Home

The Qualia Research Institute’s High Energy Awareness Research Team is an interdisciplinary coalition of investigators and curious explorers, who – dissatisfied with the state of phenomenological research, our understanding of consciousness and the lack of a community dedicated to pushing along the boundary of knowledge – have decided to come together to explore a think-tank approach to consciousness research.

We organise hands-on, exploratory work in meditation and psychedelic spaces. This is an invite-only, multidisciplinary team – including meditators, psychonauts, physicists and mathematicians – with a criteria focused on breadth of phenomenological expertise and the technical skills required to sculpt those insights into concrete scientific findings and new directions of research.

What is HEART?

The name draws an analogy to high-energy physics, in which systems behave differently depending on the physical energy they contain. We believe that exotic states of consciousness are interesting from the point of view of the amount of complexity, activity and movement – in other words, energy – that these states express.

One way to think of it is that this is a particle accelerator of the mind where we explore what happens to internal representations – phenomenal space and time, cognition, emotions, and so on – at different levels of energy.

We conducted two pilot studies in 2023 – exploring the subjective effects of ayahuasca and 5-MeO-DMT – in order to evaluate the feasibility of this approach. Below, you can find the collected findings from these retreats.

Canada 2023

Andrés Gómez Emilsson

10 September 2024

If You Blink You'll Miss It: Accelerating Insight Practice with 5-MeO-DMT

Andrés discusses 5-MeO-DMT's potential for facilitating deep learning of meditative principles.

Andrés Gómez Emilsson

10 September 2024

Phases of Liquid Crystals as an Explanatory Framework to Distinguish Between DMT and 5-MeO-DMT

Proposing that the radically different phenomenological effects of these substances can be described in terms of liquid crystal phases.

Andrés Gómez Emilsson

10 September 2024

Visual Effects of 5-MeO-DMT

A comprehensive exploration of visual phenomena encountered while on 5-MeO-DMT.

Andrés Gómez Emilsson

2 October 2023

5-MeO-DMT vs. DMT: More Lenses

Andrés adds more ways of seeing to his previous writeup, 5-MeO-DMT vs. N,N-DMT: The 9 Lenses.

Andrés Gómez Emilsson

2 October 2023

Self-Organizing Principles Reduction

Andrés explores the self-organizing principles which define the 5-MeO-DMT experience.

Andrés Gómez Emilsson

29 September 2023

Attention and Awareness on 5-MeO-DMT

A discussion of how 5-MeO-DMT affects the quality of one's experience through the dynamics of attention and awareness.

Andrés Gómez Emilsson

27 September 2023

Topology Effects on 5-MeO-DMT

“If classic tryptamines are a geometer’s oasis, then 5-MeO-DMT is a topologist’s paradise.”

Andrés Gómez Emilsson

24 September 2023

Key insights on 5-MeO-DMT

Quick notes taken right after the retreat.

Andrés Gómez Emilsson

24 September 2023

Levels of 5-MeO-DMT

Andrés describes the subjective effects of different dose ranges of 5-MeO-DMT, from sub-threshold to high doses.

Andrés Gómez Emilsson

22 September 2023

The Secret of the Universe in a Geometric Object

A playful essay on the nature of reality.

Andrés Gómez Emilsson

10 September 2023

Phenomenological Reflections on 5-MeO-DMT

Quick notes taken during the retreat.

Asher Arataki

29 February 2024

Arataki’s Guide to 5-MeO-DMT

Asher shares insights gained from 5-MeO-DMT experiences during the research retreat, including observations on the phenomenal character of 5-MeO-DMT and practical considerations for optimizing the experience.

Asher Arataki

25 September 2023

5-MeO ceremony with Richard

A description of a 5-MeO-DMT ceremony facilitated by an experienced shaman.

Asher Arataki

20 September 2023

Arataki’s Diary

Detailed notes on retreat proceedings and phenomenological effects of 5-MeO-DMT and other substances.

Cube Flipper

1 March 2024

5-MeO-DMT: A crash course in phenomenal field topology

The author explores the pharmacology, phenomenology, and therapeutic potential of 5-MeO-DMT. They propose that 5-MeO-DMT mediated 5-HT1A receptor agonism can be experienced as a “disentangling” of topological defects in the phenomenal fields.

Cube Flipper

8 October 2023

The second QRI psychophysics retreat: 5-MeO-DMT

The author recounts their experiences at the Canada retreat through a series of transcripts and trip reports.

Max Goodbird

20 August 2024

Fear and Healing on 5-MeO-DMT

Max recounts his journey with 5-MeO-DMT, detailing his initial fears, a significant dream that warned him against premature exploration, and his eventual participation in a guided ceremony.

Max Goodbird

23 January 2024

Micro and Macrophenomenology

Max outlines three emerging subfields in the study of mind: Classical Psychology, Microphenomenology, and Macrophenomenology.

Riccardo Volpato

28 October 2023

After effects and reactivations

Riccardo describes the after effects of attending a 5-MeO-DMT retreat, detailing short-term, medium-term, and long-term impacts on his consciousness and daily life.

Riccardo Volpato

22 October 2023

Reflections on psychedelic shamanic rituals

Recounting an experience with a 5-MeO-DMT shamanic ceremony, exploring its effects, preparation, and aftermath.

Riccardo Volpato

22 October 2023

Trip reports

Collated 5-MeO-DMT trip reports.

Riccardo Volpato

8 October 2023

Metaphors and emotions

Exploring the utility of metaphors in describing 5-MeO-DMT experiences.

Riccardo Volpato

7 October 2023

Phenomenal effects

Notes on four key phenomenal effects experienced during 5-MeO-DMT trips.

Riccardo Volpato

7 October 2023

Tactile phenomenology of 5-MeO-DMT

A video essay and series of visual replications of the characteristic tactile phenomenology of 5-MeO-DMT experiences.

Roger Thisdell

29 August 2024

Perils of the God-Head

Roger explores the concept of “God” consciousness as induced by 5-MeO-DMT.

Roger Thisdell

25 July 2024

Trip reports

Collated 5-MeO-DMT trip reports.

Roger Thisdell

30 September 2023

On Pure Perception

Roger explores how visual perception is intertwined with somatic sensations, and how 5-MeO-DMT generates a state of “pure perception” in which this relationship becomes defabricated.

Rudolfs Balcers

18 September 2023

Replications

A gallery of visual replications of 4-AcO-DMT and 5-MeO-DMT experiences.

Scry

5 August 2024

Replications

A gallery of visual replications of 5-MeO-DMT and Kasina glasses experiences.

Symmetric Vision

15 August 2024

Replications

A gallery of visual replications of 4-AcO-DMT and 5-MeO-DMT experiences.

The Teafaerie

9 September 2024

An Advance in Retreat Tech

A retreat retrospective by the Teafaerie, a writer for the psychedelic information site erowid.org. The Teafaerie is also a psychedelic peer support volunteer on the festival circuit.

𝛙

9 September 2024

Poems

Dancing through the multiverse.