Visions, Voices, and Out-of-Body Experiences
Many natural and scientific explanations
While a few people who claim to have experienced visions, voices, or out-of- body experiences are not being truthful, (even the bestselling book The Boy who came back from Heaven was proven to be completely made up,) MANY SUCH CLAIMS ARE REAL. What many people describe are to them very real experiences. They are things they actually see, hear, taste, feel or smell. However, their interpretation as to the cause often ignore more plausible explanations.
Please allow me to present to you the most renowned neurologist of the 20th century, Dr. Oliver Sacks. He dedicated his life to the study and research of the brain and his many books and articles on the subject should be required reading for anyone who is interested in knowing what is neurologically, physiologically, or psychologically happening during any of the fore mentioned experiences.
His two most popular books are probably The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Hallucinations.
His book Hallucinations is not only educational but also entertaining in the way it blends scientific rigor with engaging narrative. Through vivid and empathetic storytelling, he maintains a narrative-driven approach that keeps readers captivated and invested in the stories of those who experience hallucinations. He discusses the role of neurotransmitters, the activation of specific brain regions, and the interplay between the brain and the senses and the neurological underpinnings that can generate hallucinations. Sacks provides many fascinating accounts of people experiencing what once was assumed to be supernatural in origin but are readily explained with solid documented evidence, including how “out-of-body” experiences (OBE’s) and “near-death experiences” (NDE’s) often occur quite naturally.
By first dispelling the stigma associated with hallucinations, Sacks opens up an important dialogue on the nature of perception, consciousness, and the human mind. Hallucinations are classified into several categories based on the senses they impact — visual, auditory, olfactory (smell), gustatory (taste), and somatosensory (touch, pain, temperature.) He explains that the brain works hard to integrate the senses, and when one is blocked or interfered with, the brain in an attempt to compensate can create all sorts of weird hallucinations, sort of like being short-circuited.
Sacks emphasizes that hallucinations can arise from various neurological conditions, brain injuries, or even sensory deprivation. These include diseases such as Parkinson, Epilepsy, Schizophrenia, and Charles Bonnet Syndrome, to name the major ones. Even those who suffer from regular migraine headaches may experience visual hallucinations known as aura which almost always precedes the onset of headache pain. Sleep deprivation frequently generates wild hallucinations, especially when sleep is deprived for over 36 hours. Those suffering cardiac arrest, seizures, brain injuries or any injury that deprives the brain from blood often report an experience that describes being out of their body. Dr. Sacks provides an enormous amount of evidence explaining how these events are naturally generated. Approximately 10% of those suffering a cardiac arrest in a hospital setting undergoes such an episode.
He also investigates the phenomenon of phantom limb pain, in which amputees continue to perceive sensations in their missing limbs. Approximately 75% of them do.
Furthermore, he explores the cultural and historical contexts of hallucinations, touching on the significance of visions and apparitions in religious and mystical experiences, including out-of-body experiences. He shows how medicines, drugs, hypnotism, deep meditation and practicing “visual focus” can induce many of these experiences. In fact, some people can train themselves to have regular episodes of hallucinations, while others intentionally deprive themselves of sleep or partake of certain drugs as they enjoy the “trips.”
In contrast, many pharmaceutical drugs can alleviate and cure many types of hallucinations, as can better sleep and nutrition in certain conditions. All of this clearly indicates the natural, yet strange things that the brain can trigger.
Certain types of music and chanting can easily create a trance like condition, not unlike hypnosis. Many music directors leading worship services in churches have reported how easy it is for them to get the congregation emotionally high, and then to bring them back down again without missing a beat (pun not intended.) People who believe and expect that certain things should occur are the most likely to have that experience. Experiences like glossolalia (speaking in tongues) are thought by many experts to result from such environments. Excited emotions such as fear, stress, or happiness have a definite effect on the brain.
It can happen to anyone
One of many case studies in his book Hallucinations is that of a young, intelligent, and otherwise healthy professional man who had no history of mental illness or substance abuse. One evening, he was working late at his office when he suddenly noticed a figure standing in the doorway. To his astonishment, the figure was an exact replica of himself — an identical twin or doppelgänger.
Despite his growing unease, the man attempted to carry on with his work, hoping that the apparition would eventually vanish. Unfortunately, this proved futile as the doppelgänger persisted in its haunting presence. He would later see him cutting his grass, and frequently sitting on his sofa. Often his double would sleep on the floor next to his bed, turning and snoring, disturbing his sleep.
