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Abby Molina, Psy.D., is a 2026 graduate of the Psy.D. Program in Clinical Psychology at Antioch University, New England

Dissertation Committee:

Rachel Chickarella, PhD, Dissertation Chair

Barbara Belcher-Timme, PsyD, Committee Member

Rose Hitchings, PsyD, Committee Member

Keywords

DMT, ayahuasca, psychedelics, end of life therapy, death anxiety, afterlife, near death experiences

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Date

2026

Abstract

This dissertation explores a proposed relationship between death and N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) within the context of contemporary clinical psychology and the current psychedelic renaissance. Building on Rick Strassman’s hypothesis that DMT may be released at the moment of death and Imants Barušs’ conceptualization of death as an altered state of consciousness, this project examines the phenomenological similarities between DMT-induced experiences (psychedelic “trips”) and near-death experiences (NDEs). Through review of neurobiological research, psychedelic-assisted therapy literature, religious and cultural ceremonial practices, and documented DMT trip and NDE reports, this work evaluates the plausibility that endogenous DMT contributes to altered states of consciousness observed during dying. Particular attention is given to shared features such as ego dissolution, perceived encounters with entities, transcendence of time and space, and experiences described as entry into a collective realm of consciousness. By synthesizing current empirical findings and content from trip reports, this dissertation offers a theoretical conceptualization linking DMT, the mystical experience, and the psychology of death. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA, https://aura.antioch.edu/ and Ohio Link ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu/etd

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ORCID iD: 0009-0005-2015-9742

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