5 Things You Did Not Know About Outer Body Experiences

We’ve all heard stories about someone having an outer body experience.

They usually involve floating above your body and flying through a tunnel toward a bright light. However, there’s much more to them than that.

An out of body experience can be extremely profound, or even life-changing.

If you’re interested in having one, you’re in the right place. If you’ve already had one and are looking to make sense of it, we can help with that, too.

In this post, we’ll give you 5 weird facts about these elusive experiences.

How and Why an Outer Body Experience Happens

These experiences are more than just make-believe. Scientists have proven that they’re real, and have conducted studies to define what triggers them to happen.

1. They’re More Common than You Think

Out of body experiences aren’t just something you see in movies or read about in books. Millions of people around the world have experienced them for themselves.

In fact, around 10% of people have at least one out of body experience when sleeping during their lifetime.

2. They Often Come After Near-Death Experiences

Have you ever had a near-death experience?

There are defined as life-threatening episodes, such as a fall, a car accident, an attack, or any situation in which you have an overwhelming feeling of impending death.

People who have had these experiences describe having had feelings of peace and serenity. They also report seeing a bright light and feeling as though they were levitating. In some cases, people say that felt as though they had left their body altogether.

Afterward, these people commonly have repeated out of body experiences later in life. They may occur from time to time, perhaps once every few months or years. However, for people with significant trauma, they may occur much more frequently.

When this happens, it can feel as if the near-death experience is being repeatedly re-lived during sleep.

Near-death experiences aren’t the only triggers. Stress and drug use are also known to cause outer body experiences to occur.

3. They’re Sometimes Spiritual

Out of body experiences are usually associated with spirituality and for good reason.

Many people who have had them say that during the experience, they felt close to, or even talked to, what they consider to be God.

These out of body experiences can also come with terrifying hallucinations. Some say that they saw demons, or what they describe as the devil. People have reported seeing these illusions sitting at the end of their beds, moving closer towards them, or even whispering in their ear.

When these troubling images appear, many people feel as though the demons or creatures they’re seeing have then intention of harming them.

With these feelings being so common, it’s unsurprising that many people believe that out of body experiences are proof that the devil and God exist.

However, they aren’t always spiritual. This may simply be a matter of perspective.

Out of body experiences are subjective, and the individual illusions and experiences that come with them differ from person to person. For one person, it may feel like touching the divine. For others, it could be just a strange experience that they struggle to explain, with no spiritual connotation at all.

4. Some People Feel Paralyzed

Out of body experiences are known to come with sleep paralysis.

This is a state of consciousness in which people feel unable to move. Mentally, they’re awake and alert. However, it’s as if their body is still asleep. They’re completely aware of themselves and their surroundings but are unable to talk.

This can be a scary experience, as it gives the feeling of being trapped in your own body. Thankfully, it usually passes very quickly. In most cases, it usually only last for a few seconds.

The specific feelings that come with sleep paralysis vary.

Some people feel as though they are being choked, or that there is a heavy weight on their chest stopping them from breathing. In some cases, this is accompanied by the visual hallucination of a person, animal or demonic creature sitting on the chest.

Sometimes, there are auditory hallucinations, too. This is where people have the false perception of voices, music or other sounds during the paralysis.

At some point during this paralysis, people often feel as though they have traveled out of their bodies. They may see themselves from an outside perspective, perhaps floating up and looking down at themselves in the bed.

5. You Can Make Them Happen

An out of body experience is usually something that comes along unexpectedly, taking you completely by surprise. However, it doesn’t have to be. Instead of waiting, wishing and hoping for one, you can encourage it to happen.

All you have to do is use the right techniques.

Neuroscientists at University College London managed to induce out of body experiences in volunteers in 2007. They used a combination of cameras and rods to create an illusion, in which they saw their own backs from the perspective of someone standing behind them.

In Geneva, neuroscientists have used electrical impulses to stimulate the brain to produce out of body experiences. In Sweden, brain scanners and visual displays were used to the same effect.

You don’t need to conduct an elaborate experiment in order to experience it for yourself, though.

Instead, you can use some simple techniques at home. This could involve chanting a mantra before going to sleep, meditating, or even just changing your sleeping position.

Going through some routines of visualizing, breathing, and moving in certain ways before you sleep can bring on an out of body experience. These are called astral projection techniques and can be learned by just about anyone.

Other Ways to Get that Feeling

During or after an outer body experience, some people feel as though they’re on a high.

It’s no wonder that people are so desperate to experience them and experience that feeling for themselves. However, there are other ways to achieve a higher state.

We’re not talking about drugs. We’re talking about safer and more creative methods.

To find out what they are, read our post on 10 weird ways to get high without using drugs.

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