A note on anesthetically-induced frightening "near-death experiences".
Journal of Near-Death Studies January 1, 1996 DOI: 10.17514/jnds-1996-15-1-p17-23 via Semantic Scholar
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA frightening type of near-death experience (NDE) called the "meaningless void," where a person feels existence is an illusion or cruel joke and nothing has inherent meaning, is more common after anesthetic use and among women. Evidence from medical studies of reactions to nitrous oxide supports both patterns. The author argues this experience, despite feeling real and having lasting effects, is best understood as a drug-triggered emergence reaction rather than a genuine NDE.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Medicine Psychology |
| Key finding | The meaningless void type of frightening NDE is linked to anesthetic use and more common in women, supported by evidence from nitrous oxide studies, and should be considered a drug-triggered emergence reaction rather than a true NDE. |
Abstract
Previously (Ring, 1994a, 1994b) I had speculated that the "meaningless void" type of frightening near-death experience (NDE), in which the individual finds him- or herself in a situation of existential nullity in which life itself is understood to be an illusion or a cruel joke, indicating that nothing has any inherent meaning or reality, tends to occur following the use of anesthetics, and is more likely to be reported by women. I present here empirical evidence from medical studies of reactions to nitrous oxide, which corroborate both of those speculations. In light of these findings, I believe that this type of experience is best regarded, despite its subjective reality and long-lasting effects, as an emergence reaction triggered by drugs, and not as a true NDE.