The participant reported that the spinning movement was hard to stop for the rest period. Table 1. Characteristics of each run during the scanning session. The second, third, and fifth runs were guided motor imagery. This was a 5-min task. We were interested in determining if there was a difference between imagining herself performing the ECE but not experiencing the ECE differed from the imaging of another person performing the same ECE movement.
Run 3 included the same alternating block design whereby the participant imagined herself performing jumping jacks or resting : this was a control task to determine which structures were involved in non-ECE motor imagery. The participant practiced the instructions for Run 3 prior to starting the run to ensure that she was able to visualize herself.
Run 5 involved the participant moving her right hand fingers one at a time to her thumb at a frequency of 2 Hz and then visualizing herself perform the same movement.
Again, the participant did not report a sensation of movement. This control task was added to determine the brain areas involved in a simple motor action and its imagined version. Again, each block was 30 s and the Run was 5 min. Our conversations with the participant suggested that her extra corporeal experience involved the sensation of movement while other imagery tasks she performed did not involve this sensation.
The functional images were reconstructed and whole brain images were realigned to correct for motion by employing the procedure of Friston et al.
The motion correction did not exceed 1 mm. Images were then smoothed with a 10 mm full-width at half-maximum Gaussian filter. A fixed effects analysis was performed with data from each Run separately. The blocks of ECE were compared with the rest blocks from the same Run. In the KVIQ, the participant scored an average of 4.
Only when contemplating my own mortality ; T. Occasionally but voluntary. Sometimes late at night, I can play with perspective i. Also, sometimes, ordinary objects seem bizarre in the sense that all existence is bizarre ; T.
Always voluntary. I can make it feel like my body is going down into my bed ; T. Almost always this is voluntary … usually when I am bored in class. The participant reported being successful at beginning and ending her ECE on demand of the experimenter.
The experience for Run 1 began immediately and she began to see herself above her body rocking with her feet moving down and up as her head moved up and down as in bobbing in ocean waves. The second ECE Run was the most intense and involved the participant watching herself above her own body, spinning along the horizontal axis. Neural activation patterns for each of these ECE Runs were analyzed separately with rest subtracted from the experience.
Given the lack of significant difference between the results of each of the three Runs, all ECE Runs were combined into one analysis to increase power and observe brain regions that were concomitantly activated for each Run. Results are reported with a family wise error FWE very stringent correction for multiple comparisons at 0. Results are presented in Figure 1.
The parietal and superior temporal activation taken together correspond to the temporal parietal junction. Figure 1. Rendered image of significantly activated regions of the brain while the participant was having extra-corporeal experiences.
Most significantly activated regions are lateralized to the left side and include the supplementary motor area F , the cerebellum B,D,E , the supramarginal gyrus D,F , the inferior temporal gyrus B,D,F , the middle and superior orbitofrontal gyri A,C,D,E.
The p -value was set at 0. Figure 2. Areas of reduced activity during the ECEs compared to rest. The visual cortex is particularly impacted. A Representation of the right side; B activity on the left. The p -value for this image was set at 0. Figure 3. Results from visualizing herself doing the same action she performed in the first ECE vs. A Bilateral lingual gyrus differences in activity and B the left cerebellar differences. The second control task involved the participant imagining herself performing jumping jacks and then not imagining anything and just keeping her eyes closed waiting for the next start cue for the jumping jacks.
Results are presented in Figure 4. Figure 4. Results from visualizing herself performing jumping jacks compared to rest. The p -value for this image was set to 0. Another contrast of interest was the actual movement of the fingers to the thumb compared with imagining the same movement Figure 5. There was significantly more activation during the imagining vs.
Figure 5. There was significantly more activation during the visualization of finger movement compared to the actual movement. Each letter represents a different view of the brain A anterior view, B posterior view, C right lateral view, D left lateral view, E ventral view, and F dorsal view. Figure 6. Motor areas significantly activated more during movement of her fingers to thumb compared with visualizing the same movement.
A Representation of the left primary motor cortex; B representation of the right cerebellum. The present experiment examined functional brain imaging patterns in a participant that reported being able, at will, to produce somatosensory sensations that are experienced as her body moving outside the boundaries of her physical body while remaining aware of her unmoving physical body.
The reported experience is similar to what is defined by Brugger as an out-of-body experience but without the feeling of being only outside of her body and without any of the emotional content typically reported in out-of-body experiences Brugger and Regard, The subjective description of the participant led us to use the term ECE throughout this manuscript to underline the difference between the phenomenon studied here and the more common definition of out-of-body experiences.
With these caveats in mind, we find that the brain functional changes associated with the reported ECE were different than those observed in motor imagery. The results suggest that the ECE reported here represents an unusual type of kinesthetic imagery that shares some features of previously described out-of-body experiences and some features of more typical motor imagery.
The ECE was reported as a mixture of visual imagery and kinesthetic imagery but the kinesthetic component was prominent as evidenced by the report of feeling dizzy when performing a rotational movement.
