The out-of-body experience (OBE) is defined as an experience in
which a person seems to perceive the world from a location outside his
physical body. It has long been studied by parapsychologists but often
dismissed by others as hallucination or imagination. Reasons for
giving it serious study are (1) it is common, about 15 per cent of
people report one; (2) it can profoundly affect people's beliefs; (3)
accounts are remarkably consistent.
It is argued that parapsychological theories are weak and that it
is better to view the OBE as the natural result of the cognitive
system trying to maintain a workable "model of reality" when
sensory input is inadequate.
