Gelfer, DXM 1

TOWARDS A SACRAMENTAL UNDERSTANDING OF

DEXTROMETHORPHAN

Joseph Gelfer (e: [email protected])

Dextromethorphan (DXM) is an ingredient of some cough suppressants which,

when consumed in large amounts, can have dissociative and psychedelic effects.
Some people within the DXM-user community use DXM to facilitate what they
perceive to be spiritual experiences. This paper argues that DXM can therefore
be understood within the DXM-user community as a sacrament, and its use
located within the neo-shamanic tradition.

Dextromethorphan (DXM), an ingredient of some cough suppressants, has so far been

discussed within academic literature from a medical point of view, whether focusing
on its abuse1 or its potential as a therapeutic agent.2 However, a subculture exists
around the use of DXM that requires a wider and more nuanced understanding. The
DXM community has its own online networks and e-zine, and in 2006 emerged from
its primarily “underground” cultural location, if not to the mainstream then at least to
the book-buying public with the publication of Dan Carpenter’s A Psychonaut's Guide
to the Invisible Landscape.3 Carpenter’s text highlights a significant theme within the
DXM community, namely the search for spiritual experience. When consumed in
large amounts, DXM can have dissociative and psychedelic effects, and some people
within the DXM-user community use it to facilitate what they perceive to be spiritual
experiences. For some users DXM takes on a sacramental nature. Such sacramental
usage locates part of the DXM community within a spectrum of traditions often
described as “neo-shamanic”. This paper opens up a new space in which DXM can be
contemplated within a cultural and spiritual context rather than exclusively medical.
DXM source material comprises Carpenter’s A Psychonaut's Guide to the
Invisible Landscape, William E. White’s online The Dextromethorphan FAQ4 16
editions of The DXM Zine,5 published online between 1997 and 2003, and various
DXM reports lodged with the Erowid6 database between 2000 and 2003.7 A
widespread and detailed survey of DXM users and their experiences would provide
more insightful conclusions, but in its absence the available material provides a
suitable entry point for considering the spiritual use of DXM. This paper does not
explore any of the neurotheological investigations that have flowered around the
explanation of spiritual experiences and/or non-ordinary consciousness over recent
years,8 nor the “authenticity” of a sacrament with its legal ramifications.9 Rather it
shows how DXM has taken on a sacramental nature within the DXM community, and
that such an understanding locates it within a wider tradition of neo-shamanism.
A key limitation for this paper is a lack of demographic information about the
DXM community. Such data are hard to gather due to the community being relatively
small, geographically diverse and somewhat secretively communicating through the
Internet (a medium that lends itself to anonymity). Similarly, because of the
fragmented and often anonymous nature of the DXM community, this paper takes
documentary evidence at face value, for all its limitations, such as inadequately
articulated ritual surrounding the use of DXM. However, despite these limitations,
this paper fulfils a significant function. It shows how DXM is considered by some
users as an “entheogenic” substance,10 and used within a spiritual and sacramental
context.
 Gelfer, DXM 2

Neo-shamanism

Neo-shamanism refers to the rediscovery of indigenous shamanic practices of

engaging spiritual realities and their relocation in what can loosely be identified as the
West. A general understanding of neo-shamanism refers to the period born out of
Mircea Eliade’s work11 and is exemplified by the writings of Carlos Castaneda who,
in the 1960s and 70s, inspired a generation of spiritual seekers with the lessons of his
shaman teacher Don Juan. Another key text popularizing neo-shamanism is Michael
Harner’s The Way of the Shaman12 which sought to transplant traditional shamanic
journeying techniques (in particular drumming) into a Western context.13
While Harner continues to focus on drumming and breathing techniques for
neo-shamanic experiences, his earlier academic work focused on the use of
hallucinogens within shamanic cultures to access spiritual dimensions.14 While not
essential to shamanism, the use of organic hallucinogens is an indicator of shamanic
practice. Similarly, the use of organic or synthetic hallucinogens an indicator of neo-
shamanism. Hallucinogen as a term has since been superseded by entheogen. Carl
Ruck et al 15 first laid claim to the term entheogen, which describes a substance with a
meaning of containing (or releasing) god and becoming. The term has since gathered
momentum16 and has more recently been explicitly associated with meaning a
sacramental substance.17 Aligning entheogens with sacraments brings more depth to
the meaning of the entheogenic experience. For Paul Tillich, “any object or event is
sacramental in which the transcendent is perceived to be present.”18 This is a broad
understanding of a sacrament in which anything could fit, thus William Temple’s
notion of a “sacramental universe” where God resides in all things.19 Citing the
Anglican catechism, John MacQuarrie argues that a sacrament is, “an outward and
physical sign of an inward and spiritual grace”. While not attempting to synthesize
meanings, MacQuarrie also notes that the Latin sacramentum is also the common
translation of the Greek musterion or “mystery”.20 MacQuarrie is correct in
suggesting that the idea of mystery may detract from the Christian understanding of
sacrament, but within a shamanic/neo-shamanic context both meanings have value.
An entheogen, acting as a medium between a person and the Divine, is indeed
perceived to be “an outward and physical sign of an inward and spiritual grace.” An
entheogen also has mysterious qualities, both in its production of ineffable
experiences (see below) and, it has been argued, its role in ancient mystery cults.21
Examples of entheogens within indigenous or shamanistic traditions, which are the
most commonly understood context, are ayahuasca, peyote, iboga, and amanita
muscaria.22 In these contexts entheogens are used in ancient rituals to engage a
dialogue with the Divine via non-ordinary states of consciousness.
Harner’s early work raises the question of trans-cultural experience,
suggesting similar entheogenic shamanic experiences can be had in diverse contexts.
From various ayahuasca-drinking tribes across Colombia and Bolivia Harner notes
five commonalities within the visionary experience: the soul’s separation from the
body or “trip”;23 visions of snakes and jaguars; visions of demons and/or deities;
visions of distant cities, landscapes and persons; divinatory experiences such as
resolving crimes or sickness.24 In a companion paper Claudio Naranjo finds a
comparable commonality in Chilean urban ayahuasca-drinkers who do not share the
same cultural references as the Amazonian tribes, inviting us to “regard some
shamanistic conceptions more as the expression of universal experiences than in terms
of acculturation to local traditions.”25 Elaborating on the nature of entheogenic
experience William Richards argues entheogens, “can be profoundly revelatory of
 Gelfer, DXM 3

