Marina Weiler, Raphael Casseb, & David Acunzo
University of Virginia, USA & University of Campinas, Brazil
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Humans typically perceive themselves as confined within the boundaries of their physical bodies, guided by ordinary senses, sensations of embodiment, self-location, and a subjective first-person perspective. However, there are instances where this typical experience can dissolve, resulting in disruptions to bodily self-awareness such as Out-of-Body Experiences (OBEs). Individuals who undergo an OBE frequently assert the ability to observe phenomena from perspectives beyond their physical bodies. Validating reported perceptions during an OBE can yield valuable understanding of these extraordinary experiences. In a pilot project conducted in Brazil in 2023, three individuals claiming the ability to self-induce OBEs were recruited. The investigation aimed to assess their ability to induce OBEs reliably within a controlled laboratory setting and to verify psi processes during OBEs. Randomly generated targets — a two-digit number and an object image — were displayed on monitors facing the wall, completely blind to researchers and participants until the end of each day. Encouraging evidence emerged: one participant reported seeing the number 79, which was the number displayed to a different participant on the first day, suggesting potential displacement. More impressively, on the second day another participant described the target as “a circular object, like a pinwheel or sun,” remarkably aligning with the actual target — a sun. These instances provide indications of a potential correlation between OBEs and psi, emphasizing the need for further exploration in subsequent phases of this research.
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Marina Weiler is a researcher at the Division of Perceptual Studies, University of Virginia. Her work focuses on out-of-body experiences, altered states of consciousness, and neuroimaging. Raphael Casseb is based at the University of Campinas, Brazil, where the pilot experiments were conducted. David Acunzo, co-author, specializes in EEG-based investigations of anomalous cognition at UVA.
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The Parapsychological Association is an international professional organization of scientists and scholars engaged in the study of psi (or ‘psychic’) experiences, such as telepathy, clairvoyance, psychokinesis, psychic healing, and precognition. The primary objective of the PA is to achieve a scientific understanding of these experiences.
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Published on May 14, 2026
