DMT, short for N,N-dimethyltryptamine ... complete with encounters with mystical beings or entry into an all-encompassing “new realm”. Now, scientists might finally know why the chemical ...

DMT was more likely to be associated with feelings of "entering an unearthly realm", whereas the the near-death experiences brought stronger feelings of "coming to a point of no return".

People who take it commonly describe feeling that they transcend their body and enter another realm. Chris Timmermann and colleagues at Imperial College London gave DMT intravenously to 13 ...