Scientists: Inducing Out Of Body Experiences Seen As Portal To New Industries, Theology

A collaborative team of scientists and philosophers reports progress toward understanding what happens when someone experiences an OBE, or feelings of disembodiment. What's more, this team of hokum-busters has suggested some practical ways in which the physiological mechanisms driving OBEs can be used beneficially. On a much more fundamental and profound level, the team also believes that solving the mystery of OBEs will reveal where we derive our sense of self. There's all sorts of far-fetched ideas regarding OBEs: meeting up with fellow disembodied souls on astral planes; visiting dead relatives; or even looking into the future. But aside from the claims made by spiritualists regarding OBEs, many people who have suffered severe trauma (like a car accident or stroke) also experience feelings of disembodiment. But just what is occurring inside the brain during these bouts of mental meanderings has baffled scientists and philosophers - until now. Roughly 10 percent of people will report an OBE at some point in their lives. But this relatively high frequency hasn't really helped in explaining these freakish and disturbing experiences. Now, neuroscientist Dr. Henrik Ehrsson, from the University College London, seems to have devised an array of experiments that induces at least some aspects of an OBE in healthy participants. This is important, because if OBEs can be induced under controlled conditions, then researchers may be able to clear up some of the mysticism surrounding them. "Out-of-body experiences have fascinated mankind for millennia," says Ehrsson. "Their existence has raised fundamental questions about the relationship between human consciousness and the body, and has been much discussed in theology, philosophy and psychology."