Out of Body Experience
What exactly is an out-of-body experience? It is something that all of us have most likely heard of, but it is something that most people don't research until they experience it for themselves. An out-of-body experience or OBE, is a phenomenon where a person sees the world from outside their physical body. It is also referred to as astral projection, or spirit walking, and is a form of autoscopy meaning "seeing self". Out-of-body experiences can be induced by several different methods including sensory deprivation, near-death experiences, certain psychedelic drugs, dehydration, and sleep disorders, and can also be deliberately induced by some.
Spontaneous out-of-body experience
A spontaneous out-of-body experience typically occurs during or close to the person falling asleep. It is sometimes reported that those that experience a spontaneous out-of-body experience, enter a "lucid dream state" before the occurrence of the out-of-body experience. It is also reported that people who have experienced an OBE claim to be either asleep or on the cusp of wakefulness and falling asleep, but typically not in a state of deep sleep. It is also thought that a person can experience an OBE through extreme physical activity like high-altitude climbing which can cause a sense of bi-location.
Near Death Experience
This is another form of a spontaneous out-of-body experience also referred to as NDE. This occurs when a person is experiencing physical trauma such as an accident or even surgery. It is reported that a person experiencing an NDE includes being outside the body and witnessing what is happening at that time, like a surgical procedure. People have also reported seeing and communicating with loved ones who have already passed on. It is also reported by those experiencing an NDE have some sort of a sense of being dead, or they will feel peaceful and even catch a glimpse into the other side, encountering "beings of light", moving through a narrow passage, or having the reluctance to return to their own body.
Induced out-of-body experience
Now the last method or cause of having an out-of-body experience is an induced OBE. An induced OBE can be caused through a few different methods including chemical, mental induction, and mechanical.
The first method that I am going to go over is chemical. Even though I am covering this method, I do not recommend this method. Chemical induction OBEs are achieved through hallucinogens, dissociatives, and psychedelics, which include psilocybin, ketamine, DMT, MDMA and LSD. The reason that I do not recommend this method is due to the fact that this method can potentially be dangerous and possibly life threatening. It is thought that this is caused by the interaction of these substances with the precuneus in the brain.
Mental Induction out of body experience
This method is actually the method used by Thomas Edison, which he used to solve problems while working on his inventions. The "Mind Awake, Body Asleep" state, or falling asleep and not losing awareness is thought to be the root of this method of OBE induction. Thomas Edison would rest a silver dollar on his head and sitting in a chair with a metal bucket. As he would start to fall asleep, the coin would fall off of his head and into the metal bucket, and the noise from this would restore some level of alertness. Salvador Dali, was reported to have also used this method to gain inspiration for his paintings, and that he would intentionally hover in a trance like state between wakefulness and sleep.
This form of OBE induction is essentially achieved through meditation and can be done by anyone with enough practice. By going deeper and deeper into relaxation it is reported that a sort of "slipping" feeling is experienced, and feels like leaving the body. Progressive muscle relaxation, sensory deprivation, deep trance, meditation and visualization are common methods of mental induction OBEs.
Mechanical Induction
The last type of OBEs that I am going to cover is Mechanical Induction OBEs. There are several ways that you can trigger an OBE this way.
-Brainwave synchronization stimulation through audio and visual methods. Binaural beats are a form of audio stimulation, which can be used to activate certain brainwave frequencies, and it is shown that binaural beats can be significantly effective when used with other techniques. Research conducted by the Monroe Institute showed that 4 Hertz frequency was shown to be effective for a "body asleep" induction. "Mind awake" beta frequencies which are 12-35 hertz is shown to be constructive.
-Direct stimulation of the vestibular cortex
-Electrical stimulation of the temporoparietal junction area of the brain.
-Induction through sensory deprivation which causes extreme disorientation by removing sources of outside stimulation. Flotation tanks are a good way to induce sensory deprivation. Flotation tanks tend to be quite expensive and most people do not have access to these. Pink noise is often used for this method.
