Neuroscientist Chris Timmerman explainibng how psychedelic drugs have been used to explore human consciousness, on the Humans Stage, at New Scientist Live
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DMT is a potent psychedelic drug used for centuries in ritual contexts. It induces rich experiences characterised by feelings of deep immersion into a different reality or dimension, in which users commonly report perceiving entities who communicate with them. Chris Timmermann’s research group has given DMT to healthy volunteers to understand how these phenomena arise from brain activity. His work is providing insights on the brain mechanisms underlying the altered state of consciousness provided by psychedelics. He uses diverse neuroimaging techniques and advanced tools to map shifts in experience, thus closing the bridge between brain function and mental activity. Christopher Timmermann obtained a BSc in Psychology in Santiago, Chile and a MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Bologna in Italy. He is currently completing a PhD in Imperial College London, leading a project focusing on the effects of DMT in the brain and human consciousness. He is interested in the use of methods bridging the relationship between the phenomenology evoked by the psychedelic experience and changes in brain activity using diverse neuroimaging tools. N, N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT or N, N-DMT) is a tryptamine molecule which occurs in many plants and animals.[3] It can be consumed as a powerful psychedelic drug and has historically been prepared by various cultures for ritual purposes as an entheogen.Rick Strassman labeled it "the spirit molecule". In most countries, DMT is illegal. DMT has a rapid onset, intense effects and a relatively short duration of action. For those reasons, DMT was known as the "businessman's trip" during the 1960s in the United States, as a user could access the full depth of a psychedelic experience in considerably less time than with other substances such as LSD or magic mushrooms. DMT can be inhaled, injected, vaporized or ingested, and its effects depend on the dose. When inhaled or injected, the effects last a short period of time: