73 - Neurotheology (DMT Series Part III)

Could DMT induce spiritual beliefs by activating a pre-existing disposition latent in the human mind? We examine this possibility in the astonishing conclusion to our exploration of why some people believe that the entities encountered while using the psychedelic DMT are real. After recapping previous coverage of DMT-induced spiritual belief, this episode pivots to examine traditionally religious people - Christians, Jews and Muslim - who are fundamentalists about DMT entities. Many of these people have not, and never will, experiment with psychedelics, but have nevertheless found a place within their conceptual schemas for admitting the reality of DMT entities as angels, demons or djinn. The episode then turns to the work of Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Rick Strassman. Strassman, who converted to Judaism as a result of his research and experimentation with DMT, makes the case for 'neurotheology' - the existence of a distinct neurological circuit inside the human brain that facilitates prophetic encounters. This episode ranges over modern Egypt, the rantings of Alex Jones, and the bizarre angelic manifestations in the Hebrew bible, to build the case that DMT spirituality may be an extreme manifestation of something deeply embedded inside the human psyche.