OBEs and NDEs

QUESTION

“I had been part of a group that studied life changes that had occurred for a small flash of time while they experienced altered states of extra ordinary proportions. It usually was a once in a lifetime experience. These people called themselves ‘NDEers.’ “My quest begged exploration into those who claimed to have extra ordinary experiences without the bother of physical death. They labeled themselves OBErs.

“Has anybody done a study into the differences? Done a study like Moody did on the similarities and differences?”.....Sahara

ANSWER

Near-death research is filled with such studies. You might contact the International Association for Near-Death Studies at www.iands.org; flash through the abstracts of the various papers published by their Journal, and refer to the work of Bruce Greyson, M.D., and the Department of Personality Studies at University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA.

Allow me at this point to share some of my findings. Out-of-body experiences are by far the most frequently reported element/aspect of near-death experiences. The second most frequent is that incredible light. Third is a greeter of some kind, and fourth most common is a life review. Notice I did not mention tunnels, as not that many experiencers report them.

Now, if you are just going to focus only on out-of-body experiences as they are reported more commonly by OBE travelers, you want to check the work being done at the Monroe Institute in Faber, Virginia. They specialize in that ability and in teaching the average person how to take such trips. In my own work, I have an extensive background in OBEs and in teaching them - long before my own near-death experiences in 1977. I can make a comparison for you. The OBE component to a near-death experience is far more vivid, detailed, and real than a regular OBE, or even the type the Monroe Institute trains you in how to do. There is a difference and the main difference is intensity. Blessings, PMH