Do you notice a mental improvement since starting DMT?

[TransistorBass]

This is something I'm noticing so I thought I should ask other people what they feel.

When I started medical Cannabis I spotted mental improvements, I'm a low weed users with no more than 350mg Balanced THC/CBD bud each day.

I started DMT in October 2025 and I've been introducing Harmalas into the mix too, mostly low doses of NN over the course of 60-90mins on a session.

I do tend to feel that I'm seeing more mental improvements, it can be on recall (not always as being a little over 50 I don't always recall some th......), improved coherence of thought, maybe more flow in conversation where normally I would have stumbled or not know what to say. If I'm in a new-ish situation you could say my shyness kicks in and my words can grind to a halt, I'm getting much less of that.

I'm reminded of this because I just mentioned this - "I'd like to first grow some mushrooms, then try some Lemon TEK Microdoses, then combine those with harmalas, before moving on to any bigger doses, I'm honestly interested to see if there are any noticeable health benefits" - in another thread.

Especially as when you see people on the socials that have had spinal injuries and low dose Psilocybin is bringing movement to limbs that didn't work, potentially helping create new nerve connections and you get the likes of Robin Carhart-Harris saying its certainly possible but needs more study.
There might be hope for my dodgy back and slightly numb foot post-sciatica some years back, obviously the impingement of a nerve isn't going to get fixed but it at least feels like a glimmer of hope.

Thoughts on any of this anyone?

 

[northape]

Honestly, I can't remember the man who started using psychedelics years ago. It's like I'm an entirely different person from before, and this rabbit hole knows no bottom.
These substances have both neuroprotective and neuroregenerative effects, so they improve our mental state, at least physiologically. We all know how they help us let go of built-up energy or tightness stored in the body-mind system. I guess if your lifestyle promotes mental health, medicine acts as a form of doping and boosts your efforts even more.

From another perspective, we're cleaning our subtle body and burning karma. Not all journeys are as beneficial as we wish, and some seemingly put us way back on our path (both mentally and physically). Basically, there is no straight answer. A setback could potentially be a step forward when we do integrate it. I'm bringing up the spiritual because it's a valid perspective too. It's not like materialism is the only right view of reality.

I remember a story about Jigme Lingpa (one of the visionaries of Tibetan Buddhism). He came out of one retreat in a shattered physical state, even though his realization skyrocketed. You can read many stories of kundalini awakening and how it plagues people for years. What I'm trying to say is that mental acuity or intellectual development does not equal an increase in wisdom. The bodies of most sages are crumbling under the pressure of inner energy set free. Nothing is as it looks, as long as our vision is clouded.

 

[TransistorBass]

Thanks for the double take on that, and that my crumbling body may be in-part the after effects of mental awakening.

I guess I'm putting myself through a form of rebalancing. And my body has been a bit broken physically for years, I'm always doing what I can to work on this!

 

[northape]

Thanks for the double take on that, and that my crumbling body may be in-part the after effects of mental awakening.

I guess I'm putting myself through a form of rebalancing. And my body has been a bit broken physically for years, I'm always doing what I can to work on this!

Aging aside, few people mention the challenges of working with energy in either the psychedelic or spiritual communities. The materialistic assumption about reality is so deeply ingrained in us that we approach the world from this position by default. Yet, the backbone of any spiritual practice is adapting to a stronger energy current inside the body.

You can achieve this through meditation, fasting, yoga, and many other modalities. It should be self-explanatory that DMT and similar substances raise energy through external means. That is one of the reasons why an ashtanga yoga practice is beneficial as preparation for a journey: yoga is like going to the gym, and a DMT journey is a marathon. You can see a similar progression in Tibetan Buddhism, for example. They advise starting with preliminary practices to prepare your system for higher techniques.

It's not that tummo (inner heat) practices from higher teachings would not work right away, but the probability of complications is too high. Your body needs to be ready for such high levels of energy. Basically, we need to adapt slowly. It looks like DMT is meant to be experienced only a few times in a lifetime by Nature. So it's better to prepare your body-mind if you would like to work with it more. Sure, it's just my opinion, so take it with a big chunk of organic salt

 

[TransistorBass]

*Organic Salt taken*

As you'll have spotted, I already (usually at least) do plenty of Yoga and my DMT practice has very much been a journey of relationship building rather than rocket ride.
Though I'm still somewhat of a brainwashed materialist with thoughts of 'woowoo' in regard to a lot of the spiritual stuff I see, I'm obviously learning but its fair to say this and point it out. I learn by doing and experiencing for myself more than what I do from seeing or hearing people saying.

 

[somanaut]

I primarily work with DMT through oral doses of chacruna/acacia along with harmala. These plants have absolutely revolutionized my mind and body. While on comedowns I often find myself stretching or doing calisthenics. The bodily attunement is so high that I can't neglect what it's telling me. It seems like harmala has regenerated and strengthened my ligaments. and what could I even say about DMT? complete and total freedom...

 

[TransistorBass]

Oh, how much I would like to get ligaments and tendons to be fixed!

 

[taita]

Though I'm still somewhat of a brainwashed materialist with thoughts of 'woowoo' in regard to a lot of the spiritual stuff I see

There doesn't necessarily have to be a contradiction here, if material reality itself is "divine." I think the reality is, no one actually can rationally fully apprehend what reality is. Quantum physics breaks down into metaphysical absurdities, which even if true, essentially equate to arcane magic in the mysterium magnum.
Reason is a supremely useful tool, and is a beautiful flowering of the human mind. We abandon it at our peril. But more and more, as time goes on, I have to give unreason it's due as well. The foundation of consciousness is unconsciousness, the foundation of reason is a dream. It was an angel who appeared to Descartes in a vision that convinced him of the necessity for the application of reason to the material world, or so the story goes, at least... Sometimes we have to turn the lens of skepticism on our skepticism itself

On a practical level, managing inflammation through diet and exercise is huge, especially as time goes on. I really like cold plunges as well for their anti-inflammatory benefit and general positive impact on the dopaminergic system. There are lots of good herbs that can be helpers as well. And as @northape mentioned, the neurogenic properties of psilocybin at least are well documented, although I believe they are more or less relegated to the amydala. Lion's mane is a good one for neurogenesis, generally. DMT has neuroprotective properties, and in part it's release upon cardiac arrest is theorized to be because of these neuroprotective properties. Trying to maintain the integrity of the central nervous system for as long as possible after the heart stops... So, I would imagine that it has general therapeutic action through the central nervous system, at least to some extent.

Would love to encounter more science around this if anyone has good links