Neurophenomenology of Out-of-Body experiences induced by hypnotic suggestions

Summary

Inducing out-of-body experiences (OBEs) through hypnosis resulted in significantly higher scores in several phenomenological aspects compared to imaginative OBEs. Specifically, the Hypnosis-induced OBEs (H-OBE) showed increased Altered State, Positive Affect, Altered Experience, and Attention scores on the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory, alongside decreased beta and gamma band activity in the right parieto-temporal areas. This suggests that H-OBEs may represent a model for understanding 'true' OBEs and their effects on multisensory integration.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Inducing out-of-body experiences in hypnosis (H-OBEs) offers an almost unique opportunity to investigate them in a controlled condition.OBEs were induced as imaginative task in resting conditions (I-OBE) or in hypnosis (H-OBE) in 15 high hypnotizable subjects. A 32-channel EEG was recorded and the spectral power and imaginary coherence were calculated. At the end of each session, the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory (PCI) was administered to check the phenomenological aspects of their experience.Significantly higher scores in the Altered State, Positive Affect, Altered Experience and Attention subdimensions of the PCI were reported in H-OBE than in I-OBE, which were associated to a significant decrease of power in beta and gamma band activity in right parieto-temporal derivations. Our result suggest that H-OBE may be an appealing model of “true” OBEs, including an alteration of multisensory integration in right parieto-temporal brain areas.