Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The incidence of out-of-body experiences in hospitalized patients

  • Published:
Journal of Near-Death Studies

Abstract

The author studied out-of-body experiences (OBEs), cultural differences in reporting those OBEs, and associations between OBEs and frequency of dream recall in 100 white and 100 black adults hospitalized in a university medical center. Of the 200 subjects interviewed, 31 reported having had an OBE, six during the current hospitalization. White patients reported OBEs significantly more often than did black patients, possibly because of methodological problems in the interview techniques. Chi-squared tests showed significant positive associations between frequency of dream recall and incidence of OBEs, and between vivid dreams and incidence of OBEs.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Cotter, P. R., Cohen, J., & Coulter, P. B. (1982). Race-of-interviewer effects in telephone interviews.Public Opinion Quarterly, 46, 278–284.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blackmore, S. J. (1982).Beyond the Body. London, England: Heinemann.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gabbard, G. O., & Twemlow, S. W. (1984).With the Eyes of the Mind: An Empirical Analysis of Out-of-Body States. New York, NY: Praeger.

    Google Scholar 

  • Green, C. (1968).Lucid Dreams. London, England: Hamish Hamilton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mettler, F. A. (1964). Pain. I: What is it?Journal of the Medical Society of New Jersey, 61, 10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muldoon, S. J., & Carrington, H. (1974).The Projection of the Astral Body. New York, NY: Samuel Weiser.

    Google Scholar 

  • Palmer, J. (1979). A community mail survey of psychic experiences.Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, 73, 221–251.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sabom, M. B. (1982).Recollections of Death: A Medical Investigation. New York, NY: Harper & Row.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tart, C. (1967). A second psychophysiological study of out-of-the-body experiences in a gifted subject.International Journal of Parapsychology, 9, 251–258.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tart, C. (1968). A psychophysiological study of out-of-body experiences in a selected subject.Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, 62, 3–27.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Nursing, Medical University of South Carolina, 171 Ashley Avenue, 29425-2404, Charleston, SC

    Melodie Olson R.N., Ph.D. (Associate Professor of Graduate Medical-Surgical Nursing)

Authors
  1. Melodie Olson R.N., Ph.D.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Olson, M. The incidence of out-of-body experiences in hospitalized patients. J Near-Death Stud 6, 169–174 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01073365

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01073365

Keywords

Search

Navigation