No Sacred Cows

by David G. McAfee

  “Considering that many reincarnation cases occur in countries in which belief in reincarnation is part of the cultural matrix, the possibility of interpreting otherwise normal information in light of reincarnation is very strong,” Edelmann and Bernet wrote in Setting Criteria for Ideal Reincarnation Research, a paper in which they outline a “rigorous and large-scale reincarnation experiment” that would ideally settle the debate.46

  “In most cases, the child was not interviewed so as to exclude the possibility of familial and/or interviewer suggestion, nor in such a way that allows other researchers to observe the interview itself,” the authors wrote. “Generally, the child was present at the time his statements were validated at the designated household, thus introducing the possibility that suggestion occurred.”

  The most telling piece of the past life puzzle of all, I think, is that Stevenson, who collected more than 2,500 reincarnation experience stories, failed to convince himself of his own claims. Prior to his death, Stevenson declined to answer whether he believed in reincarnation, stating instead that he and his colleagues have given “some support to a belief in reincarnation.”

  “Before the modern investigations a belief in reincarnation had to rest on the basis of faith, usually inculcated by the scriptures or oral teachings of a traditional religion. Now, one may, if one wishes, believe in reincarnation on the basis of evidence,” Stevenson wrote.47 “However, the evidence is not flawless and it certainly does not compel such a belief. Even the best of it is open to alternative interpretations, and one can only censure those who say there is no evidence whatever.”

  The scientific consensus is important, but nonscientists who believe in reincarnation can also collect data in hopes of confirming or dismissing their own ideas and I encourage them to do so. If you believe psychics can uncover past lives, for instance, I recommend you perform a simple test by locating two independent mediums who you think can do it and then challenging them, separately, to describe the life the subject lived during a specific time period. Once you check their stories against one another, you’ll have your answer. Needless to say, no so-called rebirth memory has ever held up under serious scientific scrutiny, and most are the result of human imagination, memory and confirmation biases, and/or outright fraud.

  The bottom line is that there’s no objective or scientific reason to believe that people are reincarnated, just as no such evidence exists for karma, gods, psychics, good and bad luck, etc. Karma and reincarnation are interesting ideas in certain contexts, but there isn’t compelling evidence supporting them and they are, at their cores, a lot like other punishment/reward systems established by other faiths. For example, a Christian who believes in Original Sin might think people deserve negative outcomes because of their ancestors’ actions, while, if you believe in karma/reincarnation, you may accept that people deserve horrible things in this life because of their behavior in “past lives.” In each case, basing actions on an afterlife that can’t be proven allows some otherwise rational people to act without considering earthly consequences. Beres says reincarnation, while an “attractive idea,” can become a dangerous and distracting belief when it alters a person’s perception of this world—the only one we know exists.

  “That we only get one pass on this giant Ferris wheel can be cause for depression. Yet time and again, when exploring the numerous modalities of rebirth, from the law of karma to the hope of a better world beyond this one, we stumble into one glaring recurrence: By entertaining such philosophies, we inevitably waste valuable time wishing things here were different,” Beres wrote. “Instead of changing our circumstances (or our attitude towards existence), we project our attention to some future destination.”

  DRUGS AND OTHER ALTERED STATES

  Everyone knows there are some drugs that can make you hallucinate, such as psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD),48 but a few substances go further by actually simulating NDEs and OOBEs, thereby contributing to the widespread belief in reincarnation, Heaven, Hell, and other afterlives. The anesthetic ketamine, for instance, has reportedly been used to recreate typical near-death memories in a laboratory setting by Dr. Karl L. R. Jansen, a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. In his 1996 study, 49 Jansen concluded that the reproduction or induction of NDEs by ketamine “is not simply an interesting coincidence.”

  “Ketamine administered by intravenous injection is capable of reproducing all of the features of the NDE which have been commonly described,” Jansen wrote in the paper. “Ketamine reproduced travel through a tunnel, emergence into the light, and a ‘telepathic’ exchange with an entity which could be described as ‘God.’”

  The psychedelic compound N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) also produces effects that imitate NDEs and other-worldly visions, but, unlike ketamine, DMT is regularly mistaken for an actual link to “the spirit world.” Some scientists say DMT acts as a neurotransmitter,50 and others believe it is produced in the pineal gland and is released during trauma,51 which causes NDE phenomena. But the chemical combination has, to date, only been discovered in the pineal glands of rats,52 and not in those of humans, leaving that hypothesis unconfirmed. The pineal gland itself, often referred to as an “inner third eye” by some groups and cultures,53 has been linked to pseudoscience and spirituality for many years. This tradition perhaps began with René Descartes, who referred to the melatonin-producing endocrine gland as the “principal seat of the soul and the place in which all our thoughts are formed.”54 The idea of the pineal gland as a necessary component of being human—a housing for the human spirit—has been put forth by Descartes and countless others, but is demonstrably false because some people are born without a pineal gland as the result of a mutation in the PAX6 gene.55

