Comparing Near-Death and Psychedelic Experiences

What happens when we die? Movies have shown us their version. The protagonist is dying. They see a bright light. Their whole life flashes before their eyes. Then, there is complete silence and darkness. And just when we think it’s over, their loved one appears on screen, shouting their name.

They’ve returned from death with a strong sense of purpose and eternal gratitude. Their near-death experience has changed who they are. In many ways, facing death is similar to the mystical encounters in the psychedelic journey. But where does the research stand?

“The results showed that hallucinogens led to experiences more similar to NDEs than stimulants, sedatives, and antipsychotics.”

— Katharine Chan, MSc, BSc, PMP

What is a Near-Death Experience (NDE)?

A near-death experience (NDE) is a profound psychological event that occurs when someone comes close to death or is in a situation where death seems imminent, such as during cardiac arrest or a traumatic accident.

People who have NDEs report vivid and often life-changing experiences. These experiences tend to share several common elements, though the specific details can vary between individuals.

Common Elements of a Near-Death Experience:

• Out-of-Body Experience (OBE): Many people report feeling as though they are floating outside of their bodies, often watching medical personnel or loved ones from a vantage point above.
• Tunnel Vision and Light: A common feature is traveling through a tunnel or dark space, often toward a bright, welcoming light.
• Sense of Peace: People frequently describe feeling a great sense of calm or even euphoria during an NDE despite the dire circumstances their physical bodies may be facing.
• Life Review: Some individuals report experiencing a review of their life’s significant moments, often with an emotional or spiritual context, as though they are reliving key experiences or seeing them from a different perspective.
• Encounters with Beings or Loved Ones: It’s common for people to feel they are in the presence of spiritual beings or deceased loved ones, who may communicate with them or offer comfort.
• Reluctance to Return: Many people feel reluctance to return to their body, sometimes expressing a desire to stay in the soothing, otherworldly state rather than return to life.

How Common Are NDEs?

NDEs are relatively rare, but people across different cultures and backgrounds have reported them. Studies suggest that between 10% and 20% of individuals who survive almost dying report having an NDE.

Individuals most commonly report these experiences following cardiac arrest, where medical teams resuscitate them after clinical death. While not every person who is near death has an NDE, the consistency of reported elements across cases has led to growing interest in studying these phenomena within both medical and psychological fields.

Though the nature of NDEs remains a subject of debate, they often have a meaningful impact on individuals, leading many to change their perspective on life, death, and spirituality.

Similarities of Near-death and Psychedelic Experiences

Psychedelic and near-death experiences (NDEs) share several similarities. Both experiences often leave individuals with life-altering insights about existence, consciousness, and mortality. Both experiences commonly include sensations of unity or interconnectedness, spiritual or mystical insights, and a decreased fear of death.

People who have had an NDE frequently report encountering an overwhelming sense of peace and encounters with “higher beings” or deceased loved ones. These similarities have led researchers to explore how these experiences might reveal deeper aspects of consciousness and the human psyche.

In psychedelic experiences, substances like psilocybin, LSD, DMT, or ayahuasca act on serotonin receptors, particularly in brain areas involved in perception and self-awareness. This interaction disrupts the default mode network (DMN), which is responsible for the sense of self, leading to ego dissolution and a feeling of unity. People often interpret this as a “mystical” experience where they transcend their identity and connect with something larger than themselves.

Near-death experiences, on the other hand, typically occur during extreme physical stress, such as cardiac arrest or severe trauma. During an NDE, the brain undergoes intense physiological changes, including oxygen deprivation and an increase in neurochemical activity, which can produce similar effects to those seen in psychedelic states. The brain may release endorphins and other neurotransmitters, creating calm and harmony even in life-threatening situations. Additionally, changes in visual processing during an NDE may produce the sensation of traveling through a tunnel or seeing bright lights.

Although the causes differ, both NDEs and psychedelic experiences appear to tap into similar brain mechanisms that affect perception, memory, and self-identity. This overlap suggests that both experiences might offer insights into the nature of consciousness, revealing how the brain can create profound experiences that feel real and transformative, regardless of the trigger.

Large-Scale Comparison Study of Near-Death and Drug-Induced Experiences

A large-scale study compared NDEs and drug-induced experiences. The researchers assessed 625 NDE narratives and over 15,000 reports linked to the use of 165 psychoactive substances. They made comparisons based on semantic concepts related to consciousness of the environment and the self. The study took into consideration that the elements of NDE were common across cultures and through time, as it is with psychoactive substance use.

The results showed that hallucinogens led to experiences more similar to NDEs than stimulants, sedatives, and antipsychotics. Researchers found ketamine experiences to be the most similar to NDEs, followed by Salvia divinorum and then serotonergic psychedelics such as DMT.

The authors conclude that:

“[The study’s] analysis sheds light on the long-standing link between certain drugs and the experience of “dying.“ suggests that ketamine could be used as a safe and reversible experimental model for NDE phenomenology, and supports the speculation that endogenous NMDA antagonists with neuroprotective properties may be released in the proximity of death.”

Comparing DMT and Near-Death Experiences

A 2018 within-subjects placebo-controlled study compared DMT experiences and NDEs. Researchers gave thirteen healthy participants (6 female, 7 male, mean age: 34.4 years) DMT and a placebo. The subjects underwent two dosing sessions, one week apart. All the participants received a placebo in the first session and DMT in the second and did not know about the order.

