From Nelson Abreu:

Re: “Out of body” research attacks philosophical questions (Aug. 24): In what has perhaps been a well intentioned effort to research the OBE from a materialist point of view, the researchers, reporters, and reviewers in this study overlooked a very basic fact: the study did not involve a single out-of body experience! A projection of the consciousness involves a visceral feeling of being embodied in a more subtle body than the physical body itself (opposite of virtual reality setup). In an OBE, the individual is not always looking back at the physical body at a few feet of distance (although this can occur in some cases). OBEs are not always a visual phenomena either, as there are OBEs without sight, and blind people can also have OBEs. The majority of OBEs also occur mainly when the physical eyes are closed and when the body is in a more vegetative state; and also occur during brain wave patterns that differ from the normal waking state. The abovementioned study seems to say interesting things about dissociated perceptions under virtual reality conditions, but this does not says much, if anything, about the OBE itself as a separate phenomenon.

Nelson Abreu
International Academy of Consciousness
501(c)3 non-profit research and education organization
www.iacworld.org