There are several ways to have an out-of-body experience (OBE). Most of them are similar to lucid dream induction. The main method is the conscious recollection of bodily sensations (sounds, vibrations) that arise before the beginning of the OBE. Based on this, scientists from Argentina and Spain (Herrero, Gallo, Gasca, Gleiser and Forcato) have suggested that there is a certain “aura” of sensations that can be used by practitioners.
The authors compared the perception of people who experienced sleep paralysis (SP) and OBE, thereby combining two of the states that we call “phase states.” Both include auditory, tactile and/or visual sensations preceding the event. The scientists have termed these sensations “aura” and consider it important to control them.
According to the researchers, people who have learned how to induce an OBE received more positive emotions in the process (such as happiness, love, hope, or euphoria) and less negative emotions (such as fear, anxiety, or horror) than those who experienced spontaneous OBE or sleep paralysis.
In order to turn the unpleasant experience of SP into euphoria from the OBE, the authors recommend training oneself to recognize the “aura”. They add that people who consciously induce OBE perceive significantly more sounds and vibrations preceding these states.
As an additional bonus, during a deliberate OBE, you can control the situation, as in a lucid dream, thanks to the retention of free will and the ability to play a more active role.
Have you had any experience of transforming one phase state into another?
The article was published in April 2022 on the PsyArXiv website.
