A pereption of floating outside
one's body, or being able to see
one's body from an exterior place.
Three areas of the brain associated to OBEs are the
temporal lobe, parietal lobe and angular gyrus.
Research
Blanke et al 2005 - Found that OBEs were
simulated in particpants with no history of
OBEs by electrical stimulation of the right
temporal-parietal brain area, suggesting a
biological explanation.
Ehrsson et al 2007 - Stimulated OBEs using virtual -
reality googles. Participants were then touched which
made Ps believe that they were have an OBE.
Van Lommel et al
2001 - Studied 344
Ps who had been
sucessfully
resucitated after
having heart
attacks. 18%
reported having a
NDE during a period
of low brain activity.
Irwin 1985 - Reported that
OBEs occur with either very
little or very high arousal.
Green 1968 - Found that 75% of
Ps who experienced OBEs had
very low arousal levels.
Greyson 1997 - Reported that during
cardioverter-defibrillator implantations
doctors induce heart attacks with
pictures on the wall. During post-op
recovery Ps guessed the image that
was displayed on the wall and no
results beyond chance occurence were
found.
Gow, Lang and Chant
2004 - link belief in OBEs
to personality – those
who had experiences of
OBEs were more ‘fantasy
prone’, had greater belief
in the paranormal and
showed more somatoform
dissociation –
characteristics of
believers.
Evaluation
Blackmore 1982 - Believed that OBEs
occur if a person loses contact with
sesnory inputs and perceptions occur
from elsewhere whilst still awake.
Blackmore 2007 - Praised
Ehrsson's 2007 research
Practical application - creating
video games that give a high
sense of reality.
Moody 1998 - After years of studying NDEs
concluded that they were wonderful experiences
for the people who had them.
However 15% of people who experienced
NDEs described them as hellish.
Interpreted as a religious experience - many
people report entering into a tunnel of light.