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An out-of-body experience (OBE) typically involves a sensation of floating outside of one's body and, in some cases, seeing one's physical body from outside oneself (autoscopy). Approximately one in ten people claim to have had an out-of-body experience at some time in their lives. For some, the phenomenon occurs spontaneously, while for others it is linked to dangerous circumstances, a dream-like state, a near-death experience, or use of psychedelic drugs. Relatively little is known about OBEs.[1]

Spontaneous OBEs

O.B.E. (Out of body experience)

This term refers to the experience of leaving ones physical body, intentionally or otherwise; whether or not it reflects reality remains controversial. It is reported that some of those who recall the experience remember visiting places and people they have never been to or seen before, only to find that they in fact do exist when the individual attempts to retrace their travels in the physical self.

People often report having these experiences after suffering from traumatic experiences such as motor vehicle accidents. People can often remember the accident as if they were observing from a location outside of the vehicle.

Research suggests that O.B.E’s can be self-induced; again this is not a proven concept but has been documented. The act requires the individual to visualise jumping out of ones physical body while remaining extremely relaxed.

It is said that once the consciousness has escaped the physical confines the human body, a silver chord connects the out of body consciousness to the physical.

The following general observations can be made based on a collection[2] of 66 case studies of firsthand accounts of "spontaneous" OBEs (those not part of a planned program to induce the experience).

Duration

In some cases, the subjects either willed themselves out of their bodies or found themselves being pulled from their bodies (these were usually preceded by the feeling of paralysis). In other cases, the feeling of being outside the body was something suddenly realized after the fact; the subjects saw their bodies almost by accident.

Subjects claim they can (at will or otherwise) see a silver cord linking their astral form to their physical body. This cord mainly appears to a beginning traveler as assurance they will not become lost. However, even experienced travelers find it useful, claiming it is a fast way to return to the body.

The OBE is not generally long; on the order of a minute or so. Those who experience an OBE may note that the subjective experience is much longer than the objective time passing.

Aftermath

The OBE may or may not be followed by other experiences which are self-reported as being "as real" as the OBE feeling; alternatively, the subject may fade into a state self-reported as dreaming, or they may wake completely. The OBE is sometimes ended due to a fearful feeling of getting "too far away" from the body. Many end with a feeling of suddenly "popping" or "snapping" back into their bodies.

"I was lying in bed and I felt myself rising. This freaked me out, so I slammed back into my body."

"As soon as I noticed myself still lying on the couch I was instantly shot back in my body."

"I reached the floor and touched my bed in a sitting position. I whooshed back into my body."

"I realized that I was floating and became very frightened. In that instant of revelation I felt a sense of great speed and an impact as though I had smashed into a brick wall. I ‘woke up’ crumpled up at the bottom of my bed in the hotel."

"I was pulled violently back into my body and I jerked."

"I can remember walking home from junior school with my friend, and then, I saw myself in the distance walking and talking to her."

"The next thing I knew, I looked straight out in the woods, and I had an OBE. I saw the lights from the back porch, I was about 100–150 feet away from the house looking at me and my friend."

"The doctors did not use any anesthetic at the time because I was too young [two years old]. When they cut me open, I felt severe and intense pain and I left my body because it was too much for me to bear."

Some subjects experience spiritual epiphanies; others experience a general feeling of peacefulness and love; still others experience fearfulness and anxiety. Finally, some experience only the OBE itself, with no direct spiritual experience.

A majority describe the end of the experience as "then I woke up". It's worth noting that even (perhaps especially) those who describe the experience as something fantastic that occurs during sleep, and who describe the end of the experience by saying "and then I woke up", are very specific in describing the experience as one which was clearly not a dream; many described their sense of feeling more awake than they felt when they were normally awake. One compared the experience to that of lucid dreaming, but said that it was "more real".

