Out of body experiences, what are they?

Out-of-body experiences encompass a conglomerate of phenomena that are as fantastic as they are complex. Imagine seeing your body from the outside or having the sensation of floating, these are some of the sensations that make up the phenomenon. However, For a long time the explanations were tribal and mystical, today we know that the cause is in our brain.

Out-of-body experiences are perceptual phenomena that include experiences of illusory movement. Between them we can highlight: fly, fall, float and see oneself from the outside. These dissociative experiences are related to neurological and psychological factors, occurring both in healthy subjects and those with some pathology.

Types of out-of-body experiences

The phenomenon can be divided into two types of experience, with well-marked characteristics:

sensory experiences: The sensations of falling or floating represent a break in the union of bodily sensations that involve the vestibulo-motor system.Autoscopic experiences: These experiences consist of perceiving one’s own body from the place of a third party.

How do out-of-body experiences occur?

Out-of-body experiences are often associated with altered states of consciousness. Many authors compare the phenomenon with characteristic states of dreams, with a large component of imagination. Besides, It is a process of anomalous multisensory integration in which the subject is aware of the situation. Consequently, the vestibular, motor and sensory systems are essential for its gestation.

Systems that participate in the phenomenon

Vestibular: This system has receptors in the inner ear that are responsible for maintaining a stable image on the retina, a fundamental ability to maintain balance.Engine: During experiences, even though they are not physically occurring, the brain executes the corresponding movement programs on a dissociative level.Sensory: like the motor, it is located in the parietal lobe. Many authors theorize that what is actually projected is the self-perceived image of the body.

Disorders and phenomena linked to out-of-body experiences

When any of the aforementioned systems is altered, the predisposition for an out-of-body experience to occur is greater. Disorders linked to sleep, drug use and brain injuries can create optimal conditions for these phenomena..

Among the phenomena associated with sleep we can highlight:

Hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations: They are vivid and confusing perceptual experiences that occur at the beginning and end of sleep.Sleep paralysis: Desynchronization between the limbs and the running motor alters the body’s multisensory processing and, therefore, self-perception, causing sensations of floating or out-of-body experiences.Lucid dreaming: consist of the recovery of consciousness during sleep. The subject is able to partially direct a dream that presents itself with very clear characteristics and very precise details.Rapid Eye Movement Sleep: In this stage of sleep, daydreams occur, since the brain is highly active (similar to wakefulness). Thanks to electrophysiological studies, it has been discovered that the three previous situations occur during this stage of sleep.

Is it possible to induce an out-of-body experience?

For centuries these experiences were linked to the paranormal. This is not strange, since our ancestors did not have the tools to study them. Today we know that This phenomenon is caused by a distortion of one’s own body image, where cognitive processes such as memory, self-perception and imagination come into play..

Out of body experiences and fantasy

Just as this experience has an organic foundation, there are also psychological factors closely linked to the phenomenon and the most prominent is personality. Several studies have shown that these experiences are more frequent in subjects with a high degree of fantasy and openness to experience.. This relationship shows that experiences can also be promoted by suggestion and personality characteristics.

artificial induction

The phenomenon can also be artificially induced, which constitutes one of the greatest evidence of its cerebral cause. The most effective techniques are:

Induction of brain frequencies: Through binaural beats, it is possible to induce Theta wave activity (4 – 7.5 Hz) in the brain, characteristic of the states between sleep and wakefulness.Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation: through stimulation of the temporal lobes, as in Persinger’s experiment. The hyperconnectivity generated between lobes causes an intrusion of the spatial sense of the “I” (right hemisphere) into the linguistic sense of the “I” (left hemisphere).direct stimulation: In some experiments it has been possible to promote these experiences through direct stimulation of the vestibular and motor cortex.electrical stimulation of the temporoparietal junction: as in Arzy’s experiment, stimulation of this highly multisensory processing area causes self-perception errors.sensory deprivation: By eliminating references to space and time, disorientation can cause altered states of consciousness where mental images become excessively realistic.

Out of body experiences and meditation

This phenomenon usually occurs in states where brain activity is similar to that of sleep, but where the subject retains consciousness. It has been discovered that those who meditate regularly can achieve these experiences more easily., which some call “astral travel.” Consequently, Theta waves tend to proliferate in extreme states of relaxation such as meditation.

The involvement of mirror neurons

The authors Jalal and Ramachandran propose that the mirror neuron system is so connected that it allows virtual third-person vision. Mirror neurons fire simply when watching another person perform an action, connecting with higher centers to anticipate or symbolically imitate it. The connection of these neurons with the cerebral cortex and the afferent pathways would allow them to “separate from the body” in conditions of sensory alteration.

A psychobiological phenomenon

Out-of-body experiences involve the nervous and motor systems, cognitive functions, and personality traits. In addition, It is a phenomenon that, despite occurring naturally under certain conditions, can also be pathological..

Therefore, Provoking these experiences is not necessarily healthy and can present a danger as they are also associated with psychotic crises..

Since it is a phenomenon associated with the paranormal, for many years people refused to consult a specialist for fear of being labeled crazy. Understanding the true causes of the phenomenon is a great first step to treating it correctly.

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