Yes. A survey of 3,192 people compared near-death experiences with LSD, psilocybin, ayahuasca and DMT. Both routes left people with less fear of death. Under medical care, psychedelics offer that same relief to patients with cancer and other serious illness who live in fear of dying.
Summary: For some people, such as cancer patients, fear of death can be crushing. Getting past this fear may help them live better. Some people who had near-death experiences say they fear death less. Now a study shows psychedelics may have a similar effect.
Humans don’t live forever. Everyone will die one day. People are always looking for ways to live longer. Some fear of death is normal. But too much fear of death can cause harm.
Take a person told they have cancer. They may develop a severe fear of death. That can lead to mental health problems and a shorter life. So too much fear of death is bad for health, and doctors must treat it. There are many ways to treat it, like better talks, talk therapy, and medicine. But these often fail to help.
It would be great to have medicines that ease the fear of death. Better still, ones that work fast and pair well with talk therapy. Researchers now think psychedelics could be one such option for people who are dying.
Researchers had noticed that people who had a psychedelic experience or a near-death experience feared death less. This may help their mental health. It also gives them meaning in life and has a spiritual side. But so far, these were just observations. So researchers set out to study the topic.
Many people with near-death experiences and many who use psychedelics have unusual, sometimes deeply spiritual experiences. There is no doubt about that. The researchers wanted to know how the two differ. So they surveyed 3192 people. Of these, 933 had a near-death experience and did not use any drug. Of the rest, 904 used LSD, 766 psilocybin, 282 ayahuasca, and 307 DMT. They found a significant difference in the experiences of the groups.
Those with a near-death experience said they were unconscious and clinically dead. They felt their life was in danger. After they recovered, they feared death less and felt more positive. They reported other mental changes too. Most also called it a kind of spiritual experience.
Both groups reported mystical experiences. But these were stronger in psychedelic users.
For people who did not use drugs, the near-death experience was the most important event of their lives. Among drug users, the DMT and ayahuasca groups reported stronger, longer-lasting good effects than the psilocybin and LSD groups.
These findings are striking. Many have heard of the strange, even spiritual, experiences of people who came very close to death. Such people are changed by it. They become more spiritual and more positive. This may explain why many of them go on to live for several years after a near-death experience.
But science shows that psychedelics can safely bring on a similar experience.
More studies are needed to learn how to use psychedelics. But this one shows that psychedelics, used responsibly and under medical care, can work well for mental health problems.
Health experts are already testing psychedelics for severe depression. Now this study shows they may help people who fear death. Psychedelics may well help people with serious illnesses like cancer. They could let them enjoy their remaining days without fear of death.
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