'Out-of-body' experiences may come from within
August 2005A team in the School of Psychological Sciences is investigating the idea that out-of-body experiences (OBEs), commonly thought of as paranormal phenomena, may have their roots in how people perceive and experience their own bodies.
OBEs typically involve a sensation of floating and seeing the physical body from the outside. Around 10% of the population experience them and it’s not uncommon for people to have more than one, but despite this high incidence scientists don’t know a lot about them.
The research will use an online questionnaire to examine differences between those who have and have not experienced OBEs, and will also gather details on the different kinds of experience people have had to help categorise them more precisely.
David Wilde, the researcher running the project, said: “There are several theories as to why people have OBEs. A common link between them is the idea that in certain circumstances the brain somehow loses touch with sensory information coming in from the body. This triggers a series of psychological mechanisms which can lead to an OBE.
“In this study we aim to take the theory a stage further, by looking at the way people see and experience their bodies, and how - through perfectly ordinary psychological processes - these images and experiences may create the impression of seeing one’s body from the outside.”
The survey was available at www.freeresponse.org/muobe2005, and people with or without an OBE were encouraged to take part. A summary of the results were published. The University of Manchester is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
