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Entheogenic Liberation: Unraveling the Enigma of Nonduality with 5-MeO-DMT Energetic Therapy
From the author of the groundbreaking book, Being Human, comes a radical new guide to personal liberation and transformation. Written by one of the world’s leading authorities on nonduality and psychedelic experience, Martin W. Ball, Ph.D., Entheogenic Liberation is the definitive work on 5-MeO-DMT and its applicability to genuine enlightenment and freedom from the illusory prison of the ego. With wisdom and guidance culled from years of direct therapeutic work, this book lays out precise and detailed instructions and methodologies for working with the world’s most powerful entheogenic medicine for the purpose of achieving liberation into the fundamental unitary state of being. Presented as a form of therapy, this work is free from metaphysics and speculation, articulating practical approaches for deep entheogenic work that can achieve radical and meaningful results. The ideas and techniques explored here could revolutionize the way people think of psychedelics, nonduality, human life, and reality in general. Provocative, challenging, and deeply insightful, Entheogenic Liberation is a must-read for anyone serious about liberation and the future of humanity - a future that is grounded in truth, or lost in illusion and the perpetual confusions of the human ego.
Beyond the artificial construct of the individual self lies an infinite unitary state of love, awareness, and authentic being. By working to energetically unwind the unconscious artifice of the ego, the possibility of true freedom calls.
Only you can liberate yourself. Are you ready?
Beyond the artificial construct of the individual self lies an infinite unitary state of love, awareness, and authentic being. By working to energetically unwind the unconscious artifice of the ego, the possibility of true freedom calls.
Only you can liberate yourself. Are you ready?
284 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 27, 2017
81 people are currently reading
164 people want to read
About the author
Martin W. Ball
35 books48 followersMartin W. Ball, Ph.D., is a writer, independent publisher, energy worker, visionary artist, and musician currently living in Ashland Oregon. In the spring of 2009 Martin underwent a profound energetic opening and transformation - the result of intensive work with entheogenic medicines and a year of profound self-exploration. The result is Martin's articulation of what he calls the "Entheological Paradigm," a Grand Unified Theory of all of reality from God to the direct experience of each human being, which he characterizes as an articulation of his view on “radical nonduality.” His approach is unique in that he sees the tension between duality and nonduality not as a spiritual or religious issue, but as an energetic issue that can best be addressed through the intentional use of powerful entheogens, such as 5-MeO-DMT. As such, his approach is thoroughly practical, straight-forward, and free of metaphysics, speculation, and attachment to spiritual or religious ideologies and mythologies. The result is a view of the nature of reality and the self that is challenging, liberating, and powerfully transformative, pointing to the true nature of being and personal responsibility as an energetic being.
Martin earned his B.A. at Occidental College in Los Angeles in 1994 where he studied Philosophy and Religious Studies. From there he went to graduate school at the University of California, Santa Barbara where he earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in Religious Studies in 2000 with an emphasis on Native American traditions, Philosophy of Science and Religion, and the Phenomenology of Mystical and Shamanic Experience, as well as the role of entheogens in religious and spiritual experience. For his Ph.D. dissertation, Martin performed fieldwork at the Mescalero Apache reservation in New Mexico where he studied with a number of medicine people and researched the Mescalero Mountain Spirit tradition.
Currently, Martin works as an adjunct professor teaching Religious Studies and Native American Studies in southern Oregon. He also provides personal healing and energy sessions for those looking to advance on their personal paths to authentic being, and enjoys servicing others as the ultimate "reality coach" for those who are truly ready to transcend their egos and embrace their true energetic natures as embodiments of the One Being. His methods are direct, immediate, and involve no ceremony, ritual, or spiritual practice, and instead rely on the direct and profound expansion into one’s fully infinite natural state of universal being.
Martin is also a prolific writer, composer, and musician. His most recent books include the psychedelic novel, Beyond Azara: A Universal Love Story, the ebook, All is One: Understanding Entheogens and Nonduality, and the fractal art book and “owner’s manual” of God’s Handbook for Operation Human Vehicles: A No Nonsense, No Strings Attached Approach to Universal Being. In addition to these works, his most influential and ground-breaking work remains his 2009 book, Being Human: An Entheological Guide to God, Evolution, and the Fractal, Energetic Nature of Reality. He is currently completing an autobiographical work, tentatively titled Being Infinite: One Man’s Journey into the Limitless Eternal.
