Out of Body Experience – Fact or Sensory Perception
A major role of our sense of identity stems from the reality that we place our ’self’ within our body. But scientists have found a way to trick our brain into sensing an out of body experience by using Virtual Reality goggles.
Photo Dilberty3
Out of body experiences (OBE’s) typically occur under circumstances such as neural stress, epileptic seizures, drug and alcohol abuse, dangerous circumstances, near death experiences, and dream-like states. Researchers claim that 1 in 10 people have experienced the phenomenon.
Two teams, from University College London, UK, and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, claim there’s a neurological reason. Their work described in the Science journal proposes a disconnection between the brain circuits that process visual and touch sensory information which may be accountable for some OBE’s, reports BBC News.
Our perception of our bodies, called ‘proprioception’, works even without visual feedback, such as picking a pen up without having to look at it. You know where your body parts are without having to look. Photo Dicky85
Researchers have known that they can play on the differences between the visual and proprioceptive senses to create a ‘proprioceptive drift’, as in one case mentioned in the studies for the ‘fake hand illusion.’ The participant views a rubber hand and their own being stroked by a feather at the same time, causing them to begin to identifying the fake hand as their own.
Both studies expand upon the fake hand illusion to the entire body using Virtual Reality goggles, tricking the brain circuits that process visual and touch sensory information, reports Ars Technica.
Photo Henrik Ehrsson / Science Journal
In the Swiss experiments, participants stood in front of a camera wearing the VR goggles. They could see the camera view of their back as their 3-D ‘virtual body’ that appeared to be standing in front of them.
When researchers touched the participant’s back with a pen, they could see their virtual back being touched either simultaneously or with a time delay. They said that they felt their virtual back was being touched instead of their own, making them feel as tho the virtual body was their own rather than a hologram.
Testing this further, the researcher swung a hammer near their virtual location and measured a stressful reaction from them.
The visual illusion and the sense of their own bodies being touched made participants feel that they had moved outside of their physical bodies.
In the second study, the camera was switched to film a mannequin’s back being touched rather than their own, they still reported feeling as tho the mannequin’s body was their own. Photo Phillip Ash
When the researchers turned the goggles off and guided the volunteers back a few steps, they asked the participants to walk back to where they’d been standing. The volunteers exceeded the target, moving closer to the position of their ‘virtual self’.
Participants reported varied feelings of ‘weirdness’ or ’strangeness,’ and some found the experiment irritating.
Dr. Ehrsson who led the UCL research said, “This experiment suggests that the first-person visual perspective is critically important for the in-body experience. In other words, we feel that our self is located where the eyes are.”
Psychologist Dr. Susan Blackmore said, “This has at last brought OBE’s into the lab and tested one of the main theories of how they occur.”
“Scientists have long suspected that the clue to these extraordinary, and sometimes life-changing, experiences lies in disrupting our normal illusion of being a self behind our eyes, and replacing it with a new viewpoint from above or behind.”
Graphic Science Journal
The researchers say their findings could have practical applications, such as pushing video games to the next level of virtual reality so the players feel as if they’re actually inside the game.
Surgeons could possibly be able to perform operations on patients miles away by controlling a robotic virtual self.
Now the last time I was out of my body was after bottle of rye lol, but that was a long time ago!!
As for pushing video games to the level of virtual reality…is it possible that we are just a part of someone elses game?
I’m quite certain that many of us experience out of body moments particularly whilst sleeping, through our dreams.
Not so sure I’d be happy with a virtual surgeon operating on me….one slip of the scalpel and I’d be a female…..scary thought isn’t it lol
Yup, I’m with Colin on this. The closest I’ve ever come to an out if body experience was with absinthe in Italy and I don’t think that really counts…
Hehe, I’m sure a number of us have felt like we’ve been outside ourselves after a night of excess with alcohol Colin and Chamonix, but I think that’s just the result of the alcohol itself. It seems hard to ’swallow’ the statement that 1 in 10 have experienced OBE’s.
The virtual games is like something out of a sci-fi movie, but many recent technological advancements are making things a reality.
I’m with you Colin, I wouldn’t feel very confident in a surgeon handling my surgery that way. It reminds me of a Bill Cosby skit:
Doctor: Sponge
Doctor: Clamp
Doctor: Scalpel
Doctor: Oops
Patient: Did you say OOPS???
Doctor: Ya, I said oops, what are YOU doing saying ooops?
There’s a fascinating book on NDE(Near death experiences)called “Dying to live”. Discusses the “out of body” aspects. There’s much to be said about the reality of this. I remember a story of 1 woman who had an NDE while on the operating table. She saw the exact time when her heart stopped, then floated out and above the hospital. Then she was revived. Her doctor was a skeptic on NDE, until she mentioned in the interview that she remembered seeing a red sneaker on the roof of the Hospital. He went and looked……and there was a single red sneaker there. There was no possible way she could have seen that from anywhere inside the hospital. And the roof access was locked.
Other NDE’s note the facts;
People see verified events while out-of-body
People born blind can see during a NDE
Children have NDEs similar to adults
Groups of people can share a single NDE
Some people correctly foresee the future
NDEs have been reported since ancient times
NDEs have been validated in scientific studies
Major world religions support NDE concepts
Quantum physics supports NDE concepts
Hypnotic regression validates NDE concepts
Dream research supports survival after death
JUST SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT.
Ahhh, you’re an inspiration Nitropuppy
I’m going to look into this further. I based this post on 2 reports for the same study. If I can find anything online that I’m able to use, I’ll write a post on my findings.
Like others, I have been out of my body during surgery and reported things I couldn’t possibly have known otherwise. I read this news report recently, but like I always say in my comments, you FLESH out the stories with such excellent content and photos that the stories really rock!
Thanks Kuanyin
I have heard of this happening, but you’re the first person I’ve known personally that’s experienced it. I’d love to hear your story. Email me and tell me some time.
i am shocked this is very intresting story
anyone can feel out of body experiance?
It would seem that given the right circumstances, yes, anyone could experience OBE’s, Meditation.
That’s very interesting. I’ve never had an actual out of body experience. I’d like to though. Yes, I’m weird like that. But it does sound pretty neat.
I think the Virtual Reality googles could be fun Tay.
Oh, OBE I remember I almost fell into an OBE one night. I am going to admit, I was scared to death. Seriously. I never had one in my life. and Just out of nowhere It just happened.