The cause of the current of the problem of palliative medicine in the “mirror” of shmerian-akkadian mythology
Bioethics Journal November 30, 2024 K. V. Ivanov
Modern methods for treating existential distress in incurable patients are unreliable, leading some specialists to consider symbolic death-rebirth experiences generated by entheogens, a form of psychedelic therapy. Society remains wary of this approach despite high narcotic use in palliative care. This wariness stems from a cultural taboo traced to Sumerian and Akkadian mythology, where the fruit of the Tree of Life was prohibited. Analysis suggests the original reason was that entheogen-induced symbolic rebirth creates psychological "wholeness"—inner serenity that reduces external adaptive activity, threatening archaic societal security. This raises whether the ban remains appropriate for incurable patients when conventional palliative therapies fail.