What is an Out-of-Body Experience

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An OBE (or OOBE) is a sensation of being outside one's own body, which might include the feeling of floating and even being able to observe one's physical body from a distance. It may happen only once in a lifetime or it may be induced at will. Those who regularly practice OBEs describe the ability to visit finer, more fluid planes of existence, including meetings with deceased loved ones.

Near-Death Experiencers often describe an OBE as part of their experience, however OBEs can occur spontaneously or at will irrespective of any life-threatening situation.

Most OBEs occur during REM sleep. which is why they are often preceded by an uncomfortable experience called "sleep paralysis". During REM sleep most of our muscles are paralysed in order to protect us from acting out our dreams. During an OBE occurring during REM sleep, the experiencer's mind somehow wakes up and is therefore able to consciously experience paralysis, which is often associated with an intense sound that experiencers call "vibrations". When the experiencer's mind wakes up while the body is asleep, (s)he can choose to experience an OBE.

Sleep-related OBEs can be triggered at will, especially by those who master lucid dreaming, i.e. dreams in which the dreamer is aware of dreaming.

OBEs can also occur while the body is awake. Triggers can be meditation, being engaged in a routine activity (an experiencer reported an OBE while riding his motorcycle along the motorway) and impending or actual danger (a toddler reported OBEs while she was being abused by her cousin).

For an overview of what out-of-body experiences are, please read the following article published among the Frequently Asked Questions by Oberf.org:

Out-of-Body Experience Overview

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