Out-of-body Research Articles

A Virtual Out-of-Body Experience Reduces Fear of Death.

Immersive virtual reality can be used to visually substitute a person’s real body by a life-sized virtual body (VB) that is seen from first person perspective. Using real-time motion capture the VB can be programmed to move synchronously with the real body (visuomotor synchrony), and also virtual objects seen to strike the VB can be felt through corresponding vibrotactile stimulation on the actual body (visuotactile synchrony). This setup typically gives rise to a strong perceptual illusion of ownership over the VB. When the viewpoint is lifted up and out of the VB so that it is seen below this may result in an out-of-body experience (OBE). In a two-factor between-groups experiment with 16 female participants per group we tested how fear of death might be influenced by two different methods for producing an OBE. In an initial embodiment phase where both groups experienced the same multisensory stimuli there was a strong feeling of body ownership. Then the viewpoint was lifted up and behind the VB. In the experimental group once the viewpoint was out of the VB there was no further connection with it (no visuomotor or visuotactile synchrony). In a control condition, although the viewpoint was in the identical place as in the experimental group, visuomotor and visuotactile synchrony continued. While both groups reported high scores on a question about their OBE illusion, the experimental group had a greater feeling of disownership towards the VB below compared to the control group, in line with previous findings. Fear of death in the experimental group was found to be lower than in the control group. This is in line with previous reports that naturally occurring OBEs are often associated with enhanced belief in life after death.

Predisposition to out-of-body experience (OBE) is associated with aberrations in multisensory integration: Psychophysiological support from a "rubber hand illusion" study.

It has been argued that disorders in body-ownership and aberrant experiences in self-consciousness are due to biases in multisensory integration. Here we examine whether such biases are also associated with spontaneous out-of-body experiences (OBEs) in a nonclinical population. One-hundred and 80 participants took part in a rubber hand illusion (RHI) experiment with synchronous and asynchronous visual and tactile stimulation. A realistic threat was delivered to the rubber hand after a fixed period of stimulation. Self-report exit questionnaires measured the subjective strength of the illusion and psychophysiological measures (skin conductance responses/finger temperature) provided an objective index of fear/anxiety toward the threat. Control participants reported a stronger RHI, and revealed larger threat-related skin conductance responses during synchronous compared with asynchronous brushing. For participants predisposed to OBEs, the magnitude of the skin conductance was not influenced by brushing synchrony-fear responses were just as strong in the asynchronous condition as they were in the synchronous condition. There were also no reliable effects of finger temperature for either group. Collectively, these findings are taken as support for the presence of particular biases in multisensory integration (perhaps via predictive coding mechanisms) in which imprecise top-down tuning occurs resulting in aberrant experiences in self-consciousness even in nonclinical hallucinators. (PsycINFO Database Record

Dreaming the Bear by Mimi Thebo

Reviewed by: Dreaming the Bear by Mimi Thebo Kate Quealy-Gainer Thebo, Mimi Dreaming the Bear. Lamb, 2017 [176p] Library ed. ISBN 978-0-399-55751-4 $20.99 Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-399-55750-7 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-399-55752-1 $10.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 5-8 The move from England to Yellowstone National Park has not been easy on Darcy: in the first few weeks she came down with severe pneumonia, and her relationship with her naturalist father—whose job brought the family to the States—has become strained. She’s past the worst of her illness now, so the doctor insists she strengthen her lungs by spending time outside in the frigid mountain air, which displeases Darcy. Out of spite she forces herself up a hill and to exhaustion; she is only saved by finding shelter in a cave and warmth against a sleeping mother grizzly bear. She develops a special kinship with the animal, not just by bringing her food [End Page 336] but also through out of body experiences that take her to the bear. The book has a subtly eerie tone, threaded with pain and longing as the story shifts among Darcy’s real-world narration, her dreamlike experiences, and then omniscient third-person narration focusing on the bear. Darcy’s voice is full of self-doubt, and her sudden and deep connection to the bear makes sense for a girl who feels adrift and helpless. The sections centering on the bear reveal a similar sense of despair as the animal has lost her cubs to hunters and is fatally wounded. The real world comes crashing in when Darcy’s father discovers she has habituated a bear to human contact and placed everyone in danger, and Darcy is forced to put the suffering bear out of its misery. No fluffy animal tale, this is a haunting exploration of pain, both physical and emotional, and the clash of the spiritual and the real. Copyright © 2017 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Expériences « hors du corps » : un voyage « en esprit » à la rencontre d’un autre de soi

