Monroe Institute Research Files: Out-of-Body Experience

I was cautious in my original write-up of these results, however, writing that "Miss Z's reading of the target number cannot be con sidered as providing conclusive evidence for a parapsychological ef fect" (Tart, 1968, p. 18). I thought I was just making a standard statement of caution, as no one experiment is ever absolutely con clusive about anything, but overzealous critics have pounced on this statement as saying that I did not think there were any parapsy chological effects in this study. I have always thought that some form of ESP was the best explanation of the results. The most interesting criticism I have repeatedly received when de scribing this study comes from believers, rather than skeptics. Some one usually asks me whether I knew what the target number was. When I reply that I did, the criticism is that perhaps Miss Z was not really out of her body, but was merely using telepathy to read the number from my mind! I admit, with pleasure, that this first study of this type was indeed too crude to rule out the counter ex planation of "mere telepathy." As you can imagine, I was quite pleased with the outcome of this study. An unusual experience, the OBE, was accompanied by an un usual EEG pattern, and there was strong evidence that Miss Z was correctly able to perceive the world from her out-of-body location. I was also greatly pleased at demonstrating that an exotic phenomenon like the OBE could be studied in the laboratory and have light cast on it, and the publication of this study stimulated other parapsy chologists to think about doing research along these lines. My only regret was that Miss Z moved away and I was never able to track her down and do further work while I had laboratory facilities avail able. People who can have an OBE almost on demand are, to put it mildly, very, very rare. Out-of-Body Experiences: Third Study Some of the most interesting studies I have been able to do on OBEs have been with my dear friend the late Robert A. Monroe, the author of the classic book Journeys Out of the Body (1971), as well CHARLES T. TART 83 as his subsequent Far Journeys (1985) and Ultimate Journey (1994). Monroe was an archetypally "normal" American businessman who was "drafted" quite involuntarily into the world of OBEs and psychic matters as a result of a series of strange "attacks" of "vibrations" in the late 1950s, culminating in a classic OBE. Bayard Stockton's bi ography (1989) provided full background material on Monroe's life. I quote his account of his first OBE: Spring, 1958: If I thought I faced incongruities at this point, it was because I did not know what was yet to come. Some four weeks later, when the vibrations came again, I was duly cautious about attempting to move an arm or leg. It was late at night, and I was lying in bed before sleep. My wife had fallen asleep beside me. There was a surge that seemed to be in my head, and quickly the condition spread through my body. It all seemed the same. As I lay there trying to decide how to analyze the thing in another way, I just happened to think how nice it would be to take a glider up and fly the next afternoon (my hobby at that time). Without considering any consequences-not knowing there would be any-I thought of the pleasure it would bring. After a moment, I became aware of something pressing against my shoulder. Half-curious, I reached back and up to feel what it was. My hand encountered a smooth wall. I moved my hand along the wall the length of my arm and it continued smooth and unbro ken. My senses fully alert, I tried to see in the dim light. It was a wall, and I was lying against it with my shoulder. I immediately reasoned that I had gone to sleep and fallen out of bed. (I had never done so before, but all sorts of strange things were happening, and falling out of bed was quite possible.) Then I looked again. Something was wrong. This wall had no win dows, no furniture against it, no doors. It was not a wall in my bedroom. Yet somehow it was familiar. Identification came instantly. It wasn't a wall, it was the ceiling. I was floating against the ceiling, bouncing gently with any movement I made. I rolled in the air, star tled, and looked down. There, in the dim light below me, was the bed. There were two figures lying in the bed. To the right was my wife. Beside her was someone else. Both seemed asleep. This was a strange dream, I thought. I was curious. Whom would I dream to be in bed with my wife? I looked more closely, and the shock was intense. I was the someone on the bed! My reaction was almost instantaneous. Here I was, there was my body. I was dying, this was death, and I wasn't ready to die. Some how, the vibrations were killing me. Desperately, like a diver, I swooped down to my body and dove in. I then felt the bed and the covers, and when I opened my eyes, I was looking at the room from the perspective of my bed. What had happened? Had I truly almost died? My heart was beat- 84 JOURNAL OF NEAR-DEATH STUDIES ing rapidly, but not unusually so. I moved my arms and legs. Every thing seemed normal. The vibrations had faded away. I got up and walked around the room, looked out the window, and smoked a ciga rette. (Monroe, 1971, pp. 27-28) Monroe consulted his doctor to see what was wrong, but his health was fine. Fortunately he eventually spoke to a psychologist friend who told him that yogis had experiences like this and he should ex plore them, rather than worry. He did not find this advice particu larly reassuring, but he had no choice in the matter as the vibrations and subsequent OBEs continued to occur. I met Monroe in the fall of 1965 when I took a