JNDS, Volume 16, Number 1

Ketamine can produce experiences resembling near-death experiences (NDEs), but the nature of these experiences differs depending on the context—recreational use versus use in an operating room. Both ketamine and ibogaine, a substance used in Central African religious rituals to induce NDEs, are noncompetitive antagonists of the NMDA receptor. Ibogaine also elicits different experiences based on whether it is used in a hallucinatory context or in initiatic rituals that induce a superficial coma. These observations raise the question of whether the chemically-induced NDE-like experience stems from the specific substance or from the genuine comatose state itself.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Abstract: Although ketamine can induce a state similar to a near-death experience (NDE), there is a striking difference between experiences induced by ketamine used in a recreational context and in an operating room. Ketamine is a noncompetitive antagonist of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor, as is ibogaine, the main alkaloid of a shrub used in Central Africa to induce NDEs in a religious context. Ibogaine can also elicit different experiences when used in a hallucinatory context or in initiatic rituals, where a superficial state of coma is induced. These data raise the question of whether the chemically-induced NDE-like experience is related to the use of a particular kind of substance or to a genuine comatose state.