2008.08.15
UFO Abduction Series Debunk: Part 3
In this post, I'm tackling the third item in the list of UFO Abductee Symptoms:
Feeling that you were actually flying through the air although you didn't know why or how.
The first thing, and the most likely explanation, is an hallucination. Hallucinations can also account for symptom one: feeling a presence in the room that is not really there. This is called an apparitional experience. Hallucination also encompasses OBE's, so this first one really counts as an over-arching category for the next two.
A second real possibility occurs during hypnagogia. Hypnagogia is the onset of sleep, though it has been extended to include waking up as well as falling asleep. Ironically, selective amnesia can accompany hypnagogia, making this a case for symptoms 2 and 3. The most common symptom during hypnagogia is some sort of falling/floating sensation (sometimes accompanied by a hypnic jerk, though not always). The one that I sometimes have is visual-related insofar as I sometimes see a pattern of dots floating, and usually only when my eyes are closed. It is interesting, however. Hypnagogic condition is characterized by a loosening of suggestibility in people, making us more open to our unconscious minds and, therefore, more suggestible. There have been studies linking problems during the hypnagogic stage, specifically hypnic jerks, to sleep anxiety.
(Sleep paralysis can also accompany hypnagogia.)
A third is an OBE, or out-of-body experience. OBE's can be induced by stimulating the temporoparietal junction of the brain. When this part is stimulated, people will suddenly feel as if they are floating outside of their own bodies. I have never personally experienced an OBE before, but I find it really fascinating that there is a part of the brain that can be stimulated in such a way that we feel as if we are separate from our bodies.
Some people experience OBE's when they are under anesthesia, whether awake or semi-conscious. Semi-conscious people without the influence of anesthesia may also experience OBE's as a consequence of trauma. Skepdic has some good information about OBE's and how they can come about. A lot of OBE's occur between the REM stage and waking. OBE's can be induced in this manner by attempting to maintain consciousness while falling asleep.
Aside from debunking this third symptom, I find OBE's to be fascinating. I do not believe in a spiritual explanation for OBE's without sufficient evidence. But at the same time, I cannot deny that they are quite a fascinating experience. They can be induced in a variety of ways, and the wiki article about OBE's has a lot of information on the variety of ways that they can be induced, and a nice reference section.
Of course, another more vivid reason is that the guilty party is high on acid or LSD. Or magic mushrooms.
I spent the last week moving to a new job and then to college, so I've been pretty busy these past few days. I still have a lot of things that I need to unpack so I can actually move about my room. Posting should become more regular as I settle into a routine.
As a side note, while doing research, I came across this small gem: Apophenia. It reminded me of John Nash. I've never heard of this before, and it sounds pretty intriguing. I'm going to have to look into it.
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