Psychedelics and various herbs are popular for inducing phase states (lucid dreams, out-of-body experiences, near-death experiences [NDEs], etc.) despite safety concerns surrounding this approach. But is it worth the risk? Does the outcome align with the desired goal?
Exploring such topics is very challenging. Capturing an NDE is almost impossible in principle, let alone in comparison to psychedelic experiences. Researchers from the UK, Pascal Michael, David Luke, and Oliver Robinson, found only one volunteer who had experienced both states. This individual had a coma in 2008 and scored highly on the NDE scale, meaning that the scientific community recognized his NDE. Additionally, he had tried DMT, a well-known psychedelic.
The researchers conducted a detailed interview to understand how closely the DMT experience resembled the original NDE. Interestingly, the participant rated the similarity only 2 out of 10, indicating that the states were quite different. However, the authors identified parallels in terms of mysticism: both cases involved a dissolution of the ego, a sense of unity with the world, a transcendence of time and space, and the emergence of a cosmic love sensation.
On the other hand, common themes in various “adventures” during NDEs, such as encounters with deceased relatives, angels, or God, as well as life review, did not occur during the use of DMT (although the participant’s NDE was rich in such scenes). The participant also noted that personal enlightenment and gaining knowledge about oneself and the universe occurred only during the NDE and not with DMT.
Do you have any experience with psychedelics? Can you compare their effects to phase states?
The article was published in June 2023 in Frontiers in Psychology.
Drugs and plants may have side effects and should only be used in consultation with a doctor. This article does not call for independent experiments.
Get all the latest news about lucid dreams via our channels on Telegram, Facebook, Twitter
