Religions
February 11, 2022
Jonathan Kopel, Mark Owen Webb
6 citations
Near-death experiences (NDEs) have been studied mainly from neurological and physiological perspectives, and sometimes presented as potential counterevidence to naturalism. However, they have rarely been examined as religious experiences. This paper aims to fill that gap by first describing NDEs and the medical scientific understanding of them, then outlining a general epistemology of religious experience, and finally applying that framework to NDEs to consider what epistemic lessons might be drawn.
Frontiers in psychiatry
January 1, 2022
Joshua Willms, Ben McCauley, Lindsay Kerr et al.
A 30-year-old medical student with treatment-resistant depression, generalized anxiety disorder, PTSD, and 5 years of daily suicidal ideation, who had not responded to therapy, lifestyle changes, or six antidepressants, achieved remission from suicidality and PTSD within 1 month and from depression and anxiety within 7 months after an 8-month regimen of IV ketamine infusions and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) score dropped from 25 (severe depression) to 1 (not depressed). These results suggest ketamine and KAP may be effective for mental health conditions in healthcare professionals. The patient also typed real-time narrative journals during four ketamine infusions, providing first-person accounts of ketamine-induced non-ordinary states.
Proceedings (Baylor University. Medical Center)
January 1, 2019
Jonathan Kopel
Near-death experiences (NDEs) occur in 10% to 20% of patients who come close to death, involving vivid phenomena such as out-of-body experiences, pleasant feelings, seeing deceased relatives, a life review, or conscious return into the body. Alternate psychological and physiological theories exist but face methodological and neuroscientific limitations. Counselors trained with NDE literature have reduced suicidal thoughts, bereavement, and posttraumatic stress disorder in their patients. Patients who have had an NDE show significant transformation in spiritual and emotional lives, reporting renewed meaning, existential awareness, and mystical experiences. Family and friends also report increased comfort, hope, and inspiration. NDEs positively impact medical practice and represent a growing paradigm shift beyond naturalistic interpretations.