It has long been speculated that Dimethyltryptamin (DMT), a form of Tryptophan, one of the building blocks of melatonin, is the thing that contributes to dreaming images.
Rick Strassman: The spirit molecule
Rick Strassman wrote a book about it called: “The spirit molecule”. In the book he explains how the pineal gland produces DMT each night. How the dying people have more DMT in their blood. How is gives good experiences. There are even people who experiment on using it as a drug to see how it influences their dreams and lucid experiences.
If you want to read more about Rick Strassman and his research you can buy his book (If you use the link in this article you support Mindfunda). You can also read more about his work at the site Cottonwood Research foundation.
I found this quote written by Javier Reyna: “We don’t know whether DMT is made in the pineal. I muster a lot of circumstantial evidence supporting a reason to look long and hard at the pineal, but we do not yet know. There are data suggesting urinary DMT rises in psychotic patients when their psychosis is worse. However, we don’t know whether DMT rises during dreams, meditation, near-death, death, birth or any other endogenous altered state. To the extent those states resemble those brought on by giving DMT, it certainly makes one wonder if endogenous DMT might be involved, and if it were, it would explain a lot. But we don’t know yet. Even if the pineal weren’t involved, that would have little overall effect on my theories regarding a role for DMT in endogenous altered states, because we do know that the gene involved in DMT synthesis is present in many organs, particularly lung. If the pineal made DMT, it would tie up a lot of loose ends regarding this enigmatic little organ. But people seem to live pretty normals lives without a pineal gland; for example, when it has had to be removed because of a tumor.”
So there is a lot of debate about the molecules that influence dreaming. Acetylcholine, Dimethyltryptamine, there is a nightly dance between substances going on. The spirit molecule leads the way.