Worse yet, he began to view his double as the genuine article, while doubting his own authenticity. Sometimes not even sure which one was real. Faced with the seemingly impossible task of determining which of the two was real, he decided to remove himself from the situation altogether by jumping out of a window. This decision might have been driven by an overwhelming sense of confusion, fear, or even self-preservation, as he sought to escape the distressing and disorienting experience of seeing his double.
While being hospitalized from the fall, an investigation led to the discovery that the man had been suffering from a rare form of migraine known as “migraine aura,” which can sometimes manifest as complex visual hallucinations. It demonstrates that such experiences are not limited to those with mental illness or substance use disorders; even healthy individuals can be susceptible to these enigmatic phenomena under certain circumstances. Even you or me.
After a couple of months of treatment with pharmaceuticals, he was cured of any recurrence.
In another of his books, The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat, Dr. Sacks highlights many other detailed accounts of his patients. Just one example is Dr. P. who is the man that the title of this book is named for. Dr. P was a gifted musician with a successful career, who began to experience difficulties in distinguishing objects, people, and even his own reflection. As his condition deteriorated, his life started to unravel, with him making bizarre mistakes, such as reaching out for his wife’s head, thinking it was his hat.
He no longer was able to recognize any faces and knew his wife only by her voice. Though he had suffered severe damage to the parts of his brain responsible for visual recognition, Dr. P’s brain had somewhat compensated for this by relying on his auditory abilities, enabling him to function in his daily life.
While he was never cured of Visual Agnosia, nor able to recognize any of his students, except for the instruments they played, he remained employed as a competent and successful college professor who maintained an enjoyable life.
A few more words about out-of-body experiences & NDE’s
In some cultures, out of body experiences are seen as a normal part of spiritual practice or a means of connecting with the divine.
Again, these are very real to the many who actually experience them. They can occur due to a variety of reasons, such as sleep deprivation, sensory deprivation, hypnosis, meditation, or the use of psychoactive substances. Very often, they involve someone whose brain is deprived of blood flow and oxygen. This happens during cardiac arrests and with many types of major injuries, especially to the head.
Additionally, certain medical conditions, such as epilepsy or migraines, have been linked to an increased likelihood of experiencing OBEs, further supporting the role of neurological factors in these phenomena. Traumatic events and even stress, anxiety, and fear can trigger one as the brain tries to disassociate you from the situation.
Pilots sometimes experience OBE’s when strong gravitational forces cause the blood to pool to the lower body. Consciousness generally returns within twenty seconds. This is very strong evidence that these experiences often result from the brain not receiving the blood and oxygen it absolutely requires to perform properly.
In addition, when a person is near death, not only are the pharmaceuticals and pain killers having a major effect on the brain, but as organs shut down and blood pressure is lowered, the brain is still trying to integrate all the senses, but as parts of it goes “off line,” it just is not possible.
Thanks to advanced science and technology, neurosurgeons are able to induce such ecstatic feelings by electrically stimulating part of the cortex called the insula in epileptic patients who have electrodes implanted in their brain. This procedure can help locate the origin of the seizures for possible surgical removal. Exciting the gray matter elsewhere can trigger out-of-body experiences or visual hallucinations. These experiences provide support for a biological, not supernatural causation for these events.
A few more words about speaking in tongues
Some researchers believe it is a form of dissociation, in which the speaker is in a trance-like state. Others suggest that it may be a form of self-hypnosis, or an altered state of consciousness induced by intense emotions.
Social factors seem to play a crucial role, as not only it is often expected as a sign of an individual’s deep faith, but those who engage in this practice may experience a sense of belonging, acceptance, and validation from their religious peers.
One thing is for sure, is that many studies of professional linguists who reviewed hundreds of glossolalia recordings, shows that they lack certain phonetic, syntactic, and semantic characteristics that are found in natural languages. The sounds or syllables are usually simple and repetitive and lack the hierarchical organization and grammatical rules that govern word order and sentence structure.
While many claim a biblical basis for it, the fact is, it was almost entirely unheard of and was not practiced by any Christian group until Pentecostal churches established it in the early 1900’s. However, there are a few recorded instances of speaking in tongues that have been documented in various cultural and historical settings, including ancient Greek oracles and shamanic practices among indigenous peoples.
It is usually a learned experience by good sincere people who desire to grow deeper and closer to their God and who strongly believe in what they were taught about this practice.
