Out-of-body experience - what is it? Reality or myth? Is it possible to experience such sensations, and what needs to be done for this? This term refers to a certain phenomenon in neuropsychology, the essence of which is that a person feels that he is leaving his physical shell and is even able to see it from the outside. There are various factors that affect this condition: disturbances in the work of certain areas of the brain, severe stress, psychotropic substances. It is even possible to experience an out-of-body experience through meditation.
More about the essence of the phenomenon
People who have experienced the exit of the soul from the body, usually give similar characteristics to this sensation. First of all, a person feels separation from his physical body, feels “outside it”, can even see it from the side (most often from above). Also, a person in this state changes the subjective perspective of perception: it is transferred to a point outside the physical body. Despite the fact that it remains motionless, a person, as it were, hovers above it, observing everything that happens around. He canmove in space, see surrounding objects, experience emotions.
Causes and factors affecting the manifestation of the phenomenon
The situation in which this feeling is most often experienced is clinical death. Religious people call this state the exit of the soul from the body. But this is not the only situation in which this can be experienced.
Various psychotropic and psychoactive substances can also cause these feelings.
Among schizophrenic patients, people suffering from schizotopic or post-traumatic disorder can also be found experiencing the phenomenon.
Can come out of body experience and through meditation or involuntarily. For example, Robert Monroe published a book on such techniques and founded his own institute, where such conditions are actively studied and researched. There is also training in out-of-body practices and mind- altering practices.
Such experiences can also occur with a sharp change in body position in space, for example, in aircraft pilots, during a car accident (if the car overturns or a person flies out of it), during a free fall.
Some people claim that they felt separation from their physical shell, however, such a phenomenon is quite difficult to study and fix, therefore, to say whether this is really the same phenomenon with one hundred percent certaintycan't.
There is also evidence that out-of-body experiences can also be experienced in a state of deep hypnotic trance. Research on this topic was conducted by Professor Etzel Kardenya. According to his data, the subjects, while under hypnosis, felt the sensation of leaving their own body, floating freely, slowing down or stopping time.
While the mind and body are in separation, the perception of the environment usually does not change. One sees everything in the same colors, the same shapes and sizes.
Recommendations for preparing for OTP
People who consciously want to experience this should follow a few guidelines. First, you need to follow a special diet. It is recommended to eat light food, avoid foods such as meat and nuts. Before the practice itself, you should not eat at all, and you can only drink water. It is also necessary to perform certain breathing exercises. Yoga, mantras and special meditations can also help in achieving the out-of-body state.
To fix the results, you can write down each of your experiences in a diary so as not to forget any important details and track emerging patterns. It is also important to study the theory about this phenomenon: reading special literature, listening to lectures.
Steps needed to achieve OTP
- Total relaxation. It is necessary to create such conditions under which nothing - neither extraneous sounds, nor the natural needs of the body, nor physical discomfort, will distract. Clothing must bethe most comfortable. It is not recommended to set time limits.
- Meditation. Meditation on the chakras is suitable, meditation aimed at abstracting from the body, focusing on a specific thing
- Autotraining.
- Complete muscle relaxation. It begins with the relaxation of the toes and gradually spreads to the whole body. By the way, visualization of any relaxing scene can help with this.
- Trance is a state of relaxed mind and awake body. In doing so, it is important to remain fully aware of yourself.
Various techniques
After the stage of complete relaxation has come, it is necessary to come to the stage of abstraction from the physical body and the altered state of consciousness. Ways to enter this state:
- The lifting method. This technique is quite simple: you need to imagine yourself floating up, rising above your physical shell.
- Rotation method. Its essence lies in the fact that you need to try to slowly roll over, without helping yourself with your arms or legs. You need to start the movement from the head and shoulders.
- Monroe method. It consists in relaxing the body, plunging into a state of hypnosis and deepening this state, followed by the development of a vibration sensation.
- "Small System" is a method developed by Ophiel. It is necessary to develop any route and think over every detail of it. The route needs to highlight the main points. After achieving relaxation, tryimagine yourself at the first point and then move from it to others, while observing yourself.
- The "Body of Light" method - you need to imagine your double in front of you, and then transfer your consciousness into it.
Physical manifestations
- Vibration. It looks like a light electric shock. It may be intimidating at first, but this is a natural out-of-body experience.
- Sleep paralysis. At this moment, the person is not able to move even a finger, he feels as if he is very heavy.
- Auditory hallucinations. At the very beginning of the department, you can hear strange sounds. They can be in any form: voices, hissing, crackling. They should be ignored as they exist only at the subconscious level.
- Fear. It is natural to feel fear of death or injury during an out-of-body experience. However, according to research (Canterbury Institute Experiment), it is difficult to get hurt during such practices.
Research
Most of the research work is to collect and study information from those people who have experienced a similar condition. However, over time, this phenomenon has moved from mystical phenomena to neuropsychological ones. In neuropsychology, this phenomenon is associated with the way in which the idea of the physical body is formed in the human mind, how it is connected with the idea of one's own "I".
For the first time, out-of-body experience as a phenomenon of neuropsychology was identified by the surgeon Wilder Penfield, whose patient experienced this during brain surgerycondition. Then, in 2002, scientists led by Olaf Blanke achieved similar results with electrical stimulation. Moreover, they managed to localize the part of the brain where the out-of-body experience occurs. It turned out to be the right angular gyrus between the temporal and parietal regions.
In 2007, experiments were conducted on out-of-body experiences in people immersed in artificial reality. The participants of the experiment had the feeling that they were seeing themselves from the side, but at the same time people could feel touches on the body.
Historical facts about the phenomenon
- For the first time, an out-of-body experience was described in ancient Egypt. There he was called "ba".
- The great philosopher Plato also spoke about this state. He described it in his essay The Republic.
- In ancient China, experiences of such practices were described after meditation.
- Some modern shamans claim to be able to leave their physical form at will.
Theories explaining the phenomenon of out-of-body experience
There are several groups of explanations for this condition. The first group explains such phenomena by the existence of the soul, the dualism of consciousness and matter. Theories included in this group are not scientific, their experimental verification is either difficult or even impossible. They are found in religious works, esoteric writings, philosophical treatises.
The second group refers it to the phenomena of the psyche, but does not exclude that there are various paranormal phenomena. Proponents of this theory are trying to confirm the authenticityextrasensory perception during such a state, however, to date, it has not been proven.
Finally, the third group perceives the out-of-body experience as a neuropsychic phenomenon. It is studied using the methods of neuroscience. However, even the theories of this group at the moment do not explain all the features of this phenomenon. You can only study the reactions of the brain, but otherwise you have to rely on the comments of the subjects, which complicates the objective interpretation.
Experiments with the phenomenon
Out-of-body experiences are of great interest to study. Some experiments nevertheless managed to be carried out.
- In Holland, scientists were able to weigh the physical body of a person before and during the condition. The difference in weight was approximately 50 grams.
- Researcher Robert Morris and his followers have been studying this phenomenon for two years. They examined him with the help of test subject Keita Harari. For example, he could, leaving the physical body, read documents in another room, and then retell them to the researchers.
Phenomena of lucid dreaming and sleep paralysis (waking sleep)
Lucid dreaming - a state when a person realizes that he is sleeping, but can control his actions.
Regular practice, journaling and meditation are necessary to enter into this state. One important training is the reality check, when a person tries to argue why what is happening now is not a dream.
Sleepyparalysis or waking dream - a condition in which a person, being conscious, cannot move.
In this state, there are visual and auditory hallucinations. It can occur due to lack of sleep or improper mode. The condition itself is not dangerous, but it can cause a feeling of fear in the person experiencing it.
