I want to take the time to write about something that always bugs me. I'm talking about the strong tendency of some people, to focus on spice dosage. While it is certainly correct to assume, that you need a certain dose, to achieve some "levels", it's untrue that you should concentrate on getting there, perhaps by upping your dose. In the end, smoking DMT is not a contest, and it is very easy to leave the EXPERIENCE behind, while fiddling too much with the technical side. McKenna said, that you have to take 5g of mushrooms, before you can talk about them. In the same vein, someone could suggest a "breakthrough dose" to everyone, just so they can "talk about it". I see the same thing happening here: The need to achieve a so called "breakthrough" in order to become somehow initiated into this community.
That is certainly not the case.
The first question you have to answer is: Why do i want to smoke DMT? If you truly desire it for the EXPERIENCE, you will learn to benefit from every "level". Even a small dose can fill you with awe and give you pointers for your life - if you are willing to listen.
In my mind, working with DMT can be hard, because you have to do a lot of the work in the sense, that you need to "fill in the blanks" after you come back from the experience. Smoked DMT does not have a guiding voice like ayahuasca for instance. I don't say that you can't have contact with entitys. You certainly can and propably will. But to me, they do not really talk about how to integrate the experience into your life. For me, at sub breakthrough levels, they're only interested in the experience, in SHOWING you. They also speak to me in riddles and it has taken me months before i notice subtle changes in my way of thinking. Perhaps because of these riddles or just the mysterious ways, the whole thing influenced me.
It's pretty easy to become macho about dosing if you are frustrated about not seeing progress in your work. You may come to a point, where you associate DMT with bad feelings, because you desperatly want to breakthrough! I went through this myself. I put it all on bad spice, false smoking technique and stuff. One day i was told by a powerful, godlike entity to stop smmoking and start drinking ayahuasca. But i did not listen and was punished severely!
Now i know why he wanted me to drink. Because its slower, more guiding and brings you closer to the experience in the sense that it is more "integrating". Just something I need to actually appreciate the experience more. Because this "trip" is not made of DMT, it's made of life and if you can't appreciate life or have the will to learn from every small step - you won't get access to the "next level". They WILL deny you. Just like you deny yourself the experience. Just like you are not able to totally let go and be ONE with the experience. I cannot stress enough how important this has become to me.
...and after a while withouth smoking DMT, i realized that i do not have to seek a breakthrough no longer,, because i already experienced one in the beginning of my travels. I just kinda undervalued the experience, because i did not experience the classical "real of the elves". My mind was gone and i was sitting in a totally grey room and tried to figure IT out...but i did not know what I was , let alone "figuring out". Or the comical sounds I was hearing (actually me laughing hystericaly). Then I came back and had to re-learn how to think, how to experience this world....
And then you wonder what could be next. Some people have experienced what they call "breaking through the breakthrough" - do you aspire to go were they have gone? Then have a good reason for this and a pure heart. If you are just starting out, take it easy, one step at a time.
DMT does you no good if you can't learn anything from it.