The prominence of kinesthetic experience over the visual experience is consistent with a strong bilateral deactivation of the lingual gyrus and cuneus encompassing the primary visual cortex. Activations are mainly left-sided and involve the left SMA, supramarginal and posterior superior temporal gyri the last two overlap with the temporal parietal junction, which has been associated with out-of-body experiences.
There are also left middle and superior orbital frontal gyri activations, structures often associated with action monitoring. The TPJ activation that was observed during the ECE is consistent with patient cases that report autoscopy and out-of-body experiences when the functional integrity of that area is altered Blanke et al.
Studies of experimentally induced altered body imagery have demonstrated that transcranial magnetic stimulation of the TPJ area can interfere with the ability of healthy individuals to imagine themselves in body orientations similar to out-of-body experiences Blanke et al. Electrical stimulation of the TPJ in epileptic patients also produces various sensations associated with out-of-body experience Blanke et al. Interestingly, several of the active clusters found in the present experiment during the ECE left supramarginal gyrus, left inferior temporal gyrus, left cerebellum correspond closely to clusters with mirror properties associated with action observation and execution that were identified by a recent meta-analysis Molenberghs et al.
The middle orbital frontal gyrus is a highly multimodal area that has been associated with performance monitoring and provides flexibility in response to selection based on ongoing feedback Elliott et al. The cluster that we observed in the left orbital frontal gyrus corresponds to cluster 6 of the K-6 solution described by Kahnt et al. They reported functional connectivity with adjacent regions in the lateral prefrontal cortex as well as regions in the inferior parietal cortex and the lateral inferior temporal cortex; the latter two structures correspond to activations we observed during the ECE.
The goal was to guide the participant toward taking a first-person perspective of her own experience and transposing it to a third-person perspective. The first-person perspective was associated with a bilateral increase in the lingual gyrus and another one in the left cerebellum: this may indicate that imagining herself included both a visual component and possibly a kinesthetic component even following a specific instruction to avoid this that was absent when visualizing using the third-person view.
The self-visualization was accompanied by a reduction in orbitofrontal activation that may indicate that visualizing herself was easier than taking the third-person view and required less monitoring of activity. Jackson et al. They found significantly more activity in the left sensory-motor cortex for first-person, during observation alone, and in the lingual gyrus for third-person perspective suggesting that perspective taking is associated with a different pattern of activation Jackson et al.
It is difficult to reconcile the higher lingual cortex activity observed with our participant taking the first-person view and the higher activity with the third-person perspective in Jackson et al. However, in that study, participants were only shown pictures corresponding to first- or third-person view of static limbs whereas our participant was instructed to visualize a whole body movement. A similar procedure contrasting first and third-person view was used in a study in which participants viewed hand movements from the two perspectives Lorey et al.
Both these studies reported activation differences when contrasting first- and third-person views. The pattern of differences that we observed was unsurprisingly quite different than in previous studies likely owing to the task differences and the number of participants Ruby and Decety, ; Lorey et al.
In the third condition, we examined the brain areas involved in a whole body motor imagery to examine if the ECE was similar to motor imagery in this participant. The first general observation is that in this condition, activations tended to be bilateral as opposed to mainly left-sided activations observed in the ECE.
The second observation is that the activations when the participant was told to imagine doing jumping jacks were less extensive than for the ECE. They included bilateral SMA extending into the paracentral lobule, bilateral inferior parietal lobule, right middle and superior temporal gyri, and left precentral gyrus. There was reduced activity in the cuneus bilaterally and in the superior orbital frontal gyrus also bilaterally. Activations of the SMA, inferior parietal lobule, and precentral gyrus have been reported in two previous studies of kinesthetic imagery using hand movements Guillot et al.
ECE and whole body motor imagery were both associated with a reduction in cuneus activation but less so for motor imagery suggesting that visual imagery was inhibited during both conditions. During motor imagery, there was less activity in the superior orbital frontal cortex whereas there was more activity in the middle and superior orbital frontal cortex during ECE. This is suggestive of more motor monitoring during ECE than motor imagery.
The last condition was an attempt to compare the activations associated with actual hand movements to imagining the same movement in this participant Guillot et al. In one of these studies, there were 13 participants selected on the basis of excellent motor imagery Guillot et al. The number of participants in both these studies achieved a greater statistical power and reported many more activations than in the present single-case study. The finger movements used in the Guillot et al.
The movement used in the Szameitat et al. Although it is not clear how comparable these studies are with the present observations, there are a number of concordant findings. First, real and imagined movements produce activations in the SMA. The activations reported by Szameitat et al. It has been shown that visual imagery is reliant on the occipital lobe and the superior parietal lobule, as well as lateral premotor cortex, while kinesthetic imagery is more associated with motor areas and inferior parietal activity Guillot et al.
