Overview lecture on the out-of-body and near-death experiences

1. Studying Out-of-Body
and Near-Death Experiences
Nancy L. Zingrone, PhD
www.theazire.org
The AZIRE Learning Center in Second Life
SLURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Madhupak/153/89/60

2. Tips for this Class …
O Don’t forget to check your device settings as
soon as the class starts. Icons at the top
right of the frame give you the option to get
back in there and check.
O If I disappear, I’ve had a crash and will be
logging on as fast as possible on another
computer in my house. THANKS FOR YOUR
PATIENCE!

3. Plan of the course:
O Today: Introduction to the Scientific Study of
Psychic Phenomena
O April 25th
, 3pm Eastern: Ghosts, Poltergeists
and Hauntings Research
O May 2nd
, 3pm Eastern: Studying Out of Body
and Near-Death Experiences
O May 9th
, 3pm Eastern: Reincarnation
Research in Scientific Parapsychology

4. Terms
Out-of-body experience
Astral projection
Astral travels
Doubling
Bilocation
Extracorporeal Experience
Near-Death Experience

5. Pliny. The Natural History of Pliny
(Vol. 2, Bostock & H. T. Riley, trans.)
London: George Bell, 1890.
(Originally published between 70 and 79 CE)
“With reference to the soul of man, we find, among
other instances, that the soul of Hermotinus of
Clazomenae was in the habit of leaving his body,
and wandering into distant countries, whence it
brought back numerous accounts of various things,
which could not have been obtained by any one
but a person who was present. The body, in the
meantime, was left apparently lifeless …
At last, however, his enemies … burned the body,
so that the soul, on its return, was deprived of its
heath, as it were” (p. 210)
17th
Century
edition of
Pliny’s Work

6. OBE Experiencers

7. Robert Monroe’s first OBE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MHBM8prTP8
Uploaded to YouTube by The Monroe Institute
www.tmi.org

8. Characteristics
of Out-of-Body Experiences
 Movement
 Sensation of leaving the body
 Traveling
 Auditory perceptions
 Conversations
 Strange sounds
 Physical sensations
 Vibrations/sense of energy
Shock to the physical body upon
return to the body
 Visual Perceptions
 Seeing friends and
acquaintances in other
places while out
 Seeing one’s own body
 Emotions
 Peace
 Happiness

9. Estimate of Out-of-Body Experiences
in the US Population
Population: 313,232,044*
16%: 50, 117, 127
10%: 31, 323, 204
5%: 15, 661, 602
1%: 3, 132, 320
(http://www.indexmundi.com/united_states/demographics_profile.html)
*Projection for July 2011

11. Explanations
All in the Mind? Does Something Go Out?

12. Methods of Study
O Personal Exploration
O Case collections
O Single individual or many
individuals
O Survey Research
O Experiments

13. OBE Researchers

14. OBE Researchers & Experiencers
Karlis Osis and Alex Tanous
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cubGrPT0q20
Uploaded to YouTube by SabrosFabres

15. OBE Researchers
Charles T. Tart & Stanley Krippner
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwmZ1JohClc
Uploaded to YouTube by PostmortemSurvival

16. Laboratory Study Conducted by Charles T. Tart
(1968). A psychophysiological study of out-of-the body
experiences in a selected subject.
Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research.

17. Prevalence of Out-of-Body Experiences in Studies Using
Randomly Selected Samples
Researcher Country Group N %
Haraldsson
et al (1977) Iceland Residents 863 8
Institutet för
marknadsunder-
sökninger (1978) Sweden Residents 751 6 or 10*
Palmer (1979) US Residents 354 14
Murray (1983) Phillipines Residents
capital city -- 10
Blackmore (1984) England Residents
Bristol 320 12
Ohayon (2000) United Kingdom
Germany
Italy Residents 13,057 6
Alvarado, Zingrone US Residents 253 38
& Agee
Zingrone, Alvarado, US Residents 261 37
& Agee
N = 8; Range=6-38; Mean = 16%; Median = 11 / *Depending on definition used.

18. Features of OBEs in Students at Universidade Federal de
Pernambuco (250 participants, 31 OBEs)*
Feature Percentage
Saw physical body 53%
Went to place away from physical body 31%
Obtained information 25%
Saw link with body 20%
Influenced things and people 18%
*J.F. Brelaz de Castro (1998). Experiencias fuera del cuerpo: Una
encuesta sobre estudiantes universitarios en Brasil. Revista Argentina
de Psicologia Paranormal.
Jalmir Freire Brelaz de Castro

19. Frequent OBE Features (Scotland OBE Study)
_________________________________________________________________
_______
Feature N Percentage
________________________________________________________________________
Floating sensations 78 71%
Stayed in usual surroundings 74 69%
Saw physical body 81 65%
Saw surroundings from above 81 63%
Sensation of rising leaving
body 81 56%
Could not move physical body
before OBE 75 35%
Aware of sensations of
returning to body 79 35%
Aware of sensations of leaving
body 84 33%
Saw lights around or at a
distance 80 33%