Out-of-Body Experiences. A Soul’s Journey to Meet Another Self. In this paper, I would like to write an anthropology of altered states of consciousness, namely to question of the dynamic and content – which makes subjectivity – of such experiences. To do this, I review narratives and perceptions of the body during spiritual experiences (ritual or spontaneous) such as : 1. possession and psychedelic trips, at Peru, Cusco region (in urban areas) and among Awajun, a Jivaro linguistic family ; 2. Out-ofbody experiences from “ modernity” European. These experiences are characterized by the lucid feeling to see in a distance vision their body and its surroundings, which range from what I call another self or a subjectivity which feels itself as such. There is not denial and derealization, but recognition of the body, unlike psychopathological experiences in which the absence creates delusions. As consequence, the experiences are conceived as true by people. Furthermore, they allow a relationship characterized by a verbal exchange -possession or spiritual encounter – and the acquisition of knowledge that can be used for therapeutic purposes or witchcraft, divination and initiation.

OUT-OF-BODY EXPERIENCE, PURE BEING AND METAPHYSICS

Purpose. The author will show that metaphysical concepts and the concepts of empirical sciences derive from experience. The only difference is that metaphysical concepts derive from unusual experience, i.e. out-of-body experience, while empirical sciences – from usual one. The example set metaphysical concept of pure being. Methodology. In order to obtain this goal the author uses two methods. The first one is comparative method. With the help of this method the stories of men who experienced clinical death and returned to life are compared with the famous philosophers’ metaphysical statements (Plato, Descartes, and Bonaventura). The second one is transpersonal method. It helps to study the peculiarities of the extraordinary experience in the state of clinical death or mystical ecstasy. Such experience lies in experience of transcendence, pure being as light, ultimate awareness of truth, which are identical to the metaphysical statements of philosophers and mystics. These ultimate experiences belong to different people, who lived and grown in different cultures, but nevertheless metaphysical statements of philosophers or mystics and statements of the ordinary people who experienced clinical death are the same. Therefore we can say that out-of-body experience is transpersonal. Originality. Metaphysics is neither speculative nor withdrawn from experience of a human being sphere. It arises from out-of-body experience while empirical sciences – from usual experience. Therefore, metaphysical concepts, in particular, pure being, are empirical, because they are based also on (extraordinary) experience. In general, metaphysics becomes possible on the basis of out-of-body experience. Conclusions. In this article the author argues that the concepts of metaphysics are not a priori because they originate from out-of-body experience that is from the experience of the distinction between body and soul or body and mind. As a result of such experience appear, for instance, Plato’s metaphysics, Descartes’ metaphysics, and the Christian mysticism of Bonaventure, which theoretical constructs are deriving from experience of pure being (light). In this context metaphysics is seen as the path of gradual separation of a human being from his or her physical body, i.e. “the art of dying” (Plato). Therefore, the author proves that there are no a priori concepts. All concepts are aposteriori, in empirical sciences and in metaphysics as well. We simply talk about two different experiences: usual and unusual experience. The author also argues that there is direct connection between out of body experience and metaphysics, mystics. In the case of out-of-body experience, the temporary death of a human being is the cause of his/her change in perception of himself/herself and the world; it is the cause of metaphysical knowledge.

