Psychologists at Manchester University are investigating the idea that out-of-body experiences, commonly thought of as paranormal phenomena, may in fact have their roots in how people perceive and experience their own bodies.
They are appealing for help from members of the public around the world in the hope of capturing data from at least 500 people, who may or may not have had an out-of-body experience (OBE in research jargon).
Around 10% of the population have an OBE at some time, typically involving a sensation of floating and seeing the physical body from the outside. It isn't uncommon for people to have more than one OBE, and they may also occur as part of the wider near-death experience some report experiencing in life-threatening circumstances.
An online survey at www.freeresponse.org/muobe2005/ will be linked to parapsychology websites across the world. It will be available for the next six weeks, and a summary of the results, which should contribute substantially to psychologists' understanding of the phenomenon, will be posted on the site in the autumn.
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