Author Interview for ParaResearchers of Ontario - Dick Khan is the author of: DMT & My Occult Mind: Investigation of Occult Realities using the Spirit Molecule.
Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background?
First of all, thank you for this interview opportunity.
I am from a small working class town in the north of England. I left home at seventeen and travelled around Europe for a short while before heading to London. I eventually returned to education and progressed through college and university, attaining a science-based vocational degree. I am married and have two children.
Who do you consider to be the greatest influences on your work?
The esoteric and occult doctrines disclosed by H. P. Blavatsky towards the latter end of the nineteenth century had a huge impact on my mind at a time when I was curious for knowledge and hungry for learning. I found that which I read resonated very strongly within me.
What inspired you to write DMT & My Occult Mind?
The inspiration to begin documenting my research came from the unbelievable experiences themselves. At some point the seed of an idea to write a book must have formed within me. I was sat watching TV with my wife one evening when a well known celebrity was giving a speech at an awards ceremony. He was praising writers and scriptwriters, and urged anyone harbouring such creative leanings to pursue their passion. From that moment I made up my mind that I would write a book.
How did you come up with this hypothesis and what got you interested in these studies?
If I have formed any hypothesis, on the basis of my own research, it is that the “breakthrough into hyperspace” is actually an interaction with a spiritual being. It sounds so easy when expressed in one short sentence. But as any committed psychonaut will tell you, the otherwise latent energies involved in achieving such an interaction are beyond anything you can imagine.
The hypothesis was formed through undertaking repeated experiments, time and time again, ignoring my fears and anxieties about the strength of the substance and remaining thoroughly observant and analytical into what was actually occurring. It was only gradually and by degrees that the truth (according to my research) became evident to me. There were, however, several really notable experiments that really helped me to progress that hypothesis, after which further experiments only served to continually reinforce my position.
To answer what got me interested in these studies I must pay homage to Rick Strassman’s revolutionary research, and the subsequent documentary directed by Mitch Shultz. Before actually seeing the documentary I seem to recall reading a small item in a newspaper about Strassman’s research with DMT. At that time I am sure I remember feeling somewhat sceptical about a so-called Spirit Molecule.
Was there a turning point or defining moment in your life that led you to this inquiry?
I would say the unusual experiences from my early childhood that are documented at the beginning of my book made me capable of undertaking such investigative inquiry (to some extent), but they did not lead me to that inquiry. Again, I would have to pay homage to Strassman and Shultz.
What questions were you setting out to address when you started your research?
I did not fully appreciate it at the time, but intention was an incredibly powerful and influential factor in determining the outcome of my research. That intention was to understand what was occurring beyond inhaling the potent vapour. I specifically wanted to know the causal nature of the bizarre experiences because it really did seem that I was entering another world, another realm, another dimension. I mean, from the bedroom floor, time after time, how can that possibly be? Early on in my research I recall coming up with the following statement, and feeling incredibly pleased with myself: ‘If the DMT experience is from within my mind, then I know nothing about my mind; whereas if the DMT experience is from outside my mind, then mankind knows nothing about the universe.’ The truth is somewhere between the two.
Can you explain to our readers some of your methodologies?
Work with a capable set of lungs; extract DMT crystals from mimosa hostilis root bark; always respect set and setting; prepare a pipe with the required dose; sublimate the crystals with careful application of heat and draw the vapour deep into your lungs. Lay back and ensure you keep your wits about you. Maintain a sharp and focussed mindset. Try to maintain regular breathing. Observe! Observe! Observe!
At the conclusion of the experiment carefully recollect each and every detail and analyse what just occurred to the best of your ability. Write an honest and contemporaneous account of the experience. Take time to reflect. Have some other unrelated interests that will keep you grounded - these will lessen the likelihood of you becoming completely obsessed by the research.
Do you have any advice or suggestions for other researchers who may wish to try your methods?
Yes! Be absolutely honest. This is not a machismo thing. There is no room for ego and there is no need for any literary licence whatsoever – these bizarre experiences require no embellishment. Try to think rationally and try to make sense – even if only to yourself. Always expect the unexpected. Never underestimate the potency of the substance or the power of those that it can attract into your setting. Be aware of the influences that are shaping your analyses.
Keep in mind that we are still at the data collection stage of something that is truly extraordinary – this is something that is radically challenging and changing the prevailing culture, even if only slowly. If you do find you do have the capacity to hit the pipe in an investigative and research capacity, don’t think about what may occur, just find out. Acknowledge that any fear and trepidation is an ordinary aspect of this research. Courage seems to be rewarded.
And remember, people can have a strong emotional reaction when you tell them what you believe is actually happening in these experiences, so think carefully who about you confide in.
What current author aside from yourself do you consider a must-read for this type of exploration?
I have to say that I am now reading Graham St John’s, Mystery School in Hyperspace: A Cultural History of DMT, and I cannot begin to tell you how much I am enjoying the content. I am certain my appreciation of the book is greatly heightened now that I have completed my research. The accounts of DMT use before the Strassman studies have really opened my eyes, and made me realise where I am on this still infant timeline. I will probably never meet Nick Sands, but I really wish I could shake his hand and pay him a personal debt of gratitude. Ditto – Terrence McKenna!
What one thing excites you about your findings?
The fact that spiritual beings actually exist, and how such findings will be incorporated into western culture, and how such findings will reshape that culture; how science will adapt to such findings and what nomenclature it will adopt to prevent it unwittingly or unwillingly getting into bed with theosophy and theology.
What are you working on now?
Marketing! Trying to build a small audience that appreciates my research and my literary efforts! I thought that as soon my book was published my work would be complete. How little I knew. For the first few weeks after publication I sent scores and scores of emails. I individually emailed each and every SETI employee whose email address was published on the SETI website. I was so excited. I received only one reply from someone sardonically asking: “Who are you?” I have e-mailed numerous professors within numerous university philosophy departments around the world, but there has been nothing but silence. Using Facebook (@Occult.Realities) is a brand new experience to me – I readily admit to having previously been a social media Luddite. I am really enjoying promoting my book, but I am also very conscious that this is a very different mindset to my practical research and my writing.
Where can we purchase your book?
It’s available from Amazon.com and Amazon Europe, or from my CreateSpace page: https://www.createspace.com/5701764
I hope to publish a Kindle version within the next year. Hopefully at some point I can also publish Book Two and Book Three.
Tell us what you like to do when you aren't working on research?
My regular job and my family come first – I am responsible for two growing boys. Keeping grounded is of paramount importance when dealing with occult realties. I like to ride BMX and I am really fortunate in that there is classic 1970’s concrete skatepark only five minutes from my home. What began as me supervising my two boys as they rode their scooters on a Saturday morning has turned into me falling in love with riding BMX and becoming a skatepark regular.
Is there anything else you would like to add that I haven't included?
Yes! I am very lucky to have such an infinitely understanding wife.
Dick Khan is the author of: DMT & My Occult Mind: Investigation of Occult Realities using the Spirit Molecule. You can reach the author via social media or his email contact below. Our thanks goes out to Mr. Khan for granting us this interview.
https://www.facebook.com/Occult.Realities/
https://twitter.com/occult_reality
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