Out of body experiences, a phenomenon in which an individual reports to have viewed oneself from outside of their own body, can often be seen in various pieces of fiction and media. Some famous examples are when magical or fantasy characters use astral projection, where their soul or astral body travels to another plane of existence. Other examples include near-death experiences, where individuals can sometimes report moments of their lives flashing before their eyes right before a potentially fatal accident. While OBEs have been a topic of fascination and mystery, most people tend to brush it off as mere pseudo-science. However, many studies suggest that OBEs may be a result of the brain's inability to properly integrate sensory information from the body and the environment.
Many researchers also cite that the use of virtual reality machines can help simulate the experience of an out of body experience. I actually have an oculus quest, a device for virtual reality. Whenever I use it, I can definitely Get the feeling of being outside my own body. The device allows me to look around my room and even look at myself.
Blanke, O., Ortigue, S., Landis, T., & Seeck, M. (2002). Stimulating illusory own-body perceptions. Nature, 419(6904), 269-270.
Hi Kyle, this post is very interesting. Virtual reality has been shown to create actions that can mimic out-of-body experiences. It's fascinating how technology can simulate these experiences that have been subjects of fascination and debate for so long. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI've been interested in out-of-body experiences for a while. I don't believe their real, but I really want to know what exactly causes people to think they experienced them! Ever since I watched the Conjuring and other movies related to astral projection and other similar experiences, it peaked my interest to learn about the psychology that goes on behind it.
ReplyDeleteI was always curious about out of body experiences, consider I've never had one. I've heard a lot about near death experiences, but never imaged them being the same because I've always heard about your life flashing before your eyes. If I had the chance to be apart of the experiment mentioned in the book, I would definitely take it so see what an out of body experience is really like firsthand.
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