Out of Body Experience
An out-of-body experience (OBE or sometimes OOBE), sometimes explained as a Wake-initiated lucid dream, is an experience that typically involves a sensation of floating outside of one's body and, in some cases, seeing one's physical body from a place outside one's body (autoscopy). About one in ten people claim to have had an out-of-body experience at some time in their lives.
In some cases the phenomenon appears to occur spontaneously; in others it is
associated with a near-death experience, use of psychedelic drugs, or a
dream-like state. It is possible to induce the experience deliberately, for
example through visualization while in a relaxed, meditative state. Recent
studies have shown that OBEs can be induced by direct brain stimulation.
Relatively little is known for sure about OBEs.
The subject may have willed themselves out of their bodies or found
themselves being pulled from their bodies (usually preceded by a feeling of
paralysis). In other accounts, the feeling of being outside the body was
something suddenly realized after the fact; the subjects saw their own
bodies almost by accident.
The experience may be attended with spiritual epiphany or a more general
feeling of peacefulness and love. Others have experienced fearfulness and
anxiety and for some there is no direct spiritual experience other than the
OBE itself.
The OBE is not generally long; on the order of a minute or so. However the
subjective experience may be described as being much longer than the
objective time which passed.
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" and sometimes a "pulling" back into their bodies; some even
report being "sucked back" into physical form.
A majority describe the end of the experience by saying "then I woke up".
However it's worth noting that even 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".
People often report having these experiences after suffering from traumatic
experiences such as motor vehicle accidents. They are able to recall the
accident as if observing from a location outside the vehicle.
Whether the OBE 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 physically.
Types of OBE
Initiated during/after sleep
OBEs are often initiated through Lucid dreaming, though other types of
initiation also used. In many cases, people 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 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.
Induced OBEs
Some people have attempted to develop techniques to "induce" an OBE:
Attempting to fall asleep without losing consciousness. This method is
generally believed to be what causes involuntary OBEs. Inventor Thomas
Edison was known to use the sleep state to tackle problems while working on
his inventions. He would hold a rock above a metal bucket while sitting in a
chair, and let himself fall asleep. This would cause the rocks to fall into
the bucket and wake him up. Deliberately teetering between awake and asleep
states is known to cause spontaneous trance episodes at the onset of sleep
which are ultimately helpful when attempting to induce an out-of-body
experience, as reported by Robert Monroe and Robert Peterson.
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. A good example of such a
technique consists of the popular "Golden Dawn Body of Light Technique".
Audio/visual stimulation intended to bring the subject into the appropriate
state. The use of binaural beats to induce theta brain wave frequencies 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 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 shift among frequencies to become more
receptive to the "other worlds" using similar means. See Brainwave
synchronization.
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, dextromethorphan (DM or DXM), and phencyclidine (PCP). It
has also been reported under the influence of tryptamine psychedelics
including dimethyltryptamine (DMT), and ayahuasca. Being under the influence
of hallucinogenic drugs are commonly referred to as being in a psychedelic
state.
The OBE state has been reported as induced by inhalation or ingestion of the
entheogen, salvinorin A, derived from the herb, Salvia divinorum (aka
Salvia, Diviner's Sage, Magic Mint, and Maria Pastora).
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.
Magnetic stimulation of the brain, as with the helmet developed by Michael
Persinger.
Electrical stimulation of the brain, particularly the temporoparietal
junction
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.
Some people who practice BDSM desire to be placed in extreme bondage
(mummification) because it may allow them to have an out-of-body experience.
These experiences have been reported by some people placed in extreme
bondage. It is worth noting that being placed in extreme bondage is like
being placed in a sensory deprivation tank, and that the OOBE may be induced
by the resulting sensory deprivation.
Possible explanations
Opinions regarding the objective reality of OBEs are varied. Some people
perceive outer body experiences as their physical soul or subtle body
leaving their body rather than as a purely mental experience created by the
brain.
Many OOBE experiencers are positive that the experience is not purely
subjective.
Despite claims of some "projectors" who claim 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).
In Literature
Strangely enough, the term "out of [the] body" is mentioned in 2 Cor 12:2-4
of the Bible, where it was repeated twice.
2 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I
cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)
such an one caught up to the third heaven.
3 ''And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body,
I cannot tell: God knoweth;)
4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words,
which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
A very similar reference is included in 3 Nephi 28:15 of the Book of Mormon,
where the experience is described in greater detail and is seemingly
consistent with both the biblical reference and modern claims.
15 And whether they were in the body or out of the body, they could
not tell; for it did seem unto them like a transfiguration of them, that
they were changed from this body of flesh into an immortal state, that they
could behold the things of God.
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