Design and application of 2D illusory vibrotactile feedback for hand-held tablets

In this study, we investigate whether the “out of body” vibrotactile illusion known as funneling could be applied to enrich and thereby improve the interaction performance on a tablet-sized media device. First, a series of pilot tests was taken to determine the appropriate operational conditions and parameters (such as the tablet size, holding position, minimal required vibration amplitude, and the effect of matching visual feedback) for a two-dimensional (2D) illusory tactile rendering method. Two main experiments were then conducted to validate the basic applicability and effectiveness of the rendering method, and to further demonstrate how the illusory tactile feedback could be deployed in an interactive application and actually improve user performance. Our results showed that for a tablet-sized device (e.g., iPadmini and iPad), illusory perception was possible (localization performance of up to 85%) using a rectilinear grid with a resolution of 5 \(\times \) 7 (grid size: 2.5 cm) with matching visual feedback. Furthermore, the illusory feedback was found to be a significant factor in improving the user performance in a 2D object search/attention task.

Clinical aspects of Out-of-Body Experiences: Trauma, reflexivity and symbolisation

AimEncounters in clinical setting with exceptional or anomalous experiences offer the possibility of discovering new “clinical objects” that question and extend our theoretical clinical models. From this point of view, we propose in this paper to study Out-of-Body Experiences (OBEs) in order to understand their potential implications for our representation of the psyche and its functioning. MethodThe clinical material was derived from interviews with sixteen patients who described their OBEs. Specific phenomenological techniques were used in order to improve the description of these experiences. Interviews also focused on the broader psychic reality of the subject from a psychodynamic point of view. The aim was to gain better understanding of the subjective inscription of the OBE, from the point of view of both the context of its emergence and its subsequent consequences. ResultsOBEs usually occur in altered states of consciousness or during traumatic events. At such times, the process leading to the sensory integration and the “embodiment” of the self seems to “disintegrate” following a specific phenomenological pattern. The psychic economy of the subject will have an influence on the way in which the subject finds himself in a transitory “disembodied” state. DiscussionThree main lines of thinking are developed in order to shed light on the subjective inscription of this experience. The first concerns the relationship between trauma, cleavage and OBEs. These experiences then appear as a way to set a distance from a traumatic event in order to protect the subjectivity. OBEs also question the “hallucinatory matrix” underpinning psychic functioning, and, more generally, how the body “hosts” the psyche. Finally, the symbolization processes associated with these experiences are studied from the point of view of their aftermath effects. OBEs are then understood as a form of self-representation, which figures the process of symbolization in its encounter with an externalized “double”. ConclusionOBEs correspond to a specific phenomenology that can be linked to various mental functions. Their position on the fringes of subjectivity improves our understanding of the process of “embodiment”. When an experience of this type emerges in clinical settings, the clinician's attitude and his or her ability to tolerate the particular features of the patient's narrative can improve symbolization processes.

The second me: Seeing the real body during humanoid robot embodiment produces an illusion of bi-location.

Whole-body embodiment studies have shown that synchronized multi-sensory cues can trick a healthy human mind to perceive self-location outside the bodily borders, producing an illusion that resembles an out-of-body experience (OBE). But can a healthy mind also perceive the sense of self in more than one body at the same time? To answer this question, we created a novel artificial reduplication of one's body using a humanoid robot embodiment system. We first enabled individuals to embody the humanoid robot by providing them with audio-visual feedback and control of the robot head movements and walk, and then explored the self-location and self-identification perceived by them when they observed themselves through the embodied robot. Our results reveal that, when individuals are exposed to the humanoid body reduplication, they experience an illusion that strongly resembles heautoscopy, suggesting that a healthy human mind is able to bi-locate in two different bodies simultaneously.

