An out-of-body experience (OBE or sometimes OOBE), sometimes explained as a Wake-initiated lucid dream, is an experience that typically involves a sensation of floating outside of one's body and, in some cases, seeing one's physical body from a place outside one's body (autoscopy). About one in ten people claim to have had an out-of-body experience at some time in their lives.
In some cases the phenomenon appears to occur spontaneously; in others it is associated with a near-death experience, use of psychedelic drugs, or a dream-like state. It is possible to induce the experience deliberately, for example through visualization while in a relaxed, meditative state. Recent studies have shown that OBEs can be induced by direct brain stimulation. Relatively little is known for sure about OBEs.
The subject may have willed themselves out of their bodies or found themselves being pulled from their bodies (usually preceded by a feeling of paralysis). In other accounts, the feeling of being outside the body was something suddenly realized after the fact; the subjects saw their own bodies almost by accident.
The experience may be attended with spiritual epiphany or a more general feeling of peacefulness and love. Others have experienced fearfulness and anxiety and for some there is no direct spiritual experience other than the OBE itself.
The OBE may or may not be followed by other experiences which are self-reported as being "as real" as the OBE feeling; alternatively, the subject may fade into a state self-reported as dreaming, or they may wake completely. The OBE is sometimes ended due to a fearful feeling of getting "too far away" from the body. Many end with a feeling of suddenly "popping" or "snapping" and sometimes a "pulling" back into their bodies; some even report being "sucked back" into physical form.
A majority describe the end of the experience by saying "then I woke up". However it's worth noting that even those who describe the experience as something fantastic that occurs during sleep, and who describe the end of the experience by saying "and then I woke up", are very specific in describing the experience as one which was clearly not a dream; many described their sense of feeling more awake than they felt when they were normally awake. One compared the experience to that of lucid dreaming, but said that it was "more real".
People often report having these experiences after suffering from traumatic experiences such as motor vehicle accidents. They are able to recall the accident as if observing from a location outside the vehicle.
Whether the OBE reflects reality remains controversial. It is reported that some of those who recall the experience remember visiting places and people they have never been to or seen before, only to find that they in fact do exist when the individual attempts to retrace their travels physically.citation needed]