truths, both spiritual and psychodynamic – truths that could prove highly relevant to
our well-being, personally and culturally.”26 Richards goes on to provide six
phenomena which characterize mystical experiences: unity; transcendence of time and
space; objectivity and reality; sense of sacredness; deeply-felt positive mood;
ineffability and paradoxicality.27 Richards also suggests the benefits of entheogenic
use are measurable28 and refers to Walter Pahnke’s Good Friday Experiment and its
25-year follow-up,29 and his own researches with terminal cancer patients. Part of
neo-shamanism revolves around these universal entheogenic experiences outside of
their indigenous cultures, either from the original organic compounds or more
contemporary guises such as LSD and synthetic DMT. Use of these substances may
or may not be entheogenic, rather recreational, which suggests the context and
intentionality of the user is central to an understanding of a substance’s use as an
entheogen or sacrament.
Some neo-shamanic movements with an entheogenic element straddle the line
of indigenous and Western. Both the União do Vegetal and Santo Daime traditions of
Brazil use ayahuasca as a sacrament, both within Brazil and, increasingly, overseas.
Similarly, the Native American Church uses peyote. All three attract both indigenous
participants and outsiders, and their traditions and rituals are well established. John
Baker cites ayahuasca within União do Vegetal as an example of a psychedelic
sacrament.30 Baker charts the intersection of psychedelics and sacraments, drawing a
distinction between the nouns “sacramental” and “sacrament,” the former assigned to
a looser understanding of spiritual experience, the latter for rituals which have
become more codified and fixed.31 Baker’s division of “sacramental” and “sacrament”
echoes the originating discussion of the word entheogen:

In a strict sense, only those vision-producing drugs that can be shown to have
figured in shamanic or religious rites would be designated entheogens, but in a
looser sense, the term could also be applied to other drugs, both natural and
artificial, that induce alterations of consciousness similar to those documented
for ritual ingestion of traditional entheogens.32

Neo-shamanic entheogen use often falls into this “looser sense” and would generally
be described by Baker as a “sacramental”. Such use exists within contemporary
manifestations of ancient traditions including witchcraft and paganisms33 as well as
numerous self-proclaimed religious organisations.34
If DXM is to be understand as part of such a neo-shamanic tradition it should
be possible to identify intentional employment of DXM in a sacramental context,
albeit a sacramental in a loose sense. It should also be possible to identify at least
some of the commonalities of the shamanic visionary experience as presented by
Harner, as well the characterizations and sense of well-being outlined by Richards.

DXM as Sacrament

DXM is most widely found in over-the-counter cough medicine. Typical syrups used
for their DXM ingredient include Robitussin Maximum Strength Cough, CVS Tussin
Maximum Strength Cough (and other generic versions), Vicks 44 Cough Relief, and
Delsym. DXM can also be found in pill form (geltabs) such as Robitussin Cough
Gels, Dexalone, and Sucrets. DXM’s reputation is generally dubious. Carpenter
writes:
 Gelfer, DXM 4

DXM is often played off as a “kiddie” psychedelic because obviously bored and
broke teens do use it, and then post on drug information Web sites, “dude, I was
sooo ripped, like worse than drunk. …” The most common and undignified
method of getting DXM to the brain – drinking cough syrup – has certainly kept
it relegated to the status of a poor man’s drug in the minds of many cellar-
shamans.35