(© http://www.martinball.net/)
Martin earned his B.A. at Occidental College in Los Angeles in 1994 where he studied Philosophy and Religious Studies. From there he went to graduate school at the University of California, Santa Barbara where he earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in Religious Studies in 2000 with an emphasis on Native American traditions, Philosophy of Science and Religion, and the Phenomenology of Mystical and Shamanic Experience, as well as the role of entheogens in religious and spiritual experience. For his Ph.D. dissertation, Martin performed fieldwork at the Mescalero Apache reservation in New Mexico where he studied with a number of medicine people and researched the Mescalero Mountain Spirit tradition.
Currently, Martin works as an adjunct professor teaching Religious Studies and Native American Studies in southern Oregon. He also provides personal healing and energy sessions for those looking to advance on their personal paths to authentic being, and enjoys servicing others as the ultimate "reality coach" for those who are truly ready to transcend their egos and embrace their true energetic natures as embodiments of the One Being. His methods are direct, immediate, and involve no ceremony, ritual, or spiritual practice, and instead rely on the direct and profound expansion into one’s fully infinite natural state of universal being.
Martin is also a prolific writer, composer, and musician. His most recent books include the psychedelic novel, Beyond Azara: A Universal Love Story, the ebook, All is One: Understanding Entheogens and Nonduality, and the fractal art book and “owner’s manual” of God’s Handbook for Operation Human Vehicles: A No Nonsense, No Strings Attached Approach to Universal Being. In addition to these works, his most influential and ground-breaking work remains his 2009 book, Being Human: An Entheological Guide to God, Evolution, and the Fractal, Energetic Nature of Reality. He is currently completing an autobiographical work, tentatively titled Being Infinite: One Man’s Journey into the Limitless Eternal.
(© http://www.martinball.net/)
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 18, 2023
I feel somewhat bad about my following review, but I'm just intending to be honest. I will say that I appreciated his question and answer portion at the end of the book. It felt more succinct, even if I didn't agree with all of it. He also explains further in this portion that he intends to provoke disagreement, which is fair... I just strongly disagree with a lot of what he says. I intend this all with humility and respect, knowing that it won't all come across with such. Here goes...
For most of this book, I've wondered why I'm still reading it. I'm feeling a sense of needing to finish, but also feeling quite frustrated with the content. He's speaking so much about non-duality and living beyond ego, but the text feels so egoic to me. His writing feels akin to Osho in some respects (with whom I also agree and disagree). I agree wholeheartedly with concepts of fully being with what is, and not placing judgments on anything... yet the next sentence is full of judgment and dualism regarding people's beliefs or spirituality. He suggests that chakras mean nothing and are simply ego projections and then goes on to speak about what he terms as energy knots, as if his framework is correct while others are dualistic. He then shares how he works on someone energetically by placing his hands on them or lying on top of them.
There are just so many points in this book where I felt like he seems unaware of his own projections and judgments. So much writing about what he sees as the way to do things, such as symmetrical movements being good while asymmetry is just ego.
The main frustration for me, is how he writes about all kinds of beliefs, practices, or even body movements being projections of the ego, as if he can dismiss anything because we're all one. I've had the non-dual experience with 5-MeO, and it made me more open to all ways of being and believing in this world, not more restrictive and dismissive as he appears to be. Just because we are all one, in no way negates ideas of spirits or chakras or the like for me. We live in a dualistic material realm within the greater context of being non-dual. To me it's both and. I think he's taken the idea of non-dual and run with it so hard that he's become blind to how he condemns others for being too dual (isn't that dualism in itself?) while believing that somehow his particular beliefs around how to work with 5-MeO are somehow non-dual.
