Abstract Mkid 32

An out-of-body experience (OBE) is characterized by the sensation of leaving the physical body and functioning independently of it. Such sensations also occur during some lucid dreams. Some authors aver that OBEs and lucid dreams are completely different phenomena. The present investigation tested an explanatory model of OBEs as a form of dreaming similar in nature to lucid dreaming. Study 1 consisted of scored content analysis on 107 lucid dream (LD) reports verified by eye movement signals during REM sleep. Ten LD reports (9.3%) from 5 of the 14 subjects qualified as OBEs. LDs initiated from brief REM awakenings were significantly more likely (4.4 times, p<.02) to be judged as OBEs than LDs initiated during uninterrupted REM sleep. Study 2 was a survey of 604 subjects assessing the frequency of reported OBEs and dream phenomena. Frequent OBE reporting was related to frequent reporting of dreams and dream-related events; frequency of OBE reporting was significantly lower than lucid dream reporting, and similar to that found in the laboratory in Study 1. These studies support the close association of OBEs and lucid dreaming. REM sleep and states favorable to OBEs share the feature of high CNS arousal under sleep or sleep-like conditions. Such states are conducive to the generation of somatosensory hallucinations interpretable as the experience of rising "out-of-body." The discussion highlights the importance of semantic interpretations of such experiences, and presents a three-part model for analyzing "metachoric" experiences such as lucid dreams and OBEs. Further discussion considers the role of cortical activation in the generation of OBEs and lucid dreams. The conclusion argues that all states of consciousness, sleeping or waking, derive from the same basic brain functions, which act to model the world based on perceptual maps. OBEs, dreams, and the reality experienced in the waking state are all mental constructions, and further efforts in consciousness research may benefit from avoiding an arbitrary distinction between sleeping, dreaming and waking states.