Out-of-body experiences are typically considered a sign of mental illness, but new research from our Marina Weiler, PhD, suggests they may be a coping mechanism for dealing with extreme stress and trauma.
Professor Weiler is a neuroscientist with our Division of Perceptual Studies. She and her collaborators collected data from more than 500 people online to better understand out-of-body experiences, or OBEs. In OBEs, people feel detached from their physical forms, like a ghost. Sometimes they report being able to see their own bodies while floating above.
The researchers found that the average age of first OBE was young, often in childhood. They also found high levels of childhood trauma in the OBE group, suggesting that out-of-body experiences may be a “dissociative response to overwhelming stress or emotional pain,” as the scientists write in a new paper.
Notably, people who reported an OBE were more likely to report poor mental health, and to be diagnosed with mental-health conditions, than those who did not. But Weiler says that understanding what an OBE may represent -- a coping mechanism -- could improve care for people who experience OBEs. She's urging further research to better inform clinical practice.
“If OBEs are understood not as symptoms of pathology but as coping mechanisms – especially in response to trauma – this reframing can lead to several important shifts in clinical practice, research and public understanding,” she told me. “Ultimately, we hope to reduce the stigma around this topic, encourage help-seeking and build community and resilience among experiencers.”