Initiated during/after sleep

OBEs are often initiated through lucid dreaming, where one is aware they are dreaming, though other types of initiation are discussed later. The majority of subjects (55+ of the 66 cases), who claim to have had an OBE, reported being asleep, on the verge of sleep, or having been asleep shortly before the experience. A large percentage of these cases referred to situations where the sleep was not particularly deep (due to illness, noises in other rooms, emotional stress, exhaustion from overworking, frequent re-awakening, etc.). In most of these cases, the subjects then felt themselves "wake up"; about half then noted a feeling of physical paralysis. These may be examples of sleep paralysis.

There appear to be two common forms of such lucid experiences. The first involves lucid dreaming, where the subject is immersed in unrealistic worlds, or in a modified form of the reality with impossible or inconsistent features. A second experience is of a more physical nature where the environment is consistent with reality; this is often called an etheric or ethereal experience. This type can be frightening, as extremely realistic physical sensations may occur, often including magnetic and vibrating phenomena, loss of balance, and confusion. The person believes he has awoken physically and panic can be caused by the realization that limbs appear to be penetrating objects. Transition can occur between these states one or several times; this transition may feel much like awakening, including the sensation of numbness often felt on awakening.

Case study quotes

"I soon realized that I was capable of moving only my eyes. Neither my head nor fingers would budge. I remember desperately trying to move even a toe to no avail."

"Suddenly I could no longer move or even lift a finger. As I was struggling to move, there was a sudden jerk and I was pushed out of my body and was floating upwards."

"I had gone to bed, woke up suddenly and found that although I was fully conscious I couldn't move a muscle."

"I lay paralyzed, unable to move or blink."

"Then my mom woke me for school and I felt sensation slowly return to my limbs (before that I couldn't move anything)."

"I died in the dream, then I woke up and I couldn't move a single muscle for some seconds, and my body was in full numbness."

"The world ended in a dream, I woke up, eyes open and hearing static, only able to move a finger and nothing else."

"At one point in my life, I was exploring the idea of suicide. Because of an OBE, which not only took me out of my body, but out of the room, and the physical plane, and took me to a place where all the answers are; A place in which one can understand everything about everything. (Eventhough one cant explain it with words, this experience changes you). And it did me, helping me realize that life is so beautiful and perfect, that choosing to not be in it disrupts the balance of things (The Machine)."

Near-death experiences

Main Article: Near-death experience
Another form of a spontaneous OBE occurs during a near death experience (or NDE). The phenomenology of an NDE usually includes physiological, psychological and transcendental factors (Parnia, Waller, Yeates & Fenwick, 2001) such as subjective impressions of being outside the physical body (an out-of-body experience), visions of deceased relatives and religious figures, transcendence of ego and spatiotemporal boundaries and other transcendental experiences (Lukoff, Lu & Turner, 1998; Greyson, 2003). Typically the experience follows a distinct progression, starting with the sensation of floating above one's body and seeing the surrounding area, followed by the sensation of passing through a tunnel, meeting deceased relatives, and concluding with encountering a being of light (Morse, Conner & Tyler, 1985).

Non-spontaneous (or induced) OBEs

Although the above experiences were "spontaneous", some people have attempted to develop techniques to "induce" an OBE. Methods vary. See below:

Attempting to fall asleep without losing consciousness. This method is generally believed to be what causes involuntary OBEs. Some who use it consider dreams to be a form of OBE in which the conscious mind is suppressed; alternatively, others believe that an OBE is a form of dream in which the conscious mind is not suppressed. A known related technique is for the subject to remind himself of his current position in time and space with daily conscious effort, every now and then. This can then occur during sleep and cause the subject to "awaken" in lucid states required to cause the experience. See lucid dreaming.