This reputation is perpetuated on the occasions when DXM hits the mainstream
media, for example, Kids Overdosing on Cold Medicine to Get High36 and Euphoric
Teenagers Get High on Cough Pills.37 White suggests that a “DXM culture” has
existed at least since the 1960s Beatnik era. DXM subcultural use in the 1970s was
minimal with the emergence of LSD, peyote and similar alternative psychedelics
(although White says DXM was probably used among US soldiers in Vietnam), but
regained popularity in the 1980s via hardcore punk communities. In most of these
cases DXM use was communicated only via personal social networks rather than
cultural producers. White, writing in the mid 1990s says, “the increasing reach of the
Internet, especially among college students, is totally changing the face of DXM
use.”38 This is confirmed by other studies showing the effect of the Internet and more
widespread awareness of psychoactive substances.39
If DXM can be understood by the DXM community as an entheogen, as
enabling an experience of the Divine, then it can also be understood as having a
sacramental nature. To decide upon this we must look at accounts of DXM
experiences and the interpretations of its users. The DXM experience has been
categorized by White into five generally distinct phases known as “plateaus.”40 The
first and second “lower plateaus” are characterized by alertness and mild sensory
distortion, and then more noticeable dissociative effects. It is the “upper plateau”
experiences that are pertinent to this paper. Mobility is reduced on the third and forth
plateaus and most experiences are had lying down with closed eyes, often
accompanied by visions. Feelings of rebirth and recovery of hidden memory are
common. A calm akin to meditation can descend, “one person reported this as ‘it felt
like the top of my skull was opened into a clear blue sky’”.41 Ego
loss/annihilation/liberation is frequent. The fourth plateau consists of out-of-body
experiences and contact with external, superior beings. A fifth, elusive plateau known
as Plateau Sigma has also been reported, characterized by contact with superior
beings, alien forms and gods, but now with eyes open and in “waking” reality.42
White says, “the upper plateaus are considerably less ‘recreational’ than the lower
plateaus, and are more introspective, spiritual, and shamanic. Most people who use
DXM for psychonautical exploration or spiritual work do so at the upper plateaus.”43
The seriousness of such work that takes place in “Tussin Space” or “Tussin
Consciousness”44 (Tussin referring to Robitussin, the primary source of DXM), as
perceived by the DXM community, is indicated by the anonymous “Dex”:

Perhaps the most interesting things that I can recall from my DXM experience is
it's spiritual aspects. While many use DMX on a "party attitude" I believe
personally that this is a great waste of a perfectly good "ethenogenic chemical".
Perhaps this is why so many dislike the sigma plateau, they are simply not ready
for it.45
 Gelfer, DXM 5

Certainly spiritual and non-ordinary realities are of interest to White: Section 8

of his FAQ, running to over 4000 words, is dedicated to “Altered States and
Paranormal Experiences.” Section 8 of White contains subsections including the
dissociative spiral, out-of-body experiences, near-death and rebirth experiences,
contact with alien and spiritual beings, clairvoyance, ESP, and other psi phenomena,
memory loops and prescient sensations, and cosmic coincidence central (the source of
synchronicity) and the alien conspiracy (in which alien intervention continues to have
a guiding effect on humanity).
One could conclude this is simply a reflection of White’s personal interests,
however the trend is continued in another significant source for cultural information
pertaining to DXM, The DXM Zine, of which there were 16 online editions between
1997 and 2003 (although it must be considered that White’s work is central to the
whole DXM subculture). It is significant to note, given DXM’s reputation of being a
high school dropout substance, that every issue ran at least one article focusing on the
use of DXM and subjects which intersect with a broad understanding of spirituality
and non-ordinary states of consciousness including paranormal and psychic
experiences, coincidence control (manipulating synchronicity), near death and out-of-
body experiences, astral projection, lucid dreaming, extra sensory perception,
communicating with the dead, kundalini and chakra energy, and the 2012 eschaton.46
On their own these interests, while helping to dispel the myth of a disengaged dropout
community, do not demonstrate a full and explicit connection between DXM and
spiritual/religious experiences. However, Issue 8,47 in one of its regular reader surveys
asks: “Has DXM ever influenced your religious beliefs?” The fact that the question
was asked in the first place is as interesting as its results: it shows that the zine’s
editor was keen to explore and articulate the spiritual aspects of DXM use within the
community’s most significant medium of communication. The editorial survey had 25
respondents (the zine claimed to have “over 270 subscribers” at this point) and was
reported in Issue 948: “68% of those who participated claim their religious beliefs
have been influenced or changed by DXM.” The editor concludes,

This obviously implies that DXM does have very strong ties to the spiritual
world... even more so than LSD or salvia divinorum.49 And in all aspects, it
would only make sense to base a religion on DXM usage for the enlightenment
and self-progression of the individual self.50

Further still, Issue 8 ran an article entitled, “DXM: A New Religion,” which proposed
an organization called “The Church of Tussin,” with the following objective:

To promote the exploration of one self and of the universe with the powerful
shamanic device, DXM. This is not a blasphemous satire on religion, but a
secret ritual of practice that enables oneself to perceive reality in a different
way, and to contact higher spiritual beings for the promotion of self exploration
and development.51

The article goes on to describe various tenets of ethical behavior and spiritual
guidance: what you cause to others will someday be brought back upon you, whether
good or bad; you must show respect for both the drug and the experience; each
experience will reveal an answer; avoid contact with malevolent entities; do not
ignore the visions; spiritual channeling can be used; interdimensional traveling can be
 Gelfer, DXM 6

a valuable tool for universal exploration. Part Two of the article52 lays out the
Church’s rituals, practices and tithing.53 Again, similarly to the editorial survey about
DXM and religious belief, the zine’s running of these two articles locates spiritual
considerations at the heart of the community’s agenda, rather than the fringe.

