Out-of-body experiences (OBEs) are subjective experiences in which individuals feel as though they have separated from their physical bodies and can observe themselves and their surroundings from a location outside their body. These experiences can be associated with a sense of floating or hovering, and some people report seeing their own body or the surgical room from above or even other parts of the hospital.
Working in the medical field I have heard a few out of body experiences and they always amaze me. These patients are able to recall things that they shouldn't be able to recall. These patients who are being operated on and have an OBE from my experience in most cases have a normal heart rate, oxygen, blood-pressure, and other vital signs indicative of being awake during surgery. Normal vital signs mean the patient is not awake during the surgery, if the patient was awake and aware they would have a faster heart rate, higher bp and would be in distress. In OBE's vitals are normal which is an incredible phenomenon.
In many spiritual beliefs, the human body is considered a vessel that houses the soul or spirit. During an OBE, some individuals believe that their consciousness temporarily separates from the physical body, allowing them to explore other dimensions or realms. This experience is often seen as evidence of the existence of an immortal soul or consciousness beyond the physical body.
Picture link: https://surgery.duke.edu/news/out-body-experience-rejuvenating-organs-using-ex-vivo-perfusion
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ReplyDeleteOut of body experiences in hospital settings always amaze me. I was reading The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel Van der Kolk this summer and in one chapter he recalls a woman who had an out of body experience during surgery. She had felt each and every cut and singe that was performed on her body, but her muscles and the rest of her body were still unresponsive from the anesthesia. I guess it was similar to a sleep paralysis experience? I think its crazy that experiences like these (during surgery) are so common. Do you think its because some part of their subconscious knows whats happening around them? In that same book he wrote about a different woman who was an incest survivor, and during her traumatic experiences as a child she would 'float above her in the clouds' and watch this other girl who was being traumatized. I'd love to learn more about the psychology behind OBEs and why some people find it such a real experience.
I think it's so amazing you work in the medical field! This is such an interesting and controversial topic to some, and the fact that you have in a way witnessed it first hand is so cool to me. The part that really got me was when you said they remember things they shouldn't be able to remember. That just sparks up so many thoughts. It reminds me of this one book I read, and watched the movie called "If I Stay" where the main character gets into a car accident and is in critical condition experiencing her own out of body experience. The movie is shown in perspective of her out of body self, and the book is told in that same perspective. After I read that book was the first time I sat and really thought about this topic. It changed my whole view on that type of thing and it's just so intriguing.
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