Psychedelic Experiences Neurologically Mimic Near-Death Experiences
Research suggests the psychedelic trip is remarkably similar to a Near-Death Experience and has been noted for decades. Now, research into the neural activity experienced while under the influence of psychedelics, is providing valuable context for the commonalities.
Dr. Eben Alexander is a neurosurgeon who experienced an NDE in 2008 and has since been studying the phenomenon and sharing his findings in a number of bestselling books.
“This research with psychedelics has been so fascinating,” Alexander said. “Not only does it show that the brain goes dark under the influence of such substances, they actually showed this beautiful inverse correlation between the amount of turning off and dissolution of the Default-Mode Network, as demonstrated on fMRI, with a degree of liberation of consciousness away from the ego into these unfettered realms of transcendental and paranormal experience. It shows us in a very concrete fashion that the brain activity is not actually causing all of this to happen, but it’s more the brain getting out of the way.”
Researcher Dr. Rick Strassman was the first to rigorously study the overlap between the psychedelic experience and the NDE. The commonalities are quite significant.
“It’s all about entering new realms, I mean, entire immersive experiences — worlds that are different from our material realm. That is a very common theme in those drug experiences as well as in near-death experiences. There’s also this extraordinary world of beings, entities, guides, of intelligences. It’s showing this incredible unification, a sense of being, and a binding force of love through these experiences. So, there’s a commonality of lesson and transformation,” Alexander said.
Researchers have been focused on trying to determine what accounts for the similarities. One theory is that the overlap is due to the action of the potent psychedelic DMT, which is naturally released by the pineal gland at the moment of death.
“Well, I don’t really think we have a lot of evidence of the “DMT dump,” as it’s often called. The problem is with any materialist addressing of NDEs you run into that absolute giant brick wall. What about shared death experiences?”
“In a shared death experience the soul of the departing loved one comes along and whisks the bystander’s soul away to go through a full-blown experience. The fact that ordinary people in that kind of setting, without being near-death, can have a spiritual journey that’s identical in quality of power to the near-death experience, but they’re not near-death, should tell you a whole lot about what a waste of time it is for materialist scientists to try and muddy the waters by pretending that decreased oxygen tension, increased CO2, or a dump of DMT from the pineal gland is causing the effect,” Alexander said.
While Alexander sees the similarities between the near-death and psychedelic experience, he also sees some key differences, based on his own experiences with both.
“I took it on myself to look into a scientific acquisition of that kind of an experience and I was able to do that with 5-methoxy-DMT which is one of the most powerful such substances known,” Alexander said. “What I can tell you, in a nutshell, is that I do believe that such substances and the experiences they engender give us a glimpse of those spiritual realms that are encountered during an NDE. But from my personal experience in both of those worlds, I can tell you that the 5-MeO-DMT experience was like looking through a keyhole on a dark and stormy night and trying to discern what was going on in that territory. It really lacked the power and the depth and breadth of what I went through in the NDE”
While Alexander values the neuroscience research being done into how psychedelics may engender an NDE-like experience, he believes there is a better way of accessing the same spiritual realms.
“The psychedelic drugs certainly can be useful for helping to define the scientific landscape that we’re talking about here. I would just argue that meditation, centering prayer, these are the best places to go to get deep and profound transcendental experiences in the spiritual realm. And the more we can learn how there is overlap between the therapeutic benefit of the substance versus meditation, I think the more we can come into very safe and effective ways to accomplish these goals of healing,” Alexander said.
Cannabis Spirituality: Using Plant Medicine as a Sacred Tool
The stoner stereotype is a familiar one that transcends cultures – lazy, incoherent, silly, and just generally burnt out. But as legalization allows cannabis to be discussed maturely, that trope seems like a dying remnant of the decades-long smear campaign against a plant that can truly impact our lives, culture, and economy in a positive way. With that relaxation of stigma, society can explore a path of cannabis use for spirituality and use it as a tool for inner exploration.
Much like any other psychedelic substance, cannabis can be abused and consumed without respect to its potency, power, or healing potential. There’s virtually no harm in using it as a tool to relax and decompress from life’s daily stresses, but some might argue there’s a point of diminishing return when consuming copious amounts without the right intention.
And for religions that consider the plant sacred, this is typically their view on the use of cannabis — using it heedlessly is considered a sin or frowned upon, while using it for enlightenment or spirituality is accepted, and in some cases, encouraged.
Original Cannabis Spirituality
Cannabis has been used by certain groups as a sacrament for centuries and in some cases maybe even millennia. One of the most notable groups is Rastafarians, who use the plant for meditation and spiritual ceremonies, gathering in a “reasoning” to give praise to Jah (God), who they believe bestowed the herb to man in order to invoke thoughtful insight and self-reflection.
Rastafarians believe cannabis is mentioned in the Bible in Psalm 104:14 where it was written, “He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle and herb for the service of man….”
And in Revelation 22:2 “the herb is the healing of the nations.”
Rastafarianism believes cannabis was used as a sacrament by Moses and the Israelites. Rastas and some Jews believe the plant kaneh bosm, mentioned five times in the Old Testament, was in fact cannabis and an important sacrament for Judaism. Jewish scholars disagree on the translation, but if correct it would imply that the Hebrew Bible was originally blessed with cannabis oil.
