DMT: A Religious Model with Rick Strassman M.D.
Dr. Strassman gives his first talk in 5 years at the National Psychedelic Symposium at CU Boulder organized by the Psychedelic Club. His talk is about theoneurology: one new model for religious experience provides an alternative to two. Current models for the spiritual properties of the psychedelic drug state emphasize the bottom up neurotheological paradigm. In addition, the unitive-mystical state—a formless, ego-free, ecstatic experience, free of verbal content—has become the goal of the psychedelic experience both within the academic and lay communities. The challenges presented by DMT’s effects led me to develop a top-down, theistic model in which the interactive-relational experience attains co-equality with the unitive-mystical. This model also suggests the potential utility of the Hebrew Bible as a uniquely Western tool for understanding and integrating the spiritual properties of the psychedelic drug state. This talk was given at the National Psychedelic Symposium on 9/14/2015 at CU Boulder and was hosted by the Psychedelic Club. Filmed by David Jacques. Links: www.psychedeliclub.com www.rickstrassman.com/
