Scientists unlock mystery of out-of-body experiences (aka astral trips)

link



Well maybe not. But the guys conducting the study found a woman that claimed obe and put her in a MRI for testing.
And well the results are interesting.

Some people claim that they have experienced out-of-body experiences—aka "astral trips"—floating outside of their bodies and watching themselves from the outside. A team of scientists found someone who says she can do this at will and put her into a brain scanner. What they discovered was surprisingly strange.

Andra M. Smith and Claude Messierwere from the University of Ottawa described this subject's ability in their paper, published in Frontiers of Human Neuroscience:

She was able to see herself rotating in the air above her body, lying flat, and rolling along with the horizontal plane. She reported sometimes watching herself move from above but remained aware of her unmoving "real" body. The participant reported no particular emotions linked to the experience.

How the hell is this possible? Can it be real? The researchers found that something dramatic, and consistent with her account, was happening in her brain: The fMRI showed a "strong deactivation of the visual cortex" while "activating the left side of several areas associated with kinesthetic imagery," which includes mental imagery of bodily movement. This is the part of the brain that makes it possible for us to interact with the world. It's what makes you feel where your body is in relation to the world.

This is the very first time that this type of experience has been analyzed and documented scientifically. Researchers know that out-of-body experiences can be induced "by brain traumas, sensory deprivation, near-death experiences, dissociative and psychedelic drugs, dehydration, sleep, and electrical stimulation of the brain, among others. It can also be deliberately induced by some." But this may be the first documented case of someone who can get into this state at will.

I myself think that I get these sorts of episodes but I don't remember them very much so I don't know if it's a dream or real obe.

Cept for one time where I had an obe while at a friends house. I fell asleep and exited the room i was in. When i got to the living room their dog got up and started to come up to me. But the dog stopped short and sort of looked at me with a cocked head. like he recognized me but was confused. after a few seconds of this i woke up in the bed. i got up and left the bed and walked into the living room. their dog was standing where i last saw her while obe. and the dog did a double take when i appeared again.

also one time i went with an ex gf to see a "psychic" that was doing a meeting. i fell asleep in the meeting and the psychic told me i was floating around the room while I was asleep. freaky.

This is awesome! SNF!

reply to post by grey580


So her brain indicated that she was "flying blind"?

reply to post by grey580


I was told by mystics and such that OBEs are proof that we are spirits separate from our bodies. I suppose that this inference is getting less and less likely the more we look into it. We may still be spirits separate from our body, but only insofar as we do not really understand our own bodies.

I have always thought that the brain is simply an interface for our spirits to operate on the physical level. I believe our bodies are the perfect biological machine that so perfectly accepts our spirits, that the two can appear as one.

When you have a defect, such as mental retardation, etc., the interface gets broken. The spirit in that situation is fully whole and perfect, but unable to communicate through the interface provided.

I think that some people are more in tune with the fine separation between the spirit and the body – and they are the ones who develop psychic powers, which I believe are simply spiritual powers.

Maybe the scientists should have placed a card on her chest and asked her to tell them what was pictured on the card? Simple enough?

Still has yet to explain how some people having obes can interact, retain, recollect and prove that two people can share an obe.

I'd like to believe that out of body experiences at death are from the pineal gland dumping dimethlytriptaime into the brain.

conundrummer
I'd like to believe that out of body experiences at death are from the pineal gland dumping dimethlytriptaime into the brain.

My problem with this theory is that there are many people who could tell you conversations that happened in other rooms, items in those rooms, and things going on elsewhere about the world that they should have no knowledge of unless they were actually there.

Di-me-tri does not explain these types of experience in total. Also Di-Me-Tri, while providing lucidity during experiences, also causes very abstract hallucinations and experiences not often times reported with out of body experiences, or near death experiences.

Di-me-tri is not a viable answer, in my opinion.

reply to post by conundrummer


At least from my experience it's real.
maybe not useful. but real. at least for me.

reply to post by grey580


DiD anyone even check out picture F? It looks like her pineal gland is going CRAZY with activity. These experiences can be very dangerous and are very real. When you are Out of Body you are very at risk. It might not seem it but you are. We are all just hosts for our spirits. Just a Host that is all.

Its very good progress that science inspecting this and acknowledge this "miracle". If this keep going on, in future, we can expect lots of interesting things about ourself and develop machines to handles it.

This is the "enlightenment" path that those channelers talking about.
I can meet and interact with you, no matter where you are - this.

The only people who are mystified by OBEs are reduction materialists.

