Dissociative alterations in body image among individuals reporting out-of-body experiences: A conceptual replication
Perceptual and Motor Skills August 1, 2006 DOI: 10.2466/pms.103.1.76-80 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort (retrospective analysis of experimental data) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 40 |
| Population | Mostly undergraduates (mean age 33.5, SD 12.5; 27 women) |
| Key findings | Individuals with prior out-of-body experiences (n=9) reported significantly greater dissociative alterations in body-image during mirror-gazing than those without (n=31), independent of New Age belief. No such difference was found for out-of-body experiences reported during the task (n=6 vs n=34). |
Abstract
A conceptual replication of the link between self-reported dissociative alterations in body-image under experimental conditions and the reporting of prior out-of-body experiences in a recent data set was undertaken. Also examined was whether this relationship would hold for experiences reported during the experimental context and whether it is independent of self-reported New Age belief. Data from mostly undergraduates (N= 40; M age = 33.5, SD = 12.5; 27 women) in a mirror-gazing study were retrospectively analyzed. The 9 individuals who reported prior out-of-body experiences, relative to those 31 who did not, exhibited significantly greater self-reported dissociative alterations in body-image during the mirror-gazing task, even when the influence of scores on New Age belief was controlled for statistically. The same differential relationship was not found between 6 individuals who did and 34 who did not report out-of-body experiences during the task.
Citations in the library
Cited by 6
- The incidence and determinants of visual phenomenology during out-of-body experiences Cortex June 6, 2008
- A putative implication for fronto-parietal connectivity in out-of-body experiences Cortex October 31, 2008
- What out-of-body experiences may tell us about the mind beyond the brain. International Review of Psychiatry 2025
- Out-of-body experiences: interpretations through the eyes of those who live them. Frontiers in Psychology 2025
- From laboratory targets to experiential authenticity: reframing the study of veridicality in OBEs Frontiers in Psychology June 2, 2026
and 1 more in the library
Cites 4
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- The out-of-body experience and body image: differences between experiments and nonexperiments. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 2005
- Fantasy proneness, paranormal beliefs and personality features in out-of-body experiences Contemporary Hypnosis October 14, 2004
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