While these are some of the methods of mechanical induction OBEs, it is not limited to these and there are a few that I have not included here.
Theories of out of body experiences
I am a person that believes in the occurrence of out of body experiences, but for the sake of research and this article, I feel that I have to cover all three sides. This article is not to say that the causes of an OBE is caused by one thing or another, paranormal or medical. My goal behind this is to educate and spread awareness about the possible causes and methods of having an out of body experience.
Psychological
In terms of cognitive science and psychology, an out of body experience can potentially be considered a dissociative experience that can potentially be caused by psychological or neurological reasons. In the terms of science, OBEs are due to an altered state of consciousness, like a dream like or mental state. It is thought by scientists that OBEs are due to the persons memory and imaginative process, and are essentially dreams.
-In 1912 James H. Hyslop theorized that the cause of an OBE, is due to the mind and how it replays certain images in the mind causing the person to think they are in a different location.
-In 1930, Eugene Osty concluded that OBEs are just products of a persons imagination.
-In 1938 G.N.M Tyrrell stated that OBEs were hallucinations that are related to subconscious levels of a persons personality.
-In 1959 Donovan Rawcliffe stated that hysteria and psychosis were the cause of OBEs.
-Psychologists Nandor Fodor, in 1959 and Jan Eherenwald in 1974 stated that an OBE is a potential defense mechanism in traumatic experiences, like the threat of death.
-It was stated by Jan Eherenwald that an OBE was an Imaginal confirmation of the quest for immortality, a delusional attempt to assure ourselves that we possess a soul that exists independently of the physical body.
Other sources between 1977 and 1985 state that OBEs can be based off of a rebirth fantasy, related to a cognitive process and somatic sensory activity, or a cognitive personality construct that is referred to as psychological absorption. It was also stated that out of body experience can also be related to lucid dreaming, or a conditions like hypnagogia or cataplexy (sleep paralysis).
Now, even though these research "findings" are outdated by as much as 112 years, a persons mental health is a very serious thing. If the cause is suspected to be stemmed from mental health reasons, it is important to seek help from a licensed medical professional.
Neurological
Now, while one of the potential causes for a person to experience a pseudo OBE is cognitive, there are also potential neurological causes that can create a person to experience a pseudo OBE as well.
-In 2003, Terence Hines stated that a spontaneous out of body experience is generated by the artificial stimulation of the brain or a temporary and minor brain malfunction, and not the person's spirit leaving the body.
-In 2005, Bunning and Blake stated that a potential cause for OBEs can be due to a "functional disintegration of lower-level multisensory processing and abnormal higher-level self-processing at the temporoparietal junction.
-In 2011, Richard Wiseman stated that research regarding OBEs have focused on finding a psychological explanation and states that OBEs are not paranormal, and do not provide evidence of the existence of a soul.
-In 2011 Research conducted by Jason Braithwaite and his colleagues stated that out of body experiences are linked to neural instabilities in the brain's temporal lobes and to errors in the body's sense of itself. In 2013 he stated that OBEs are due to a temporary disruption in multi-sensory integration processes.
-Josef Parvizi conducted research and concluded that direct electrical stimulation of the anterior portion of the Precuneus can induce an out of body experience.
Now as I have mentioned previously, I am a believer in out of body experiences, but I also believe that medical conditions can cause certain effects on the body that can cause effects that can create certain situations that can be thought to be paranormal related. That being said, I also believe that in the scientific community is one sided and do not have an open mind about other things that fall outside their general scope of belief. I also believe that this affects the world of the paranormal to an extent. But in any situation where health matters are concerned it is always important to seek help from licensed medical professionals.
Out of Body Experiences and the Paranormal
Now finally, we come to the true reason for this posting. Out of body experiences and how they relate to the world of the paranormal. Parapsychologists and writers of the occult, have stated that that Out of body experiences are not a psychological matter, but in fact a soul can detach itself from the body, allowing them to visit locations near and distant. During the Victorian period, OBEs were referred to as "travelling clairvoyance". In Indian scriptures an out of body experience is referred to as Turiva, and it is stated that that this state of consciousness can also be achieved by yogic and meditative activities. During these activities, yogis may be freed or liberated, from the duality of the mind and body, which allows them to leave the body and return to it when they wish to do so. In these scriptures the body is referred to as "Vigyan dehi" which means the scientific body.