Many of the practices or ways or working that he suggests seem unnecessary to me. The idea that he might need to vocalize during someone else's session? Sure, if that's what floats your boat... but I've never had that as a part of my experience, and I'm grateful to have practiced where anyone "holding the space" does not project sounds into my experience. Or for that matter, a practitioner who thinks vomiting on me might be what needs to happen. I get that it's all one, but I've had profound transformative experiences without any facilitator thinking they need to do anything to me (lay his hands on me or make sounds or take the molecule at the same time). His technique is not for me, but it's not what I am critiquing (to each their own). Rather, it's his condemnation of so many practices as egoic, and then going on to have specific practices that he thinks are the way to do things. He compares not having him do work on you to going to the massage therapist and not wanting them to touch you. What?! Massage requires hands on, whereas the 5-MeO experience does not require your hands on me. 5-MeO does plenty on its own, it's changed my view of reality and who I am beyond any hundreds of ayahuasca sessions on its own. 5-MeO *is* the massage therapist, not you. And then he goes on to state this hierarchy of provider vs. practitioner, where he decides that you are just a medicine provider if you don't work on the person energetically, but are a practitioner (a status which he makes clear he doubts you could attain) if you do work on the person (and of course he dismisses shamanic work, but somehow his energetic work is of value).
Argh. I could go on and on really (clearly). I've read a few books about 5-MeO now, and it so often feels like the texts are by someone purporting to be beyond ego, yet their text reads so densely with egoic tone. The cherry on top is how he writes as if he's achieved some liberated state, yet that the average person would not be able to attain what he has. That's my favourite (she says sarcastically), when someone acts as if liberation or enlightenment is next to impossible. As if they've attained some magical state that you likely will not attain. Isn't enlightenment letting go of? Lightening? Realizing that there is nothing to attain?
All this said (clearly I needed to vent), he has many valuable insights to offer, I just wouldn't recommend this book. And yet, for some desire of completion, I'll still finish it. I doubt I'll be picking up another book by him. I wish people would write about their experiences with humility. Honour the cultures and belief systems around you instead of condescendingly dismissing them all. Share your experience without feeling the need to talk as if you know the holy truth of non-dual being.
For most of this book, I've wondered why I'm still reading it. I'm feeling a sense of needing to finish, but also feeling quite frustrated with the content. He's speaking so much about non-duality and living beyond ego, but the text feels so egoic to me. His writing feels akin to Osho in some respects (with whom I also agree and disagree). I agree wholeheartedly with concepts of fully being with what is, and not placing judgments on anything... yet the next sentence is full of judgment and dualism regarding people's beliefs or spirituality. He suggests that chakras mean nothing and are simply ego projections and then goes on to speak about what he terms as energy knots, as if his framework is correct while others are dualistic. He then shares how he works on someone energetically by placing his hands on them or lying on top of them.
There are just so many points in this book where I felt like he seems unaware of his own projections and judgments. So much writing about what he sees as the way to do things, such as symmetrical movements being good while asymmetry is just ego.
The main frustration for me, is how he writes about all kinds of beliefs, practices, or even body movements being projections of the ego, as if he can dismiss anything because we're all one. I've had the non-dual experience with 5-MeO, and it made me more open to all ways of being and believing in this world, not more restrictive and dismissive as he appears to be. Just because we are all one, in no way negates ideas of spirits or chakras or the like for me. We live in a dualistic material realm within the greater context of being non-dual. To me it's both and. I think he's taken the idea of non-dual and run with it so hard that he's become blind to how he condemns others for being too dual (isn't that dualism in itself?) while believing that somehow his particular beliefs around how to work with 5-MeO are somehow non-dual.
Many of the practices or ways or working that he suggests seem unnecessary to me. The idea that he might need to vocalize during someone else's session? Sure, if that's what floats your boat... but I've never had that as a part of my experience, and I'm grateful to have practiced where anyone "holding the space" does not project sounds into my experience. Or for that matter, a practitioner who thinks vomiting on me might be what needs to happen. I get that it's all one, but I've had profound transformative experiences without any facilitator thinking they need to do anything to me (lay his hands on me or make sounds or take the molecule at the same time). His technique is not for me, but it's not what I am critiquing (to each their own). Rather, it's his condemnation of so many practices as egoic, and then going on to have specific practices that he thinks are the way to do things. He compares not having him do work on you to going to the massage therapist and not wanting them to touch you. What?! Massage requires hands on, whereas the 5-MeO experience does not require your hands on me. 5-MeO does plenty on its own, it's changed my view of reality and who I am beyond any hundreds of ayahuasca sessions on its own. 5-MeO *is* the massage therapist, not you. And then he goes on to state this hierarchy of provider vs. practitioner, where he decides that you are just a medicine provider if you don't work on the person energetically, but are a practitioner (a status which he makes clear he doubts you could attain) if you do work on the person (and of course he dismisses shamanic work, but somehow his energetic work is of value).