Firsthand Reports
Clearly, not all of the reports mapping DXM experiences refer to a spiritual
dimension; indeed most do not. However, those that do cover a broad spectrum
ranging from the skeptical who were evidently surprised at their spiritual experiences,
through the neutral, to those who actively set out on a spiritual journey, employing
DXM as their sacrament. Of the first skeptical category, the anonymous
“DrnknMnky” writes,

I could see the whole network of consciousness, and God was a huge blue stand
of energy that connected everything together. It was cool. It was definetly a
religious experience, and I'm not even that religious. One thing was clear to me,
however, there is a supreme power. "I have no idea what happened - blue green
mesh mold network - connected - GOD wow."54

The anonymous “Matt” writes,

I am not particularily religious but I felt God speaking to me telling me that

everything was alright. I was the pupil in this mental conversation as God
showed me the beauty in everything and how that was for me and everybody to
experience. I wept at this beauty that now surrounded me. I wished everybody
could remove themselves from the meaningless stress that they endure and join
me in seeing what life was really like.55

Other accounts of spiritual experiences remain positive, but it cannot be said

with any certainty whether these users set out to have a spiritual experience with
DXM, an intentionality that lends itself to a sacramental interpretation, or whether
they were simply happy accidents. In this category, the anonymous “The Shadow”
writes,

I used my strength and knowledge and looked to God for guidance. I felt as
though I had a connection with God, one that I had never before had. Imagine
the numbers 1 through 10, 1 being no DXM at all, and 10 being a fatal overdose
of DXM...All numbers greater than 1 bring you that much closer to death, and in
that, bring you that much closer to God. The upper plateaus are most definitely
meant for spirituality. I was being cradled by God as he protected me from
myself. I was comforted, more than I ever had been before. If I could cry that
night, I would have.56

In this category, again, the anonymous “Okey” writes,

I saw God...
I went into this room. I was 'told' that it was his 'room'. I walked around a corner
in the entrance... And He was standing there. I was scared to death. He appeared
50ish. with short dark hair (parted on his left.) He was not handsome in any
way. But He looked distinguished and very confident, and gracious. He knew
 Gelfer, DXM 7

that I was scared to death. He then held out his hand and shook my hand. He
said 'Hi ... have a seat'. We sat down and had some small talk. And then I was
lead away. He looked slighly Jewish. More like a cross between my Father and a
older Me. One thing I was made aware of.... He had nothing to warn me about...
nothing to scold me about... and He was glad to se me. He seemed proud of
me... and He seemed very suportive.57

These accounts, and numerous others like them, provide a window into some
of the spiritual experiences had by DXM users, but may fall short of an actual
spiritual dimension to their DXM use. Other accounts make the connection more
explicit. One article in The DXM Zine discusses combining DXM use with meditation
practice, which is called “dexitation”.58 The anonymous “Væ§ølis” makes his/her
sacramental understanding of DXM very clear:

Prior to taking my sacrament, I do pray, asking for the blessing of the Creator
and for the company of my "guides". It is the healing energy that I seek to
remove blockages in my chakra system and give me strength in my daily life. To
me, this is the equivalent to a Christian person praying for an archangel to watch
over them.59

Carpenter, being the most articulate source we have about DXM experiences,
clearly marks out his intention: “My approach has been absolutely spiritual.”60 It is
Carpenter’s experiences that provide the least contestable evidence of DXM being
used as an entheogen and sacrament. The six phenomena that characterize
entheogenic mystical experiences suggested by Richards can all be glimpsed in
Carpenter’s text. Of unity: “there are fabrics of groups of people … The Known in the
Hive is fabrics of awareness. Families chatting, knitted into a quilt. It was a very clear
thing that I sailed over”.61 Of transcendence of time and space:

The world kept coming over me as a new world – one I had just entered – a
reality I had just arrived in. Each time this happened I had to create a new
scenario about who and where I was. I said: ‘I am Dan Carpenter! I am an earth
man!’ Then the world was new again.62

Of objectivity and reality:

I saw endless bits of floating, living particles, buglike with neon eye/feelers on
the end of stalks. There were multicoloured tubes, orbs, and plantlike
plastic/plasma formations, the voices of cartoons and the evening news ringing
through memory chambers, and messengers like sophisticated leeches running
along “wires” and streams of “cables” made of light and strangely self-aware,
looking back at “me.” All the crazy comings-and-goings were self-regulated by
the parts themselves, like a host of hardened ER doctors in action after a bus
crash. The psychedelic had held a door open into one “me,” allowing another
“me” to see in … and “I” was a squirming electric flesh-chemical ant colony.63