In 1977, a patient from Harborview Medical Center in Seattle Washington known as Maria, claimed that during her stay in the hospital she had an out-of-body experience. She claimed that she was outside of her physical body, and was able to be outside the hospital. She had told her social worker Kimberly Clark, that she saw a shoe on a window ledge of a third-floor room on the north side of the building. Kimberly then went to that wing of the hospital and saw a tennis shoe upon looking out the window. She published this account in 1984 and since then this story has been used many times in references to out of body experiences.
Out of body research studies
Robert Crookall, an English geologist who found an interest in psychic research, published several collections of over three hundred out-of-body experiences, deathbed visions and near death experiences as evidence of astral projection and postmortem survival which included reports from mediums and clairvoyants. These were published in his books, the first one being "The Supreme Adventure" in 1961. Robert believed that a "vital body" leaves the body during astral projection and remained tethered by a silver cord, that upon death becomes severed. In his research he discussed non-physical bodies and the stages of reality. He identified these as the physical plane, the etheric, the physical and the spiritual body.
The first fully extensive study of out-of-body experiences occurred in 1968 by Celia Green. In this study she collected around 400 written first hand accounts. Her goal for this was to identify the classifications of the different types of OBEs, which she viewed as "anomalous perceptual experience" or hallucinations. It was left open for debate if some cases were connected to extrasensory perception.
In 1999, at the very first International Forum of Consciousness Research in Barcelona, researchers Wagner Alegretti and Nanci Trivellato conferred results of a survey conducted on out of body experiences out of 1,185 subjects, so these findings do not represent the general population.
-85% reported to having an out of body experience.
-37% reported to have had up to 10 experiences.
-5.5% reported to have more than 100
45% of participants reported that they were able to induce at least one out of body experience by using a specific technique.
62% claimed to have experienced and enjoyed nonphysical flight.
40% of participants reported to experiencing self-bilocation, the phenomenon of seeing one's own physical body while being outside of the body.
38% claimed to experience self-permeability, the phenomenon of passing through physical objects.
The most commonly reported experiences reported with having an out of body experience include falling, floating, myoclonus (the jerking of limbs or jerking awake), sinking, torpidity (numbness), intracranial sounds, tingling, clairvoyance, oscillation and serenity, temporary or projective catalepsy which is a common feature of sleep paralysis. There was a study done by Kevin Nelson in 2007 at the University of Kentucky, where it was discovered that people that have out of body experiences are more likely to experience sleep paralysis.
The Waterloo Unusual Sleep Experiences Questionnaire further illustrates the correlation.
Susan Blackmore, a British psychologist states that an OBE is thought to begin when a person loses contact with their sensory input from the body while still conscious. It is thought that the person experiencing the OBE retains the illusion of still having their body, and the world around them is the same as when they are awake, but that perception does not come from the senses.
In 2014, a study reported a case of a woman who could have an out of body experience at will. She said that he began to develop the ability as a child and it was thought that it was related to difficulty falling asleep. She reported that her out of body experiences continued into adulthood, but became less frequent. She reported that she was able to see herself floating in the air above her body, which was lying down. She also reported that she would sometimes watch herself move from above, but was still aware of her unmoving "true" body. She explained that during these moments, of seeing her own body, she never had any particular emotions regarding these moments.
Some of the most well known facilities that specialize in out of body training and induction include The Monroe Institute's Nancy Penn Center located in Faber Virginia. The Center for Higher Studies of the Consciousness in Brazil and Olaf Blanke's Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience in Switzerland, which is one of the more well known.
If you would like me to do a secondary article regarding astral projection technique, let me know in the comment section below.
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