New research suggests that seemingly otherworldly sensations linked to near-death experiences may actually be rooted in brain activity associated with psychedelics

People who have otherworldly visions when on the verge of death could actually be experiencing brain activity closely associated with psychedelics. And, according to a new study, this discovery could have a profound impact on how we think about and explain near-death experiences.

Near-death experiences are remarkably common. In one study, researchers found that they occurred in up to 18 per cent of cardiac arrest victims who survived to describe them. Often life-changing, they are noted for eerie similarities between people’s experiences of them. The most common characteristics include feelings of calmness, out-of-body experiences, traveling through a dark region or void, a bright and vivid light in the distance, communicating with otherworldly agents, and traveling to a mysterious and unearthly realm.

Many people who have near-death experiences claim that such occurrences are proof of an afterlife, or that consciousness is not inextricably tied to a living, working brain. Their beliefs hold that consciousness can be maintained despite the absence of a physical body.

But new research shows that these seemingly otherworldly sensations may actually be rooted in brain activity associated with psychedelics. In fact, a new study conducted at Imperial College London (ICL) is the first to show that the potent psychedelic, N,N-Dimethyltriptamine – commonly known as DMT – can elicit experiences rooted in physical brain processes, that strongly overlap with those described as near-death. DMT produces its psychedelic effects largely via neural pathways involving the neurotransmitter serotonin. In a manner similar to near-death experiences, DMT elicits mystical happenings described as “realer than real”.

The research was overseen by Robin Carhart-Harris, a professor at ICL who has reignited interest in the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs like LSD through controversial, yet carefully controlled, experiments.

The study was carried out at the NIHR Imperial Clinical Research Facility. It included 13 participants and took place over two sessions separated by one week – one in which they received injections of DMT and another in which they received only a placebo saline solution. These participants were not aware which session involved the psychedelic.

When these pioneering psychonauts felt that any effects had completely worn off, they completed a questionnaire, originally established in 1983 to validate the occurrence of a near-death experience. The questionnaire, called the NDE Scale, is the most widely used for investigating NDEs and was constructed based on the near-death experiences of 67 people. The results indicated their phenomenological experiences after taking DMT were highly similar to near-death experiences – a finding not present after being administered the placebo. Another key finding was a remarkably strong correspondence between their questionnaire responses and those provided by another set of participants who had directly experienced near-death phenomenon.

The data indicated the strongest overlap resulted from occurrences of ‘ego-dissolution’ and mystical experiences of ‘unity’ – both involving the feeling of being ‘at one’, unified with surroundings and those within it. Previous research advocates that such experiences may have long-term benefits involving a greater satisfaction with life, social relationships and nature.

Ultimately, however, the importance of the study may reside in the fact that DMT can be used to model near-death experiences. “This study provides initial evidence linking these altered states of consciousness and grounds them similarly in terms of changes in brain activity,” says Chris Timmermann, the lead author of the study.

So what does the study mean for spiritually-based assertions surrounding near-death experiences? “You see all the literature regarding claims of these experiences being proof of the afterlife,” Timmermann says. “We can’t assess these claims directly by using a model but we can certainly ground such experiences in terms of brain activity. These are experiences that can be explored when people are not dead.”

Carhart-Harris argues the findings are important as they remind us that near-death experiences occur “because of significant changes in the way the brain is working, not because of something beyond the brain”. He adds that DMT can be used as a tool to enable further study to understand both the psychology and biology of dying. And while this study did not include any form of brain scanning, upcoming research will also detail the neural processes of the DMT experience.