pinkpsychic
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out of body experiencesAn out-of-body experience (OBE or sometimes OOBE) is an experience that typically involves a sensation of floating outside of one's body and, in some cases, seeing one's physical body from a place outside one's body (autoscopy). About one in ten people claim to have had an out-of-body experience at some time in their lives, i had one when i was 3 years old.
In some cases the phenomenon appears to occur spontaneously; in others it is associated with a near-death experience, use of psychedelic drugs, or a dream-like state. It is possible to induce the experience deliberately, for example through visualization while in a relaxed, meditative state. Recent studies have shown that OBEs can be induced by direct brain stimulation. Relatively little is known for sure about OBEs.
The subject may have willed themselves out of their bodies or found themselves being pulled from their bodies (usually preceded by a feeling of paralysis). In other accounts, the feeling of being outside the body was something suddenly realized after the fact; the subjects saw their own bodies almost by accident.
The experience may be attended with spiritual epiphany or a more general feeling of peacefulness and love. Others have experienced fearfulness and anxiety and for some there is no direct spiritual experience other than the OBE itself.
The OBE is not generally long; on the order of a minute or so. However the subjective experience may be described as being much longer than the objective time which passed.
The OBE may or may not be followed by other experiences which are self-reported as being "as real" as the OBE feeling; alternatively, the subject may fade into a state self-reported as dreaming, or they may wake completely. The OBE is sometimes ended due to a fearful feeling of getting "too far away" from the body. Many end with a feeling of suddenly "popping" or "snapping" and sometimes a "Pulling" back into their bodies, some even report being "sucked back" into physical form.
A majority describe the end of the experience by saying "then I woke up". However it's worth noting that even those who describe the experience as something fantastic that occurs during sleep, and who describe the end of the experience by saying "and then I woke up", are very specific in describing the experience as one which was clearly not a dream; many described their sense of feeling more awake than they felt when they were normally awake. One compared the experience to that of lucid dreaming, but said that it was "more real".
People often report having these experiences after suffering from traumatic experiences such as motor vehicle accidents. They are able to recall the accident as if observing from a location outside the vehicle.
Some people have attempted to develop techniques to "induce" an OBE:
Attempting to fall asleep without losing consciousness. This method is generally believed to be what causes involuntary OBEs. Inventor Thomas Edison was known to use the sleep state to tackle problems while working on his inventions. He would hold a rock above a metal bucket while sitting in a chair, and let himself fall asleep. This would cause the rocks to fall into the bucket and wake him up. Deliberately teetering between awake and asleep states is known to cause spontaneous trance episodes at the onset of sleep which are ultimately helpful when attempting to induce an out-of-body experience.
Deep trance and visualization. The types of visualizations vary some common imageries used include climbing a rope to "pull out" of one's body, floating out of one's body, getting shot out of a cannon, and other similar approaches. This technique is considered hard to use for people who cannot properly relax. Common sensations can arise such as deep vibrations, impressions of very high heart rate (when it actually is in a relaxed state) and these sensations are likely to cause anxieties.
Audio/visual stimulation intended to bring the subject into the appropriate state.
The beta/theta simultaneous brainwave patterns were also observed as effective, apparently easing the lighter sleep condition. The theta frequency is observed monitoring brains of dreaming patients, notably in REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, while the beta frequency range is that of normal, relaxed awakened individuals. It is believed that one of the unsuspected powers of the drumming of the American natives during religious ceremonies caused the brain to shift among frequencies to become more receptive to the "other worlds" using similar means.
Chemically induced experiences. OBEs induced with drugs are generally considered to be hallucinations (i.e., purely subjective), even by those who believe the phenomenon to be objective in general. There are several types of drugs that can initiate an OBE, primarily the dissociative hallucinogens please do not try this!!!!!. Being under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs are commonly referred to as being in a psychedelic state.
Magnetic stimulation of the brain.
Electrical stimulation of the brain, particularly the temporoparietal junction.
Sensory deprivation or sensory overload. Various techniques aim to cause intense disorientation of the subject by making him lose his space and time references. The first technique, attempting to fall asleep without losing consciousness, can be considered to be a passive form of sensory deprivation. The brain tends to fill in the gaps when there is nothing getting into the senses for some time.
Some people who practice BDSM desire to be placed in extreme bondage (mummification) because it may allow them to have an out-of-body experience. These experiences have been reported by some people placed in extreme bondage. It is worth noting that being placed in extreme bondage is like being placed in a sensory deprivation tank, and that the OOBE may be induced by the resulting sensory deprivation.
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