10 Safety Practices for 5-MeO-DMT
1. Check in with yourself
The 5-MeO-DMT journey is one of the most profound experiences a human can undergo. It involves a temporary shattering of one’s individual identity, which can lead to an experience of absolute and infinite consciousness. Though this can be a beautiful and healing experience, not everyone is ready for it, and for some, it can be harmful, even leading to psychosis or trauma. Before you say yes to this experience, ask yourself: is now the right time for such a profound journey? What are you seeking? Are you at a point in your life where you can go through a possibly challenging or destabilizing journey?
2. Do your research
Read everything you can about this molecule - its history, how and why people use it, how to prepare for it, how to integrate it, and the types of adverse events that people experience. We recommend starting with F.I.V.E. and Erowid. If you know others who have worked with this molecule, check in with them about their experience. How was their experience? How did they prepare and integrate? Is there anything they wish they’d known?
3. Prepare
Preparation is a crucial part of any 5-MeO-DMT experience. Preparation is what will allow you to make the most of your experience. It will help you feel safe enough to fully surrender control during the journey. And it will provide a foundation for you to reflect on and grow from after your journey. A good facilitator will have a preparation process that lasts from weeks to months. Preparation can include intention setting; calls with the facilitator(s); journaling; meditation; therapy; and much more. Preparation also includes thinking about what your integration process will look like and creating space for that process to unfold.
4. Don’t go alone
5-MeO-DMT can cause loss of consciousness, which may lead to bodily injury or even asphyxiation which can result in death. The guidance and care of an experienced facilitator is extremely important in this process.
5. Choose your retreat or facilitator carefully.
Vet, vet, vet! Vet your retreat! Vet your facilitator(s)! You are entrusting another person to support you throughout one of the most profound and impactful experiences a human can possibly have. You are entrusting them with your physical body when your spirit is elsewhere. You should devote the same diligence to the vetting process as you would the process of vetting a brain surgeon.
Generally speaking, there are two interrelated parts to the vetting process: (1) Are they ethical? (2) Are they sufficiently skilled? Regarding ethics, beware! There has been a rise in unscrupulous practitioners in recent years. We recommend you start your vetting process by reading the articles in our Guide to Psychedelic Citizenship devoted to this subject. Many of the same questions will help you determine if your prospective facilitator has sufficient skills. For additional support with this inquiry, visit the F.I.V.E. website.
6. Protect and care for your physical body during your journey
During a 5-MeO-DMT experience, you may lose control of your physical body, it is important that you are in a place where you can be safe at all times. This will include a private space that is well cushioned.
Are you in a place that is safe to scream? Are you near water where you are in danger of drowning? If your body goes dynamic, do your facilitators have a protocol to keep your body safe?
7. Integrate
Take a minimum of three to seven days after the experience without regular everyday life stressors such as work or triggering relationships. Set yourself up for a soft landing back into your daily lives.
Think about enlisting the support of an integration specialist, therapist, or seek out an in person or online integration circle. An individual can choose to do their integration on their own but choosing to find a support system who intimately understands the 5-MeO-DMT experience is highly recommended. Try to find someone who is trained to support you in getting the most out of your experience, while also helping you to navigate the road ahead and any challenges that arise.
As you integrate, give your mind permission to not be able to “understand” the experience. The peak mystical experience is often “ineffable,” beyond that which the mind can comprehend. Devoting too much energy to trying to consciously comprehend that which cannot be comprehended may result in obsessive thinking, confusion, loss of meaning, and may even be destabilizing.
8. Be Mindful of and Preparation for Re-activations
Reactivations occur in approximately 15 to 20% of participants. These are anything from a faint glimmer of the 5-MeO-DMT experience to a full-blown journey. Lasting anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, they generally occur between 2:00 to 4:00 a.m., or in moments of stillness such as during meditation or breathwork.
Reactivations can be understood as reverberations of the experience. If you’re prepared for them, they can provide another opportunity for your consciousness to re-connect with and process the journey, even offering deeper insight and healing potential. But if you’re unprepared, reactivations can be challenging and destabilizing.
9. Beware the potentiation of other substances
A 5-MeO-DMT experience can potentiate other substances for following days to months after the experience. During this timeframe, beware of working with other substances and consult a professional before doing so.
10. Save the toads! Go synthetic!
The skyrocketing interest in 5-meo-DMT is one factor that has pushed towards extinction the Sonoran Desert Toad from which this molecule comes. Fortunately, the 5-meo-DMT molecule can be synthesized, and the experience with the lab-made molecule is virtually indistinguishable. We’ll be blunt: Save the toads! Go synthetic!!
To find more information 5-MeO-DMT harm reduction, head to the F.I.V.E (5-MeO-DMT Information & Vital Education) website at http://five-meo.education F.I.V.E is a centralized hub for resources and education around 5-MeO-DMT.
