Thread: OBE vs. LD

In my mind, an LD is a type of OBE. However, in addition to that there is a scale of "realism" that exists with all OBEs. As you move away from the unstable and chaotic end of the scale to that which is closer to the waking reality, you get closer to what most people would say an OBE is. Something that is close to the waking reality, but is not something experienced from your regular "in body" point of view.

In my personal experience, I have had distinctly different types of OBEs. I have had your standard LD which is usually more realistic than a regular dream but still not something you would confuse with the waking reality. I have also had OBEs where, if it weren't for the fact that I was aware through the sleep paralysis, separation, and dreamscape conjuration phases, I could have sworn I was awake. These are much rarer to come by, but when you have them they definately stand out from your typical lucid dreams.

Out of body experiences are literal out-of-body experiences. You are fully conscious and what would be properly called your soul ejects from the energy field your body is composed of and generally floats around. It feels like going back to somewhere VERY familiar, like a home of some kind. I say again - it is full consciousness, and no dream.

Proof for me is the consistency and regularity of the experiences. You simply do not dream that sort of feeling and sense of the world, even in Lucid Dreams. You can actually hurt yourself quite badly.

I wouldn't underestimate what the mind is capable of. After all, you are using the experiences of the mind ("sensations of home") in an attempt to undermine what the mind is capable of reproducing, which really doesn't make sense if you think about it.

I must ask, have you tried empirically validating this claim in some way? For example, having someone write a random 6 digit number on a piece of paper, observing that number while out of body and then verifying for yourself that what you saw was "real" once you woke up?

I think we are all familiar with Hollywood's take on what an OBE is. But coming from a more objective and scientific point of view, even if OBE's can be used to experience things in an "extra-sensory" fashion (as described above), that doesn't necessarily imply anything actually "leaving" your body. It just as likely that an OBE is a sort of "psychic lucid dream" instead of a soul floating around.

After all, there is at least some hard evidence supporting the existence of E.S.P. Your theory, on the other hand, is building upon commonly accepted (but otherwise insufficiently substantiated) claims of a soul, much less one that can see physical light waves without physical retinas, hear physical audio waves without physical ear drums, etc etc.

Originally Posted by erik000satie

What is the difference between and out of body experience, and a lucid dream?

Whats the difference between a car and a jetpack?

OOBE are a whole different beast from Lucid Dreams, Dreams and lucid dreams depending on how lucid you are always have a tiny bit of fog, whereas every OOBE I've had has been clear as day.

Originally Posted by Azatos

OOBE are a whole different beast from Lucid Dreams, Dreams and lucid dreams depending on how lucid you are always have a tiny bit of fog, whereas every OOBE I've had has been clear as day.

I can't remember fog at all in most of my dreams.

Yes, I have also been wondering about whether OOBEs are real or not and if they are then where is the proof/evidence. Whilst I was typing this, I came to the conclusion that if it was real and there was evidence then it could be possible that the authorities are trying to hide it from us so that it is not known to the general public because of the huge implications it would have such as privacy and the fact that people could be watching us at any time and that locked doors would have little effect and things like that, especially as OOBEs can be induced voluntarily.

In my opinion they are the same thing... There isn't really any proof that they are the same or different. Some people will say that they've experienced it and that it is totally different, others will say that there isn't any proof. I've never had anything I would consider an OBE so I don't know. I think it's really up to you and your personal experiences to decide.