Nigel Shaw, a researcher from New Zealand, has proposed that carbon dioxide is the cause of near-death experiences. When a patient has breathing or heart problems that put them in critical condition, the level of carbon dioxide in the blood increases and acts on the brain as a hallucinogen. As a result, visions appear, which the patient may describe as a near-death experience upon recovery.
As evidence, the author cites experiments in which people breathed a mixture with a high content of carbon dioxide and experienced hallucinations. In addition, near-death experiences are often associated with diseases that cause a lack of oxygen and an excess of carbon dioxide. Additional evidence comes from an ancient Egyptian ritual during which priests placed disciples in special boxes where they suffocated so they could glimpse the “otherworld.”
This article does not encourage self-experimentation, and we remind you that lucid dreams provide an alternative, safe way to have near-death experiences. This has been shown, for example, by a REMspace experiment in which participants experienced flying through a tunnel into a light.
Are you aware of any cases of near-death experiences? Did they involve an excess of carbon dioxide?
The article was published in December 2024 in the Journal of Nervous System and Physiological Phenomena.
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