How does an out-of-body experience (OBE) affect the people who have had it? Dutch scientist Elpine M. de Boer tried to answer this question in a study published in October 2020.
171 respondents from the Netherlands took part in the survey. About half of them said they had at least one out-of-body experience, while others had more than one OBE. About 24% of respondents had their experience while in hospital, some even on the verge of death.
The results of the survey showed that for some participants, the loss of self during the OBE led to an increase in anxiety and self-doubt. Whereas other participants stated that they viewed it as a positive spiritual experience and are now living more intensely as a result. They were able to understand the meaning of the experience only after a while, having read about it or talked about it with other people.
The reason for the difference in the assessment of an unusual phenomenon, according to the scientist, is the difference in the spiritual element of the participants’ experience and the factor of attention, which plays an important role in determining awareness. For example, out-of-body experiences during meditation or lucid dreaming are fairly common. This may indicate that the expansion of self-awareness can be achieved through practice.
The study was published in October 2020 in the Religions journal.