Argh. I could go on and on really (clearly). I've read a few books about 5-MeO now, and it so often feels like the texts are by someone purporting to be beyond ego, yet their text reads so densely with egoic tone. The cherry on top is how he writes as if he's achieved some liberated state, yet that the average person would not be able to attain what he has. That's my favourite (she says sarcastically), when someone acts as if liberation or enlightenment is next to impossible. As if they've attained some magical state that you likely will not attain. Isn't enlightenment letting go of? Lightening? Realizing that there is nothing to attain?
All this said (clearly I needed to vent), he has many valuable insights to offer, I just wouldn't recommend this book. And yet, for some desire of completion, I'll still finish it. I doubt I'll be picking up another book by him. I wish people would write about their experiences with humility. Honour the cultures and belief systems around you instead of condescendingly dismissing them all. Share your experience without feeling the need to talk as if you know the holy truth of non-dual being.
January 23, 2018
In admiration of authenticity
A review by James Guy
Let me preface my review of Martin W. Ball’s book “Entheogenic Liberation: Unraveling the Enigma of Nonduality with 5-MeO-Dmt Energetic Therapy,” by telling you of a conversation where I mentioned to a friend that I had read this book and my friend replied: “I was horrified by what I read. Martin’s emphasis on nonduality is useful, but his method of working with ‘clients’ does not seem cool to me.”
My quick reply to my friend was that I did admire the author’s authenticity in the telling of his own near-ineffable experience, and unapologetic reveal of the energy share and hands-on interplay with clients, which would seem the only controversial aspect of the book. I hesitate excusing the method, but find it understandable, even familiar, in light of similar interaction by ancient and contemporary shamanic practitioners, be those methods seen by the reader as “horrific” or otherwise.
The thing we quickly glean from the book is that this particular entheogen cannot be considered recreational any more than open-heart surgery, thus requiring trust in the procedure and in the protocol around it. The fact that 5-MeO-Dmt does its thing in a couple of 12-minute sessions, while LSD may take a couple of 12-hour sessions, may help explain why the author uses the term “Energetic” as minimally descriptive of what he and the “client” mutually feel in a 5-MeO-Dmt session, especially if we are presuming a so-called “nondual” state arising for both.
We senior-aged readers may recall similar controversy 50 years ago over even less invasive protocol in Tim Leary’s user manual “The Psychedelic Experience” where the “client” is guided through “ego death” realms described in the “Bardo Thodol — Liberation Through Hearing During the Intermediate State,” otherwise known as “The Tibetan Book of The Dead.”
Unlike Tim, we learn that Martin is not a therapist per se, but an adjunct professor of religion, which may or may not explain his saying, “If you want to learn how to be spiritual, religious, and ceremonial in your use of psychedelics, I advise you to put this book down and go about your day.” What the caution does not explain is his using the term “nonduality,” the very tenet of the ancient Hindu philosophy and religious practice called AdvaitaVedanta. As for “ceremony” and “spirit,” yes, the ceremony in creating art and spirited music is perhaps only useful after surrender of the (egoic) trauma from the session itself.
I suppose it comes down to this, if you feel attracted to exploration of psychedelics, especially to this most potent variety, this stands as the ultimate “trip report” worth all your attention. My own (gut or shamanic) feeling is that Martin certainly experienced near-nonduality or what “the I” might call “Godhood,” yet who can trust “mind,” “ego,” or “the I” to distinguish the nuance between: “entheogenic liberation from ego” Vs “entheogenic liberation of ego.” Enjoy!