Out-of-Body Experience Induced by Hypnotic Suggestions: An Exploratory Neurophenomenological Study

The main objective of this study was to compare the neurophenomenology of the Out-of-Body-Experience (OBE) state induced by hypnotic suggestion on a group of five selected participants with other states of consciousness, specifically the state of imagined OBE and hypnosis. From a phenomenological point of view, a comparison of the OBE state with that of deep hypnosis, measured by using the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory, gave higher scores of Self-Awareness, Memory, Rationality, Voluntary Control and Imagery for the OBE.From a neurophysiological perspective, the major difference – with respect to all other control conditions – was an increase in the power spectrum density and a decrease of coherence of the delta band when participants were required to answer questions posed by the hypnotist during their OBE state, suggesting that this could be the neurophysiological marker of this special state of consciousness.

A Prospectively Studied Near-Death Experience with Corroborated Out-of-Body Perceptions and Unexplained Healing

There are reports of veridical out-of-body experiences (OBEs) and healing occurring during near-death experiences (NDEs). We report a case in which there was strong evidence for both healing and a veridical OBE. The patient's experience was thought to have occurred while he was unconscious in an intensive therapy unit (ITU). The patient's account of an OBE contained many veridical elements that were corroborated by the medical team attending his medical emergency. He had suffered from a claw hand and hemiplegic gait since birth. After the experience he was able to open his hand and his gait showed a marked improvement.

Near-Death Experiences and Dissociation: Two Cases

article presenting two cases of near-death experiences (NDEs) that support the supposition that NDEs and out-of-body experiences (OBEs) may be a dissociative process.

The Phenomenology of the Self-Conscious Mind

Article exploring the phenomenon of a near-death experiencer's veridical perceptions during the out-of-body experience (OBE), which strongly suggests the existence of a self-conscious mind as a "field of consciousness," a region of space where a person's consciousness exists.

Downward and Parallel Perspectives in an Experimental Study of Out-of-Body Experiences.

Out-of-body experiences (OBEs) have been reported in patients with neurological or psychiatric disorders. According to these reports, the patients looked down on their body from overhead. Based on this phenomenon, we adopted a downward perspective in an experimentally induced OBE paradigm and compared responses to an OBE questionnaire (sensations of OBE) with self-location mapping (feelings of body drift). The results revealed a correlation between the sensation of an OBE and self-location under the downward-perspective condition but not under the parallel-perspective condition; however, no significant difference was observed between the two conditions. Thus, the effect of perspective on OBE illusion that has been reported in clinical research of OBE did not affect the results obtained in previous studies inducing OBE.

B'Near-Death and Out-of-Body Experiences in the Blind: A Study of Apparent Eyeless Vision'

Article reporting the results of an investigation into near-death and out-of-body experiences in 31 blind respondents. The study sought to address three main questions: (1) whether blind individuals have near-death experiences (NDEs) and, if so, whether they are the same as or different from those of sighted persons; (2) whether blind persons ever claim to see during NDEs and out-of-body experiences (OBEs); and (3) if such claims are made, whether they can ever be corroborated by reference to independent evidence.

B'Out-of-Body Experiences: All in the Brain?'

Article presenting arguments supporting the conclusion that the subtitle claims of an article published in "Nature" were not well-founded and that much research remains to be conducted to unravel the mystery of out-of-body experiences.

B'Further Evidence For Veridical Perception During Near-Death Experiences'

Abstract: We briefly survey research designed to validate alleged out-of-body perceptions during near-death experiences. Most accounts of this kind that have surfaced since Michael Sabom's work are unsubstantiated self-reports or, as in claims of visual perception of blind persons, completely undocumented or fictional, but there have bee n some reports that were corroborated by witnesses. We briefly present and discuss three new cases of this kind.

