A new research facility on the Caribbean island of Bequia is preparing to study one of the most unusual phenomena in psychedelic science: reports of encounters with nonhuman entities during experiences with dimethyltryptamine (DMT). The facility, called Eleusis, opened on March 18 and combines a psychedelic retreat center with a formal research program aimed at understanding what these perceived encounters might mean.
The project draws directly from clinical groundwork laid at Imperial College London, where in 2022 a team ran the world’s first study using “extended DMT,” or DMTx. The technique uses target-controlled intravenous infusion, a method originally developed to regulate anesthesia during surgery, to sustain the DMT state well beyond the 10 to 15 minutes typically produced by vaping. Eleven volunteers participated, including Anton Bilton, who described the onset as “eight minutes of having your head in a guillotine, waiting for it to fucking drop.” His peak experience lasted approximately half an hour.
The Science Behind the Entities
The DMTx concept was first proposed in a paper by neurobiologist Andrew Gallimore and psychiatrist Rick Strassman. Gallimore is now heading the research wing of Eleusis through his nonprofit, Noonautics, with a specific focus on the entity encounter phenomenon. He describes the ambition as “a SETI for the mind,” a reference to the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence, with researchers seeking to establish sustained, two-way communication with the beings users report perceiving.
The facility is named after an ancient Greek city associated with ritual consumption of what some scholars believe was a psychedelic potion. DMT remains a Schedule 1 substance in the United States, but licensed care providers can administer it legally in Bequia. All applicants are prescreened to exclude those with cardiovascular conditions, unmanaged psychiatric disorders, or medication conflicts, according to Christina Thomas, who co-manages the therapeutic side of the facility alongside Charles Patti. The pair also co-own a ketamine clinic in Florida.
A Controllable Alternative to Ayahuasca
Eleusis markets DMTx sessions partly as a more manageable alternative to ayahuasca, a brew that can produce effects lasting several hours and often involves significant physical discomfort. The IV-based system allows the dose to be adjusted in real time. If a guest wants to stop, the drug flow can be cut and effects dissipate within minutes.
“Instead of having to sit in your own personal hell for six hours on ayahuasca, you can actually dial that back for people and make it more digestible,” Patti said.
The retreat expects to host 30 guests in its opening month. A four-day package starts at $9,500 and includes two DMTx sessions, lodging, and food, alongside offerings like breathwork and sound healing. Guests are interviewed on camera after sessions to describe their experiences, with entity encounter reports intended to feed into the research program.
Therapeutic Potential Still Emerging
DMT has shown early promise for treating alcohol use disorder and major depressive disorder, though its therapeutic applications have not been studied as extensively as those of other psychedelics like psilocybin or MDMA. The dual structure of Eleusis, part retreat, part research facility, reflects a bet that commercial psychedelic tourism and serious scientific inquiry can occupy the same space.
Whether the entity research yields anything scientifically interpretable is an open question. But for Gallimore, the encounters are too consistent across users to ignore.
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