I have been reading this book on OBE and the experiences the author relates seem so believable. Also, several guests on Art Bell (the late night talk show host) have talked about OBE and Art himself said he never believed in them until he had one when he was on vacation in Paris. It is a little frightening, but I think it would be great to have one. Has anyone here ever had an OBE? I don’t want this to turn into a debate about whether or not you believe they are possible, or any kind of religious debate, just tell me if you have had one and how it changed your life, if it did.
I had a dream that for the longest time I thought was An OBE. This seems more of a poll, it should perhaps go to IMHO. Sorry for the nitpick. 
Lucid dreams could probably be mistaken for an OBE. I had at least on OBE and it didn’t really change my life or anything, execpt it was neat to look in a mirror and see myself still laying in bed. I do wish that I could have another one though.
Adam, did you already believe in life after death on some kind of higher vibratory level? I guess I’m trying to back up what I hope is true with some pragmatic evidence. And the reassurance of other people’s experiences will motivate me to try to experience this as well. I don’t really want a poll; I just know that on issues like this people usually have strong opinions and try to cite “scientific” studies or say it is from the devil or something like that. That’s why I tried to exlude that kind of thing.
You have OBEs more frequently than you think, but in many cases you forget them or do not realize they were OBEs. When you dream, you sometimes view things and yourself from a third person perspective–it’s just the way we seem to be wired. Some dreams feel more real than others, and you wake up from those with the illusion that you were actually outside your body during the events of the dream, which you do not immediately (or ever) recognize as a dream. Yes, this has happened to me, but the earth did not shake!
I had one once. I was asleep, and awoke floating up toward the ceiling. I had to “think” my way back to my body, but I made it back. It scared me to death.
My sister had the same thing happen to her during surgery and I have heard of other similar experiences by people who have been close to death, but I was in perfect health at the time.
It was weird.
Just a layman’s guess here. But I have a vague hypothesis about the Near Death version of OBEs.
As I understand it, when the heart stops the brain begins to break down pretty quickly. IOW, it’s a chemical breakdown, introducing new chemicals into the brain that aren’t usually there. And I assume that they’re largely the same chemicals from one person to another.
We’re not surprised that certain recreational drugs produce common types of halucinations. Many LSD users relate similar auditory and visual halucinations. Other drugs produce moods without necessarily producing halucinations. Cocaine produces paranoia. PCP, invulnerability, etc.
So, doesn’t it seem likely that the breakdown chemicals in the brain produce a couple of fairly common classes of halucinations? A tranquil mood coupled with an OBE or the tunnel to the light.
Somebody mentioned scientific studies? The Nobel-laureate physicist Richard Feynman had a good many out-of-body experiences, and actually did some experiments concerning them. His conclusions? They definitely do occur, and they’re an interesting experience, but he found that he couldn’t gain any information through them that he didn’t already know. For instance, he would have a friend write a message on a chalkboard in another room, without telling him the message. If he went “out of body” and went into the other room, he would “see” a message on the board, but what he saw didn’t match what was actually written there.
This, by the way, is the kind of response that you can expect if this stays in GQ. If you want something more personal, let me know, and I’ll move it to IMHO.
Chronos, I’m interested in both, so whatever you think is appropriate.
I don’t understand Feynman’s conclusions. Just the fact that his consciousness could leave his physical body was indicative of something important, don’t you think.
I have read other theories that this first level, where “physical” objects are a distortion of gross physical reality, is just the next level “up”, not far removed from our usual human experience; that those who are able to control their throughts (the means of maneuvering through various levels) can raise their vibratory level and experience and know things outside the ordinary human experience. Maybe Feynman just didn’t go far enough.
There are some interesting personal stories I found on the Art Bell forum for OOB’s if anyone is interested.
Chronos Do you by any chance have a cite for this or a book that discusses Feynman’s study? I don’t understand how Feynman could conclude that he had an OBE when he couldn’t tell what message his friend wrote.
suziek I think the best you’re going to get are stories from people who think they’ve had OBEs. Lucid dreaming should not be confused with OBE. On top of that, it’s doubtful that having a real OBE is going to change anyone’s life unless they happen to meet a deity or deity-like being (in comparison to us) during the experience. Otherwise, I’d expect most folks would treat it like a deja-vu experience. You’d say,“Oh wow! how wierd/neat/interesting.” and then go on with your life.
Read all about Feynman’s experiences (and a bunch of other interesting stuff he did in his life) in his memoirs, Surely you’re joking, Mr. Feynman!.
Perhaps it’s more accurate to say that he had what seemed to him just like an OBE, if your definition of an OBE requires that the “spirit” or “soul” or whatever actually leaves the body. He was using the term to mean “the sensation of the spirit/soul/whatever leaving the body”, which of course does not necessarily imply the reality.