According to Slashdot, scientists have now concluded that those religious moments during Near Death Experiences are caused by a physiological response which acts a bit like ketamine:
Surveys of NDE accounts show great similarities in the details, describing: a tunnel, a light, a gate or a door, a sense of being out of the body, meeting people they know or have heard about, finding themselves in the presence of God, and then returning, changed. Scientists have theorized that NDEs occur as a kind of physiological self-defense mechanism when, in order to guard against damage during trauma, the brain releases protective chemicals that also happen to trigger intense hallucinations. This theory has gained traction after scientists realized that virtually all the features of an NDE can be reproduced with a stiff dose of ketamine, a short-acting, hallucinogenic, dissociative anaesthetic.
Ketamine is also known a horse tanq, which begs the question; What do horses see during their Near Death Experiences? Next up, scientists will uncover the secret behind St Paul writing the Book of Revelations; a large plate of psychedelic mushrooms.