The researchers used the Near-Death Experience scale, the Ego Dissolution Inventory, and the Mystical Experiences Questionnaire to measure outcomes. A sample of individuals who experienced an NDE (“NDE Group”) was matched to the DMT group based on gender and age and used as a comparison.

The results showed significant positive associations between the NDE scale and both the Ego Dissolution Inventory and the Mystical Experiences Questionnaire. Specifically, the components of the MEQ that researchers found to have the strongest links to the DMT-induced NDEs were the following:

• Mystical, which refers to the “experience of unity or continuity between self/ego and the external world.”
• Transcendence of Time and Space, which refers to the “experiences of loss of one’s usual spatial and temporal orientation and a sense of vastness, continuity and eternity.”

In addition, researchers found that NDE scores correlated with the baseline personality trait ‘absorption’ and delusional ideation. This correlation indicates that those who are more likely to believe in paranormal experiences tend to have NDEs more than those who don’t, which mediates the quality and intensity of the DMT-induced NDE-like experiences.

The researchers conclude:

“[Their study’s outcomes] warrant further investigation to address the putatively strong overlap between the phenomenology and neurobiology of DMT (and other psychedelic) experiences and ‘actual’ near-death experiences, particularly given some of the scientifically problematic yet influential claims that have been made about NDEs.”

A Single Case Study

In 2023, researchers published a case study about a subject who had an NDE while in a coma due to high-fatality bacterial meningoencephalitis. Afterward, the individual had three DMT experiences, which involved the administration of Sonoran Desert Toad venom through a glass pipe. The research team performed a semi-structured interview to understand the similarities and differences between the experiences, specifically focusing on the individual’s perceptions.

Shared themes found between the NDE and DMT experience include the following:

• Ego dissolution
• Transcendence of time and space
• Unitive experience
• Cosmic love
• Hyperdimensionality (multiverse)

The study identified themes present in NDEs but not in the DMT experience, such as life review, the deceased, and the threshold.

The researchers discussed potential mechanisms for the NDE, including lucid dreaming and perinatal regression. In addition, the authors speculate that the subject’s bacterial meningoencephalitis affected their neocortex, which could have initiated a neural response similar to the one triggered by psychedelic substances.

Psychedelic and Near-Death Experiences and Attitudes About Death and Dying

A 2020 study compared how psychedelic and near-death experiences can alter attitudes about death and dying. A total of 3192 subjects completed an online survey.

The researchers used the Greyson Near-Death Experience (NDE) Scale to assess different aspects of the NDE. The Hallucinogen Rating Scale (HRS), the States of Consciousness Questionnaire, the Persisting Effects Questionnaire, and the Mystical Experience Questionnaire were used to measure subjective characteristics.

The sample included five groups:

• Non-drug near-death or other non-ordinary experiences (n = 933)
• LSD experiences (n = 904)
• Psilocybin experiences (n = 766)
• Ayahuasca experiences (n = 282)
• DMT experiences (n = 307)

The results showed the following:

• The non-drug group was more likely than the psychedelic groups to report being unconscious, clinically dead, and feeling their life was in imminent danger.
• All groups reported similar changes in death-related attitudes due to their experiences, such as reduced fear of death, high ratings of positive lasting effects, and greater personal meaning, spiritual significance, and psychological insight.
• Both psychedelic and non-drug groups showed significant increases in scores on mystical and near-death experiences; however, these scores were notably higher in the psychedelic group.
• Non-drug participants were more likely than psychedelic users to rate their experience as the single most meaningful event of their lives.
• Among the psychedelic substances, participants who used ayahuasca and DMT tended to report stronger and more positive lasting effects than those who used psilocybin and LSD, which showed similar outcomes.

The authors concluded that their findings indicate that psychedelic, near-death, and non-ordinary experiences can change perspectives about death. Researchers need to conduct more studies to explore further how these changes occur and their clinical and therapeutical potential in improving our fears about death and dying.

Within Subject Comparison Study of Psychedelic and Near-Death Experiences

A 2024 study conducted an online survey with those who have experienced both psychedelic (history of LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, ayahuasca, DMT, or mescalin use) and near-death experiences. The researchers administered the following standardized questionnaires to those who have experienced both near-death and psychedelic experiences (PE) during their lifetime to assess the psychological insights, attribution of reality, phenomenology, and enduring effects of the experiences:

• NDE content (NDE-C) scale
• Ego Dissolution Inventory (EDI)
• Ego Inflation Inventory (EII)
• 11-dimension Altered States of Consciousness rating (11-ASC) scale
• Memory Characteristics Questionnaire (MCQ)
• Psychological Insight Scale (PIS)

A total of 31 participants had both a near-death and psychedelic experience and completed the online survey. The analysis revealed significant overlaps in mystical-like effects between the NDE and PE groups, including feelings of nonexistence, precognition, seeing or feeling a birth light, life review, speeding thoughts, hearing a voice, peacefulness, and time perception.

On the contrary, the analysis found significant differences in sensory effects. The PE group had more reports of visual imagery, and the NDE group had more reports of disembodiment.

Charlotte Martial, an author of the study, told The New York Times:

“For the first time, we have a quantitative study with personal testimony from people who have had both of these experiences…Now we can say for sure that psychedelics can be a kind of window through which people can enter a rich, subjective state resembling a near-death experience.”

Therefore, it appears that near-death and psychedelic experiences are similar in some ways. Future studies will explore and explain the mechanisms behind the overlap and how psychedelics may make facing our inevitable end a little less scary without needing to survive a close brush with death.

References

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