In My Time of Dying: How I Came Face to Face with the Idea of an Afterlife

by Sebastian Junger

The Reynolds case is unique, though; far more common are NDEs where the brain keeps functioning even though the heart has stopped, and there is every reason to think that a person who survives that might have strange memories. Depriving the brain of oxygen is known to cause cognitive distortions, tunnel vision, loss of consciousness, and an accompanying phenomenon, the buildup of carbon dioxide in the blood stream, is thought to trigger release of a psychedelic compound called DMT (N,N-Dimethyltryptamine). The drug is chemically related to ayahuasca, the powerful “death vine” used by indigenous shamans in the Amazon basin, and it occurs naturally in spinal fluid. Endogenous DMT, as it is known, protects neurons from cell death during episodes of low oxygen or high carbon dioxide, which would make it a natural fit for near-death experiences.