Ayahuasca-induced personal death experiences: prevalence, characteristics, and impact on attitudes toward death, life, and the environment
Across two cross-sectional studies (n = 54 and n = 306), the authors show that ayahuasca-induced personal death (APD) experiences occur in over half of ceremony participants and are typically intense, transformative events associated with a greater sense of transcending death and certainty in continuity of consciousness. APDs were not linked to demographics, personality or psychopathology but were associated with increased environmental concern and improved coping and life fulfilment, suggesting they may contribute to psychedelics’ long-term beneficial effects.
Authors
- Gonzalo Ona
- José Carlos Bouso
Published
Abstract
Introduction
Despite an emerging understanding regarding the pivotal mechanistic role of subjective experiences that unfold during acute psychedelic states, very little has been done in the direction of better characterizing such experiences and determining their long-term impact. The present paper utilizes two cross-sectional studies for spotlighting – for the first time in the literature – the characteristics and outcomes of self-reported past experiences related to one’s subjective sense of death during ayahuasca ceremonies, termed here Ayahuasca-induced Personal Death (APD) experiences.
Methods
Study 1 (n = 54) reports the prevalence, demographics, intensity, and impact of APDs on attitudes toward death, explores whether APDs are related with psychopathology, and reveals their impact on environmental concerns. Study 2 is a larger study (n = 306) aiming at generalizing the basic study 1 results regarding APD experience, and in addition, examining whether APDs is associated with self-reported coping strategies and values in life.
Results
Our results indicate that APDs occur to more than half of those participating in ayahuasca ceremonies, typically manifest as strong and transformative experiences, and are associated with an increased sense of transcending death (study 1), as well as the certainty in the continuation of consciousness after death (study 2). No associations were found between having undergone APD experiences and participants’ demographics, personality type, and psychopathology. However, APDs were associated with increased self-reported environmental concern (study 1). These experiences also impact life in profound ways. APDs were found to be associated with increases in one’s self-reported ability to cope with distress-causing life problems and the sense of fulfillment in life (study 2).
Discussion
The study’s findings highlight the prevalence, safety and potency of death experiences that occur during ayahuasca ceremonies, marking them as possible mechanisms for psychedelics’ long-term salutatory effects in non-clinical populations. Thus, the present results join other efforts of tracking and characterizing the profound subjective experiences that occur during acute psychedelic states.
Research Summary of 'Ayahuasca-induced personal death experiences: prevalence, characteristics, and impact on attitudes toward death, life, and the environment'
Introduction
Psychedelic substances such as psilocybin, LSD and ayahuasca produce intense subjective states that can persistently alter beliefs, emotions and behaviour. Earlier research has linked particular acute phenomena — for example mystical-type experiences, ego dissolution and feelings of connectedness — with long-term changes in meaning, coping, interpersonal closeness and reductions in some psychiatric symptoms. One underexplored acute phenomenon is the sense of having personally died during a psychedelic session. The authors label this Ayahuasca-induced Personal Death (APD) and note converging cultural, phenomenological and pharmacological reasons to focus on ayahuasca: linguistically in its Amazonian origins, in historical corpora of ayahuasca reports, and in phenomenological similarities between DMT/ayahuasca states and near-death-like experiences. David and colleagues set out to characterise, for the first time in the empirical literature, lifetime APD experiences and their longer-term associations. They ran two cross-sectional studies: Study 1 as a proof-of-concept with veteran ayahuasca users to estimate prevalence, intensity and links with death attitudes and beyond-personal concern; and Study 2 as a larger, more representative internet-based sample to replicate prevalence estimates and to test associations between APDs and life engagement, coping strategies and values. Both studies aimed to explore whether APDs relate to psychopathology, personality traits, environmental concern and measures of death-related beliefs and attitudes.
Expert Research Summaries
Go Pro to access AI-powered section-by-section summaries, editorial takes, and the full research toolkit.
Full Text PDF
Full Paper PDF
Create a free account to open full-text PDFs.
