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A digital artistic rendering of a so-called machine elf, a common vision described by those who use DMT. Image by David S. Soriano/Wikimedia Commons/(CC BY-SA 4.0)Psychedelics — a class of hallucinogenic substances known for inducing highly unusual and often strange experiences — have been extensively studied, with some of them standing out in research.
While many studies have focused on the effects of substances like LSD, mescaline, and psilocybin (found in peyote and mushrooms, respectively), one psychedelic, N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), has intrigued scientists for years due to its mind-boggling effects.
Reports of 'DMT Entities' or 'Machine Elves' by Users
While various substances can induce hallucinations, DMT users often report encounters with otherworldly figures known as "DMT elves" or "machine elves."
What’s particularly fascinating — and somewhat bizarre — is that completely different individuals, in separate settings, experience remarkably similar visions of these DMT entities. Scientists are still uncertain as to why. Are these DMT elves actual beings, or are they simply hallucinations triggered by ingesting large doses of DMT?
What Exactly Is DMT?
DMT, often referred to as the "spirit molecule," is a naturally occurring compound found in certain plants and animals.
"DMT is generally smoked or vaporized, but it can also be ingested orally when combined with a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI)," says Dr. Steve Thayer, a clinical psychologist and host of the podcast "Psychedelic Therapy Frontiers," in an email interview. "This combination prevents the breakdown of DMT in the digestive system, allowing it to be absorbed. When inhaled, the effects are almost immediate, typically lasting between 5 and 20 minutes. Ingested, the experience can extend for 8 hours or more."
Timothy Leary, William Burroughs, and Terence McKenna
DMT was one of the substances that renowned psychedelic advocate Timothy Leary and writer William Burroughs experimented with during the 1960s, but it gained widespread attention only in the 1990s.
It was during this period that the late ethnobotanist, philosopher, and author Terence McKenna began writing about DMT and the strange, otherworldly experiences he encountered while using it in altered states, having smoked it numerous times.
McKenna, one of the most prominent proponents of psychedelics in the 20th century, graduated from U.C. Berkeley with degrees in ecology, shamanism, and conservation.
McKenna's works, such as "Food of the Gods," "True Hallucinations," and "The Invisible Landscape," combined a scientific, academic perspective on hallucinogens with personal narratives of McKenna's own journeys within the DMT realm.
'Friendly Fractal Entities'
While studying at Berkeley in 1965, Terence McKenna first encountered the DMT elves, which he referred to as "machine elves," "clockwork elves," and "self-transforming machine elves." He recounted his initial encounter with these entities during a DMT trip in his 1989 book "True Hallucinations":
In a 1994 lecture, McKenna described DMT as "the most powerful hallucinogen known to mankind and science."
DMT Is Classified as a Schedule I Drug in the U.S.
In the U.S., DMT has been classified as a Schedule I drug since the passage of the Controlled Substances Act in 1971.
According to Thayer, DMT is "used ceremonially by indigenous communities, recreationally by psychonauts, and is now being explored in clinical trials as a potential treatment for mental health issues like depression and anxiety."
"One of the most well-known applications of DMT is in the Amazonian ceremonial brew, ayahuasca, which combines a DMT-rich leaf with a MAOI-containing vine. This ritual, likely thousands of years old, serves spiritual, medicinal, and cultural purposes," Thayer explains.
What Are the Elves Seen During DMT Journeys?
Science has yet to offer a definitive explanation for this phenomenon. During a typical DMT experience, users often undergo rapid emotional shifts, including love, fear, joy, anxiety, and euphoria. Thayer explains that this may include a "dissolving of the sense of self," along with vivid hallucinations featuring self-transforming machine elves.
"Hallucinations can be very diverse, but they commonly involve geometric patterns, intense colors, and interactions with 'entities,'" Thayer notes. "These entities are often described as independent, distinct beings that deliver some kind of message."
While there is no single, clear-cut description of the DMT entities, they're often referred to as "machine elves" or "clockwork elves," a term coined by McKenna. He referred to them as 'self-transforming elf machines,' which gave rise to the now-popular term 'DMT machine elves.'
By introducing the term "machine elves," Terence McKenna's accounts helped shape a shared vocabulary that has been widely adopted by others who have had similar experiences, describing their encounters in much the same way he did.
Ayahuasca, which is also referred to as "hoasca," "iagê," "santo-daime," "daime," and "vegetal," is a tea made from a blend of several plants, most notably the "psychotria viridis" vine. It is commonly used in ritualistic or religious settings to induce visionary experiences.
Helder Faria/Getty Images"These entities can take a wide range of forms," Thayer explains, "including animals, insects, angels, demons, family members, jesters, aliens, lights, spirits, fairies, and shapeless beings."
It might seem unsettling, and one might not feel ready to confront these entities during a DMT trip. Thayer mentions that fear is a common reaction, but notes that the most prevalent emotions are usually joy, love, and trust.
What’s particularly striking about the DMT machine elves is that many users report having very similar experiences, seeing the same types of beings and visions.
"There’s no definitive scientific explanation for this," Thayer states, "but one theory suggests that this is simply what the conscious mind perceives when exposed to DMT."
Spiritualists argue that DMT unlocks the mind to alternate dimensions of reality, allowing us to encounter the beings that dwell there. These experiences with DMT entities closely resemble those shared by individuals who have undergone near-death or alien abduction experiences.
Research Participants Report Alternate Realities
In 2021, scientists from the University of Greenwich and Imperial College London conducted the first field study on DMT usage. They interviewed 36 non-clinical users who inhaled doses ranging from 40 to 75 mg of DMT.
The researchers wrote, "Invariably, profound and highly intense experiences occurred." The majority of participants reported encountering some form of entity, whether machine elves or otherwise; 94 percent stated they had met "other beings." The descriptions of these beings were strikingly similar across all participants.
The phenomenon of DMT elves, or machine elves, remains a mystery in neuroscience, with ongoing research still struggling to fully explain the phenomenon, as elusive and enigmatic as the entities themselves.
In South America, indigenous cultures have been using the powerful psychedelic brew ayahuasca as a hallucinogenic tea to alter consciousness for millennia. The use of such substances can be traced back to at least 900 B.C.E., as evidenced by artwork and artifacts from the Chavin civilization of Peru. It remains unclear whether their experiences with DMT involved encounters with machine elves or similar entities.
