OUT OF BODY

Could this method help to beat anxiety and stress?

‘My soul was peeling away from my physical body and whatever “I” am became separate from it. I felt myself rising high and looking down on myself in bed. Then, I floated up higher so I could look down on the town where I live…’ says Jess, a 40-year-old teacher from Lincolnshire, who had her first out-of-body experience (or OBE, as they’re known) more than five years ago, while drifting off to sleep. Since then, she has had two more out-of-body experiences and has gone from feeling terrified at the lack of control she experienced during them, to feeling grateful for having had them. Jess credits the OBES with giving her a sense of peace and greater perspective. ‘I used to feel stressed about the fact that I didn’t have a partner or child and worry I was going to end up alone,’ she says. ‘Since having the OBES, I trust that if I do things that make me content in the here and now, things will fall into place. I’ve begun to see them as something quite special.’ An OBE, also known as an astral projection, is described as an expanded state of consciousness; one in which you feel as though you’re moving through an alternative reality, and if The OA – a supernatural drama about a young woman who resurfaces after being missing for seven years – introduced OBES to a mainstream audience, Stranger Things and Black Mirror have cemented the supernatural into the zeitgeist. Plus, Behind Her Eyes, Netflix’s latest psychological thriller, which is due for release this month, includes (spoiler alert) OBES as a central feature of the plot.

Accounts of OBES vary from person to person, but a common theme is a sense of the self temporarily leaving the body. The idea that the mind can have a break from its usual ruminating is the reason the experience has gained fans in the wellness world, with some crediting it with helping them to shift perspective, gain insights and unearth new answers to old problems.

Accessing this kind of insight is what Jade Shaw believes is driving increasing numbers of people to her OBE workshops. The 34-year-old former choreographer for the Royal Academy of Dance and Sadler’s Wells Theatre says she brought on her first astral projection through practising meditative techniques. ‘One night, it just happened,’ she says. ‘I remember looking back at my body with shock and awe.’

Her initial reaction was one of fear, but when those feelings subsided, she found it a cathartic experience. ‘I realised I’d over-identified with my body all my life and the experience showed me that I wasn’t limited to my physical being,’ she says. ‘That, in turn, made me realise there were probably other limitations I was putting on myself.’

So profound was her experience that Shaw set about developing the meditative techniques that allowed her to have intentional OBES. Now, as well as working as an astral projection consultant – she helped advise on Behind Her Eyes – she shares her knowledge at regular workshops around the UK. ‘I thought they’d attract wellness and spirituality seekers, but I’ve had people with long-term illnesses needing support, stressed people for whom mindfulness hasn’t worked and those who’ve had spontaneous OBES and feel scared,’ says Shaw.

Interest in OBES goes back centuries, with many cultures, including Tibetan Buddhism, recognising and practising some variation of them. In the UK, they became a particular source of fascination in the 19th century, with the burgeoning interest in psychic experiences and séances. More recently, scientific research, tech developments, such as virtual reality, and brain-stimulation techniques, have helped experts understand why OBES can have such a profound effect on people.

‘OBES are what psychologists call a “peak experience”, during which you go beyond your sense of self,’ says Shaw. ‘The concept of “awe” has a role to play in this, as research has shown that fleeting moments of awe can help you feel more connected to the world around you and can even change the course of your life.’

Professor Olaf Blanke, a Swiss neuroscientist, has carried out extensive research into OBES and found that when certain regions of the brain are stimulated, a persons perception of their body as a whole is altered, invoking the feeling that they’re no longer attached to it. ‘This can happen naturally with certain conditions, the most common being severe migraine, which can interfere with normal brain processing,’ says Professor Blanke. ‘Epilepsy can also cause this disconnection, as can emotional shock and stress. We also know that 5% of healthy people experience OBES, usually while falling asleep or waking, and they do seem to have benefits. People tend to have a different outlook on life after an OBE, although science can’t currently explain why. Most individuals who report spontaneous OBES consider them positive.’

Shaw believes the benefits come from something similar to the ‘overview effect’, a psychological term referring to the cognitive shift in awareness that astronauts experience when looking down on earth from space. ‘You see that your own body isn’t your sole anchor,’ she says. ‘Even if you don’t believe in a soul, as such, you come away feeling that your body isn’t the essence of you, and that can be very healing.’

So, if they can be of such benefit, how do we intentionally have one? In her workshops, Shaw uses techniques, such as visualisation, as well as meditation, during the process of falling asleep (the point at which you’re already moving towards an unconscious dream state). ‘It’s common for people to change career or leave unfulfilling relationships after my workshops,’ says Shaw. Professor Blanke urges anyone who tries to intentionally have one to manage their expectations. OBES aren’t guaranteed. If they were, we might all start taking regular holidays from ourselves.