Phenomenological Quantification of an Out-of-the-Body Experience Associated with a Near-Death Event

Abstract

This article briefly describes the phenomenological reports of individuals who have survived a near-death experience (NDE) and summarizes the methodological problems of assessing and defining their experience, specifically the out-of-the-body (OBE) experience associated with an NDE. The authors, using a single-person research design, offer one approach to quantifying the OBE associated with an NDE. They administered the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory (PCI) and the Dimensions of Attention Questionnaire (DAQ) to one participant across several stimulus conditions including: hypnosis, resting with eyes closed, recollection of an out-of-the-body experience, and recollection of the out-of-the-body experience during hypnotic regression. Similarities and differences among the participant's experiences associated with these stimulus conditions are discussed.