A review by James Guy
Let me preface my review of Martin W. Ball’s book “Entheogenic Liberation: Unraveling the Enigma of Nonduality with 5-MeO-Dmt Energetic Therapy,” by telling you of a conversation where I mentioned to a friend that I had read this book and my friend replied: “I was horrified by what I read. Martin’s emphasis on nonduality is useful, but his method of working with ‘clients’ does not seem cool to me.”
My quick reply to my friend was that I did admire the author’s authenticity in the telling of his own near-ineffable experience, and unapologetic reveal of the energy share and hands-on interplay with clients, which would seem the only controversial aspect of the book. I hesitate excusing the method, but find it understandable, even familiar, in light of similar interaction by ancient and contemporary shamanic practitioners, be those methods seen by the reader as “horrific” or otherwise.
The thing we quickly glean from the book is that this particular entheogen cannot be considered recreational any more than open-heart surgery, thus requiring trust in the procedure and in the protocol around it. The fact that 5-MeO-Dmt does its thing in a couple of 12-minute sessions, while LSD may take a couple of 12-hour sessions, may help explain why the author uses the term “Energetic” as minimally descriptive of what he and the “client” mutually feel in a 5-MeO-Dmt session, especially if we are presuming a so-called “nondual” state arising for both.
We senior-aged readers may recall similar controversy 50 years ago over even less invasive protocol in Tim Leary’s user manual “The Psychedelic Experience” where the “client” is guided through “ego death” realms described in the “Bardo Thodol — Liberation Through Hearing During the Intermediate State,” otherwise known as “The Tibetan Book of The Dead.”
Unlike Tim, we learn that Martin is not a therapist per se, but an adjunct professor of religion, which may or may not explain his saying, “If you want to learn how to be spiritual, religious, and ceremonial in your use of psychedelics, I advise you to put this book down and go about your day.” What the caution does not explain is his using the term “nonduality,” the very tenet of the ancient Hindu philosophy and religious practice called AdvaitaVedanta. As for “ceremony” and “spirit,” yes, the ceremony in creating art and spirited music is perhaps only useful after surrender of the (egoic) trauma from the session itself.
I suppose it comes down to this, if you feel attracted to exploration of psychedelics, especially to this most potent variety, this stands as the ultimate “trip report” worth all your attention. My own (gut or shamanic) feeling is that Martin certainly experienced near-nonduality or what “the I” might call “Godhood,” yet who can trust “mind,” “ego,” or “the I” to distinguish the nuance between: “entheogenic liberation from ego” Vs “entheogenic liberation of ego.” Enjoy!
September 8, 2021
In this book, Dr. Ball states to would-be psychedelic therapists and practitioners, “In rare cases, the energy may be so demanding that you are required to purge directly onto the client. Though this sounds perfectly awful, you can trust that if it occurs, it is what the client needs in that moment and will be appreciated.”
He also talks about touching patients genitals under the influence of a psychedelic and shoving his fingers down participants throats.
He also talks about touching patients genitals under the influence of a psychedelic and shoving his fingers down participants throats.
April 7, 2020
No solamente el autor conoce profundamente la experiencia 5-MeO-DMT, sino que la filosofia subyacente es muy clara, muy lúcida...me ha encantado, además, por no adherir a nungun dogma, ninguna metafisica.
May 30, 2020
This was an utterly fascinating book. The message was so powerful, and I am so grateful to have discovered Martin's books. I feel a lot more comfortable sitting with 5Meo-DMT for the first time now, so the time will come. Much love <3
March 1, 2022
This book helped me understand what was happening as I navigated a facilitator malpractice experience with this medicine and the resulting experience that could be medically classified as HPPD over the next 18 months as I dealt with constant spontaneous reactivations during my integration work. grateful for Martin, his help with my situation, and this books contribution to the conversation about the experience of this medicine as it unfolds.
December 17, 2019
Couldn't get into it.....so just stopped after a few pages as felt it was a waste of my time right now. Oh well. Yes, egos are self created and we can create new persona's and behaviors and none are right or true but the ego is a necessary social construct as we're social beings. That's what I grasped from what I read. Nothing to argue with....just didn't grab me hard enough
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews