OBE's explained

[Moonbeam]

From the November 1st issue of New England Journal of Medicine: Article: "Visualizing Out-of-Body Experiences in the Brain" Summary - An out-of-body experience was repeatedly elicited during stimulation of the posterior part of the superior temporal gyrus on the right side in a patient in whom electrodes had been implanted to suppress tinnitus. Positron-emission tomographic scanning showed brain activation at the temporoparietal junction — more specifically, at the angular–supramarginal gyrus junction and the superior temporal gyrus–sulcus on the right side. Activation was also noted at the right precuneus and posterior thalamus, extending into the superior vermis. We suggest that activation of these regions is the neural correlate of the disembodiment that is part of the out-of-body experience. Summary of summary: They caused someone to have an OBE by stimulating a part of the brain with electricity; they think this may be the area where body-consciousness is maintained, and therefore when it is disturbed, a person experiences the feeling of being outside of their body.

[C911]

Wow i like that idea, now if only people could trigger this part of their brain whenever they wanted, without going through the normal process. It would make things much easier.

[♥Mark]

Didn't we have a post about something to this effect not long ago?

[Moonbeam]

Wow i like that idea, now if only people could trigger this part of their brain whenever they wanted, without going through the normal process. It would make things much easier. That's a good idea. Except for the implanting of the electrode in the brain part. Didn't we have a post about something to this effect not long ago? Yea, I think so; but I don't think it was referring to the same article.

[Sorn]

And sometime when they find a special neuron in our brain to activate, we can push a button to be no more hungry.

[LucidFlanders]

Turn it into a video game. One day you will put a helmet on that can send those electrodes through the flesh and skull to the brain and we can have our own fun for aslong as we want.

[Moonbeam]

Both excellent ideas.

[an2net]

I just worry that I may miss out on something that I now take for granted... Sometimes, if we humans play with something, we actually mess with something else that we did not realize until it is far too late to fix. With a disease doctors can say the patient is taking a risk to be helped with disease. This idea makes me... yugh! I'd rather just keep on dreaming!

[blade5x]

This would be amazing for people who are disabled, who can't get up and walk around, or even those that are fully paralyzed.

[Moonbeam]

I wonder how many people like that know about lucid dreaming, which is already available and just takes practice, not electrodes in the brain.

[an2net]

I read a book by Jean-Dominique Bauby - The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly. He was a completely paralysed guy. I would not say lucid dreaming, but his sanity lied close to this! And, by the way, they are teaching robots to move with electrodes [I]on the scalp[I], not in the brain. The first ones I can take off whenever I wish! I still prefer the dreaming, though...

[G0MPgomp]

Wow i like that idea, now if only people could trigger this part of their brain whenever they wanted, without going through the normal process. It would make things much easier. We can.. Most of us have not found how to yet, though. Like some are able to move just the tip of the finger, where others can not.. Intent is a strong tool! What one human can do, most 'if not all' humans; can do!

[NewReality]

Sorry for the bump. I've heard this before. OBEs can be "artificially" created, and then there's the real thing. If you've never experienced an OBE before, you won't believe it. The only reason I do is because I have had confirmations while out of my body that I would have had absolutely NO way of guessing let alone knowing.

[LucidFlanders]

Sorry for the bump. I've heard this before. OBEs can be "artificially" created, and then there's the real thing. If you've never experienced an OBE before, you won't believe it. The only reason I do is because I have had confirmations while out of my body that I would have had absolutely NO way of guessing let alone knowing. Yeah, 2 types of OBE's.

[NewReality]

Yeah, 2 types of OBE's. Not at all. With the technology available to us today, the experience of stimulating our brains with a bunch of magnets placed around our head to make one "feel" as if they are out of their body has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt even though many people besides myself has had confirmations that we are nothing more than our physical selves. They're both the same experience and the confirmations we've had are all just "vague but lucky guesses" like how little cousin Bobby Joe went to school with a black t-shirt today.

[LucidFlanders]

Not at all. With the technology available to us today, the experience of stimulating our brains with a bunch of magnets placed around our head to make one "feel" as if they are out of their body has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt even though many people besides myself has had confirmations that we are nothing more than our physical selves. They're both the same experience and the confirmations we've had are all just "vague but lucky guesses" like how little cousin Bobby Joe went to school with a black t-shirt today. So the things explained is like cold reading? just a statistical guess like those psychic people? except you're seeeing the reading, instead of being told? They have done those expieriments and made you feel like that, but have they made you say stories like "this and that is over there, the people down the street said so and so, and this is what my family did yesterday" and get everything exactly right? They make you feel like you're outside the body, but do they actually show you outside the body? i will have to re read the article, but i have yet to hear any "i was outside my body, and i left where i was and went into space" or whatever. All i remember from the article is them saying they feel outside their body, and they feal fear when so and so is moves in the air at the shadow or whatever it was...arm or magnet? i forget. Anyway, nothings really explained, they still have lots of work to do. I need sleep now.

[an2net]

Not at all. With the technology available to us today, the experience of stimulating our brains with a bunch of magnets placed around our head to make one "feel" as if they are out of their body has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt even though many people besides myself has had confirmations that we are nothing more than our physical selves. They're both the same experience and the confirmations we've had are all just "vague but lucky guesses" like how little cousin Bobby Joe went to school with a black t-shirt today. Can I get a reliable reference, please? I wonder who's doing lucky guesses! With the technology I work with (to do clinical work--not experiments) I require about 2 Tesla to get through the skull! I agree it may be less when you use a higher frequencies, but to get this field generated still takes a discharge from a capacitor that causes a current of more than a kilo-ampere running through a thick loop of copper. I mean, this is SERIOUS technology. (I suspect non-clinical stimulators sometimes talked about may either be related to sound or due to frequency cause other types of radiation, ie, RF.) My colleagues and I no not discuss the difference between physical and non-physical selves in a world known to be far too inadequate to resolve this much in neuroscience- and psychology-detail in many years to come. Often I still feel almost lost like Descartes about neuroscience results (and I love the little pun introduced by a neurophysiology background!): 'I think, therefore I am'. Hi, Guys! Just relax and start dreaming. Even your waking reality is different from everybody else's. Don't go and fight about nothing like that! Everything is somebody's interpretation of something!

[Shark Rider]

so basicly OBEs are not paranormal anymore?

[LucidFlanders]

They still are. Created OBE's in a lab and real ones are supposidly REALLY different.

[C911]

Wow good old topic. I do not think of OBE's to have ever been "supernatural". To be supernatural, it would have to be something that a normal person couldn't do. (or in other words, it would be above the natural status of a human person). Everyone though OBE's, just they either think its a dream or dont remember it. So it is perfectly natural. Anyway though, ive heard the same thing LF, that OBE's in labs are completley different, but i've also heard that they are better then normal ones, and you can do more at the get go then that of which you can do when you first start to obe.

[LucidFlanders]

All i have heard of it is 1 person who got tested feeling all "scared" because the way they were testing. If you mean the ones from the Monroe Institute then i agree. If you search youtube there is a story of a this army dude who wanted to gather info about that other type of OBE the government used to use. Anyway, he was blown out of his mind and is now working there.