20. Infrequent OBE Features (Scotland OBE Study)___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Feature N Percentage
____________________________________________________________________________________
Consciousness oscillated
between OB location
and physical body 80 1%
Saw ray of light, cord, ribbon
or rope connecting OB
self to physical body 83 2%
Heard clicking or snapping
sounds 77 3%
Saw images of events or actions
of person’s earlier life 80 3%
Sensation of falling leaving body 74 4%
Could see around corners 71 4%
Heard music 83 4%
Sensation of second OBE
while OB 82 5%

21. Circumstances During Which OBEs Occur
Relaxation
Meditation
Resting
Sleeping
Falling Asleep
Drugs
Spontaneous____________________________Voluntary Induction
Accidents
Physical Abuse
Surgery
Illness
Near death
Physical Activity
Tension

23. Case of Al Sullivan Investigated
by Bruce Greyson:
56 Year-Old truck Driver,
Left Body During Heart Surgery
“I was able to see my
surgeon . . . I thought he was
flapping his arms as if trying
to fly.”
To keep gloves sterile the
surgeon had the habit of
putting his hands on his chest
and flap his elbows pointing
out things. The surgeon could
not confirm that he had
flapped his arms on this
instance but said this was a
regular habit of his.
Near-death Experiences …

24. Comparison of OBE Features in Near-Death vs. Non-Near-Death
Circumstances Following Gabbard et al. (1981)
Feature Near Death (N) Non Near-Death (N)
Saw physical body 86% (21)* 57 (56)*
Passed through dark tunnel,
enclosure, or place when leaving 28% (18) 16% (57)
Heard sounds when leaving 33% (18) 25 (54)
Saw lights 55 (20)* 25% (56)*
Saw spiritual entities
or beings 25% (20) 15% (53)
*statistically significant differences
Alvarado, C.S. (2001). Features of out-of-body experiences in relation to perceived closeness to death.
Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease.

25. Changes in Attitudes and Beliefs After an OBE:
Alvarado & Zingrone (2003). Exploring the factors related to the
aftereffects of out-of-body experiences.
Journal of the Society for Psychical Research.
Sense of Identity
Meaning of Life
Meaning of Death
Nature of Human Beings
God, Religion
Property
Society
61
51
51
42
39
21
15

26. OBEs from Survey Studies Associated with:
*Lucid Dreams
*Dream Recall
*Absorption Experiences
*Dissociative Experiences
*Hypnotic Susceptibility
*Fantasy Proneness
*Parapsychological Experiences

27. Correlations Between OBEs and Dream
and Psi Experience Variables
Alvarado & Zingrone (2007-2008). Interrelationships of Parapsychological
Experiences , Dream Recall and Lucid Dreams in a Survey with Predominantly
Spanish Participants. Imagination, Cognition and Personality.
Variable Spearman r
Dream Recall .071
Lucid Dreams .325*
ESP Dreams .202*
Waking ESP .227*
Apparitions .342*
Auras .324*
*Significant at the .001 level, after correction for multiple analyses.

28. OBEs and Reports of Imaginary Companions
Zingrone & Alvarado
(unpublished imaginary companions Bial funded project)
Study Companion Yes Companion No χ2
Random Study
OBEs Yes 50% 34.7% 3.1
Web-based Study
OBE Yes 78.9 58.7% 19.2*

29. Assignment:
O In the course feed:
O Write a story about your own OBE
O Upload a link to a video about OBEs
O Do you believe something goes out or it is all
in the mind?

30. Selected OBE Research Work:
Carlos S. Alvarado & Nancy L. Zingrone
(1998-1999) A study of the features of out-of-body experiences in relation to Sylvan Muldoon’s claims. European Journal of Parapsychology
O Alvarado, C.S., & Zingrone, N.L. (1998-1999). A study of the features of out-of-body
experiences in relation to Sylvan Muldoon’s claims. European Journal of Parapsychology.
O Alvarado, C.S., Zingrone, N.L., & Dalton, K. (1998-1999). Out-of-body experiences:
Alterations of consciousness and the Five-Factor Model of personality. Imagination,
Cognition and Personality.
O Alvarado, C.S., & Zingrone, N.L. (1999). Out-of-body experiences among readers of a
Spanish New Age Magazine. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research.
O Alvarado, C.S., & Zingrone, N.L. (2003). Exploring the factors related to the aftereffects of
out-of-body experiences. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research.
O Zingrone, N.L., Alvarado, C.S., & Cardeña, E. (2010). Out-of-body experiences, physical body
activity and posture: Responses from a Survey conducted in Scotland. Journal of Nervous
and Mental Disease.

31. Thanks for your Attention!
See you next week!
email: nancy@theazire.org
www.theazire.org
The AZIRE Learning Center in Second Life
SLURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Madhupak/153/89/60