Near-death experience

A near-death experience (NDE) is a personal experience associated with death or impending death. Such experiences may encompass a variety of sensations including detachment from the body, feelings of levitation, total serenity, security, warmth, the experience of absolute dissolution, and the presence of a light.

Classification

Kenneth Ring (1980) classified NDE's on a 5 stage continuum:

1. feelings of peace and contentment;
2. a sense of detachment from the body;
3. entering a transitional world of darkness (rapid movements through tunnels: 'the tunnel experience');
4. emerging into bright light; and
5. 'entering the light'.

In Ken Ring's studies, 60% experienced stage 1, but only 10% attained stage 5.

Substance-induced near-death experience

• Dissociatives
  • Ketamine: A review of the nonmedical use of ketamine: use, users and consequences.
• Psychedelics
  • DMT (also found in ayahuasca): DMT Models the Near-Death Experience, 2018 study

Practices

• Meditation: Meditation-induced near-death experience (MI-NDE), 2018 study: Meditation-Induced Near-Death Experiences: a 3-Year Longitudinal Study -- "compared to regular forms of meditation, the meditation-induced NDE led to a five-fold increase in mystical experiences and a four-fold increase in feelings of non-attachment,” Van Gordon explained."

External links

• Near-death experience (Wikipedia)
• Music for Ayahuasca-Assisted Near-Death Experience Therapy (MAANDET) by David Hedlund
• Study of advanced Buddhist meditators suggests inducing near-death experiences can be learned and perfected
• Near-Death Experiences and DMT