What is DMT? Let's Explain this Psychedelic Spirit Molecule

There’s a good reason DMT drug is called the “spirit molecule.” Lets' dive into what it is, how N,N-DMT compares with 5-MeO-DMT (Bufo), and why they’re favorites of those seeking healing.

In Brief: N,N-DMT is vivid, fast, and visionary best for exploration, insights, and symbolic encounters. 5-MeO-DMT (Bufo) is dissolving and at the same time unifying. The medicine is best used for deep healing, learning to surrender, and experiencing a strong spiritual rebirth.

Ok so, what is DMT? Mystics, shamans, and consciousness explorers have been asking the same questions for millennia to find just the right words. This mysterious and magical molecule is often seen as a portal to hidden dimensions, a catalyst for deep healing, and a lens that offers glimpses of the divine.

DMT is shorthand for dimethyltryptamine, a strong psychedelic drug that actaully shows up everywhere in our natural world (including trace amounts already the human body and many plants). It is what gives plant medicines like Ayahuasca, magic Mushrooms, and Mescaline their transformative kick.

In this article, we’ll talk about:

• What the drug's effects are and how they work
• The difference between N, N-DMT, and 5-MeO-DMT (Bufo)
• The different healing properties of each medicine
• Important risks, cautions, and long-term use of dmt
• How Behold Retreats facilitates safe, guided DMT Retreats

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DMT Overview: Two Different Molecules, Two Unique Journeys

Why DMT is AKA the “spirit molecule.” It has a reputation for producing deep, transcendental experiences that shift from moment to moment and feel real to the experiencer.

When you ask the question “What is the DMT drug?” you want to keep in mind that there are actually two separate molecules: N,N-DMT and 5-MeO-DMT.

N, N-DMT is best known for its ability to produce fractals and kaleidoscopic visuals, along with visitations from cosmic entities or otherworldly intelligences. It’s the visionary part of medicines like ayahuasca.

5-MeO-DMT (also known as Bufo) is when it comes naturally from the Bufo alvarius toad. Totally different from N,N-DMT it does not give you a lot of visual fireworks. Instead, it offers up total dissolution into radiant light, unity and unconditional love. Many people say it’s the deepest experience of their lives.

Let’s take a closer look at each of these psychedelics to learn more about their effects.

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N,N-DMT: The Kaleidoscopic Gateway

Summary: N,N-DMT is short, intense, and vividly visual, best for those seeking cosmic exploration and encounters beyond ordinary reality.

N,N-DMT, short for N, N-Dimethyltryptamine, is the best-known and most-studied type of the DMT drug. When it’s used in the Ayahuasca brew, it’s combined with plants that make the effects last longer and turn the experience into a ceremonial journey. Taking N,N-DMT on its own involves smoking it in the form of crystals or vaping from a cartridge containing a mixture of DMT and carrier oil. This will then serve one of the most intense psychedelic trips you can find. Only lasting about 10 to 20 minutes, although the effect may positively impact a lifetime. The effects come on in seconds after you inhale and might feel like being launched into another reality.

I know that’s how it was for me. The first time I tried N,N-DMT, it was like being blasted into some weird Martian landscape. The room disappeared, replaced by a shifting collage of colors and shapes. It was like I was in a place beyond time and space.

The thing I noticed most, though, which most people do, was a sense of there being another being or entity present with me. It was like some ancient intelligence, very masculine, that was welcoming me into a different realm. My sense of “self” was present, but it was merged with something bigger that was vast and interconnected.

The journey was a short one, sort of like a really intense roller coaster ride at an amusement park. But it left me with tears in my eyes and a felt sense that the N,N-DMT offers the map to discovering deep mysteries that are bigger than I could ever imagine.

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5-MeO-DMT (Bufo): Dissolution into Unity

Summary: 5-MeO-DMT (Bufo) is ego-dissolving, radiant, and deeply unifying, ideal for seekers ready to surrender fully and experience profound peace and rebirth.

When it comes in its natural form from the Bufo alvarius (Sonoran Desert) toad, the toad’s venom holds a lot of 5-MeO-DMT, and the medicine is produced by collecting and drying the toad’s potent secretions.

Sidebar: Bufo is the name for 5-MeO-DMT from the Bufo alvarius toad. But harvesting venom stresses the toad and threatens wild populations. Ethical retreat centers (including Behold) use the synthetic 5-MeO-DMT drug. Identical in chemistry, safer for participants, and sustainable for the toads.

Synthetic 5-MeO-DMT is still often called Bufo when used in ceremonial or therapeutic settings. But it’s much more sustainable and ethical, because it reduces impacts to toad populations from over-harvesting of the natural molecule.

The time I first tried 5-MeO, I thought nothing could top the N, N-DMT experience. Boy, was I wrong. Moments after I inhaled, the world as I knew it dissolved. There were no colors, shapes or visions. It was like I was floating in a vast, radiant field of pure white light. There was no “I.” Any sense of “self” evaporated.

