Out-of-Body-Experiences: A Phenomenological Comparison of Different Causes

Abstract

In out-of-body experiences (OBEs) the typifying phenomenal experience is the continuity/existence of the self, outside the boundaries of the physical body. In this work several characteristics of these experiences were investigated using the accounts of participants who underwent them via three forms of induction:

(a) by way of hypnotic induction;

(b) after traumatic physical experiences that can be defined as near-death experiences (NDEs);

(c) and via non-traumatic experiences, such as meditation.

In each group, these experiences were described generally as positive and entail a state of greater phenomenal clarity compared to ordinary consciousness. Furthermore, a decrease in perception of time and one’s personal boundaries were reported. The lack of substantial differences across groups suggests that all OBEs shares similar characteristics which are not necessarily modulated by induction type. Nonetheless, there were some differences across groups which were noteworthy; namely, hypnotically-induced OBEs resembled more closely a phenomenology of NDEs than that of typical spontaneous accounts.

Keywords: near-death-experience, out-of-body experience, phenomenology, self, first-person perspective, body transfer illusion