Out of body experiences recreated..

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http://news.uk.msn.com/Article.aspx?...mentid=5954370

pa.press.net - 23.08.2007 21:40
Out-of-body experience recreated

They are normally associated with the paranormal, but now scientists have shown out-of-body experiences can be induced in the laboratory.

Two separate teams of researchers have used "virtual reality" techniques to create the illusion in volunteers for the first time.
By mixing up sensory signals, they were able to trick healthy participants into feeling as if they had left their bodies.

The findings could provide clues to what lies behind real out-of-body experiences, which have been reported in people who suffer from migraines and epilepsy as well as New Age hippies.
They suggest that a disconnection between brain circuits is all that is necessary to produce such an experience.

In future, manipulating the physical sense of "self" could lead to Star Trek-style "holodeck" video games in which players really feel transported into a virtual environment.
It may also improve telemedicine, by helping surgeons operating remotely imagine they are in the same room as their patients.
"This was a bizarre, fascinating experience for the participants - it felt absolutely real for them and was not scary," said neuroscientist Dr Henrik Ehrsson, who devised the study. "Many of them giggled and said 'wow, this is so weird!'".

Dr Ehrsson tried his experiment out on himself. He said: "You really feel that you are sitting in a different place in the room, and you're looking at this thing in front of you that looks like yourself, and you know it's yourself, but it doesn't feel like yourself. It's almost like you're looking at a dummy."

He added that the experiement was a breakthrough as: "Out-of-body experiences have fascinated mankind for millennia.
Their existence has raised fundamental questions about the relationship between human consciousness and the body, and has been much discussed in theology, philosophy and psychology."

Budgie wonders whether this could also give a clue as to how certain substances can also create these experiences (disconnecting brain circuits)?

Whether they do or not, it's certainly an interesting topic.