5 Things To Know Before Experiencing 5 MeO DMT/Bufo

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5-MeO-DMT (also known as the “God Molecule” or “Bufo”) is a psychedelic substance that is derived from the venom of the Sonoran Desert toad, Bufo Alvarius. The psychedelic experience it produces can be intensely powerful. Only thirty minutes long in duration , this medicine takes one into profound states of consciousness that are beyond what it is possible to imagine, typically where there is no sense of self or “ego”. Commonly used in South America, the use of this substance is expanding more and more into the modern Western world.  

Bufo is being studied by world renowned research centers such as John Hopkins and Maastricht University for the treatment of depression and anxiety and increasing overall life satisfaction [1,2]. 

As of the last few years, Bufo is on the radar in mainstream culture due to celebrities, such as Mike Tyson, smoking the toad venom and talking publicly about their experiences of existence beyond the ego. How do we get to the point where we are ready to shed the ego? What is essential to know before entering the ceremony, in order to prepare mentally and physically?

Plant medicines such as ayahuasca and psilocybin are comparatively more common and accessible whereas 5-MeO-DMT retreats are have typically been rarer and more underground. Though similar in chemical structure to other psychedelics like psilocybin, the effects of Bufo are unique.

Knowledge of the miraculous toad Bufo Alvarius is still being unveiled. Knowledge is power, so read on to discover all you need to know about the properties of 5-MeO-DMT.  

The following 5 points are intended to help those who are interested in raising their consciousness to feel more secure and safe in themselves as they approach this powerful experience. These lessons are simple, yet valuable, and have come from firsthand experience. 

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Don't try to control

Surrender is a crucial part of working with this substance It is through wise surrender to life that we come into alignment with the rest of existence and thereby reduce our suffering. The most important thing when experiencing Bufo is to try not to control one’s experience. A safe container with a guide will allow room for emotional release and expression, rather than repression or suppression.

When we suppress emotions, they get stuck within the body and can potentially result in psychosomatic symptoms [such as ?] When faced with intense emotional experiences , allow everything to flow through you and pass. The more you resist an emotion or sensation, the more tension will build within you. There will naturally be an inner conflict if you cannot surrender. 

One practice we can use to release control is re-centering oneself through the breath and genuinely allowing whatever emotion that arises to exist then go. The breath is the anchor into the present moment.

We can let go of difficult emotions not by resisting them but by allowing the moment to be what it is fully even when difficult feelings are present. On this journey, releasing control is vital to spiritual expansion. 

Ready to surrender to higher consciousness?

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Let go of expectations

Before we approach an experience like 5-MeO-DMT, it is natural to try to gather information about what it will be like. Our minds can be left filled with what we imagine the experience will be like. Though it is wise to be prepared through information, know that your trip is unique because it is happening through the filter of your mind. It is unlikely to be exactly how you expect.

Your mind that holds your specific database of memories, ideologies, desires, and fears. The experience you heard about Mike Tyson or Chelsa Handler or Hunter Biden having, is not going to be your experience.

Your journey is your own. What’s more, you may find the experience itself to be beyond anything you could ever have imagined beforehand.It is normal to be nervous right before a ceremony. Anxiety and excitement occur as similar sensations in the body and it is best not to read too deeply into any nervesit. Facing the unknown always produces these kinds of feelings but, as long as you have chosen a safe, reputable, and responsible provider for your experience, you can reassure yourself that it is safe to just let the nerves be and step into the unknown.

In approaching the experience it is good to have an intention instead of an expectation. When having an intention, you have a ‘why’ or the reason you are doing the medicine, and something you are willing to explore. If your intention is not met still remain open. 

In owning the uniqueness of your experience and holding your intention closely in your heart, there is a letting go of expectations and pre dispositions. Here is an account of how expectations can play out in 5-MeO-DMT ceremonies:

‍“ Before I began my first ceremony, a friend had a session right before me, which I witnessed intently. It looked like an exorcism mixed with a full body orgasm. He was crying in both joy, pain, and wonder. I developed a sort of expectation for a peak experience like his, thinking it would be so great to feel such a range of emotion and let go of so much mental baggage. My intention was to explore my mental darkness and find the inner light. The opposite happened. I did not cry, or release stored emotions. I did not rage against my past. Instead, I floated into the cosmos. In this reality, I did not stop laughing for forty five minutes. Most of my friends had cried or screamed or raged, but I could not stop laughing hysterically. I did not expect it. I thought I would be releasing pent up rage, or be in a state of ecstasy, but instead I truly felt the cosmic joke of life. That all the things I took as so real and heavy, were not. There was a lightness of being. I am happy that I allowed myself to express what I genuinely felt, once I vaporized the smoke venom, my mind let go of preconceived notions. I met what was within me, rather than what I expected to happen. This dropping of expectations is part of the process of surrender, to let the moment be what it is and experience it fully.”