Deep trance and visualization. The types of visualizations vary; some common imageries used include climbing a rope to "pull out" of one's body, floating out of one's body, getting shot out of a cannon, and other similar approaches. This technique is considered hard to use for people who cannot properly relax. Common sensations can arise such as deep vibrations, impressions of very high heart rate (when it actually is in a relaxed state) and these sensations are likely to cause anxieties. An good example of such a technique consists of the popular "Golden Dawn Body of Light Technique".^{[citation needed]}

Audio/visual stimulation intended to bring the subject into the appropriate state. An example of this consists of binaural sound technology, in which a constant sound frequency is played in each ear individually, to cause the brain to naturally respond to the rhythm caused by the slight frequency difference between the two. The theta (4Hz) brain wave frequency was observed as effective by the Monroe institute (and corroborated by others). Another popular technology uses sinusoidal wave pulses to achieve similar results. The beta/theta simultaneous brainwave patterns (12Hz/4Hz) were also observed as effective, apparently easing the lighter sleep condition. The theta frequency is observed monitoring brains of dreaming patients, notably in REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, while the beta frequency range is that of normal, relaxed awakened individuals. It is believed that one of the unsuspected powers of the drumming of the American natives during religious ceremonies caused the brain to swift among frequencies to become more receptive to the "other worlds" using similar means.

Chemically induced experiences. OBEs induced with drugs are generally considered to be hallucinations (i.e., purely subjective), even by those who believe the phenomenon to be objective in general. There are several types of drugs that can initiate an OBE, primarily the dissociative hallucinogens such as ketamine, DXM and PCP. Being under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs are commonly referred to as being in a psychedelic state.

Methamphetamine has also been known to cause OBEs, not in itself but through lack of sleep. It has been reported that it felt like the person was talking above and behind them and, being under the influence of the drug, had no idea what was happening.

Electrical stimulation of the brain (See below).

Sensory deprivation or sensory overload. Various techniques aim to cause intense disorientation of the subject by making him lose his space and time references. The first technique, attempting to fall asleep without losing consciousness, can be considered to be a passive form of sensory deprivation. The brain tends to fill in the gaps when there is nothing getting into the senses for some time. Sensory overload consists of the opposite, where the subject can for instance be rocked for a long time in a specially designed cradle, or submit to light forms of torture, to cause the brain to shut itself off from all sensory input. Both conditions tend to cause confusion and this disorientation often permits the subject to experience vivid, ethereal out of body experiences. This tends to happen when the subject believes he or she is in a particular position, whereas his or her actual body is either rocking in a cradle actively, or still lying down. Consciousness suddenly transfers to the mental body.

External verification of OBEs

Only 2 of the 66 spontaneous cases (from the previously mentioned study) involved attempts to verify the experience as being "really" out-of-body by checking the positions of people or objects in another room. The basis for the subject's belief that the experiences was real was not primarily the external evidence. Very few of the 66 cases considered it needful to verify for themselves they were physically out-of-body by checking on events at other locations. This type of verification was not what caused them to believe the experience was "real" in the first place. Instead, it was the quality of the experience that drove their perception of its reality, and made it different from a dreaming or illusory experience.

"I can say one thing I remember vividly, I felt no different than in body form. This is what was so unbelievable."

"I could see the details in my room and the ceiling from up close exactly as if I was seeing it in real life."

"The room was bright and I was looking at a dress that was hung on my bedroom wall. My gaze was fixed on this dress taking in all its details. I knew it was not possible to see this dress from the position I was laid in bed, this frightened me again."

"I knew I was asleep on the living room floor when I was floating on the ceiling because, I was in shock in the 'dream' how I could feel my breast dangle downward. I was completely aware."

Other observations of OBEs

Not every OBE has exactly the same aspects, but although there are several different types of OBEs with different causes and meanings, there are some common elements:

These people claim they are not "faking" their experiences.

They were not, in general, "trying" to have the experience through auto-suggestion, hypnotic trance, etc. Many seemed frightened and/or confused by the experience; some even to the point of doubting their sanity.

