Out of Body experience?

[Spirits Reborn]

Out of body experience: A sensation or experience in which ones self or spirit travels to a different location than their physical body (See Astral Projection).

I used to not believe, until I experienced it a couple weeks back. I"m not 100% sure that it is exactly that, but the shoe seems to fit. Been trying to experience it again after that, with little success. Though, I seem to get alot of lucid dreams instead of OBE, so its a start (maybe..who knows).



So, the question for you guys is. Do you believe in OBE? (explain why or why not) Have you experienced it? (if so what was it like?)

[Ivelliis]

I used to talk to a few people who swore blind they did it, been to Japan and whatnot. Apparently the trick is to try to sleep with your arm up at the elbow, and when your arm falls that's the point where astral projection can kick in. Never tried it myself, nor has it ever happened, however I have started having dreams where I'm convinced they are real, and starting to remember them more and more.

[VulcanRider]

I've never experienced it, and have doubts that it really exists. I'm not going to say it definitely does not exist because I think there's a lot going on inside the brain that we don't understand. The OBE experiences I've read about deal with people who "died" on an operating table and later described events in the operating room, usually from the perspective of floating above the table. But how do they rule out the possibility that even though the heart stops, the ears & brain are still receiving, storing, & processing sound?

Care to describe your experience, if it's not too personal?

[Stratos]

I haven't had any out of body experiences yet, but I occasionally have what I believe is this (the ISP kind):

Sleep paralysis Sleep paralysis is a common condition characterized by transient partial or total paralysis of skeletal muscles and areflexia that occurs upon awakening from sleep or less often while falling asleep. Stimuli such as touch or sound may terminate the episode, which usually has a duration of seconds to minutes. This condition may occur in normal subjects or be associated with narcolepsy, cataplexy, and hypnagogic hallucinations. The pathophysiology of this condition is closely related to the normal hypotonia that occur during REM sleep. When considered to be a disease, isolated sleep paralysis is classified as MeSH D020188. Physiologically, it is closely related to the paralysis that occurs as a natural part of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, which is known as REM atonia. Sleep paralysis occurs when the brain awakes from a REM state, but the body paralysis persists. This leaves the person fully conscious, but unable to move. In addition, the state may be accompanied by terrifying hallucinations (hypnopompic or hypnagogic) and an acute sense of danger . Sleep paralysis is particularly frightening to the individual due to the vividness of such hallucinations. The hallucinatory element to sleep paralysis makes it even more likely that someone will interpret the experience as a dream, since completely fanciful, or dream-like, objects may appear in the room alongside one's normal vision. Some scientists have proposed this condition as an explanation for alien abductions and ghostly encounters. A study by Susan Blackmore and Marcus Cox of the University of the West of England suggested that alien abductions are related to sleep paralysis rather than to temporal lobe lability. The paralysis can last from several seconds to several minutes "after which the individual may experience panic symptoms and the realization that the distorted perceptions were false" . When there is an absence of narcolepsy, sleep paralysis is referred to as isolated sleep paralysis (ISP) . "ISP appears to be far more common and recurrent among African Americans than among White Americans or Nigerian Blacks", and is often referred to within African American communities as "the witch riding your back" [removed some footnotes].

Source: Wikipedia

[Beaumanoir]

I've experienced it. Yet it doesn't exist. Astral projection, like every other paranormal phenomenon (bar the existence of aliens), in my opinion, is a load of hokum that people make up to make life seem less innane and to get them through.

When I say I've experienced it, I have, but it was no more than a hallucination/personal experience. There was nothing 'out of body' actually there.

[Firestormalpha]

Originally Posted by VulcanRider But how do they rule out the possibility that even though the heart stops, the ears & brain are still receiving, storing, & processing sound?

I'm fairly certain, though not 100%, that to be clinically dead, all brain functions cease. I'm also willing to bet that if your involuntary brain signals aren't firing off (breathing, heart beating, etc), chances are the higher functions in line with thought processing, memory, visual reception are not working either. I could be wrong, I'm not a doctor, but that's what I'm thinking is likely.

Add: here's the wiki article on clinical death, if your interested - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinically_dead

And here's one on OBE's : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out_of_Body_Experience

If you're interested, take a look; if your not, don't.

[Dragonshadow]

Never had one, and not entirely convinced they exist, or at least, exist in the way that people think they do.

[VulcanRider]

FSA, the article you quoted on clinical death starts with "Clinical death is the popular term for cessation of blood circulation and breathing.[1] It occurs when the heart stops beating in a regular rhythm, a condition called cardiac arrest." So the brain could still be functioning in someone declared dead.

Another line that caught my eye was "At the onset of clinical death, consciousness is lost within several seconds. Measurable brain activity stops within 20 to 40 seconds." The key being measureable. LIke I said earlier, I think there's a lot going on in the brain we still don't understand. Morticians will tell you bodies will have spasms hours after death, meaning there are still electrical impulses in the nervous system. Who knows how long the brain could continue processing them?

AFA a living person able to voluntarily control an OBE, I'd love to meet someone who could describe how they do it.

[Variol (Farseer) Elmwood]

I certainly think it's one of the worlds little mysteries. I can not recall experiencing it.

I believe that John, the author of Revelation, was in a similar state.
Revelation 1:10
"On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit..."

[Firestormalpha]

But the question is, would brain activity that is below measurable levels yield lucid "memory" of what was happening while they were clinically dead? It would be interesting to have a mortician hook up the dead person and check for brain activity while the involuntary spasms occurr. If the test shows nothing, then you may have a point VulcanRider.