Of a sense of sacredness: “Beliefs in the solid-state yet spiritual realms one can
witness in the closed-eye DXM trance have become Knowns for me”.64 Of a deeply-
felt positive mood:
 Gelfer, DXM 8

I found myself drifting over a scene of unmistakable Buddhist monks. I could

smell incense. There was a high seat of honor and I understood it was for me.
The monks were saying, “He has made it! This is Dan’s Day! Place him on the
seat!” … Suddenly something went wrong – like the chair broke. … Then one
young man approached smiling and I understood the broken chair had been a
cosmic joke of some kind, like a hazing. The young man said: “This is the first
enlightenment!” We both began to laugh hardily.65

Of ineffability and paradoxicality: “I have witnessed the seat of dreaming”.66

The Benefits of Entheogenic Use

Richards also suggested there are identifiable benefits of entheogenic use, so if DXM
fits within an entheogenic and neo-shamanic tradition there should be at least some
perceived benefits of entheogenic DXM use within the community. The anonymous
“5 Boxes,” who had been suffering from depression, writes of his/her meeting with
Christ through DXM:

As I closed my eyes the red light pulsed through my brain until through the light
I saw the image of Christ himself standing before me holding a heart. He handed
me this heart and as I touched it I felt a chill run from head to toe, and a feeling
of finality, almost as if my life were finally over. But after this I felt such a rush
of happiness it felt like I'd blew an eight ball in 30 seconds.
Jesus stood there still, staring at me, I thought he was waiting for me to say
something, so I thanked him. At this time he faded away from me, and I knew it
was an answer to my depression.67

“Anonymous” writes,

The nirvana-like bliss I experienced on the 3rd plateau was so fabulous that not
a day has gone by that I haven't longed for it and felt a tremendous sorrow at
being separated from it. I have since understood this in terms of my particular
spiritual path -- but until I did, I experienced profound depression and suicidal
impulses. Whether this is an aspect of the drug or of 'opening doors' to grander
spiritual vistas of being, is up to the reader to decide. Whatever the case, my
DXM experiences have transformed me and my life from the ground-up -- this,
despite the fact that before trying it, I'd had subsantial experience with
magic/mysticism as well as other psychedelics.68

The anonymous “Xtrovert” writes, “Jesus is dead, but love is still alive. All music
comes from the magic place. I have been there and have communed with it. Death is
nothing to fear. The soul is everlasting and the universe is complex”.69 For Carpenter,
human engagement with the Hive Mind (the ultimate reality containing/comprising
human awareness) leaves him feeling, in the end, optimistic: “Here were individuals
… “fingertips” touching through corridors of light … “eyes” acknowledging each
other, reassuring – ‘We’re making it!’”70 There are, then, some perceived benefits of
entheogenic DXM use within the community.
 Gelfer, DXM 9

Conclusion

Neo-shamanism is concerned with accessing spiritual and non-ordinary states of

consciousness via shamanic practices within what can loosely be described as the
West. Shamanism and neo-shamanism are typified by use of entheogens. In
facilitating an experience with the Divine, entheogens are considered by people who
use them as having a sacramental nature. Harner and Naranjo argued that entheogens
produce certain trans-cultural shamanic experiences, regardless of the users’ cultural
references. Harner and Naranjo provide a distinct link between traditional shamanism
and neo-shamanic use of sacramental entheogens. Richards listed further universal
characteristics of entheogenic experience. Baker, within a psychedelic context, argued
for a distinction between the nouns “sacramental” and “sacrament” based on the
degree to which the context is codified and fixed. Neo-shamanic practices tend to use
entheogens (or sacramentals) in less codified and fixed ways.
Some people consume large amounts of DXM in order to have spiritual
experiences via non-ordinary states of consciousness and, as we have seen, do have
what they perceive to be spiritual experiences. DXM can therefore be considered to
function as a sacrament and entheogen, if its intended use is the generation of
spiritual experience. While the title of this paper employs the word “sacramental” as
an adjective, DXM is clearly aligned with Baker’s understanding of psychedelic
sacramentals: DXM is used in a sacramental fashion, but this use is not particularly
codified or fixed. Similarly, DXM also fulfils Ruck et al’s looser understanding of
entheogen, inducing, as it does, “consciousness similar to those documented for ritual
ingestion of traditional entheogens.”
Harner’s five commonalities within the shamanistic visionary experience
were: the soul’s separation from the body or “trip”; visions of snakes and jaguars;
visions of demons and/or deities; visions of distant cities, landscapes and persons;
divinatory experiences such as resolving crimes or sickness. The DXM narratives
provided in this paper fulfil all these commonalities except visions of snakes and
jaguars. The DXM narratives also fulfil all Richards’ characteristics of mystical
experiences, namely: unity; transcendence of time and space; objectivity and reality;
sense of sacredness; deeply-felt positive mood; ineffability and paradoxicality; and
identifiable benefits.
In conclusion, we can identify intentional employment of DXM in a spiritual
context. We can identify significant commonalities with the shamanic visionary
experience as presented by Harner, as well as the entheogenic characterizations and
sense of well-being outlined by Richards. DXM use can therefore be considered as a
continuation of the neo-shamanic tradition, which requires looking beyond previous
medical contexts towards a sacramental understanding of dextromethorphan.

