Near Death Experience

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Near Death Experience vs Psychedelics
Figure 1. Near Death Experience vs Psychedelics

A near-death experience (NDE) is a profound psychological event that may occur to a person close to death. There are many reported effects experienced during an NDE including transcendental, hallucinogenic and mystical elements which makes them considered a Pivotal Mental State. The after effects of NDEs have been widely documented[1] and have been shown to be powerfully life-altering.

Near Death Experience Reporting

As with our referencing policy as of yet there have been no meta analyses of NDE reports. However, analysing published medical documentation there seems to be a some commonality reported during near-death experiences.

  • a sense of being outside one’s physical body (Out of Body Experience),
  • a sense of movement through darkness or a tunnel
  • a sense of oneness and interconnectedness
  • experiencing a great light or darkness;
  • perceiving a spiritual realm, which may include vividly memorable landscapes;
  • encounters with deceased loved ones, spiritual beings and/or religious figures;
  • knowledge of the nature of the universe
  • a life review
  • a border of no return;
  • a sense of having knowledge of the future;
  • messages regarding life’s purpose.

Near Death Experiences and Psychedelics

Some evidence suggests that dissociatives such as ketamine[2][3] or classical psychedelics such as DMT[4] or 5MeO-DMT[5] can induce this state however historically, a defunct class of drugs called the pseudohallucinogens[6] is also thought to bridge this gap by actually causing a near death experience! These compounds consist of a diverse range of chemicals the effects of which broadly are considered poisonous, these include:

  • Nutmeg / mace
  • Wisteria sinenis

References

  1. International Association for Near-Death Studies - https://iands.org/
  2. Anomalous Psychedelic Experiences: At the Neurochemical Juncture of the Humanistic and Parapsychological, Volume 62, Issue 2. Accessed on 15th September 2022 via: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0022167820917767
  3. The Ketamine Model of the Near-Death Experience: A Central Role for the N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor. Jansen, K.L.R. Journal of Near-Death Studies 16, 5–26 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025055109480. Accessed on 19 Jul 2023 via https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1025055109480
  4. DMT Models the Near-Death Experience. Christopher Timmermann1,2*, Leor Roseman1,2, Luke Williams1, David Erritzoe1, Charlotte Martial3, Héléna Cassol3, Steven Laureys3, David Nutt1 and Robin Carhart-Harris. Front. Psychol., 15 August 2018 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01424
  5. This is your brain on death: a comparative analysis of a near-death experience and subsequent 5-Methoxy-DMT experience. Pascal Michael, David Luke and Oliver Robinson Front. Psychol., 29 June 2023 Sec. Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology Volume 14 - 2023 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1083361. Accessed on 19 Jul 2023 via https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1083361/full
  6. Hallucinogenic Plants. Schultes, Richard Evans (1976). illus. Elmer W. Smith. New York: Golden Press. ISBN 0-307-24362-1.

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