Markdown lines 672–865 · Part 3 of 7
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