Out of body expereinces have been INDUCED!

I have noticed since the beginning of this year there has been more acceptance in the mainstream for the "unusual"...even though they do tend to take a slightly materialistic view on the subjects.

This induced OBE being one of those things.  The sun making "music" being another.  There have been a number of other things too - not sure what though as they don't come to mind right now...

These articles try to rationalize OBEs away. So if they indicate something, it is that awareness of the paranormal is spreading and requiring some kind of damage control. Or maybe it's just scientists being scientists. And what ignorant scientists too, duplicating only a small subset of all the characteristics of something and then claiming to have "scientifically" explained the whole thing. There is more to OBEs than just feeling like you're elsewhere. There are also astral and etheric critters, animals that react to your presence, seeing physical objects or patterns you can verify after coming back, and more. You can use physiological tricks to make people feel like they are smelling strawberries (poking a spot on the brain) but that does not disprove the existence of strawberries. Let's hear it for the stupidity of intellectualism.

i noticed this on the bbc site... was considering posting but got beaten to it.

seemed like an odd one to me too...  tricking the brain into thinking it's experiencing something similar to an OBE but using a completely different method that has nothing to do with how people have experienced it?

i didn't know about this either: "One theory is that it is down to how people perceive their own body - those unhappy or less in touch with their body are more likely to have an OBE." ... is there any grain of truth to that statement?

i guess science and spirituality are always going to be awkward bedfellows i guess but the scientists can do better than this surely?

(the one good example i can think of that combines the two for me was ken cohen's book 'the way of qi-gong' book... where he attempted to explain and measure the effects of qi-gong scientifically as well as spiritually).

alan

LOL-- the strawberries comment hit the nail on the head.  That's a perfect analogy for what they're doing.  They're using the same techniques they used to "debunk" the near-death experience, and I've always thought it was ridiculous.    Yes, the brain can be tricked into having false experiences through direct stimulation, but that does NOT mean it's the only pathway to those experiences.  But as long as they have everything tied up neat and tidy, they don't have to think about it.