I didn’t journey anywhere. I didn’t need to, because I became everything. There was no time, identity or thought - only a deep sense of unity, love, and peace. The peak lasted for about 10 minutes and the afterglow stuck around for maybe an hour.

This trip left me feeling so clear and with an even stronger sense of life’s fundamentally sacred nature.

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DMT Healing Properties: N,N-DMT vs. 5-MeO-DMT

Each form of the DMT drug offers its own flavor of healing experience and benefits to those who choose to experience it.  But their DMT effects are different. Let’s take a quick dive into them so you can learn which one might be best for your needs and goals.

N,N-DMT: Insights Through Vision and Exploration

While some like to call smoked or vaporized N,N-DMT just a “light show,” it’s known for more than just intense visuals. It also has the power to uncover hidden layers of self, which can be totally transformational.

The most important DMT healing properties of N,N-DMT include:

Emotional release - The experience can be so strong and intense that it can unearth long-hidden feelings, giving you the chance to process and release them.

New points of view - Experiencing symbolic realms and ancient intelligences tends to help you see the world in new, deeper and more creative ways.

Interconnectedness - Lots of people who go on N,N-DMT journeys come home with new awareness or a refreshed perspective on life’s interconnectedness.

All that said, while this molecule has a lot of potential, the short time frame for the experience can leave trippers with more questions than answers. As such, the N,N-DMT experience demands serious integration. Practicing journaling,  going to therapy, and spending time in nature are some helpful approaches to integrating a DMT (or any psychedelic) experience.

5-MeO-DMT: Dissolution and Rebirth

While N,N-DMT might show you hidden dimensions of the universe, 5-MeO demands nothing less than full surrender to said cosmos.

So, for those still asking the questions like “what is DMT drug?,” this form of the molecule offers up one of the most powerful and transformational experiences you’ll find. 5-MeO-DMT tends to smash any boundaries between self and the larger source of love and wisdom, inciting an experience of complete self-dissolution and pure compassionate awareness.

5-MeO’s superpowers, in more detail, include:

• Intense emotional healing - With the pesky ego temporarily on ice, it becomes possible to root out trauma, fear, and deep-seated unhelpful patterns.

• Spiritual rebirth - Journeyers often describe 5-MeO as no less than a death and rebirth process. Being bathed in light and unity has the effect of inspiring deep gratitude, peace, and a refreshed life purpose.
• True transformation - While other forms of the DMT drug can have short-lived impacts, 5-MeO-DMT can bring about long-lasting shifts in mood, worldview and self-concept.

For many folks, 5-MEO is no mere psychedelic drug. It’s a straight-up connection to the divine. N,N-DMT can expand the mind, but 5-MeO-DMT has the potential to transform the soul. It gives seekers a unique ability to get outside their limited identity and touch into a larger source of unity and love. That, my friends, is a profound DMT healing property.

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Effects of DMT: N,N vs. 5-MeO Side-By-Side Comparison

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DMT Risks, Challenges, Long-Term Effects

N,N-DMT, and 5-MeO-DMT (Bufo) hold a ton of healing and transformation potential. But it’s important to keep in mind that these can be intense medicines. For all their gifts, they can also bring serious challenges.  The DMT drug isn’t for everyone and most people will benefit from having experienced guides working in safe, legal settings.

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DMT Use and Psychologically/Emotionally Intense Experience

A N,N, DMT experience can include overwhelming visuals, getting disoriented and often experiences with suppressed trauma. For some folks, this can bring strong fear, anxiety or panic into their journey.

With 5-MeO, having the “self” suddenly disappear can feel like dying. For some, this can give a sense of freedom, but it can be scary for others.

Integrating these experiences afterward can be hard, especially without the right supports available. Having a therapist, coach or other experienced professional to work with post-journey is a must.

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Physical and Medical Concerns

Both kinds of this hallucinogenic drug can elevate heart rate, blood pressure, and affect full-body physiology. So, anyone considering them should have a professional medical and psychological screening.

People with mental health conditions like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, or a family history of these conditions, should be particularly concerned about greater risks. Certain medications like SSRI antidepressants also raise the stakes of health concerns during encounters with DMT.

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Legal Status

Anyone considering an experience should also be aware that the legal status of DMT is different from one country to the other.

In many countries, N,N-DMT and 5-MeO-DMT (Bufo) are classified as controlled substances. That makes it illegal to use or possess them beyond government-approved or certain ceremonial uses.

Any seekers considering these medicines should check into the legal status in the country where they’re planning to participate in a retreat or ceremony.

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Why Professional Guidance Matters

These risks and cautions mean anyone considering the use of DMT needs to take it seriously. It’s not something you want to try for the first time as a fun thing to do on a Saturday afternoon.

Having a traumatic experience versus a healing one depends heavily on skilled facilitation, safe environments, and serious integration supports.

