Sorry, I thought he was saying that even during the experience he knew he was 'on a drug'. I had in mind a sensory overload - aimed at what, in particular, I'm not sure now... but to each there own. I'm not sure why I was so insistent.
No, I haven't - but I should. I'm not averse to sleep-deprivation through stimulant-use to act as an 'amplifier' before taking any psychedelic. To me, it is a very real 'spirituality' (not-implying 'spirits'... despite earlier claims...) - not as an arbitrary imposition of significance onto a drug experience, but a seen/known/experienced significance. Encountering repeatedly-observable phenomena and paradigms which are shared by other people over millenia can't be dismissed based upon the means of getting-there. The 'reality' (or hallucinated-reality) is observable in remarkable clarity, and interact-able in a repeatable fashion - although certainly the person is 'psychotic' to an outsider; it's only problematic as regards the time-scale of 'recovery'; if that makes sense. I don't know if this makes any sense at all to people who use drugs in a less irresponsible fashion.
Ayahuasca, in my opinion, blows smoked DMT out of the water in almost every respect. By far the most amazing, spiritual, mentally interesting and healing experience I've ever had. Ayahuasca makes me feel reborn afterwards. You'd definitely dig it, from what I can tell.
But the rationalization as 'psychosis' - using philosophies from people who never knew, or imagined, the state of mind seems inadequate - and entirely dismissive of the content of the experience itself - whether 'psychosis' or 'trip' - it's still a change in brain chemistry nonetheless. To question an observed 'reality' by questioning its reality avoids confronting the fact that it is repeatedly observable, and observably real (or 'unreal', if preferred) regardless; and exists with common themes described-repeatedly throughout history... I'll stop there since attempted rationalizations of hallucinated realities may be construed as 'psychotic' by 'psychotomimetic' users, paradoxically, and using words to describe the 'visions' only leads to using names with religious overtones, and immediately confuses the intent of the person trying to express the non-religious 'vision' - viewed in a surrounding with 'spiritual' overtones all the same, if that makes sense!
I think the fact that many themes are repeated over and over in trips can be explained by common shared cultural and perhaps mental archetypes, as well as existing brain structures and their manipulation. I've seen beings on DMT that are completely beyond words to describe, but sometimes out of convenience I refer to them as elf-lizard bionic energy beings, or something along those lines. But I only choose those words because of the archetypes behind them, I would never call them elves or gnomes if Terence McKenna hadn't. There was a recent thread about snakes and ayahuasca where people were talking bout why certain hallucinations seem to happen regularly to different people, it was fairly interesting for a while. I think we share a lot of cultural figures- serpents, elves, religious themes, etc. and I think the psychedelic mind state is strongly influenced by the reality experienced before taking on the altered state.
I agree completely about people who haven't experienced altered states trying to explain them- it's impossible. I've experienced a very wide array of altered states, and I cannot truly explain them myself, except perhaps through chemical explanations. But I can't explain the subjective experience of psychedelics or psychosis (which I've never had without stimulants and/or deliriants) at all.
My username is in jest by the way, and a reference to my heavy deliriant use of the past. And it's misspelled/shortened- psychomimetic instead of psychotomimetic.
I don't view psychedelics as mimicking psychosis or bringing on psychotic states, except perhaps in predisposed individuals or in certain...conditions.
I don't think we all enter the same place while tripping, that is, I don't think there is a specific "reality" associated with DMT, even a shared subjective reality, that different people can repeatedly enter. The experiences people have are often similar, but I think that is due to the drug's effects being the same (the objective neurological effects), and due to humans sharing a sober reality, cultural similarities, and the power of suggestion. I think trips can allow us to revisit subjective places over and over due to the power of the mind.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that the nihilist in me says that the subjective reality created by psychedelics is valid. And I think subjective reality is an important part of existence. But the scientist in me knows that reality does exist and is bigger than humans, bigger than we may ever be able to comprehend.
I am confident that objective reality exists, I think tripping provides an amazing and intriguing (and enigmatic) way of leaving your perception of that reality behind, but the world keeps on turning. That's why I love astronomy and cosmology, and I find that more recently my trips have been less homeo-centric than they once were. I don't think of religious significance or literal alternate planes anymore, I think of the vastness of the universe, the infinite beauty and complexity of existence that can be found by looking outwards into the sky or inwards into the mind or any other thing.
I think rationalizing the psychedelic experience as some sort of psychosis is not right. I think that it does provide a valid lens through which to examine oneself and the world (particularly things like culture). But I don't think it provides a true or alternate reality. Which, in a way, is more impressive than it being some spiritual drug (ancestor's spirits and whatnot). I think it's a potent and beautiful example of the enormous capacities of consciousness, the endless potential and depth of the human mind. And that answer is more logical and satisfies me more than any gnomes or spirit universe ever could.
From a socially-aware perspective, which I sometimes forget... I see that you're absolutely right in all of your comments

So thanks for pointing out my megalomania! I'll claim 'temporary-psychosis' if I may... and not bore anyone with bizarre 'interpretations'... Haha.
Stating 'beliefs' as 'known-fact' - as I may have done in the past - is also not very helpful in reaching any understanding of 'truth', but it may highlight the interchangeable-nature of arbitrary beliefs of any kind... except to a 'psychotic' person may actually forget that they don't believe in it anyway - which can lead to severe internal crises! In fact it's best not to come onto the internet at all.
I'll add that McKenna's book True Hallucinations is a very interesting read for those who like to read between the lines of rambling words. But this concept in itself may be a form of 'psychotic' reaction.
Love and light and DMT

Unoit.
I was doing quite well until the end - but then I had a relapse!
I've always liked McKenna, although I disagree with the vast majority of his opinions. True Hallucinations is my favorite of his books, the story really explains a lot about how he got to be such a weird guy. Much better than his hardcore pseudoscience like Food of the Gods.
You might enjoy Breaking Open the Head by Daniel Pinchbeck. He starts out a pretty normal journalist heading to Africa to participate in an Iboga ceremony, by the end of it he's doing 2c-B and DMT at Burning Man and he thinks witches from the DMT plane are coming through to this reality to kill him (like he always thinks this, not just while high). It's a trip to read.