Dimethyltryptamine (also known as DMT) is a powerful psychedelic drug. Use of this drug can make a person feel as though they can communicate with “a higher intelligence”. People often describe this it as “super-intelligent, but emotionally detached”.

DMT can be introduced in the body in many ways, including inhalation, injection, and oral ingestion. Inhaling and injecting have an intense effect for a short time (around 15 minutes), while consuming produces a milder effect that can last for hours. However, monoamine oxidase (also known as MAO) is a substance within the body that breaks down DMT. In order to achieve the hallucinogenic effect of DMT, it must also be ingested with a MAO inhibitor (MAOI) to prevent the breakdown of DMT.

Some people also say that the brain releases DMT just before death.

Ayahuasca

Some cultures create a special brew called ayahuasca which contains both DMT and MAOI. This brew is used in healing ceremonies and spiritual rituals.

The game references this mixture in the OP and in a scene on day 3 of Satoru’s Route titled “Ayahuasca Matter”.

Inubushi’s Experience

Inubushi is aware of the effects of mixing DMT with MAOI. She admits to stealing the chemicals from Enomoto’s room in the basement. Before she could consume them, she experienced a personality exchange and Alpha consumed the drugs, causing Satoru to experience the trip. Later, she asks Satoru about the experience, hinting that she has prior experience with DMT.

Satoru’s Experience

Satoru’s experience with the DMT is euphoric (or excruciatingly painful if Kokoro ate on the 3rd day, leading to a bad end). In both scenarios, he feels the world expanding further and becoming thicker, or rather he is becoming smaller and thinner.

My melting body was swallowed up by the floor.
Sinking into infinitely deep chaos….
Slowly, slowly sinking… until I was subsumed.

Analysis

Why is there DMT in SPHIA?

If we look at the above facts, we can come to the following conclusion: Satoru probably tried using DMT to try to access the “Transcendental Intelligence”. When he consumed the DMT, we see him getting reduced to zero-dimensional point. This may have been his method of attempting to attack SELF before devising the Yukidoh Plan.

At the same time, DMT could have been used for research purposes. Inubushi seems experienced with it, and it may have been used to unlock the mystery of her personalities, particularly that of Empty.

DMT at Death

DMT is said to be excreted by the brain at the time of death, resulting in a fascinating dream. The true form of Remember11 may be nothing more than a DMT-induced dream of a being just moments prior to its death.

Is SELF dying?
Is SELF dead?
Where is SELF?