A belief that they were physically "out of body" is a key feature of the experience. Even though other features of their experience might be self-described as dreamlike, the OBE part was experienced "lucidly", and was very real to the subjects. Several described their subjective state as "very awake", "more awake than usual", etc. Some quotes:

"I knew that these were not dreams, I can now tell the difference and that's what frightened me [sic], a dream you can ignore but not an experience like these [sic] it made me want to try and find out why are [sic] these things happening to me."

"Consciousness was as clear and lucid as any wakening experience."

"I was very alert. It was exactly as if I was awake."

The quality of the experiences which were strictly part of the OBE had no direct bearing on the remainder of the experience. For example, some describe vivid spiritual experiences following the OBE, which continue to influence their lives. On the other hand, others describe a kind of fading into what are self-reported as dreams of no consequence. Conversely, many people report spiritual experiences during sleep or otherwise which are not preceded by an OBE.

Possible explanations

Opinions regarding the objective reality of OBEs are varied. An appreciable number of people believe the phenomenon is exactly what it feels like, and involves the soul or subtle body leaving the body and exploring.

Many OBE accounts are positive that the usual explanation, that the experience is illusory or purely subjective, is insufficient and often cite the experience as having a spiritual effect. See examples:

"If it was [a dream], why am I still so affected by it?"

"I just don't understand this – how can this happen?"

"I realized at that instant my body was just a vehicle, a work horse, so to speak."

"The experience changed my life, and was profound."

"It has made me want to explore and learn as much as I can."

"This experience is as vivid to me today, as it was the night it actually happened. I will always remember it."

Despite claims of some "projectors" who aver that they can initiate the experience at will, there is to date no reliable evidence that any imagery or information acquired during the experience could not have come from normal sources (see near-death experience for some inconclusive attempts to test this skeptical hypothesis).

Skepticism

English psychologist Susan Blackmore [3], suggests that an OBE begins when a person loses contact with sensory input from the body while remaining conscious. The person retains the illusion of having a body, but that perception is no longer derived from the senses. The perceived world resembles the world he or she generally inhabits while awake, but this perception does not come from the senses either. The vivid body and world is made by our brain's ability to create fully convincing realms, even in the absence of sensory information. This process is witnessed by each of us every night in our dreams. Technically all dreams could be called OBEs in that in them we experience events and places quite apart from the location and activity of our normally perceived body and world.[4]

Other types of projection

Astral projection

Astral projection is an interpretation of forced out-of-body experiences achieved consciously, via visualisation techniques, lucid dreaming or deep meditation. Proponents of astral projection maintain that their consciousness or soul has transferred into an astral body (or "double"), which moves free of the physical body in a parallel world known as the "astral plane," which is said to exist via the "collective unconscious". Unlike the typical OBE, astral projection does not typically posit that one's consciousness or soul actually travels through the day-to-day physical realm.

Virtual reality projection

Part astral and part real time (as mentioned above), called Virtual Reality Projection by most, is when a projector moves on the physical plane, yet interacts with the astral plane at the same time. An example of this is if one walks into a "real" poster or picture, they are transported to a perfect reconstruction of this place/world by concentrated experiences and thoughts of every beholder of the concept of the picture. This is part of the reason many try to project, but admittedly only a speck in the (literally) infinite possibilities. This concept is associated with the occult and the New Age movement, and is not accepted by the majority of the scientific community.

Remote viewing

In some instances, astral projectors have described details of the outside world whilst in projection that they could not have known beforehand. This has been studied extensively and is known as remote viewing. In remote viewing, however, the viewer does not leave his or her body, but "sees" remote sites by other means.

In some instances, such as patients during surgery, people describe OBEs in which they see something they could not possibly have seen while under anesthesia (for instance, one woman accurately described a surgical instrument she had not seen previously, as well as conversation that occurred while she was clinically dead). [5]

References

External links

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 *[http://www.monroeinstitute.org/ The Monroe Institute]
 *[http://www.astralpulse.com The Astral Pulse]
+*[http://www.astraltraveler.com Astral Traveler]
 *[http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/hemisync/ Hemi-sync Yahoo group]