Cureus
November 23, 2025
Luiza Haruyunyan, Mitchell B. Liester, Bertrand Liang
Exploding head syndrome (EHS) is a parasomnia characterized by the perception of loud noises originating from inside the head during sleep transitions, often accompanied by visual phenomena and fear. Treatment remains challenging due to unknown etiology and limited therapeutic options. We report a 75-year-old man with chronic exploding head syndrome experiencing lightning-like sensations,...
Cureus
2025
Mitchell B. Liester
Raynaud's phenomenon is a vascular disorder characterized by episodic vasospasm of small arteries, primarily affecting the hands and feet. Standard treatment strategies typically include lifestyle modifications to avoid cold exposure and stress, alongside pharmacological interventions aimed at increasing blood flow and reducing vascular constriction. Ketamine, an FDA-approved anesthetic since...
Cureus
November 1, 2024
Ana I Flores, Mitchell B. Liester
2 citations
Memory, a fundamental aspect of human cognition and consciousness, is multifaceted and extends beyond traditional conceptualizations of mental recall. This review article explores memory through various lenses, including brain-based, body-based, and cellular mechanisms. At its core, memory involves the encoding, storage, and retrieval of information. Advances in neuroscience reveal that...
Cureus
April 1, 2024
Mitchell B. Liester, Rachel Wilkenson, Barry Patterson et al.
3 citations
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) and treatment-resistant depression (TRD) are common mental disorders that are challenging to treat. Ketamine is an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist that has shown promise as a rapid-acting antidepressant when administered intravenously. BPD symptoms have also been demonstrated to improve with repeated intravenous administration of ketamine, and a...
Journal of Near-Death Studies
2024
Mitchell B. Liester
Article discussing "the relationship between experience of time and different states of consciousness including near-death experiences and both mystical and psychedelic medicine-induced states of consciousness". The author designates terms additional dimensions of time-experiences, and reviews benefits and methods achieve higher states.
Current Drug Abuse Reviews
January 9, 2015
Mitchell B. Liester
46 citations
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a semisynthetic compound with strong psychoactive properties. Chemically related to serotonin, LSD was initially hypothesized to produce a psychosislike state. Later, LSD was reported to have benefits in the treatment of addictions. However, widespread indiscriminate use and reports of adverse affects resulted in the classification of LSD as an illicit drug...
The Journal of near-death studies
2015
Bruce Greyson, Mitchell B. Liester, Lee Kinsey et al.
5 citations
Electromagnetic (EM) aftereffects have been reported following near-death experiences (NDEs). These effects include both (a) EM actions, apparent actions by the individual on the surrounding EM environment, and (b) EM reactions, apparent reactions of the individual to the EM environment. This study investigated EM aftereffects among 216 NDErs, 54 persons who had been close to death without...
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
July 1, 2012
Mitchell B. Liester, James I. Prickett
78 citations
Ayahuasca is a medicinal plant mixture utilized by indigenous peoples throughout the Amazon River basin for healing purposes. The "vine of the soul" or "vine of death," as it is known in South America, contains a combination of monoamine oxidase inhibitors and N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT). When ingested together, these medicines produce profound alterations in consciousness. Increasingly,...
Journal of Humanistic Psychology
May 31, 2004
Bruce Greyson, Mitchell B. Liester
24 citations
Among persons who reported having had near-death experiences, 80% also reported subsequent auditory hallucinations. Experiencers’ attitudes toward these hallucinations were over-whelmingly positive, as contrasted with the overwhelmingly negative attitudes of patients with schizophrenia toward their auditory hallucinations. Auditory hallucinations not related to disease processes are common and...
The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
June 1, 1992
Mitchell B. Liester, Charles S. Grob, Gary Bravo et al.
130 citations
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) has been at the center of a debate over its potential benefits as an adjunct to psychotherapy versus its capability for neurotoxic effects and is currently classified as a Schedule 1 drug by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). However, as yet, there is very little methodological data on the subjective experience of the MDMA-induced state or its...
The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
June 1, 1992
Charles S. Grob, Gary Bravo, Roger Walsh et al.
21 citations
GROB, CHARLES S. M.D.; BRAVO, GARY L. M.D.; WALSH, ROGER N. M.D., Ph.D.; LIESTER, MITCHELL B. M.D. Author Information