Astral projection is an intentional out-of-body experience that you can control, according to Nathan Chandler, author of a December 2020 article on Howstuffworks.com. The term “phase states” has been used since 2004 to designate similar phenomena. However, not everyone is familiar with the concept. In the article, Chandler cites scientists’ arguments supporting the existence of such states.
For example, Jane Aspell, a cognitive researcher at Anglia Ruskin University, comments: “An out-of-body experience (OBE) is a transient experience some people have, while conscious, that their self seems to becomes separated from their body, floats above the body and looks back down at that body from an elevated location. Astral projection (AP) is an intentional OBE that usually involves the experience that the self can seem to travel far from their body – even to other countries or planets”.
Aspell explains that, like dreams, astral projection is a product of our consciousness: “There is evidence from multiple scientific studies that OBEs arise because of abnormal functioning of an area of the brain called the temporoparietal junction. This is an area that combines signals from multiple senses to create the model of our self in the world”.
Dr. Susan Blackmore, a psychologist and visiting professor at the University of Plymouth in England, reminds readers that the idea is not new and comes from a 19th-century mystical system called Theosophy. “We now know that OBEs occur when our body schema is disrupted…stimulating the part of the brain that builds this inner model, and we can practice playing around with our body senses in this and other ways”.
Where do you travel during your out-of-body experiences? Do you believe in astral projection? Let us know in the comments.
