Based on what I learned from Rick Strassman’s fantastic book DMT: The Spirit Molecule as well as recent observations of an elderly feline, I wonder if the DMT rush that may “bridge the dimensions” at death and during near-death experiences may effectively play a role in near-near-death experiences [NNDEs] as well – and not just among human beings.
Sixteen years ago my young daughter and I brought home our first cat. It’s like yesterday we were driving down the highway with little black and white Chloe in a wool beret, just five weeks old, her lithe form frantically clawing at each chance of escape. (She’s an escape artist to this day. Ah, the psychology of a cat….that’s another curiosity entirely.)
Hyperthyroidism and an enlarged kidney aren’t getting the best of her yet. Chloe keeps chugging along, most days with determination and verve, seeming far short of her years. This little old lady is a sprite, for sure. And she’s always hungry, always thirsty, and always wanting to be held – so I feed her often, refresh her water bowl, hold her.
Sixteen years is precious time. Now her front paws shake when she stands. Every day she’s a bit lighter – almost floating. She’s always been somewhat of a featherweight, and now more than ever. Sometimes she’s a bit lethargic, and the next moment she’ll bound around the house like a whirlwind in an apparent rush of adrenaline.
Here’s where it gets really interesting for me. Lately Chloe’s taken the habit of staring into space, looking at things that I don’t see. At times she’s listless while staring, but more often her eyes are animatedly focused on something she’s apparently watching in front of her – almost like she’s dreaming, yet she’s wide awake.
Maybe she’s actually “tripping.” Now there’s something to ponder. Could Chloe be experiencing relatively subtle, near-death DMT rushes as bits of her waste away, or rather, transform? Might she occasionally dose out on spikes of endogenous DMT and momentarily traverse other dimensions? She can’t come right out and say it, but observing her during one of these apparent “mini-trips” I can’t help but wonder what she’s experiencing.
Whether DMT may functionally accompany the general time of transition as well as the “final” moment is worth pondering. Considering that possibility, how might a given bioorganism – human, cat, or tree – react when dipping its metaphorical toes into the tidal waters at the edge of radical metamorphosis?
STACE TUSSEL
(Posted in memory of Minouche, who transitioned from this life a year ago today. Please check your companion animals regularly for any unusual lumps or bumps.)