The ECE in the present study activated the left side of several areas associated with kinesthetic imagery and was associated with a strong deactivation of the visual cortex. This suggests that her experience really was a novel one, with a strong kinesthetic component.
This was a healthy young woman with no brain abnormalities, thus providing a window into the brain during non-pathological, self-elicited ECE. There are a number of limitations to the present study. Given that the participant spontaneously reported her experience assuming that it was a common occurrence and the detailed and unusual description of how she developed this ability, we are inclined to take her report at face value.
The private nature of imagery is common to most research in imagery including other imagery conditions in the present report although a number of control measures have been devised but they were not used here. One example of such measures is the increase in heart rate and pulmonary ventilation during imagined actions Decety et al. Statistical power was obviously limited in this single-case study, which means that potentially several activations escaped detection.
This is the first study with a non-pathological participant who is able to elicit an ECE upon demand. Clearly, replication is required to ascertain if this pattern of activation is similar in other people who can have self-initiated ECE. As you begin to leave your body, you will get the sensation of movement, as if you are in a moving vehicle.
This is the sign of your astral body beginning to separate from your physical. Myriad lights and colors appear in front of your eyes. Use your thoughts to move around on the astral plane.
When it is time to return to your physical environment, simply make the decision to come back to your body; visualise yourself back in your body. Count from one to 10, focus on each part of your body and begin to move them all slowly. Do not hurry, since you may have been physically static for hours. It is not advisable to try astral projection on your own initially. The presence of an experienced guide is always recommended.
Disclaimer : We respect your thoughts and views! But we need to be judicious while moderating your comments. All the comments will be moderated by the newindianexpress. Abstain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or inflammatory, and do not indulge in personal attacks. Try to avoid outside hyperlinks inside the comment. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines.
The views expressed in comments published on newindianexpress. They do not represent the views or opinions of newindianexpress. For my lucid dreaming practice, I have a sound machine that all the most brand-conscious babies use— the Dohm Classic in pink , set to level II, always—and the fool-proof method of a fictional teenager from a Netflix thriller.
Through my first half-day of studying astral projection, my biggest takeaway is that learning about this phenomenon requires a surprising number of streaming platforms. Which makes me think that Doctor Strange might be the most accurate Hollywood depiction of astral phenomena.
What he finds instead is an entirely new understanding of the world around him. Only one of those knows how to astral travel, unless my editor is lying and all of this is an elaborate body-snatching ploy. Of course, upon reflection , I realize that Behind Her Eyes posits a world in which best friends are actually the most likely culprit to snatch your body while astral projecting, so this plan was terrible all along. Luckily, the Spotify meditation makes up for what I lack! Personally , I fell asleep halfway through the pod.
Maybe next time …. And it works. Nothing really even gets to vibrating. A door. I would never lie to you, it is a whole-ass door in my mind. My phone rings. I find a phone number for the Water Magister on a now-defunct Water Magister Facebook page, and he picks up on the first ring. But , the Water Magister does agree to meet with me to answer any questions I have, and discuss what his guided astral projection sessions look like so that I can improve my own practice at home.
After all, the Water Magister tells me about mystery schools where astral masters share ancient wisdom in the astral realm. He tells me about healing trauma and overcoming obstacles, and a time in his youth when he built an entire world in the astral realm with fellow travelers he met on the internet, only to have that world destroyed by lurking astral-projection-internet trolls.
The Water Magister was first introduced to astral projection by a man named Willy, studied the practice further under the works of famous explorer of human consciousness , Robert Monroe, and began teaching it after a voice told him he should. That same voice told him to start making his special blend of astral projection tea, which I will eventually buy from him in cash. Mostly, the Water Magister lets me ask him my rudimentary astral projection questions for 90 minutes, offering me generous, straightforward answers in return.
But there is one lingering thing I feel like astral projection practitioners are perhaps simplifying a little themselves. Pop culture only depicts astral travel as being deployed for sneaky, sometimes murderous means because pop culture knows that anything that can be used for bad, will be used for bad. Are only the most moral people in the world capable of masterful astral projection, or is astral projection not quite as viable as its masters claim? Even in astral projection, practice makes progress.
For me, the visual that came most readily in my half-asleep state was to yank my consciousness out of my head in quick, successive pulls like I was a human box of Kleenex. I do not know why I equate myself to bath tissue, and I do not want to talk about it!
Sometime around my seventh attempt, I put on my big girl pants and stopped using the guided meditation, choosing the power of binaural beats and my own willpower, instead. Twice using this meditative method, I feel a kind of rising , like my consciousness is being pulled out through the crown of my head, but both times I then start to physically tense my body, ceasing said rising. Once, I briefly drift asleep, and when I wake up, my eyes unconsciously pop open, I see the dresser in my bedroom, and then I slam them back shut, and am suddenly traveling.
It feels like my mind is tunneling through the earth toward a searing white light, until I spook myself out of it. Either way, my eyes did eventually open, definitely for real this time. I am attempting to astral travel morning, noon, and night.
0コメント