The whole thing is actually pretty simply understood by everyone else.

I think there is an extremely easy method for determining whether out of body experiences are all in one's mind, or whether these people are actually moving about the universe in some non-physical form. The scientists, or anyone who wanted to perform such an experiment, could ask these astral travellers to travel to a specific location, and to describe a certain event or object at that location.

If it can in fact be done, then that is pretty strong evidence for proponents of OBE's. Of course one would have to make sure that a person could not physically get into the room or location, and thus spoil the experiment by seeing whatever is in there. But walls should not stop astral travellers, who would be able to enter the room and describe a certain object or whatever.

How difficult is such an experiment? Not difficult at all I would say. So why haven't any scientists actually done it, considering how easy it would be? They are just now starting to place pictures on a high shelf in hospital rooms, in an attempt to discover whether recently deceased patients, who are brought back to life, have had an OBE and whether they can recall what was on the paper...which can only be seen from above.

My grandma always talked about how she was sitting around a table with some family members, when all of the sudden she was looking down onto the table, and could see herself and everyone else. Now physically this is impossible. One cannot actually be viewing from such an angle, at least given current scientific understanding. But I have no doubt she is telling the truth.

So how can we rectify something like this? Well, I believe it is possible that the subconscious has stored what the surrounding area looks like, and even though you could not consciously recall such details, your brain can. So it can actually trick the rest of the body into thinking it is viewing from a specific location above everyone else, when in fact it is just recalling what it already knew regarding what everything looks like from different angles and heights.

I am not saying that is definitely the solution, but it seems possible, since we know the subconscious stores all kinds of useless information, lol. Or maybe there is some non-physical, or spiritual aspect to humans, and this can be tapped knowingly or unknowingly, and allow the person to do things that they physically are not capable of doing. That is not as far-fetched as it sounds, considering we know absolutely nothing, scientifically speaking, about such things.

We have not studied them, and dismissing them without studying them in depth is a ridiculous tactic. Science takes a view that anything that is not physical, or that doesn't fit with current belief, is not worth looking in to.

I could see being able to astral travel at will being useful in Las Vegas at the poker tables...

Hm...

MentorsRiddle My problem with this theory is that there are many people who could tell you conversations that happened in other rooms, items in those rooms, and things going on elsewhere about the world that they should have no knowledge of unless they were actually there.

Do you have any sources where this OBE obtained knowledge was tested in a lab setting? Seems easy enough to do.

conundrummer

MentorsRiddle My problem with this theory is that there are many people who could tell you conversations that happened in other rooms, items in those rooms, and things going on elsewhere about the world that they should have no knowledge of unless they were actually there.

Do you have any sources where this OBE obtained knowledge was tested in a lab setting? Seems easy enough to do.

I must admit that I have a disposition of not wanting to go digup data and research that I have read. However in this particular case I will provide you with a case. You can google it if you want to, but I will not dredge through webpages to look for it.

There was woman who had a tumor at the base of her brain, no doctor would touch her. So she went to Arizona to have a procedure done by a set of doctors who would take on her case.

The woman was placed on a table, and her body temperature was dropped to near freezing levels (as this will prolong flesh from decaying). Her blood was pumped out so it would not crystalize, and was replaced by a saline solution that would not freeze.

She had her eyes taped shut, and ear buds in her ears that was emitting loud noises – this was done because she was hooked up to a brain scanner that was monitoring her for neural activity. Because if there was any at all, then she was not far enough gone to do the procedure.

Finally, when her blood was pumped out, her heart not beating, her body at freezing levels, her brain registering no activity, eyes taped shut, and ear buds in her ears tapping constantly – the procedure began.

When the woman was revived after the procedure she proceeded to tell them about an out of body experience that she had. She described to the doctors conversations they had in the operating room while she was unconscious, described the operating tools they used on her, etc.

She also described a trip to heaven during this time, in which she was forced to return to her body – as her time of death was not set for that moment.

The doctors couldn’t believe it, and called it a miracle.

She was made blind, made deaf, brain removed, no heartbeat, no blood, body freezing – yet still retained lucid activity and could see herself outside of her body.

There are plenty more experienced that are documented – but if you want to know more on this case, or others, I encourage you to discover the information that is available to anyone from a simple internet search.

I've had an oobe that this theory can not explain.

A decade ago I was really into meditation. I used to go up to the Hollywood hills and hike out onto old game trails that ran along side of the canyons there. It was quiet, nobody around and the view was amazing.