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The Void

At times the spiritual path can be about unraveling past traumas, analyzing childhood memories, or releasing patterns of addiction. At other times we can connect with states of perfection that are beyond our personal struggles. When we move beyond the ego, we can find ourselves in another space that we might call “the void”. It is a space of stillness where there is a strong undercurrent of peace. In this space there is no past or future, time does not exist and neither do the problems that come with humanity. There is a feeling of nothingness, but it is not depressing. It is a nothingness that contains everything. 

In this state we can find that there is no unraveling of heavy burdens. There is no feeling of the enormity of the human predicament. The void is beyond humanness, it is formlessness. The wisdom of knowing that we are more than the body and mind arises in this space. Inside us is a space that nothing can touch or disrupt. It rests in a state of total calm. 

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Prepare the mind

The state of mind you are in before the experience is very important because it sets the tone of the ceremony. It is natural to have fears or worries, before an experience of this kind. Some will be helpful worries, ones that aim at ensuring you are in safe hands. There can also be neurotic worries, however, that block us from feeling fully.

Preparing the mind through meditative practices to be able to differentiate between these kinds of experiences is essential. At Behold Retreats, our world trained facilitators practice mindfulness and energy work. They are equipped with the wisdom to help you regulate your nervous system and prepare a steady  mind for the psychedelic experience. 

Particularly, deep breathing through the nose with longer exhalations can work for clearing the head space. If the mind is clouded with many thoughts, simply watch as thoughts arise, rather than automatically taking their content to be true. Just witness them without aversion or attachment. 

You can also prepare by journaling down your intentions, fears, hopes and prayers. The act of writing things down is a form of transmuting thoughts. Putting them down onto paper, can be an act of release from the mind. The 5MeO DMT experience is of reality beyond thought, logic, or rationality, and the quieter the mind is, the more we can allow the sense of the beyond to seize us.

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Integration is crucial

Bufo can be a life changing experience. It can take us out of the ego and into the space of eternal love, into an experience of the foundation of existence.  How do we take the lessons we have learned from such a life altering experience and bring it into everyday reality?  What is there to do coming back down to Earth? So what is there to do with this information?

What happens after the ceremony ends is as crucial as taking the medicine in the first place. The ceremony often shows us our negative thought patterns, our predispositions, it can dissolve our ego, and make us see behind the veil. We are peeling back the layers of self which are not us. This includes the protection mechanisms, the trauma responses, the roles we play to fit into society. When we can release this, it loses its importance. We focus on our inner truth and we integrate this experience into the fabric of daily life through the way we think, speak, and conduct ourselves. We want to be better than we were yesterday and with a heightened awareness we can be. We want to pursue nurturing relationships and self love. Bufo brings us to this place of goodness, though the psychedelic journey lasts only thirty minutes. It’s what we do after it ends that truly counts. 

Ready for a big shift?

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Behold Retreats is the leading choice for safe high-end  retreats with 5-MeO-DMT (Bufo Alvarius), ayahuasca, and psilocybin. Our team is composed of doctors, healers, professional therapists, life coaches, massage therapists, and yoga teachers. We provide before and aftercare through integrative tools and expert knowledge, refined over hundreds of sessions. Industry leading professionals tap into spirit and lead from a heart- centered space to optimize our guests’ experiences.

Behold Retreats host both private and group retreats in Mexico, Portugal, Costa Rica, and The Netherlands. Group retreat sizes are based on no more than 10-12 guests. Reach out to request  a 1 on 1 discovery call.

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Behold Retreats also offer a 7-Week Coaching Program for optimized preparation and integration. 

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Discover this amazing opportunity for yourself with a 5-MeO-DMT retreat.

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References

[1] Barsuglia, J., Davis, A. K., Palmer, R., Lancelotta, R., Windham-Herman, A. M., Peterson, K., ... & Griffiths, R. R. (2018). Intensity of mystical experiences occasioned by 5-MeO-DMT and comparison with a prior psilocybin study. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 2459.

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[2] Uthaug, M. V. (2020). The Exploration of Naturalistically used Ayahuasca and 5-MeO-DMT: An assessment of their respective Sub-acute and Long-Term effects on Mental Health Related Variables.

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