There is at least one paranormal experience that scientists and paranormal believers can agree does exist. Out of body experiences have been reported in cultures all over the world all throughout time. Even the Bible has an example of an out of body experience when in 2 Corinthians 12: 1-4, the Apostle Paul “boasts” saying:
“I will go on visions and revelations from the Lord… And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know…was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell.”
Some scientists claim that these experiences are caused by the mind. Many theories suggest that it is the minds response to stressful situations, such as near death experiences or intense pain, as a defense mechanism. Other theories claim that OBEs are nothing more than hallucinations.
Experiments have been done with direct electrical stimulation of the brain to create an OBE in the subjects. {1}
Paranormal explanations claim that OBE’s are related to the spirit, or specifically the spirit’s separation from the body. Of course this can be adjusted to fit your own personal feelings of spirit, but weather you call it the etheric body, the light body, the subtle body, the mind body, the consciousness, the idea is the same. The spirit temporarily separates from the body enabling your perception to sit outside of the body.
OBE’s can range in experiences, from just sitting outside of your body (being able to see your body from an outside perspective), to traveling great distances and being able to be at different places. Some accounts, like the one from Apostle Paul quoted above; depict the spirit traveling to other realms, be that heaven, the astral plain, or others.
If you are looking to have your own OBE, the good news is that you DON’T have to experience a near death experience to do this. In fact that is NOT recommended. There are many theories on how to induce an OBE which we will explore in future posts. I hope to test a method myself and post my results so look for that coming in the near future. However there are several warnings to people actively looking for experiences like this about being careful not to attract the attention of negative spirits malevolent creatures of the aether. Remember that the spiritual world is like a door that’s closed off by a pile of rocks, after opening it, it’s really difficult to close it again and even then you will never get it sealed completely.
In addition seeing your own body can be a very shocking and scary experience for some people. Don’t try to initiate an OBE unless you are fully prepared for all consequences. {2}
What are your feelings on out of body experiences? Are they just hallucinations, or something more spiritual? Share your comments below or feel free to email me at penguinprince@grimcrew.com. If you have your own stories to share we would love to hear them! Don’t forget you can get more paranormal goodness at our Facebook page.
Till Fate brings our Future
Daniel Palmer
A.K.A. Penguin Prince
Image Sources:
{1} http://mindblog.dericbownds.net/2006/10/your-brain-can-put-your-body-wherever.html