Study Details
- Study Typeindividual
- Journal
- Compound
- Topics
- Authors
- APA Citation
David, J., Bouso, J. C., Kohek, M., Ona, G., Tadmor, N., Arnon, T., Dor-Ziderman, Y., & Berkovich-Ohana, A. (2023). Ayahuasca-induced personal death experiences: prevalence, characteristics, and impact on attitudes toward death, life, and the environment. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1287961
References (39)
Papers cited by this study that are also in Blossom
Hadar, A., David, J., Shalit, N. et al. · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (2022)
Reiff, C. M., Richman, E. E., Nemeroff, C. B. et al. · American Journal of Psychiatry (2020)
Milliere, R., Carhart-Harris, R. L., Roseman, L. et al. · Frontiers in Psychology (2018)
Swanson, L. R. · Frontiers in Pharmacology (2018)
Timmermann, C., Roseman, L., Williams, L. et al. · Frontiers in Psychology (2018)
Griffiths, R. R., Richards, W. A., Mccann, U. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2006)
Kometer, M., Pokorny, T., Seifritz, E. et al. · Psychopharmacology (2015)
Stoliker, D., Egan, G. F., Friston, K. J. et al. · Pharmacological Reviews (2022)
Aday, J. S., Mitzkovitz, C. M., Bloesch, E. K. et al. · Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews (2020)
Yaden, D. B., Griffiths, R. R. · ACS Pharmacology and Translational Science (2020)
Show all 39 referencesShow fewer
Hesselgrave, N., Troppoli, T. A., Wulff, A. B. et al. · PNAS (2021)
Olson, D. E. · ACS Pharmacology and Translational Science (2020)
Davis, A. K., Barrett, F. S., Griffiths, R. R. · Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science (2020)
Barrett, F. S., Johnson, M. W., Griffiths, R. R. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2015)
Griffiths, R. R., Johnson, M. W., Richards, W. A. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2017)
Griffiths, R. R., Johnson, M. W. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2016)
Ross, S., Bossis, A. P., Guss, J. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2016)
Schmid, Y., Liechti, M. E. · Psychopharmacology (2017)
Kettner, H., Gandy, S., Haijen, E. C. H. M. et al. · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2019)
Garcia-Romeu, A., Griffiths, R. R., Johnson, M. W. · Current Drug Abuse Reviews (2015)
Roseman, L., Nutt, D. J., Carhart-Harris, R. L. · Frontiers in Pharmacology (2018)
Perkins, D., Ruffell, S. G. D., day, K. et al. · Frontiers in Neuroscience (2023)
Kjellgren, A., Eriksson, A., Norlander, T. · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (2009)
Lawrence, D. W., Carhart-Harris, R. L., Griffiths, R. R. et al. · Research Square (2022)
Ross, S., Malone, T. C., Mennenga, S. E. et al. · Frontiers in Pharmacology (2018)
Swee, M. B., Nayak, S., Hurwitz, E. et al. · PLOS ONE (2022)
Trichter, S., Klimo, J., Krippner, S. · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (2009)
Dos Santos, R. G., Balthazar, F. M., Bouso, J. C. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2016)
Jiménez, J. H., Bouso, J. C. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2022)
Martial, C., Cassol, H., Charland-Verville, V, Erowid, E. et al. · Consciousness and Cognition (2019)
Bouso, J. C., Dos Santos, R. G., Hallak, J. E. · Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews (2018)
Moreton, S. G., Szalla, L., Menzies, R. E. et al. · Psychopharmacology (2019)
Timmermann, C., Kettner, H., Letheby, C. et al. · Scientific Reports (2021)
Nour, M. R., Evans, J., Nutt, D. J. et al. · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience (2016)
Timmermann, C., Roseman, L., Schartner, M. et al. · Scientific Reports (2019)
Kohek, M., Ona, G., Dos Santos, R. G. et al. · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (2022)
Moreton, S. G., Arena, A. F., Foy, Y. et al. · Death Studies (2023)
Lyons, T., Carhart-Harris, R. L. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2018)
Forstmann, M., Sagioglou, C. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2017)
Cited By (1)
Papers in Blossom that reference this study
Dor-Ziderman, Y., David, J., Berkovich-Ohana, A. · Psychopharmacology (2025)
Your Personal Research Library
Go Pro to save papers, add notes, rate studies, and organize your research into custom shelves.