Geoff Coupe's Blog

Reflections on life at “De Witte Wand”…

Out-of-Body Experiences

Vaughan, over at Mind Hacks, points us towards some experiments aimed at either inducing the sensation of being located out of one’s body or having one’s body image extended to incorporate inanimate objects. I’ve tried the Ramachandran experiment, and can attest to the fact that it is a weird sensation indeed.
 
I also recall one time, when very young, of opening my eyes while lying in bed only to discover that I appeared to be floating a few inches from the ceiling. Turning round I momentarily saw my body below me on the bed before "falling" back into my body. Was it a dream? I don’t know, but it was both scary and interesting at the same time. I wanted for it to happen again, but it never has.

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2 responses to “Out-of-Body Experiences”

  1. Gelert Avatar
    Gelert

    I read about this experiment too, and I wondered – just because they can replicate it, does it mean the supposed ‘real thing’ is invalid? I’d like to hear more about your realtime experience and the experiment you tried. I have had one out of body experience, and there are aspects of it I cannot satisfy by the results of the trial replication. I’m a happy sceptic, but really am not sure on this one. If you feel like talking to me more about it, please do. 

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  2. Geoff Avatar
    Geoff

    Well, the experiment is very easy to try for yourself – it’s described in the link, so get a friend or colleague and a table and go ahead. There’s another one that I did a while back that involves three people, and the effect is that you feel as though your arms and your nose have been displaced by a few feet, but I can’t remember the details of the setup – I’ll dig about in my books for the reference.
     
    A very easy one to do is to cross your forefinger and middle finger and gently rub the end of your nose with your eyes closed. You should feel as though you are touching two noses. Yes, it’s trivial, but the illusion is remarkably strong. When I read about some of the results of Ramachandran’s experiments with amputees, and similar things, then I’m simply applying Occam’s Razor when I state that the illusion of out-of-body experiences is certainly real, but that it doesn’t require Dualism to explain it.  

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