Out-Of-Body Experiences During Sleep Show Altered-Self Phenomenology Without A Distinct Clinical Profile
Nerea L Herrero, Yohann Corfdir, Cecilia Forcato
PsyArXiv June 21, 2026 preprint DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/9hcxr_v1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey |
|---|---|
| Population | Adults recruited online who reported a vivid or meaningful sleep-related experience |
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Key findings | Sleep-related out-of-body experiences show a selective elevation in disembodiment and are not associated with higher psychological symptoms, poorer sleep quality, or higher depersonalization. |
Abstract
Out-of-body experiences (OBEs) during sleep involve a transient disruption of bodily self-consciousness, in which the self or center of awareness is experienced as displaced from the physical body. Although OBEs have been reported in neurological, psychiatric, and dissociative contexts, they also occur in non-clinical populations, raising the question of whether their altered-self phenomenology reflects a broader clinical or dispositional profile. We examined whether sleep-related OBEs are distinguished by a specific episode-level alteration of bodily selfhood, and whether this profile is accompanied by differences in psychological symptoms, depersonalization/derealization, sleep quality, or personality. Adults recruited online reported a vivid or meaningful sleep-related experience, which was classified as an OBE, sleep paralysis, lucid dream, or ordinary remembered dream. Participants completed measures of altered-state phenomenology, mystical-type experience, ego dissolution, personality, subjective sleep quality, psychological symptoms, and depersonalization/derealization. OBEs showed a selective elevation in Disembodiment relative to ordinary dreams, lucid dreams, and sleep paralysis, indicating a specific alteration of bodily selfhood. OBEs also showed higher altered-state intensity, stronger ego dissolution than ordinary dreams and sleep paralysis, and the highest proportion of complete mystical-type experiences. By contrast, sleep paralysis showed an aversive profile characterized by anxiety and impaired control, whereas lucid dreams were mainly distinguished by complex imagery. Despite these episode-level differences, OBEs were not associated with higher psychological symptoms, poorer subjective sleep quality, or higher trait-like depersonalization/derealization. Personality differences were limited to Neuroticism, which was lower in the OBE group. These findings suggest that sleep-related OBEs are best understood as transient alterations of bodily self-consciousness during sleep-related experience rather than as markers of a broader clinical or dispositional profile. Keywords: out-of-body experience; sleep paralysis; lucid dreaming; bodily self-consciousness; depersonalization; ego dissolution; altered states of consciousness; dream phenomenology.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on philosophy of mind, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Survey of entity encounter experiences occasioned by inhaled N,N-dimethyltryptamine: Phenomenology, interpretation, and enduring effects. People who had a memorable entity encounter after taking N,N-dimethyltryptamine | 2020 | Survey | n = 2,561 |
| Future directions in meditation research: Recommendations for expanding the field of contemplative science Meditators | 2018 | Cross-sectional online survey | n = 1,120 |
| The Phenomenology of Lucid Dreaming: An Online Survey Respondents to an online survey about lucid dreams | 2014 | Online survey | n = 684 |
| The neurophenomenology of early psychosis: An integrative empirical study. Ultra-high risk for psychosis patients, first episode psychosis patients, and healthy... | 2019 | Cross-sectional | n = 123 |
| Spontaneous Spiritual Awakenings: Phenomenology, Altered States, Individual Differences, and Well-Being People reporting their most powerful Spontaneous Spiritual or Kundalini Awakening | 2021 | Mixed within and between-participants self-report survey design | n = 152 |