Is 5-MeO-DMT the World’s Most Powerful Psychedelic?
When discussing profound psychedelic experiences, 5-MeO-DMT often enters the conversation. But does it deserve its reputation as the world’s most powerful psychedelic?
When we think of psychedelics, we often think of the traditional and popular ones such as Mushrooms (psilocybin), LSD, Peyote (mescaline), and MDMA. More recently the mainstream conversation has begun to include a more powerful group of psychedelics that include, Iboga (ibogaine), Ayahuasca, N,N-DMT (dimethyltryptamine), Salvia (Salvia divinorum), and 5-MeO-DMT (5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine).
Psychedelic “power” is often defined by the intensity of the psychedelic experience to shift one’s perception of reality from their normal state of consciousness into an often described “higher state” that feels as though it exists outside the body. At the top end of these “higher states”, we have “near death experiences” and pure white light experiences. These are experiences where one senses a complete dissolution of the self into a state of oneness with the universe or divinity. Naturally, one wonders if these are the most powerful psychedelic experiences possible.
So, what is 5-MeO-DMT?
Much like it’s more common relative, N,N-DMT (the psychoactive agent in Ayahuasca), 5-MeO-DMT can be found in various shrubs and trees and then extracted and turned into consumable forms that can be smoked or inhaled though the nasal passage in a snuff. The most popular source of 5-MeO-DMT comes by extracting it from the skin glands of the Bufo Alvarius toad (aka Sonoran Desert Toad). This is where 5-MeO-DMT also gets its common short name, “Bufo.” Additionally, 5-MeO-DMT has also been synthesized in labs and is increasingly being offered in this form.
Over the past decade, 5-MeO-DMT has earned a reputation as the most powerful psychedelic but understanding exactly what this means is a bit challenging, to say the least. This is mostly because it begs the question, how do we define a single psychedelic as the “most powerful”, especially when reported intensity of psychedelic experiences can be highly subjective.
Academically, there’s been a few attempts create rating scales to measure psychedelic intensity. Some of these are subjective classifications, such as the 6-level Shulgin Rating Scale, and the Timothy Leary’s Five Levels Of Psychedelic Experience Scale, while others have tried to create a more measurable approach such as the Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ20) and the Ego-Dissolution Inventory (EDI). Both the MEQ20 and EDI have been used in studies to compare the strength of different psychedelics, at least as it relates to the intensity of their participant’s mystical/spiritual or ego-dissolution experiences. As you might expect, 5-MeO-DMT tops the results of these studies, especially when compared to psychedelics such as MDMA or Psilocybin. But this is kind of a half-baked answer.
Over the past decade, 5-MeO-DMT has earned a reputation as the most powerful psychedelic but understanding exactly what this means is a bit challenging, to say the least.
How does 5-MeO-DMT compare to other powerful psychedelics?
If we look at how it has earned its reputation, we find an emerging body of research, blogs, testimonials, videos, and articles that contribute and reinforce the notion that 5-MeO-DMT is the most powerful psychedelic known. It’s common to find subjective claims being made that it’s anywhere from three to ten times as powerful as N,N-DMT, which has previously held the title as “most powerful” until recently.
How does a 5-MeO-DMT experience compare to other psychedelics? In its most potent common form– crystalized for smokable vapor– a 5-MeO-DMT experience is often described as a sudden jettison of one’s consciousness from the body, like a “rocket ship” into a state of oneness with the universe. The experience is often free from the intense visuals associated with other powerful psychedelics and is commonly described as seeing white light and feeling a dissolution of the self into the cosmos. This might be the reason that 5-MeO-DMT is often referred to as “The God Molecule.”
If we consider the relationship between intensity and length of peak experience, 5-MeO-DMT provides a relatively short, but highly intense experience. The main effects last from 10-25min– similar to other powerful vapor-based experiences such as N,N-DMT and Salvia. But compare this to the 3-4 hours experienced with Ayahuasca or the 18-30hrs experienced with Iboga, and it becomes increasingly challenging to declare any single psychedelic as the most powerful.
Do powerful psychedelic experiences cause powerful transformational life changes?
Given the subjective nature of determining a psychedelic’s power based on the intensity of experience, it can also be beneficial to look at 5-MeO-DMT’s power in it’s potential to provide a lasting transformative experience. There’s no shortage of testimonials professing how a single dose of 5-MeO-DMT changed people’s lives for the better. There’s even research showing a significant lasting change in participant’s level of happiness and satisfaction in life following a single dose. Of course, other psychedelics do this as well, but all things considered, it seems that 5-MeO-DMT does it more effectively and reliably. And naturally, working with an integration coach for any psychedelics journey could also help to strengthen the changes one makes for improving their life.
5-MeO-DMT experiences commonly include seeing white light and feeling a dissolution of the self into the cosmos. This might be the reason that it is often referred to as “The God Molecule.”
Where does this leave us?
There’s no doubt that 5-MeO-DMT is one of the world’s most powerful psychedelics, providing both an incredibly intense, potentially “breakthrough” experience. The distinct “out of body”, white-light, “cosmic-oneness” experience it often provides is commonly described as the most intense psychedelic experience that one can have. And for many people this is true. Perhaps all we can say, is that with a strong potential to incite lasting transformative changes in one’s life, a single 5-MeO-DMT experience in the right setting and with the right support could be the most powerful psychedelic your world has ever known.
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