When practically all visuals go away...

[naepius]

I began experimenting with DMT roughly 6 years ago, and have gone through spurts of weekly or more frequent journeys for a month or few at a time with hiatuses of several months to up to a year in between.

Starting about 2 months ago, I've noticed there are almost no visual effects at all. It's not out of lack of dosage - I usually vaporize 50+ mg every time nowadays. Still breakthrough, still have all of the physical and emotional responses, the usual conversations with those to whom I go to, but none of the usual visuals at all.

I no longer see any geometric patterning. It's like I lost my kaleidoscope view. Granted, after so long I began to think of the visuals as a distraction from self-introspection, so I don't discount the possibility of it being me deciding there's no longer a need to see beyond the imagery pertaining to an individual introspection/conversation.

About the only visual effect I get anymore is OEV coloration to shadows - typically in purple, yellow, and blue hues.

Curious to know if anyone else has experienced this or anything similar...

 

[○]

If it was me - I'd smoke more personally [though 50mg is alot if fully/properly vaporized]. That route could go to nothing and I could very well be wrong, but that's what I'd do. You could end up with an overwhelming experience if the experience decides to show its face, ..or ..nothing will happen or little will.. Or maybe take a long break and take an all-in on your life for awhile, focus on that then come back?

Also, aside from upping the dosage - It's what you bring to it ime in how things will determine themselves and play out, not that that's supremely important...though it can have a big hand in the receptivity..

Wanting things to happen a certain way can sometimes push the experience away [in my case it used to happen], yearning for 'this' or 'that', take it for what it is, little to no pre-thought, expectation, etc, drop all that.

It's like dancing; what you bring to it, how you lead, give and take, flow, cueing, no impedements in thought or action [easier said than done ]. You lead well - she will follow - then roles reverse then she'll have you in her arms.., not that it's needed, but it does help, ime.

Just a quick rant Might not help, it might, it's kind've how I've associated with it over the years.

There's so many factors that could be at play, seen, unseen, who knows; that's kind've a broad question you're asking; aside from the obvious answers - dosage, your delivery method, environment, your lifestyle factors, everything man...it all has it's hand..

Hope you crack the riddle [but don't let the riddle crack you]

 

[arcologist]

I have the same thing - started out with amazing fractal visions. After a few years of weekly journeys they almost entirely stopped. Like you, I can still break through and interact with entities if the dose is large enough, but there is little visual fanfare anymore. At sub-breakthrough doses, I just get pupil dilation and the light halos and difficulty focusing that come from that, nothing more than cannabis. I'm not sure if my brain has become accustomed to DMT and prevents any short-circuiting of visual processing, or if the entities don't feel the need to put on a show anymore.

This phenomenon does not seem to be affected by ceasing use of for months and months (I went 8+ months between). It seems unlikely that the brain would develop any tolerance to DMT's effects since it is so short-lived in the body, 15 minutes of biological activity per week doesn't seem like long enough to develop tolerance. I thought my material might even be bad or degraded over time - but then I got a second opinion and it seems to be good stuff.

 

[Gwn]

I can also attest to the diminishing fractal CEVs. I've smoalked the same two extractions from the same batch of Acrb. Initially my vision would turn into a kaleidoscope of diamond fractals, that soon progressed into CEVs of on entire fractal universe. Swirling spires, worm tunnels of colour, and geometric shaped/patterns.

Slowly, and even with long breaks (month++), the fractals diminished. They are at the point now where they rarely occur. I've been sharing my spice with a few close friends and on their last visit I did visit a kaleidoscope teal worm tunnel. I was distracted by their presence and by music z which I would never use during a dmt experience otherwise. This was approximately with 25mg. I don't think more spice is the answer. I think a light dose slowly increased to breakthrough produces the most memorable and productive experience. I have faith that I will visit these visionscapes again, but set, setting and just breakthrough doses are key imo.

Initially I was disappointed with the "loss" of the visuals, but the most recent experience has reaffirmed that it's still attainable. Mindset is also important, as I've found less benefit when expecting the visuals. Just buckle up and enjoy what it had to show you.

Gwn

 

[Jees]

Also on pharma's (main practice) there's less visual stimuli over years. There is still present though and all very special (less hyperspace-ish on pharma though) but not like the first year. Also, overall intensity and usefulness has not faded.

...what you bring to it...

Is very important imho, there's the parts we bring conscious, semi-conscious and unconscious. I notice a huge difference in how I approach/feel about the experience in general. It surely orients/determines the prelude and in turn the prelude orients the developing of the experience, it all happens fairly automatic.

