Pushing Near-Death Experiences (III)
Oxford Scholarship Online September 20, 2018 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780190888848.003.0015
Summary
The consumption of drugs like morphine, hashish, and particularly LSD during the 1960s and 1970s is identified as a significant influence on the discourse surrounding near-death experiences. The chapter discusses how some near-death experiences were triggered by drug use and highlights common beliefs among users of psychedelics and those who have had near-death experiences.
Study at a glance
| Key finding | Drugs such as morphine, hashish, and LSD significantly influenced the emerging discourse on near-death experiences. |
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Abstract
The similarities between the experiences near death and drug experiences have often been stressed. This chapter goes a step further in providing evidence that the consumption of morphine, hashish, and especially more potent hallucinogens such as LSD in the 1960s and 1970s are to be identified as a major component, or “push factor,” of the emerging discourse on near-death. Not only were several near-death experiences triggered by drugs—in addition, this chapter observes shared beliefs of “psychedelics” and Gnostic–Esoteric “near-death experiencers.”