Out-of-body experience, heautoscopy, and autoscopic hallucination of neurological origin
Brain Research Reviews July 13, 2005 Olaf Blanke, Christine Mohr 352 citations
Autoscopic phenomena (AP) are rare visual illusions where a person sees a second own body in external space, including out-of-body experiences, autoscopic hallucinations, and heautoscopy. This article reviews and statistically analyzes 41 neurological patients described over the past century, extracting phenomenological, functional, and anatomical variables that distinguish or are comparable among the three types. The findings provide testable hypotheses for future research. The authors suggest that scientifically demystifying AP can help investigate the cognitive functions and brain regions underlying normal corporeal awareness and self-consciousness.