. Yet within seconds of being given injections of DMT they are suddenly drawn into a world which so resembles the one of which abduction experiencers tell that Strassman questions whether “with all references to DMT removed, anyone could distinguish our reports from those of a group of abductees” (p. 219).
The DMT subjects and abductees both report contact with gray humanoid, reptilian and insect-like beings in an independent yet constant reality, the existence of which is experienced by both groups with the conviction of absolute certainty. The subjects in both groups “know” they are not dreaming or imagining this reality. It is truly “there.”
Both groups experience instances of great love and terror, of trauma and transcendence. Each group undergoes medical / surgical-like procedures, and perceived hi-tech equipment and hybrid nurseries in an “alien lab.” Individuals in both groups may experience the “alien” beings as guardians or gatekeepers who inhabit a “staging area for souls.”
Strassman has not been a ready believer of the existence of other realities, for this has not been consistent with his worldview. But faced with incontrovertible evidence of this “shocking” truth, he has courageously allowed his worldview to change.
Strassman’s important research contributes to a growing awareness that we inhabit a multi-dimensional universe that is far more complex and interesting then the one that our scientific theories have shown us. It is of the utmost importance that we face the implications of this discovery, for it has so much to tell us about who we are and why we are here.
John E. Mack, M.D. was a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
© 2000 John E. Mack, M.D.
