Sensations in the process of leaving the body

To contribute to the understanding of OOBEs, we can, for example, look at some of the sensations associated with the process of departing the physical body.

Data collected from students' descriptions of their sensations in experiments held during the practical sessions of the courses on OOBEs (offered around the world by the International Academy of Consciousness, formerly known as the International Institute of Projectiology and Conscientiology) suggest that some of the common sensations usually experienced in relation to either leaving or returning to the physical body are: falling, floating and repercussions, e.g., myoclonus (jerking limbs), jerking awake, projective catalepsy (a sleep paralysis type of sensation), sinking, torpidity (numbness), intracranial sounds (a sound that seems to be coming from inside the head), tingling, clairvoyance, oscillation (a type of rocking or swaying sensation), vibrations and serenity. Other experiences reported by the students included the perception of extraphysical beings, sensations such as itching, chills, change of temperature, pressure in the body, tears (watering of eyes) as well as clairvoyance and the tunnel effect. Respondents also reported experiencing a variety of less-common sensations such as spinning, waves passing through the body, pulsation, swelling, being lifted, dizziness, elongation, dematerialisation and bubbling.