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Out-of-Body Experience on Demand

Posted by timothy on from the wish-it-was-me dept.

GT_Alias writes "CNN has an article reporting that some neurology researchers in Switzerland have triggered repeated out-of-body experiences by firing certain electrodes in the patient's brain. It seems that a part of the brain called the angular gyrus, responsible for logic and spatial awareness, triggers the sensation."

3 of 72 comments (clear)

  1. Re:all the time by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    My favorite for out-of-body experiances remains MDMA. Shame it was banned, many psychiatrists found valid use for it
    No offense, but you sir, have no idea what you are talking about. Just ignoring the fact that MDMA inducing an OOB in a way comparable to the dissociatives (DXM, K, PCP) is damn near ridiculous and only makes it clear that you've wanted to use it alot more than you've actually used it - just ignoring that, the psychiatric uses of MDMA had jack shit to do with OOBs. The preminent psychiatric value of MDMA is in it's ability to induce empathy and openess while still maintaining a relatively coherent attachment to the 'normal' world. A very valuable tool when it comes to therapy.

  2. Been there, done that... again by Mazzaroth · · Score: 3, Informative

    This has been done before. Wired magazine published an article in november 1999 on this. The reshercher (Michael Persinger, neuropsychologist at Canada's Laurentian University in Sudbury) is doing research on using electromagnetic fields to induce feelings directly in the brain. Induced feelings include sensatgion of God's presence, sensation of out of body experiences, etc.

    I remember when I read this article, I was blown away. Something to really make you think... :-)

  3. Re:Hmmmm by dameron · · Score: 2, Informative
    If stating that the subject imagined it is the reaction from skeptics, why would claims that people imagine it be laughed out of academic circles?

    I don't know why, but it happens. It's circular logic and probably springs from a prejudice on the part of skeptics (or in Persinger's case because he has expanded his theories to include explanations of UFO sightings, and having anything to do with UFOs will get you branded a kook).

    To skeptics 1) OOBE aren't real, thus 2) reports of OOBE must be imagined or faked. 3) Trying to fit OOBE into a traditional scientific framework (even if the claims are that OOBE are imagined, not what Persinger claims btw) the research is discounted because 1)OOBE aren't real.

    I know it doesn't make sense, but it happens alarmingly frequently on the fringes of science. That Persinger's research has gone essentially unnoticed but a chance discovery by "legitimate" scientists gets CNN's attention is typical.

    I could go on about this for hours, but sorry to be less than clear earlier. If I find an article that better sums up my position I'll either post it here or post a link.

    -dameron