  DMT was first synthesized in 1931,56 but it has been used since at least the sixteenth century by indigenous cultures of Amazonian Peru through the consumption of ayahuasca, an allegedly spiritual brew made from leaves of plants that contain DMT and monoamine oxidase– inhibiting (MAO-inhibiting) harmala alkaloids.57 Ayahuasca is known to cause spiritual revelations, feelings of connection to alternate dimensions, and even hallucinations involving interactions with extradimensional beings or gods. Ayahuasca is similar in many ways to a drink called umm nyolokh, which is created by the Humr people of Sudan from giraffe liver and marrow that stores the DMT from the plants they eat and can cause users to see nonexistent giraffes.58 When people ingest these hallucinogens, they understand that they’re hallucinating, right? Wrong. It’s commonly believed by the Humr people that umm nyolokh causes one to see the ghosts of dead giraffes, and people all over the world think ayahuasca and DMT genuinely provide a connection to another world or an afterlife.

  I’ve had more than a few people tell me that I’ll understand the realities of spiritualism, the soul, and the afterlife if I try certain mind-altering substances, including and especially DMT. My initial reaction to this claim was, “When we take hallucinogens, we hallucinate; that’s how it works.” After all, we know hallucinogens prey on our “happy receptors” in the brain and create a sensory overload that is well understood by the scientific community,59 so drug-induced hallucinations of supernatural beings can’t possibly serve as proof of the existence of said beings. But knowing those facts isn’t enough for many people who continue to insist that I would believe in a transcendent “spirit realm” if I experienced the visions often associated with DMT. Although I was confident in my ability to discern drug-induced supernatural experiences and emotions from what’s real, I still wanted to learn more, and I wouldn’t have felt comfortable writing about it without experiencing it for myself. I decided to take part in an Amazonian mind medicine (aka Ayahuasca) spiritual ceremony and report my findings.

  A friend pointed me toward an organization that specializes in these ceremonies, Instituto Superior De Estudios Holisticos Namaste, and I reached out to its founder, an Aztec/Mayan tribe member and mental health professional named Leticia. She gave me permission to record our session f
or research purposes and we started planning the upcoming trip. My journey began on April 26, but it really started a week earlier when I was asked to abstain from meat, sex, drugs, and alcohol in preparation for the trip. After a 10-hour drive, we arrived at the mountain. Upon arrival, the local healing group requested our cell phones and car keys, which we got back at the end of the trip. They were extremely friendly and spoke Spanish almost exclusively. We didn’t even have time to set up our tent when the group began to gather for what I would call a prayer circle. We held hands (“The right hand gives and the left hand receives”) and shared what we were thankful for. There were dozens of participants in the circle, including people with Native American heritage and tourists from all around the world. Some people thanked god(s), others thanked their loved ones, but the vast majority of practitioners and fellow participants thanked “Mother Earth.”

  As per the group’s instructions, I hadn’t eaten within 24 hours of my arrival on the mountain. Even after the prayer go-round, however, it still wasn’t time for lunch. Instead, we walked around the forest hugging trees to feel more connected to the earth. After that exercise, the men and the women took turns in a temazcalli, a small sweat lodge powered by rocks left in a fire at the center. The women went first, and then it was time for the men to sit in the super-heated makeshift room, chanting in a circle in almost complete darkness. I spent an hour in the “house of heat” before they opened the enormous tarp enclosing us … only to add additional rocks to the scorched stack in the middle of the room. It was too dark to see anything, and every breath felt like I was breathing in flames, so I kept my head down and focused on my breathing. Another hour went by and, finally, it was over. A volunteer hosed us off with cold mountain water and gave me the first piece of food I had in days—a small and dirty slice of orange—which I enjoyed immensely.

  After returning to the tent for a brief baby wipe bath to minimize the mud and sweat, we were quickly called down to the ceremony grounds. We were asked to bring from our tents our sleeping bags, blankets, jackets, and anything else we might need during the journey. All the participants sat down around an enormous white circle with torches and a number of symbols purporting to represent other dimensions, the bond between man and woman, and other natural and supernatural notions. The spirit guide and her assistants then proceeded to tell us about all the things that would come, as well as about other important lessons. We were taught about the different dimensions, the history of the drink, and even what we should do if a hallucination tries to hurt us.

  Everyone seemed to portray a sense of comradery during the ceremony—there were no fights or disagreements—but one assistant did become visibly upset while discussing a human sacrifice ritual that the history books say his ancestors participated in many years ago. Despite the fact that it is well known that the Aztecs often extracted hearts from people in a ritual honoring the sun,60 this young man was convinced that his people would never do that. He said the “heart” that was sacrificed was a symbolic one, and not a life-sustaining organ. After he told a few revisionist stories of his ancestors, the assistant instructed us to gather our warm clothes and blankets and meet around a large fire that was off to the side. We were each given a cigarette with dark tobacco to help prepare our bodies for taking the drug, and helpers got cups of ayahuasca tea ready for us.