NOTES
1
Timothy R. Wolfe & E. Martin Caravati, "Massive Dextromethorphan Ingestion and Abuse."
American Journal of Emergency Medicine 13, no. 2 (1995): 174-76; Shireen Banerji & Ilene B.
Anderson, "Abuse of Coricidin HBP Cough & Cold Tablets: Episodes Recorded by a Poison Center."
American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy 58, no. 19 (2001): 1811-14.
2
P. M. McConaghy, P. McSorley, W. McCaughey, & W. I. Campbell. "Dextromethorphan and Pain
after Total Abdominal Hysterectomy." British Journal of Anaesthesia 81, no. 5 (1998): 731-36; Ron
Ben Abraham, Nissim Marouani, & Avi A. Weinbroum, "Dextromethorphan Mitigates Phantom Pain
in Cancer Amputees." Annals of Surgical Oncology 10, no. 3 (2003): 268-74.
 Gelfer, DXM 10

3
Dan Carpenter, A Psychonaut's Guide to the Invisible Landscape: The Topography of the Psychedelic
Experience (Rochester, VT: Park Street Press, 2006). This text was originally self-published and
distributed free of charge by Carpenter in 2004 under the title The DXM Explorer, which suggests a
more humble methodology than the published title. The cover of The DXM Explorer shows a picture of
Carpenter orienteering: he is wearing a camouflage shirt, has a compass around his neck, a map in a
plastic envelope, and pen and paper; he is looking, intrigued, up at a cosmological vortex, noting his
observations.
4
William E. White, “The Dextromethorphan FAQ: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About
Dextromethorphan, Version 4.0” <http://www.dextroverse.org/faq/dxmfaq40.txt>, accessed 12 April,
2006.
5
<http://www.dextroverse.org/zine/>, accessed 12 April, 2006.
6
<http://www.erowid.org/> Erowid, “documenting the complex relationship between humans and
psychoactives” is commonly understood amongst drug users to be the premier resource on the Internet
for information of this kind. As well as acting as a repository of published information, Erowid
contains a large database of “trip reports” which are first-hand accounts of psychoactive experiences
that provide a wealth of (albeit anecdotal and unsubstantiated) information. Originally a subcultural
phenomenon, awareness of Erowid has achieved breakthrough into mainstream media: see Erik Davis,
"Don't Get High Without It" LA Weekly, (2004), <http://www.laweekly.com/general/features/dont-get-
high-without-it/1739/>, accessed 13 April, 2006.
7
Out of all the DXM subcultural literature only Carpenter’s has gone through a traditional editorial
process. In this paper I quote with the original spelling and grammar, with all its inaccuracies: I
therefore do not use, in the multiple, “sic”. I have chosen this material because it represents the most
accessible and coherent literature about DXM as a cultural and spiritual phenomenon, material that was
compiled with the intention of being used as a resource. There are large amounts of other material,
ranging from the chaotic to the articulate to be found in various Internet discussion forums and chat
logs, but this is difficult to collate.
8
Eugene G. D’Aquili & Andrew B. Newberg, The Mystical Mind: Probing the Biology of Religious
Experience (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1999); Rick Strassman, DMT: The Spirit Molecule
(Rochester, VT: Park Street Press, 2001); Dean Hamer, The God Gene: How Faith Is Hardwired into
Our Genes (New York: Doubleday, 2004).
9
Peyote, generally illegal, is a legal sacrament of the Native American Church in the United States.
See Huston Smith & Reuben Snake (eds.), One Nation Under God: The Triumph of the Native
American Church (Santa Fe, NM: Clear Light Publishers, 1996). Similarly, a protracted legal battle
(Gonzales versus O Centro Espirita Beneficiente União do Vegetal,
<http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/05pdf/04-1084.pdf>) recently resulted in the sacramental
use of ayahuasca being legalized in New Mexico.
10
Robert Forte, Entheogens and the Future of Religion (San Francisco: Council on Spiritual Practices,
1997); Houston Smith, Cleansing the Doors of Perception: The Religious Significance of Entheogenic
Plants and Chemicals (New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, 2000); Thomas B. Roberts,
Psychoactive Sacramentals: Essays on Entheogens and Religion (San Francisco: Council on Spiritual
Practices, 2001).
11
Mircea Eliade, Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy, trans. W. R. Trask, Bollingen Series
LXXVI (Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press, 1964).
12
Michael Harner, The Way of the Shaman: A Guide to Power and Healing (New York: Bantam,
1980).
13
For a critique of these key neo-shamanic beginnings see Daniel C. Noel, The Soul of Shamanism:
Western Fantasies, Imaginal Realities (New York: Continuum, 1999) and Robert J. Wallis,
Shamans/Neo-Shamans: Ecstasies, Alternative Archaeologies and Contemporary Pagans (London and
New York: Routledge, 2003).
14
Michael Harner (ed.), Hallucinogens and Shamanism (London: Oxford University Press, 1973).
15
Carl A. P. Ruck, Jeremy Bigwood, Danny Staples, Jonathan Ott, & R. Gordon Wasson,
"Entheogens." The Journal of Psychedelic Drugs 11, no. 1-2 (1979): 145-46.
16
Forte, Entheogens and the Future of Religion; Smith, Cleansing the Doors of Perception.
17
Roberts, Psychoactive Sacramentals.
18
Cited in Joseph Martos, Doors to the Sacred: A Historical Introduction to Sacraments in the
Catholic Church (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1981): 1.
19
Cited in John Macquarrie, A Guide to the Sacraments (London: SCM Press, 1997): 1.
20
John Macquarrie, A Guide to the Sacraments: 4-5.
 Gelfer, DXM 11

