Out-of-body experience recreated in lab

news.bbc.co.uk...

Experts have found a way to trigger an out-of-body experience in volunteers.

The experiments, described in the Science journal, offer a scientific explanation for a phenomenon experienced by one in 10 people.

Two teams used virtual reality goggles to con the brain into thinking the body was located elsewhere.

Very interesting indeed.

This has happened to me only once, and it was induced from sheer fear and only lasted a few seconds.

woah thats pretty crazy!

man science is starting to get real interesting.. not that it hasn't always been, but in the past 15 years it really seems like things are picking up..

i wonder what they'll come up with next

This is more like using mirrors to trick a person into confusing right from left. It is just taken to an advanced level.

Looking at this as a whole, I really don't think this is accomplishing the same thing as an OOBE or Astral Projection.

It's irresponsible media, making a headline like that and then an article full of facts, but not really connecting the premise to the facts.. I'm not an english major, but I hope you see what I mean. But how hard could it be, when odds are most people reading it have never had an OOBE.

That's just my opinion...

If Science really recreated an OOBE, the ramifications would be much greater, like proof of life after death type stuff...

Originally posted by Novise
Looking at this as a whole, I really don't think this is accomplishing the same thing as an OOBE or Astral Projection.

I agree with this statement. OBEs are like UFO sightings--once you see a structured anomalous craft for yourself, the theoretical is trumped by the experiential. Likewise, the OBE is a convincing experience that is quite dissimilar to a dream or mere visual displacement.

Does an OBE prove the consciousness actually separates from the body? In my experience, I don't think so. But the mechanism by which this occurs doesn't sound like like the experiment wherein the subject is tricked into thinking his body is visually removed from his perception. In an OBE, there is a vibrational state followed by movement outside the body, and one's entire conception of "the real world" is altered, whereas I can't envision this experiment producing the same effect.

The research is really interesting and worthwhile, but I think a useful addition to the experiments would be to include experienced astral projectors and see what comparisons they make.

[edit on 8/24/2007 by yuefo]

Originally posted by yuefo
Does an OBE prove the consciousness actually separates from the body? In my experience, I don't think so.

I've only had one out of body experience and for me atleast what I saw I shouldn't have. I got knocked out in hockey practice not sure how it happened but when I was out I remember seeing myself off the ice and I could see what everybody was doing and I was nowhere near them. They started skating around so the coaches could check on me. But there I was out of my hockey gear watching. I don't really read up on oob's so I'm not sure what other people experience.

I agree, what they have recreated is not oobe or astral projection, strictly speaking. But it comes close.

In the state of oobe, one is fully aware of him/her being deeply asleep or in bed and the points of view are sometimes from air or ceiling or some such strange. The surroundings are mostly unreal.

If one can get a similar effect by using VR goggles, it can be exploited to trigger real oobe somehow.

Originally posted by rocksolidbrain
If one can get a similar effect by using VR goggles, it can be exploited to trigger real oobe somehow.

This is a great point. In another OBE thread, I talked about how most of my OBE experiences are triggered by a certain eerie, skin crawling sensation brought on by vivid dreams or nightmares. After waking from from such a dream, I mentally intensify the eerie sensation and "bring on" the projection.

I can well imagine the weirdness of this experiment producing the same effect. If the experiment does have this effect, ironically the scientists will undoubtedly miss the boat and still assume that the visual displacement is the OBE itself, rather than a trigger for a real OBE experience.

There's a discussion on this topic on Skeptiko.com board.
There are some serious people discussing it.
See: Scientists recreate out-of-body experiences (no drugs)

I've had two of these experiences, which the only explanation would be OBE. Nice to know, as it being proven in progress, that i'm not infact crazy by society!

Found a vid:

www.youtube.com...

So its New Scientist, where is the reference?

Here is the new scientist article:
www.newscientist.com...

Smoke and mirrores eh?

I'll admit, I thought the thread title would lead to a cooler revelation about how the brain works instead of mere disorientation. I've been disoriented a few times (even on themepark rides) but don't really see how I could justify it in comparison to the out of body experiences I've read about.

I don't think the study is useless, I just think it's misnamed and should be more objective about studying the human brain than waving around, "Look! We can make OOBE's!" Everytime I walk into a Wal-Mart and look at the security monitor, I guess I'm having an out of body experience too.

[edit on 2-9-2007 by saint4God]