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Out-of-Body Experiences, Dreams,
and REM Sleep
Lynne Levitan, B.A., Stephen LaBerge, Ph.D., Donald J. DeGracia, Ph.D., and Philip G. Zimbardo, Ph.D.
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.(Sleep
and Hypnosis 1999;1:186-196)
| Keywords: out-of-body experiences, OBEs, dreams, wake-initiated lucid dreams, REM sleep |
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