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Non-spontaneous (or induced) OBEs

Although the above experiences were "spontaneous", some people have attempted to develop techniques to "induce" an OBE. Methods vary. See below:

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  Attempting to fall asleep without losing consciousness. This method is generally believed to be what causes involuntary OBEs. Some who use it consider dreams to be a form of OBE in which the conscious mind is suppressed; alternatively, others believe that an OBE is a form of dream in which the conscious mind is not suppressed. A known related technique is for the subject to remind himself of his current position in time and space with daily conscious effort, every now and then. This can then occur during sleep and cause the subject to "awaken" in lucid states required to cause the experience. "See Lucid Dreaming."
  

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  Deep trance and visualization. The types of visualizations vary; some common imageries used include climbing a rope to "pull out" of one's body, floating out of one's body, getting shot out of a cannon, and other similar approaches. This technique is considered hard to use for people who cannot properly relax. Common sensations can arise such as deep vibrations, impressions of very high heart rate (when it actually is in a relaxed state) and these sensations are likely to cause anxieties. An good example of such a technique consists of the popular "Golden Dawn Body of Light Technique".
  

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  Audio/visual stimulation intended to bring the subject into the appropriate state. An example of this consists of binaural sound technology, in which a constant sound frequency is played in each ear individually, to cause the brain to naturally respond to the rhythm caused by the slight frequency difference between the two. The theta (4Hz) brainwave frequency was observed as effective by the Monroe institute (and corroborated by others). Another popular technology uses sinusoidal wave pulses to achieve similar results. The beta/theta simultaneous brainwave patterns (12Hz/4Hz) were also observed as effective, apparently easing the lighter sleep condition. The theta frequency is observed monitoring brains of dreaming patients, notably in REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, while the beta frequency range is that of normal, relaxed awakened individuals. It is believed that one of the unsuspected powers of the drumming of the American natives during religious ceremonies caused the brain to swift among frequencies to become more receptive to the "other worlds" using similar means.
  

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  Chemically induced experiences. OBEs induced with drugs are generally considered to be hallucinations (i.e., purely subjective), even by those who believe the phenomenon to be objective in general. There are several types of drugs that can initiate an OBE. Primarily that of dissociative hallucinogens such as ketamine, DXM and PCP.
  

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  Electrical stimulation of the brain (See below).
  

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  Sensory deprivation or overload. Various techniques aim to cause intense disorientation of the subject by making him lose his space and time references. The first technique, attempting to fall asleep without losing consciousness, can be considered to be a passive form of sensory deprivation. The brain tends to fill in the gaps when there is nothing getting into the senses for some time. Sensory overload consists of the opposite, where the subject can for instance be rocked for a long time into an especially designed cradle, or submit to light forms of torture, to cause the brain to shut itself from all the sensory overload eventually. Both conditions tend to cause confusion, and this disorientation often permits the subject to experience vivid, ethereal out of body experiences. This tends to happen when the subject believes to be in a particular position, when the actual body really is not (either rocking in a cradle actively, or still lying down). Consciousness suddenly transfers to the mental body in a flash.
  

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External verification of OBEs

Only 2 of the 66 cases involved (from the previously mentioned study) attempt to verify the experience as being "really" out-of-body by checking the positions of people or objects in another room. The basis for the subject's belief that the experiences was real was not primarily the external evidence. Very few of the 66 cases considered it needful to verify for themselves they were physically out-of-body by checking on events at other locations. This type of verification was not what caused them to believe the experience was "real" in the first place. Instead, it was the quality of the experience that drove their perception of its reality, and made it different from a dreaming or illusory experience.

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  I can say one thing I remember vividly, I felt no different than in body form. This is what was so unbelievable.
  

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  I could see the details in my room and the ceiling from up close exactly as if I was seeing it in real life.
  

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  The room was bright and I was looking at a dress that was hung on my bedroom wall. My gaze was fixed on this dress taking in all its details. I knew it was not possible to see this dress from the position I was laid in bed, this frightened me again.
  

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  I knew I was asleep on the living room floor when I was floating on the ceiling because, I was in shock in the "dream" how I could feel my breast dangle downward. I was completely aware.
  

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Other observations of OBEs

Not every OBE has exactly the same aspects, but the subjects all agree. There are several different types of OBEs with different causes and meanings. Some examples are discussed below.

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  These people claim they are not "faking" their experiences.
  

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  They were not, in general, "trying" to have the experience through auto-suggestion, hypnotic trance, etc. Many seemed frightened and/or confused by the experience; some even to the point of doubting their sanity.
  

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  A belief that they were physically "out of body" is a key feature of the experience. Even though other features of their experience might be self-described as dreamlike, the OBE part was experienced "lucidly", and was very real to the subjects. Several described their subjective state as "very awake", "more awake than usual", etc. Some quotes:
  

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  I knew that these were not dreams, I can now tell the difference and that's what frightened me, (sic) a dream you can ignore but not an experience like these (sic) it made me want to try and find out why are (sic) these things happening to me.
  

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  Consciousness was as clear and lucid as any wakening experience.
  

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  I was very alert. It was exactly as if I was awake.
  

Something else to note. The quality of the experiences which were strictly part of the OBE had no direct bearing on the remainder of the experience. For example, some describe vivid spiritual experiences following the OBE, which continue to influence their lives. On the other hand, others describe a kind of fading into what are self-reported as dreams of no consequence. Conversely, many people report spiritual experiences during sleep or otherwise which are not preceded by an OBE.

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