21
R. Gordon Wasson, Albert Hofmann, & Carl A. P. Ruck, The Road To Eleusis: Unveiling the Secret
of the Mysteries (Los Angeles: William Dailey Rare Books Ltd, 1998); Clark Heinrich, “The
Mushroom Gods of Ancient India.” Entheos 2, no. 2 (2002): 4-12; Mark Hoffman, Carl A. P. Ruck, &
Blaise D. Staples, “The Entheogenic Eucharist of Mithras.” Entheos 2, no. 2 (2002): 13-46; and Carl A.
P. Ruck, Clark Heinrich, Blaise D. Staples, The Apples of Apollo: Pagan and Christian Mysteries of the
Eucharist (Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press, 2000).
22
See Benny Shanon, "Entheogens." Journal of Consciousness Studies 9, no. 4 (2002): 85-94, for a
whirlwind account of the role entheogens may have played in many major religions, not just
shamanistic traditions. Also R. Gordon Wasson, Stella Kramrisch, Carl Ruck, Jonathan Ott,
Persephone's Quest: Entheogens and the Origins of Religion (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press,
1988) and Dan Merkur, The Mystery of Manna: The Psychedelic Sacrament of the Bible (Rochester,
VT: Park Street Press, 2000).
23
There is a tempting resonance between the “trip” and sacraments. Macquarrie claims that the
sacrament links the two worlds (physical and spiritual) in which we live (A Guide to the Sacraments:
5), which resembles a shamanic journey. Martos’ Doors to the Sacred bases its title on Eliade’s work.
Martos argues the sacramental experience, in opening the door to the sacred, “is like entering into
another dimension of space and time, and discovering a whole new world of meaning” (Doors to the
Sacred: 7). This description could fit any entheogenic or neo-shamanic narrative.
24
Michael Harner, “Common Themes in South American Indian Yagé Experiences.” In Michael
Harner (ed.), Hallucinogens and Shamanism: 155-175.
25
Claudio Naranjo, “Psychological Aspects of the Yagé Experience in an Experimental Setting.” In
Michael Harner (ed.), Hallucinogens and Shamanism: 190.
26
William A. Richards, "Entheogens in the Study of Mystical and Archetypal Experiences." Research
in the Social Scientific Study of Religion 13 (2002): 147.
27
Ibid: 148.
28
Ibid: 151.
29
Rick Doblin, "Pahnke's "Good Friday Experiment": A Long-Term Follow-up and Methodological
Critique." Journal of Transpersonal Psychology 23, no. 1 (1991): 1-28.
30
John R. Baker, "Psychedelic Sacraments." Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 37, no. 2 (2005): 179-87.
31
The distinction of “sacramental” and “sacrament,” or degrees of “looseness,” may in the end be
more accurate ways of categorizing entheogens than whether or not something is “indigenous”. For
example, it seems quite reasonable to describe synthetic entheogens such as LSD (or, as I will argue,
DXM) as “indigenous” to the West.
32
Ruck et.al, "Entheogens": 146.
33
Chas. S. Clifton, “Drugs, Books and Witches.” In Jenny Blain, Douglas Ezzy and Graham Harvey
(eds.), Researching Paganisms (Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press, 2004): 85-96.
34
See Thomas Lyttle, “Drug Based Religions and Contemporary Drug Taking." Journal of Drug Issues
18, no. 2 (1988): 271-284. Also R. Stuart, “Entheogenic Sects and Psychedelic Religions.” MAPS
Bulletin: Sex, Spirit and Psychedelics 12, no. 1 (2002): 17-24.
35
Carpenter, A Psychonaut's Guide to the Invisible Landscape: 13.
36
ABC News, "Kids Overdosing on Cold Medicine to Get High." ABC News, December 16 (2002),
<http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Health/story?id=125521>, accessed 12 April, 2006.
37
Copenhagen Post, "Euphoric Teenagers Get High on Cough Pills." Copenhagen Post, 7 February
(2003), <http://www.cphpost.dk/get/65575.html>, accessed 12 April, 2006.
38
White, The Dextromethorphan FAQ: section 12.1.
39
John H. Halpern & Harrison G. Pope, "Hallucinogens on the Internet: A Vast New Source of
Underground Drug Information." American Journal of Psychiatry 158, no. 3 (2001): 481-83; Edward
W. Boyer, Michael Shannon, & Patricia L. Hibberd, "The Internet and Psychoactive Substance Use
among Innovative Drug Users." Pediatrics 115, no. 2 (2005): 302-05. My introduction to DXM also
happened via the Internet as did, for the sake of full disclosure, my interactions with Dan Carpenter,
author of this paper’s source material. I communicated with Carpenter over a period of two years via an
Internet discussion board and email about the themes he was writing about. I commented on an early
draft of his book and encouraged him to seek a publisher.
40
White, The Dextromethorphan FAQ: section 5.
41
Ibid: section 5.7.2.
42
Ibid: section 5.9.
43
Ibid: section 5.6.
44
Ibid: section 5.12.
 Gelfer, DXM 12

