Near-death

Higher doses of ketamine (more than 100 milligrams) produce more profound psychological effects, sometimes known as the K-Hole. Here, users often experience out-of-body or near-death experiences, where they feel like... 

Although some people use ketamine regularly, others may stop using it because off the K-Hole experience—that near-death/out-of-body experience that is seen with higher doses of the drug. K-Hole experiences increase in frequency with repeated use of ketamine, and these frightening bad trips may actually deter people from future ketamine use. 

Infants and preschoolers are the most frequent victims of plant toxins. Their natural curiosity leads them to put all sorts of non-food items into their mouths, and berries, flowers, and leaves from house and yard plants are often attractive alternatives to spinach. The number of deaths from consumption of poisonous plants is not great, but the number of near-deaths is about 10% of inquiries to poison control centers concern ingestion of house, yard, and wild plants, including mushrooms. Among the house plants dumbcane (species of dieffenbachia) and philodendrons are prominent, and a fair number... 

The first diabetic patient to receive insuUn was a 14-year-old boy, Leonard Thompson. His recovery from near-death was speedy and he was discharged from hospital within a few weeks — although dependent on regular insulin injections. 

Dr. Rick Strassman, author of DMT The Spirit Molecule, suggests that naturally occurring DMT in the human body may mediate spontaneous psychedelic experiences such as near-death and mystical... 

Beings in the Bonnet realm sometimes have blank eye sockets. This image is also occasionally reported by people who have used the hallucinogen Special K (ketamine hydrochloride). One person e-mailed me to tell me that, while under the influence of Special K, everything was normal except that people in the room suddenly had no eye sockets, just black voids, and he saw light being sucked into the void from around the periphery of the eyeballs. Ketamine has also been associated with feelings of ego loss, out-of-body experiences, and near-death experiences. 

Near-Death Experiences, Proust, and the Dissolution of Self... 

Near-death experiences (NDEs) are sometimes reported by people who have nearly died or have been clinically dead and revived. During the experience, people sometimes have the sensation of floating above their bodies and seeing a tunnel of light. 

People having near-death experiences sometimes say that they see a silver cord connecting their bodies to heaven or to their souls. They... 

Strassman, Rick, M.D., DMT The Spirit Molecule A Doctor s Revolutionary Research into the Biology of Near-Death and Mystical Experiences (Rochester, Vermont Inner Traditions International Limited, 2001). 

Williams, Kevin, City of Light Near Death Experiences, http // www.near-death.com/experiences/researchl9.html... 

I m so skeptical that I ve written numerous articles for American s foremost skeptic magazine, Skeptical Inquirer. On the other hand, unlike some skeptics I know, I am deeply fascinated by religion, near-death experiences, psychoactive compounds, the spiritual, and even the Bible. 

Courtney began by diluting chemotherapy drugs for patients who were near death. He started out by diluting the drugs only a bit, thinking no one would notice. Later, he became more bold and diluted medications to the point that only a trace of the prescribed dose remained. He started out cheating just a little and then slid down a slippery slope until he was convicted of his crimes and sentenced to 30 years in prison. As stated in a newspaper feature about his case ... 

Deaths and near-deaths due to caffeine poisoning have happened, but they are very infrequent. Drinking too much coffee is not a cause of these deaths, since it is virtually impossible to ingest life-threatening amounts of caffeine in beverage form. Caffeine tablets and medicine containing caffeine are responsible for the lethal doses. —... 

In the last decade, further research and anecdotal evidence have accumulated to suggest that the mental effects of ketamine can be grouped into six broad categories (1) dissociation, resulting in an almost totally dispassionate perspective, and classic dissociative phenomena such as "out-of-body," "astral travel," and "near-death"-type experiences (2) entry into "information networks" in a kind of "cyberspace" specific to this compound (3) contact with and participation in "alternative realities" (4) communication with "extraterrestrials" or "disembodied entities" (5) Tantra-like enhancement of sexual activity and (6) assistance in personal and creative problem solving. 

GHB-related deaths have occurred in several states. In 1999, there were three reported deaths involving GHB in Texas and two in Minnesota. Missouri has reported five GHB-related deaths and two near-deaths in which GHB was used to facilitate rapes. In Florida, during 2000, GHB was detected in 23 deaths and identified as the cause of death in 6 others. Since 1990, the DEA has documented more than 15,600 overdoses and law enforcement encounters and 72 deaths related to GHB. 

Because ketamine is available for clinical and veterinary use, it has been studied extensively. Recreational users of ketamine report feeling both anesthetized and sedated. The most sought-after effect is the feeling of dissociation, where the user has a distorted perception of the body, environment, and time. Users refer to this sensation as an out-of-body experience. The dissociation of one s own consciousness and the near-death feeling is also referred to by the slang term K-hole. ... 

A 59-year-old woman, grade ASA I, had psychiatric effects associated with local anesthetic toxicity after receiving bupivacaine 50 mg and mepivacaine 75 mg for an axillary plexus block. She complained of dizziness and a near death experience (464). 

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