Does the attained trust and familiarity give less rise for the special-effects-department to 'paint' what is felt? I've always felt the visual(s) is a representation of the feeling(s). Perhaps over years there's less of a need to have such representations, and we simply go more with the feelings as they are?

 

[naepius]

Interesting replies, thanks to each of you for sharing. Good to know I'm not alone

I should add, too, that I quit smoking marijuana about 5 months ago, completely unrelated to any intentions of set/setting for my trips - it was out of necessity for employment - and thus, I had no expectations whatsoever as to any difference that may or may not be caused.

The only other significant difference I noticed when reflecting on it since then is a dramatic reduction in anxiety/apprehension, particularly during the come-up phase when smoalking, but my anxiety levels dropped significantly at all times in life.

I had the thought after reading your reply, tatt, that perhaps the association of the fractal/geometric OEVs with the come-up phase, that being when the anxiety would be at it's worst, has something to do with it. I've made no other significant changes whatsoever to my usual set/setting/lifestyle, and to be perfectly honest, I would think heightened visual stimuli would come with having gone so long without a psychoactive drug (referring to the mary jane) that I'd been accustomed to for over two decades...

...and for the record, I have no disappointment at all in regard to the visual effects being greatly diminished. I don't expect them; I had simply become very much accustomed to them and was taken aback by the lack of them.


Gwn, I've been meaning to experiment with introducing music or some color of noise into my setting because I've had some intense, profound experiences when inadvertently having auditory stimuli in my setting. One time in particular, I experienced the audio in the background (a TV commercial) being sped-up with exponential acceleration like there was an ethereal finger on the lp of my setting spinning time faster to get to the breakthrough, at which point the background noise went poof, and then came back later right at the point where it had been in the commercial before being sped up

I typically rely on intuition to guide me when it comes to timing, set, and setting - which is far more often than not my quiet room lit only by the moon - and am well-practiced in having no expectations or impediments to thought. The emotional intensity has not diminished in the slightest, so the experiences are most definitely not being pushed away.


From what I've gathered of my own thoughts prior to starting this thread, I would agree with your assessment, Jees, in that in all likelihood, the phenomena is ado with visual and auditory representations that have become unnecessary over time.

 

[dragonrider]

I think it's the result of the visual part of the brain becoming familiar with the effects of DMT or ayahuasca. Maybe if you do it in a different environment, it gets more visual again. A different room, or maybe at a friends place instead of home...variation.

 

[Jees]

I think it's the result of the visual part of the brain becoming familiar with the effects of DMT or ayahuasca...

That is a bit what I wanted to say with 'no need anymore'. Not pointing to the personal needs, but what the experience itself find need-full to happen.

I think two powerful graphic inducers are fear and shock. Lessening these due familiarization, and the graphic department looses a lot of it's power train, just thinking out loud.

There was a vid of David Nichols mentioning the probability of brain activity augmentation at moments of dying (natural response to save the day/surviving), much of the nervous system getting a boost, sharp in analysis and blitz fast, changing time perception...etc
If the dmt experience hints the body of dying because of the huge shift-feeling, with the body taking no chances and flips into super-charged mode just to be sure, imho it is possible that the super charged visual department takes part in trying to compose a visual reality (having a near limitless carte blanche at that moment), a reality that is in line (in oddness and magnitude) with the feelings presented. It has always been depicting a reality according to sensory input.

With familiarization, the hints to danger or dying become tempered, if not gone. Then David Nichols's suggested neurological uber boost response mechanism would also react less as alerted? Visualization as one part of it. Less 'need' to have it kicking in as a potential life saver as there is less fear/shock/danger registered. Deems got it's exception rule within the system?

Just trying to connect some dots.

 

[naepius]

Just trying to connect some dots.

A noble cause

From my understanding, of course, the fear/shock/apprehension that comes with a sudden onset psychedelic experience will play a part in the visual acuity one's brain is operating with.

What I find interesting is that fractal and geometric patterning hallucinations, from my understanding, are primarily a result of the effect that DMT has on the part of the brain that is interpreting visual stimuli. I've always liked to look at much of classic psychedelics' visual effects as induced synesthesia in a way, especially with CEVs.

On one hand, yes, we have an argument that familiarity with the emotional experience can reduce sensitivity that would heighten one's visual acuity. I would say I reached this point of familiarity at least a couple of years ago.

It's as if I barely hallucinate from a visual standpoint anymore when it comes to external stimuli, so it seems to me as if something has changed or become familiarized within the process of interpretation of incoming visual stimuli completely separate from the potential for emotional and/or auditory synesthesia - visual stimuli that comes from within, so to say.

A different room, or maybe at a friends place instead of home...variation.

I'm thinking perhaps a strobe instead of the moon...