Physiological Correlates of Reported Out-of-Body Experiences

• Authors: Karlis Osis and Janet Lee Mitchell
• Journal: Journal of the Society for Psychical Research
• Volume: 49
• Year: 1977
• Pages: 525-536
• Official index and abstract: https://www.spr.ac.uk/node/6067
• Related footage: ../transcripts/ingo-swann-estate-aspr-out-of-body-experiments-2025-07-22
• Related analysis: ../../queries/2026-08-04-ingo-swann-aspr-video-longer-followup
• Capture note: Complete publisher-index abstract, not the full paper
• Sourced: 2026-08-04

This exploratory study is part of a larger ASPR project on out-of-body experiences (OBEs). Electroencephalograms (EEGs) of a skilled subject, Ingo Swann, were sampled at the times when he reported being out of his body and compared with EEG records of his normal state of consciousness.

In Series I he was given a button to push to register on the EEG when he felt that he had been in an out-of-body (OB) state. In five sessions of Series II, the experimenter designated the times for alternating one minute intervals in which he was to go into the OB state or simply rest (NonOB). All data were separated into these two conditions (OB and NonOB).

The pooled date of Series I and II show that the mean EEG amplitude recorded during the OB condition was significantly less than during the Non-OB condition. The EEG of the right and left occipital lobes were analyzed separately for differences between conditions (R. ?., ? < .001; L. ?., ? < .005).