“Pure awareness”: Inside the psychedelic that erases space, time, and self - 5-MeO-DMT may enable access to pure awareness for consciousness science

5-MeO-DMT is presented as a psychedelic that can strip away space, time, and the sense of self, often leaving mainly awareness. The article frames this as a way to access a “minimal model of consciousness” similar to states described in Buddhist traditions and discussed by philosopher Thomas Metzinger, where awareness occurs without the residue of thoughts, emotions, and self. It summarizes research led by Christopher Timmermann and colleagues at real-world 5-MeO retreats using EEG plus interviews with a microphenomenological approach to reduce bias from later recollection. Reported effects are described as stages: early body or visual-field “crumbling,” followed by thought disappearance and then an abstract stage where cognition ends. About 29% reached a peak described as “everything and nothing,” featuring awareness without self, time, or space, sometimes described as “whiteness.”