James Randi's description of his hallucinatory experience can be found here.
Susan J. Blackmore's classic study Beyond the Body treats the phenomenon as a psychological non-paranormal event. Similar views are held by parapsychologists Harvey Irwin, Flight of Mind (London and New York: Scarecrow Press, 1985) and John Palmer, 'The out-of-body experience: a psychological theory', Parapsychological Review, 9, 1978, pp. 19-22, although Irwin argues that psi may be implicated in the veridical element.
There is a large bibliography of books and articles on the OBE phenomenon (see the site's homepage for other relevant material).
Books by individuals who claimed to experience the phenomenon regularly include
Robert Monroe, Journeys Out Of The Body, Sylvan Muldoon and Hereward Carrington, The Projection of the Astral Body, Caroline D. Larsen, My Travels in the Spirit Worlds and Yram, Practical Astral Projection.
Books that describe and analyse reported experiences include Robert J. Crookall's Case-book of astral projection, Celia Green, Out-Of-The-Body Experiences and J.H.M. Whiteman, The Mystical Life. See also Celia Green and Charles McCreery, Lucid Dreaming: The Paradox of Consciousness During Sleep, and Stephen LaBerge, Lucid Dreaming.
Here is a useful article by historian Carlos S. Alvarado: Trends in the Study of Out-of-Body Experiences: An Overview of Developments Since the Nineteenth Century.
- Paranormalia is written by Robert McLuhan, a journalist and author based in London. Please contact me at robertmcluhan@gmail.com
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- ‘These disturbing phenomena seem to deny all our usual scientific ideas. How we should like to discredit them! Unfortunately the statistical evidence, at least for telepathy, is overwhelming. It is very difficult to rearrange one’s ideas so as to fit these new facts in.’ Alan Turing, computer scientist.
- ‘I have noticed that if a small group of intelligent people, not supposed to be impressed by psychic research, get together and such matters are mentioned, and all feel that they are in safe and sane company, usually from a third to a half of them begin to relate exceptions. That is to say, each opens a little residual closet and takes out some incident which happened to them or to some member of their family, or to some friend whom they trust and which they think odd and extremely puzzling.’ Walter Prince, psychic researcher.
- When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong. Arthur C. Clarke
- ‘Science seems to me to teach in the highest and strongest manner the great truth which is embodied in the Christian conception of entire surrender to the will of God. Sit down before fact as a little child, be prepared to give up every preconceived notion, follow humbly wherever and to whatever abysses nature leads, or you shall learn nothing.’ Thomas Henry Huxley
- We can always immunize a theory against refutation. There are many such immunizing tactics; and if nothing better occurs to us, we can always deny the objectivity – or even the existence – of the refuting observation. Those intellectuals who are more interested in being right than in learning something interesting but unexpected are by no means rare exceptions. Karl Popper, on the defenders of materialism.
- If we have learned one thing from the history of invention and discovery, it is that, in the long run - and often in the short one - the most daring prophecies seem laughably conservative. Arthur C. Clarke.