  It wasn’t long until people started receiving their drinks. Each person got a small cup filled with ayahuasca and drank it in one gulp. I got my serving before most others, and I was warned as I put it to my lips that I may experience some vomiting. That part of the experience I can confirm. Despite having no food in my stomach for more than a day, I threw up the dark liquid less than 15 minutes after drinking it. After everyone drank their tea, we all lay down and the drums and chanting began. This time no words were chanted—only noises. It was freezing cold and incredibly uncomfortable, but after a short period of time I could hear other people beginning to enjoy themselves. There was laughing, screaming, and crying, and it seemed like most people there were having some sort of otherworldly adventure. I still felt no different and, not wanting to miss my opportunity, I asked for another helping. Leticia gave me the drink with a cautious look and I drank it quickly. After a couple of hours, and a few trips to the bushes to vomit, I still felt no effects. I decided to sleep until the morning.

  The next day, I decided to interview the other participants to learn about their experiences. Most people reported seeing visions similar to those we were told to expect. One participant, David H., told me he encountered a “dark spirit” that he was able to conquer. He said he felt much better about facing his real-life concerns after the experience. Some said they saw and connected with gods or aliens, and still others claimed to have met the spirits of animals that guided them to answers to questions they had been subconsciously worrying about. Nobody gave a lot of specific details, often indicating that there weren’t words to describe what they had seen, but the similarities between the stories revealed that groupthink or suggestion may have been a factor in the content (but not necessarily the origin) of the visions.

  The trip wasn’t a total loss, but I didn’t have the transcendent spiritual experience I was seeking. I likely needed a more direct source of DMT, which is listed as a Schedule I drug in the United States despite the fact that it has been shown to have no long-term adverse effects61 and is even considered by many to be a beneficial form of therapy.62

  I ultimately obtained 150mg of DMT from a friend who is experienced and familiar with hallucinogens and tried it on my own. I did 50mg at a time, through a vaporizer and a glass pipe, but still felt no effects. I have no doubt that the effects are felt by others, but perhaps this experience just isn’t for me.

  To get a more complete picture of the NDEs, drug-induced visions, and the possibility of afterlives, I sat down with Michael Shermer, a science writer and the editor in chief of Skeptic magazine, to ask him some questions. Here is our interview:

  McAfee: Based on what we know today about death and about how the brain works, would you say any type of “afterlife” is highly unlikely? Why or why not? (This includes heavens and hells, but also “spirits,” reincarnation-based systems, and other vague spiritual claims.)

  Shermer: There is no evidence whatsoever of an afterlife of any kind. To the contrary, all of the evidence points to the conclusion that when our physical body and brain dies, our mind, consciousness, and “soul” (the pattern of information that makes up our “self”) dies with it.

  McAfee: Do you think a person who doesn’t have any sort of afterlife belief as a coping mechanism is more likely to fear death than a believer?

  Shermer: No, I do not. To the contrary, every religious person I have encountered who has lost a loved one, or who is himself or herself dying, feels just as bad about it as any nonbelieving person I know. And studies show that religious people mourn just as much as nonreligious people do when losing a loved one.

  McAfee: You went to Laurentian University in Sudbury, Canada, and used the so-called God Helmet in Dr. Michael Persinger’s lab. You said you felt that someone was in the room with you and that you had a “mild out-of-body experience.” Did this trip convince you that electromagnetic stimulation of the brain is the key to understanding many (or most) paranormal experiences?

  Shermer: No, but I do think Dr. Persinger’s research is interesting because it is searching for natural causes of apparently supernatural phenomena. And, of course, people who have such experiences do not have modified motorcycle helmets strapped to their heads delivering electromagnetic stimuli to their temporal lobes. The causes of such experiences are numerous and vary across circumstances and environments, which I document in detail in my book The Believing Brain, and Oliver Sacks documents in individual case studies in his many books, especially Hallucinations.

  McAfee: A number of scientists claim to have “debunked” Dr. Persinger’s results in the “God Helmet” experiment. Have you looked into those attempts to duplicate
the original results? What did you think of them?

  Shermer: I am largely in agreement with the critics of Dr. Persinger that his controls are not tight enough and that some of his results may be due to expectation effects and experimenter bias.

  McAfee: Have you personally researched other ways to induce out-of-body or spiritual experiences, such as with DMT, psilocybin mushrooms, or other psychedelics? What would you say to someone who suggests these drugs’ effects are evidence of “something beyond”?

  Shermer: No, I have not, but Oliver Sacks has, and he tells of his drug-induced trips in his autobiographical book On the Move, as has Sam Harris in his book Waking Up. I did a television debate with Eben Alexander, the author of Proof of Heaven, about his claim that when he was in an induced coma during a medical emergency that caused his brain to swell that he went to Heaven where he saw vivid colors and sounds. I told him that his “trip,” to my ears, sounds indistinguishable from drug-induced trips by Oliver Sacks and Sam Harris. The fact is the brain can create vivid hallucinations under widely varying stimuli and conditions, and the fact that someone’s personal trip feels so real to them only tells us how powerful these experiences are.

  McAfee: What do you think is the number one reason afterlife-based myths persist? Is it, for instance, because of our fear and knowledge of impending death? Or do you think it’s more because many afterlife-based claims simply can’t be tested?