More light has been shed on the OBE (out of body experience) phenomenon by researchers at Antwerp University (Belgium). A 63-year-old tinnitus (ringing in the ears) patient had an electrode implanted in his brain to administer shocks intended to disrupt the tinnitus. This may sound a bit extreme, but it is a fairly routine procedure to deal with a disruptive and maddening condition.
Researchers were surprised to hear the patient describe feeling as though he were out of his body once the electrical impulses were delivered. 20-inches back and to the left, to be precise.
Dirk De Ridder, of the neurosurgical department at Antwerp University, explained his concept of the out-of-body experience to HealthDay News:
“Self-perception is nothing else but a creation of your brain,” explained study lead author and neurosurgeon Dr. Dirk De Ridder, of the neurosurgical department at Antwerp University. “We found a key spot in the brain in which different areas are normally activated whenever stimulus comes in, so you can relate that stimulus to yourself, which helps create a unified perception of ourselves.”
“The ‘total perception of self,’ ” he added, “is built out of different parts. And one of these parts is that your consciousness belongs within your body.”
“But when something goes wrong in that brain area so that the integration of all the incoming information–sight, sound, smell, the senses–is not happening as it should, then you can feel that you’re not in your body,” De Ridder said. “You can get an out-of-body experience. You’re perfectly conscious. But you just feel as if you’re not actually sitting in your body.” [courtesy Technology Review]
The electrode stimulation was sited at a point in the brain where the areas managing sensory integration (which determines bodily placement in time/space) and sense of self (the self-consciousness and ability to perceive the surrounding world) intersect. No research has been done yet on healthy individuals to see if the same phenomenon can be reproduced.
What exactly does this phenomenon feel like (at least to this patient)?
At no time did the patient report the sense that he was watching his actual body from another place — a phenomenon known as autoscopy. Rather, he said that throughout each out-of-body episode, he visually perceived the world as usual — from the vantage point of his actual body. At the same time, however, he continued to feel as if his body was located elsewhere. [courtesy Forbes]
So what does all this mean for those who had OBEs as part of illness, trauma, near-death experiences or other means? Rooting the function of self-perception in the brain rather than in the soul isn’t in itself all that radical, nor does it necessarily preclude a spiritual interpretation. Is locating the Self part of the brain any different than positing the God part of the brain? Even if both a sense of Self or God are both products of biology, are they any less amazing or miraculous?
A more interesting question is that of control. Imagine being able to control your own sense of Self. Or imagine being unable to. All of a sudden, you’re permanently located back and to the left, 20 inches, staring at that Self you so thoughtlessly inhabited. Nightmare scenario? You betcha. Just imagine the applications at Gitmo. Or imagine, somewhat less darkly, the applications for therapy. Would you act the way you do if you suddenly left camera mode in the 1st person shooter of your life (if autoscopy is someday possible)? Seeing that little avatar of Self wandering around might destroy any ability to function as a coherent being.
As we begin (ever so slowly and tenuously) to unlock the secrets of the human mind, we confront the fact that reality, consciousness and Self are fragile, delicate illusions, inextricably linked to one another. The human mind is perhaps the true final frontier.
Tags for this post: antwerp university, de ridder, near death experiences, obe, out of body experience, self perception tinnitus
Technorati tag links for this post: antwerp university, de ridder, near death experiences, obe, out of body experience, self perception, tinnitus
Related Area51.Org Posts: Go Out of Your Mind (and Body), Parallel Universe Squared? Paranormal Report, “A strange, dark hum settled over the yard…”: Paranormal Report, Unicorn Rangers Psychic Police Department
Things to Do with This Post:
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