Retreats that bring these three elements together tend to offer the safest and most transformational path for anyone who feels called to explore the depths of their psyche and soul.

When you approach it with reverence, the DMT drug can deliver serious healing. But without the right preparation and support, the risks can be greater than the benefits.

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How Behold Facilitates Bufo (5-MeO-DMT) Retreats

We know an encounter with 5-MeO DMT (Bufo) can be a sacred, life-changing experience. The key to getting transformational results depends on how the ceremony is held and guided. Unlike many plant medicine retreat centers, we specialize in curated 5-MeO-DMT retreats. That means we bring a high level of depth, expertise, and safety to every experience.

Our Retreats include:

Expert facilitation - Our hand-picked guides have years of experience working specifically with Bufo.

Safe, sacred settings - We offer peaceful, intentional environments designed to promote safety, surrender, and connection.

Integration support - Our coaches and community are there to support you in incorporating your journey’s insights into your life, long after the retreat.

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Our Approach

All our participants get full medical and psychological screening to ensure a safe experience for yourself and for those around you. We provide personalized preparation and guidance grounded in therapeutic practices and deep spiritual respect. Our promise is simple: a transformative Bufo healing experience in safe, intimate group settings with a maximum of 9-14 participants. Our weekend retreats even as low as 4 participants.

At Behold, the medicine is just the start. Our job is to make sure your Bufo experience is a source of healing, clarity, and renewal that will serve you for the rest of your life.  

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Are You Ready to Discover the Spirit Molecule?

Choosing a DMT retreat can be a tough decision. You don’t have to go it alone. The team at Behold Retreats is here for you. We offer curated Ayahuasca, Psilocybin, and 5-MeO-DMT (Bufo) experiences guided by experienced facilitators in secure and peaceful locations.

If you’d like help deciding which choice is right for your personal healing needs, a good next step is to book a free discovery call. Together, we’ll explore your intentions and help you find a retreat that suits your needs. In the meantime you may read more about our Weekend Bufo retreats below:

Weekend Bufo (5-MeO-DMT) Retreat in Costa Rica

Weekend Bufo (5-MeO DMT) Retreat in Portugal

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Is DMT the same as 5-MeO-DMT?

The short answer is, “no.” While their names sound similar, N,N-DMT and 5-MeO-DMT are two different drugs with diverse effects. N,N-DMT brings vivid visuals, kaleidoscopic patterns, and entity encounters, while 5-MeO-DMT is less visual and more focused on ego dissolution, unity, light, and profound peace.

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2. How long does a DMT experience last?

How long it lasts depends on:

• Smoked or vaporized N,N-DMT:  10–20 minutes if intense visuals and entity encounters
  
  
• 5-MeO-DMT (Bufo): 20-60 minutes that are commonly described as one of the most intense and transformational psychedelic experiences.

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3. What is the difference between Ayahuasca and DMT?

Ayahuasca is a psychedelic Amazonian brew made from plants rich in DMT and MAOIs that extends the journey to several hours. Ayahuasca experiences often include purging (vomiting), which is seen as a purification process.

Pure DMT (smoked or vaporized) is a shorter, very intense experience that often doesn’t include the same ceremonial container as Ayahuasca. They’re both powerful psychedelics, but they have different effects, traditions, and cultural contexts.

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4. Is 5-MeO-DMT (Bufo) safe?

5-MeO-DMT (Bufo) can be very safe when used responsibly in a guided setting. The best retreats include medical and psychological screening, hold safe ceremonial spaces, and offer integration to support people after their journey. Bufo isn’t good for people with mental health conditions like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, or those with serious cardiovascular concerns. Safety is all about the set, setting, and professional facilitation.

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5. How do I prepare for a guided DMT experience?

Being prepared is critical for getting the most healing experience and keeping risks to a minimum. To prepare well, seekers should:

• Get clear on their intentions
  
  
• Stick to all medical and dietary requirements
  
  
• Work on having the right mindset and physical setting
  
  
• Have an integration plan for afterwards
  
  

Sources

Strassman, R. (2001). DMT: The Spirit Molecule. Park Street Press.

Davis, A. K., Barsuglia, J. P., Lancelotta, R., Grant, R. M., & Renn, E. (2018). The epidemiology of 5-MeO-DMT use: Psychoactive effects, motivations, and outcomes. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 32(7), 779–792.

Szára, S. (1956). Dimethyltryptamine: Its metabolism in man; the relation to its psychotic effect to the serotonin metabolism. Experientia, 12(11), 441–442.

Uthaug, M. V., Davis, A. K., Haas, T. F., et al. (2019). 5-MeO-DMT use in a naturalistic group setting is associated with unintended improvements in well-being and affect. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 45(2), 161–169.

Labate, B. C., & Cavnar, C. (2014). The Therapeutic Use of Ayahuasca. Springer.

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). (2022). Hallucinogens DrugFacts. https://nida.nih.gov

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