research position at the University of Virginia Medical School in Charlottesville. He was having OBEs regularly by then, although he had not yet devel oped the HemiSync techniques he later used to train others. Mon roe was as curious about the nature of OBEs as I was and also able and eager to question his own experiences, rather than be dogmati cally swept up in them. He was fascinated by what I had found out in working with Miss Z. Did his own body show similar brain wave changes or any death-like changes? Could we test whether he was "really" at the OBE location, rather than just hallucinating it? While he had had some experiences of being at a distant location where he was able to confirm the events later, there were too many others where such confirmation was only partial or even negative, even thought the experiences felt perfectly real. Ibo, if there were distinc tive physiological changes during an OBE, then if we could learn to produce these same changes in people we might have a way of help ing them to have OBEs. Monroe was as curious about the answers to these questions as I was. I was able to have Monroe come in for eight late night sessions (his OBEs usually began from sleep) from December 1965 to August 1966 at the hospital's EEG laboratory while he tried to get out of his body. This laboratory was not really equipped for sleep work, so much of the time Monroe was not completely comfortable on the cot we brought in and was unable to have an OBE. On his eighth night, however, things got interesting. Here are Monroe's notes, written the next morning. After some time spent in attempting to ease ear electrode-discom fort, concentrated on ear to 'numb' it, with partial success. Then went into fractional relaxation technique again. Halfway through the second time around in the pattern the sense of warmth ap peared, with full consciousness (or so it seemed) remaining. I de- CHARLES T. TART 85 cided to try the 'roll-out' method (i.e., start to turn over gently, just as if you were turning over in bed using the physical body). I started to feel as if I were turning, and at first thought I truly was moving the physical body. I felt myself roll off the edge of the cot, and braced for the fall to the floor. When I didn't hit immediately, I knew that I had disassociated. I moved away from the physical and through a darkened area, then came upon two men and a woman. The 'see ing' wasn't too good, but better as I came closer. The woman, tall, dark-haired, in her forties (?) was sitting on a loveseat or couch. Seated to the right of her was one man. In front of her, and to her left slightly was the second man. They all were strangers to me, and were in conversation which I could not hear. I tried to get their attention, but could not. Finally, I reached over, and pinched (very gently!) the woman on her left side just below the rib carriage. It seemed to get a reaction, but still no communication. I decided to return to the physical for orientation and start again. Back into the physical was achieved simply, by thought of return. Opened physical eyes, all was fine, swallowed to wet my dry throat, closed my eyes, let the warmth surge up, then used the same roll-out technique. This time, I let myself float to the floor beside the cot. I fell slowly, and could feel myself passing through the various EEG wires on the way down. I touched the floor lightly, then could 'see' the light coming through the open doorway to the outer EEG rooms. Careful to keep 'local,' I went under the cot, keeping in slight touch with the floor, and floating in a horizontal position, fingertips touch ing the floor to keep in position. I went slowly through the doorway. I was looking for the technician. but could not find her. She was not in the room to the right (control console room), and I went out into the brightly lighted outer room. I looked in all directions, and suddenly, there she was. However, she was not alone. A man was with her, standing to her left as she faced me. I tried to attract her attention, and was almost immediately rewarded with a burst of warm joy and happiness that I had finally achieved the thing we had been working for. She was truly excited, and happily and ex citedly embraced me. I responded, and only slight sexual overtones were present which I was about 90% able to disregard. After a mo ment, I pulled back, and gently put my hands on her face, one on each cheek, and thanked her for her help. However, there was no direct intelligent objective communication with her other than the above. None was tried, as I was too excited at finally achieving the disassociation-and staying 'local.' I then turned to the man, who was about her height, curly haired, some of which dropped over the side of his forehead. I tried to at tract his attention, but was unable to do so. Again, reluctantly, I decided to pinch him gently, which I did. It did not evoke any re sponse that I noticed. Feeling something calling for a return to the physical, I swung around and went through the door, and slipped easily back into the physical. Reason for discomfort: dry throat and throbbing ear. 86 JOURNAL OF NEAR-DEATH STUDIES After checking to see that the integration was complete, that I 'felt' normal in all parts of the body, I opened my eyes, sat up, and called to the technician. She came in, and I told her that I had made it finally, and that I had seen her, however, with a man. She replied that it was her husband. I asked if he was outside, and she replied that he was, that he came to stay with her during these late hours. I asked why I hadn't seen him before, and she replied that it was 'policy' for no outsiders to see subjects or patients. I