The ancient Greeks believed that when people die, their souls are transported across the River Styx and into the afterlife by Charon, the ferryman.
This myth may have some truth to it as scientists recently found that a psychedelic neurochemical could ferry the human soul into the afterlife.
Called DMT (N,N-Dimethyltryptamine), the naturally occurring molecule is found in plants, animals and perhaps even the human brain.
When consumed recreationally, it produces powerful visual and auditory hallucinations.
Researchers at the Imperial College London found signs that DMT could be responsible for vivid hallucinations during near-death experiences (NDEs), which can occur when someone is close to dying.
Many survivors of NDEs report these inexplicable visions, such as encountering a deceased loved one, seeing heaven or hearing the voice of God.
The team determined that NDEs share similarities with the experiences of people who have taken DMT recreationally, suggesting the brain might flood itself with this psychedelic neurochemical in the moments before death.
David Luke, associate professor of psychology at the University of Greenwich in London, said there also is some evidence that DMT is released in greater quantities at the point of death in the human brain.
A growing body research suggests DMT may play an important role in helping the consciousness transition from life to death, causing vivid visual and auditory hallucinations
Luke said the only evidence of the brain releasing DMT at the moment of death has been observed in animals, but from this, experts ‘can infer that this also happens [in humans].’
For example, studies in rats have shown that their brains are capable of producing this psychoactive neurochemical, and release a flood of it just before death.
This is a strong indication that it could be happening in humans, as cognitive phenomena in rats often translate to us.
But ‘[Animals] can have distinctly different ways of producing neurotransmitters and metabolizing compounds,’ Amy Reichelt, a neuroscientist and an expert in neurodegenerative disease, told Popular Mechanics.
Therefore, more research is needed to determine whether the hallucinations people experience in the moments before death are actually linked to DMT.
The overlap between DMT trips and NDEs, however, suggests this could be the case.
The researchers at Imperial College London tested the similarities between the DMT state and NDEs by administering DMT and a placebo to 13 participants who then completed a validated and widely used measure of NDEs.
Their findings, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology in 2018, revealed ‘a striking similarity between these states that warrants further investigation,’ according to the report.
A 2023 study compared the experiences of a person who had both an NDE and a trip on 5-MeO-DMT, finding striking similarities between the two events . Pictured is a model of DMT
In 2023, Luke co-authored a study that sought to learn more about this potential link by comparing the experiences of a person who had both an NDE and a trip on 5-MeO-DMT.
This molecule is very similar to DMT, but its psychedelic effects are not quite as long-lasting and tend to be slightly less intense, according to the Utah Patients Coalition.
Luke and his colleagues interviewed this person to look for similarities between his NDE and his 5-MeO-DMT-induced psychedelic trip.
‘There is a very high level of comparability between the original NDE and psychedelic experiences in general, including shared characteristics such as entering other worlds, meeting menacing or benevolent entities, experiencing synesthesia, perinatal regression, and lucid dreamlike properties,’ the study reads.
‘Much comparability was also identified with the 5MeO-DMT experience, in particular the major mystical experiential domains, such as ego dissolution, but especially transcendence of time and space.’
The researchers note, however, there were a few unique themes that emerged during the NDE that did not occur during the 5MeO-DMT trip.
Those included encountering the deceased, experiencing a life review (seeing your life flash before your eyes) and seeing ‘the threshold,’ which can appear as a white light or gateway that represents the point of no return between life and death.
This suggests these themes may be unique to NDEs. Because of these key differences, the study participant ultimately said his NDE hallucinations could not be definitively linked to psychedelics produced in the brain.
The researchers published their findings in Frontiers in Psychology in 2023.
While this study challenges the idea that DMT could explain all aspects of NDEs, it still might be part of the puzzle, according to Luke.
At the point of death, the brain undergoes a cascade of neurochemical changes, he explained. That includes surges of serotonin and noradrenaline, which regulate mood, emotions and stress.
DMT may be involved in these neurochemical changes too. Research has shown that this chemical naturally exists in human blood, urine and spinal fluid, so scientists believe it’s possible that it could also exist in our brains.
Researchers will continue to probe this neurochemical to determine whether it truly does help shepherd us toward death.