Clinique des sorties hors du corps : trauma, réflexivité et symbolisation

AimClinic of exceptional or anomalous experiences offers the possibility to discover new “clinical objects” that question and extend our theoretical and clinical models. In this perspective, we propose to study in this work Out-of-Body Experiences (OBE) in order to understand their potential implications for our representation of the psyche and its functioning. MethodThe clinical material obtained comes from interviews with sixteen patients who describe their OBE. Explicitation techniques of mental functioning have been used to improve the phenomenological description of their experience. Interviews were also conducted in order to focus on the broader psychic reality of the subject. The aim was thus to better understand the inscription in the subjectivity of the OBE, both from the point of view of its context of emergence and its consequences afterwards. ResultsOBE usually occur near to sleep states or during traumatic events. The process leading to sensory integration seems then to be “disintegrated” in a specific phenomenology. It is possible to determine the main characteristics as well as the more general function of these experiences in the psychic economy of the subject. DiscussionThree main lines of thinking are developed in order to shed light on the subjective inscription of the experience. The first concerns the relationship between trauma, cleavage and Out-of-body Experience. These experiences then appear as a specific way to distance the subject from a traumatic event in order to protect the subjectivity. OBE also question the underlying “hallucinatory matrix” of psychic functioning, and, more generally, how the body “hosts” the psyche. Finally, the symbolisation processes associated with these experiences are studied from the point of view of its consequences afterwards. OBE is then understood as a form of self-representation, which figures the process of symbolization, by an original encounter with an externalized “double”. ConclusionOBE correspond to a specific phenomenology that can be linked to various mental functioning. Its position at the borders of subjectivity helps to understand the process of “incarnation”. When such an experience emerges in the clinical setting, from the clinician attitude and its ability to tolerate the peculiarities of this narrative, may arise symbolisation processes.

Hypnotically Induced Out-of-Body Experience

The possibility to induce real out-of-body experiences (OBEs) using hypnotic inductions, with the opportunity to interview participants during their experience, permits to investigate in depth the characteristics of different aspects of this particular state of consciousness from a first-person point of view. In this article, six selected participants report the description of another “body” we named “subtle body,” identified as an intermediate entity between the physical body (Pb) and their “Self” or “I-identity” that was named “psychic body,” and their relationships and characteristics. The “subtle body” was described as a sort of white silvered cloud surrounding the Pb, with a particular enlargement of its hands and feet that could move quickly like flying from one place to another even if less easily than the “psychic body,” and a vague sense of attrition was perceived when passing through walls. Similar to the “psychic body,” the “subtle” one too could move forward and backward in time even if they did not seem perceiving the sense of time. The “subtle body” was referred to be connected with the physical one by a sort of white brilliant link sometimes described like a silvered string more or less visible, whereas no visible links were identified between the “subtle body” and the “psychic” one. These reports were compared with similar descriptions deriving from the Vedanta philosophy and Theosophical tradition.

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We were on a family vacation in Northern Botswana in July 2002, at an airstrip near Chobe National park and due to fly in a small single-engined Cessna to another...

Rich Pinch: Perception of Object Movement with Tactile Illusion.

Vibrotactile feedback is an effective and economical approach for enriching interactive feedback. However, its effects are mostly limited to providing supplementary alarms or conveying the sense of simple object presence or contact. In this paper, we propose a novel tactile feedback method, called Rich Pinch, based on the "out of body" tactile illusion for selecting and manipulating a virtual object using a two-finger pinch gesture. Rich Pinch uses vibration motors attached only to the two fingertips, but can induce illusory feedback, such as tactile touch/contact and directional movement, as felt from the space between the fingers. We first experimentally verify that the "out of body" illusion technique does in fact exist when applied between the fingertips. Then, we compare three different tactile rendering functions to illustrate different resulting perceptual scales and argue to use the tangent-based interpolation in its actual application for a better user performance and experience due to its near-linear perceptual response. Finally, we assess the user experience (focusing on the perception of the object movement of the selected object) of the proposed pinch method by comparing it to the conventional contact-based method. Our results indicate that, with Rich Pinch, users were able to perceive rich dynamic feedback, and clearly preferred it over the conventional method.