45
Dex, "A Closer Look at the Plateaus of DXM." The DXM Zine, no. 14 (2002),
<http://dextroverse.org/zine/zine14/#9>, accessed 13 April, 2006.
46
The 2012 eschaton refers to a supposed global spiritual paradigm shift that takes place at the end of
the current cycle of the Mayan calendar. See Robert K. Sitler, “The 2012 Phenomenon: New Age
Appropriation of an Ancient Mayan Calendar.” Nova Religio 9, no. 3 (2006): 24-38.
47
November 1998, <http://dextroverse.org/zine/zine8/>, accessed 13 April, 2006.
48
December 1998, <http://dextroverse.org/zine/zine9/>, accessed 13 April, 2006.
49
Salvia divinorum is a psychoactive sage plant ritually used by the Mazatec people of the Oaxaca
mountains of southern Mexico. It is sold legally in most countries and is commonly used as an
alternative to cannabis, although the effects are significantly different. See Sean Shayan, Divining
Ecstasy: The Magical and Mystical Essence of Salvia Divinorum (Port Townsend, WA: Loompanics
Unlimited, 2001).
50
December 1998, <http://dextroverse.org/zine/zine9/>, accessed 13 April, 2006.
51
John L. Terrence, "DXM... A New Religion." The DXM Zine, no. 8 (1998),
<http://dextroverse.org/zine/zine8/#11>, accessed 14 April, 2006.
52
John L. Terrence, "DXM... A New Religion, Part Two." The DXM Zine, no. 9 (1998),
<http://dextroverse.org/zine/zine9/#7>, accessed 14 April, 2006.
53
Tithing here does not involve money, rather the giving of positive actions: basically, “do unto others
as you would have them do unto you.”
54
DrnknMnky, "My First DXM Trip." The DXM Zine, no. 9 (1998),
<http://dextroverse.org/zine/zine9/#22>, accessed 13 April, 2006.
55
Matt. “A Religious Experience.” From Erowid
<http://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=6027> (2002), accessed 14 April, 2006.
56
The Shadow, “DXM, a Double-Edged Sword.” From Erowid
<http://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=72> (2000), accessed 14 April, 2006.
57
Okey, “I Saw God.” From Erowid <http://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=1882> (2000),
accessed 14 April, 2006.
58
Gravol & Charles Morris. "Altered States of Consciousness and DXM." The DXM Zine, no. 10
(1999), <http://dextroverse.org/zine/zine10/#11>, accessed 13 April, 2006. See Myron J. Stolaroff,
"Are Psychedelics Useful in the Practice of Buddhism?" Journal of Humanistic Psychology 39, no. 1
(1999): 60-80, for an insightful and comparable treatment of psychedelic use within Buddhist
meditation.
59
Væ§ølis, "Entheogenic DXM and Entity Contact." The DXM Zine, no. 16 (2003),
<http://dextroverse.org/zine/zine16>, accessed 14 April, 2006.
60
Carpenter, A Psychonaut's Guide to the Invisible Landscape: 108.
61
Ibid: 65.
62
Ibid: 28-9.
63
Ibid: 44.
64
Ibid: 107.
65
Ibid: 52.
66
Ibid: 14.
67
5 Boxes, “Head First into Blissful Insanity.” From Erowid,
<http://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=21257> (2003), accessed 13 April, 2006.
68
Anonymous, “The 4th Plateau.” From Erowid,
<http://www.erowid.org/experiences/exp.php?ID=1880> (2000), accessed 14 April, 2006.
69
Xtrovert, "Anthropomorphication." The DXM Zine, no. 13 (2002),
<http://dextroverse.org/zine/zine13/#9>, accessed 12 April, 2006.
70
Carpenter, A Psychonaut's Guide to the Invisible Landscape: 61.