One day I was about two hours into meditation when I heard a rushing sound almost like that of those really loud industrial toilets flushing. Immediately afterwards I felt small like a sparrow flying in and around this one oak tree about 500 feet away and 300 feet below me in the canyon. This is a tree I've never actually walked up to and it was too far away to get any real detail and yet for about what elf like ten seconds I was lie a bird fluttering around the branches under the canopy of this tree. I could see its details up close as if I were standing no more than three feet away.

A suddenly as it started it stopped and I was right back where I was meditating. My immediate thought Was that I had strayed too far from my body which during the experience I was aware I was outside of.

So I decide to hike down to that tree in a part if this canyon I had never ventured before. Every single detail down to where the burs and knots in the tree were that were impossible to see from my viewing angle and distance she. I was meditating.

It was astounding and exhilarating and very pleasurful at the time. Was never able to replicate or re experience this although I would love to. Just haven't had the time to get back into serious meditation.

MystikMushroom
I could see being able to astral travel at will being useful in Las Vegas at the poker tables...

Hm...

Yes looking dead at a casino is very useful if you want to get thrown out.

I have been out of my body a few times, and most of those times could have been in my head, but a few times I experienced the real world. I wasn't very good at it and I lost control, but I was in my backyard, and I saw my dog sleeping over by the fence. I went over to him and tried to get his attention with my voice, but I didn't have vocal chords.

He somehow noticed me, but he couldn't see me, and he was a little off and where my point of focus was. He seemed to think I was further back than I was. I lost control and slowly fell back onto some monkey grass and my back actually pushed the leaves down as I "fell" floated down.. Everything had a silver glow to it, like a really bright full moon, but more like auras.

Here's the thing. My dog is NEVER outside at night. I got back to my body and decided to go check, knowing there was no way. Another failed test to see if it was real I thought. Sure enough he was right where I had just left him waiting for me. This was the first and only time he was ever outside at night.

Gotta say though it was hard getting out of my window. It was thick and weird going through the glass. I stopped leaving my body because I decided it was dangerous. I may try again someday and if I do I will set up tests and report on ATS if I pass or fail. One test I thought of is to get my girl to tape a random card from a new deck to the window. Then I would simply go out the window and look at it.

People think brains lighting up means brains are first cause. It's cute really. Like thinking a screwdriver screws in screws. Screwdrivers just sit there actually. Humans screw in screws. People get out of cars without any thought. "It must be the Engine and Steering wheel that drives the car on turns!!!" LOL. By the way your soul or whatever it is thinks faster than your brain can. It feels like pure consciousness without any sleepyness, without any brain chemicals missing or out of whack. Perfect perception. Realer than Real.

There are plenty more experienced that are documented – but if you want to know more on this case, or others, I encourage you to discover the information that is available to anyone from a simple internet search.

Is the one you're talking about possibly the Pam Reynolds Case ? It was in Atlanta not Arizona, and was an aneurism not a tumor, but the rest seems to line up. It had the temperature drop part. Seems there's some dispute over whether her NDE was actually during the part where she was technically dead- it seems she had it when she was anesthetized but definitely still alive.


A skeptic's take on the events noted this:

Despite accurately reporting the facts, Sabom himself has encouraged these misrepresentations.[18] Though he informs the reader that Pam's experience began well before standstill, he reveals this incidentally, so that a careful reading of the text is required to discern the point. For instance, just after describing Pam's recollections of an operating room conversation, he notes, almost as an afterthought, that "[h]ypothermic cardiac arrest would definitely be needed" [emphasis mine] (Sabom, "Light" 42).

(from infidels.org... )

Same source offers this explanation:

About one or two in a thousand patients undergoing general anesthesia report some form of anesthesia awareness. That represents between 20,000 and 40,000 patients a year within the United States alone. A full 48% of these patients report auditory recollections postoperatively, while only 28% report feeling pain during the experience (JCAHO 10). Moreover, "higher incidences of awareness have been reported for caesarean section (0.4%), cardiac surgery (1.5%), and surgical treatment for trauma (11-43%)" (Bünning and Blanke 343). Such instances must at least give us pause about attributing Pam's intraoperative recollections to some form of out-of-body paranormal perception. Moreover, for decades sedative anesthetics such as nitrous oxide have been known to trigger OBEs.

That site and others, in my opinion, cast reasonable doubt on some of the details of her out of body experience. Unlike, say, UFOs, it seems like you could set up an incontrovertible OBE test because all you need is a person and a target that can't normally be seen. If the phenomenon were repeatable and conclusive, I'd be more confident in believing such stories.