BRIEF REPORT Out-of-Body Experiences and Physical Body Activity and Posture Responses From a Survey Conducted in Scotland Nancy L. Zingrone, PhD,* Carlos S. Alvarado, PhD,* and Etzel Carden ˜a, PhD† Abstract: Although there have been studies of some factors related to the features of out-of-body experiences (OBEs), the effect of physical body posture and activity has not been systematically explored. Over the years research has suggested that OBEs are more frequent in states of low physical activity and when the body is supine, in agreement with other findings related to alterations in consciousness. Thus, we predicted that OBEs would be associated with lying down and little or no physical activity, and that these factors would show a higher number of OBE features than OBEs in which the person was physically active and/or standing. OBE cases were collected through appeals in published sources. Respondents provided a description of their only or most recent OBE and filled out a questionnaire about OBE features. The findings indicate that OBEs were associated with low physical activity and being in a supine position. Those who had experiences under these conditions also obtained a higher number of OBE features than those who were active and standing at the time of the OBE. Key Words: Out of body experiences, physical movement, body posture, altered states of consciousness. (J Nerv Ment Dis 2010;198: 163–165) D uring the last decades there has been increasing discussion and research about out-of-body experiences (OBEs, Alvarado, 2000; Bu ¨nning and Blanke, 2005; Gabbard and Twemlow, 1984; Murray, in press). Although most research has centered on the personality and cognitive correlates of the experiences (e.g., Al- varado et al., 1998 –99; Irwin, 1981; McCreery and Claridge, 2002; Murray and Fox, 2005), there has been little attention to the study of correlates of OBE features, or the visual, auditory, affective, and kinesthetic characteristics of the experience such as seeing the physical body, hearing sounds or voices, having feelings of elation, and having the sensation of movement (e.g., Alvarado and Zingrone, 1999; Blackmore, 1984a; Gabbard and Twemlow, 1984; Green, 1968; for a discussion see Alvarado, 1997). Some researchers have explored the relationship of specific variables to the content of the OBE so as to determine whether the presence of particular features is associated with these variables. This includes the experiencer’s belief that he or she was close to death during the OBE (Gabbard et al., 1981), and dreaming and parapsychological experiences (Al- varado and Zingrone, 1999). A neglected variable deserving exploration is the activity and posture of the physical body during the OBE. Although there are OBEs that take place when the physical body is active (e.g., Alvarado, 2000, p. 183–184; Green, 1968, p. 63– 66)—Morgan (1993) also mentions that athletes have reported OBEs while en- gaged in physical exertion—most of them are reported to take place during states of physical inactivity. This was noticed by a nine- teenth-century writer who said that these cases took place when the experiencer was “employed in some occupation compatible with quietness and passivity, e.g., reading, meditating, or quiet conver- sation . . .” (Moses, 1876, p. 102). Years later, Bozzano (1934/1937) noticed that most experi- ences took place “during absolute rest of the body” (p. 41). More recent researchers have presented data relevant to these issues. For example, Green (1968) found that of the 176 persons who have had 1 OBE, 73.3% were lying down, while the rest were sitting (17.6%), standing still (2.3%), walking (4.5%), and indeter- minate (2.3%). The predominance of inactive states is evident in other studies as well (e.g., Blackmore, 1984a; Gabbard and Twem- low, 1984; Giovetti, 1983). Could it be that the features of OBEs taking place during physical inactivity and a supine position are different from those taking place in active states and while the person is standing? Such an idea makes sense if we consider that there is evidence that posture and activity affect cognitive activity in general and states of consciousness in particular. Unfortunately, most of the literature we will now review has failed to distinguish between the effects of a supine posture and lack of physical activity. A growing body of evidence shows that indeed such bodily aspects as posture and motion can affect cognition (Niedenthal, 2007) and emotions (Duclos et al, 1989; Carden ˜a and Cousins, in press). In a cross-cultural study of altered states of consciousness (Winkelman, 1992) using cluster analysis, it was found that immo- bility, a sense of floating out of one’s body, and imagery were interrelated, whereas rhythmic drumming/dancing were associated with amnesia. This proposal has been generally supported by a number of psychological studies. For instance Pope (1978) found that his and others’ data showed that reclining or lying down were more strongly associated with imagery and reduced awareness of the surroundings than sitting down or walking, which were more likely to produce a more typical discursive stream of consciousness. Fellows and Richardson (1993) found that in a hypnotic context being supine and motionless was related to reports of “deeper” hypnosis as compared with a more active form of hypnosis. Carden ˜a (2005) corroborated their findings and clarified that the sense of depth is probably mediated by alterations in body image and sen- sations. Of particular relevance to this paper is that every single person in his sample of very highly hypnotizable individuals re- ported spontaneously, without suggestions, floating and disembod- ied sensation during a condition in which they were asked to go into a deeper, undefined, state of hypnosis. He also found support for Winkelman’s (1992) proposal in that in a motionless, supine con- dition individuals reported greater body image alterations and more self-awareness than in a condition in which a motor was pedaling a stationary bike at an unvarying speed. Finally, some mention should be made of the proposal by anthropologist Felicitas Goodman (e.g., 1990) that specific bodily postures, derived from human artistic depictions in older cultures represent forms to induce various altered states of consciousness *Division of Perceptual Studies, Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA; and †Center for Re- search on Consciousness and Anomalous Psychology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden. Supported by funds from Society for Psychical Research (to C.S.A.). Send reprint requests to Nancy L. Zingrone, PhD, Division of Perceptual Studies, Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, 210 10th St. NE, Suite 100, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA, 22902. E-mail: n1z5p@virginia.edu. Copyright © 2010 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins ISSN: 0022-3018/10/19802-0163 DOI: 10.1097/NMD.0b013e3181cc0d6d The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease • Volume 198, Number 2, February 2010 www.jonmd.com | 163