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Research suggests that a sensation of floating prior to sleep may be indicative of several sleep-related phenomena such as sleep paralysis, hypnagogic imagery, and out-of-body experiences (OBEs). Previous research into OBEs in particular has been limited in considering the broad range of tactile, auditory, and visual phenomena reported by individuals prior to sleep which relate to a floating sensation that tends to precede an OBE. In the present study, 178 participants were surveyed regarding their experience of a floating sensation prior to sleep as part of a larger OBE questionnaire. A thematic analysis was conducted in order to determine commonalities in floating sensations prior to sleep reported among participants. Themes in reports of tactile and emotional content during a floating sensation were noted. Tactile sensations of feeling light or weightless, body detachment or loss of physical sensation, sensations of flying and sensations of falling were most common. Emotions relevant to a sense of floating were reported as being negative, positive, or associated with a feeling of freedom. A number of the floating sensations reported prior to sleep overlapped with common descriptions of OBEs found in literature, while others did not. Implications are discussed. Keywords: floating sensation, sleep paralysis, out-of-body experience, OBE, hypnagogic, sleep conditions Spanish La investigacion sugiere que una sensacion de flotar antes de dormir puede ser indicativa de varios fenomenos relacionados con el sueno, tales como la paralisis de sueno, las imagenes hipnagogicas, y las experiencias extracorporales (OBE). Las investigaciones previas sobre las OBE, no han considerado suficientemente la amplia gama de experiencias tactiles, auditivas, y fenomenos visuales reportados por los individuos antes de dormir y relacionados con una sensacion flotante que suele preceder a las OBE. En este estudio, hicimos una encuesta con 178 participantes sobre sus experiencias de una sensacion de flotar antes de dormir, como parte de un cuestionario sobre OBE mas grande. Un analisis tematico se llevo a cabo con el fin de determinar aspectos comunes en las sensaciones flotantes antes de dormir reportadas por los participantes. Observamos temas en los informes sobre contenido tactil y emocional durante sensaciones de flotacion. Los mas comunes fueron las sensaciones tactiles de sentirse ligero o sin peso, desprendimiento del cuerpo o perdida de la sensacion fisica, sensaciones de vuelo, y sensaciones de caida. Las emociones relacionadas con la sensacion de flotacion fueron negativas, positivas, o asociada con una sensacion de libertad. Algunas de las sensaciones de flotacion antes de dormir se solapan con las descripciones comunes de OBE que se encuentran en la literatura, en tanto que otras no. Discutimos las implicaciones. French Des recherches suggerent que la sensation de flotter avant le sommeil pourrait indiquer divers phenomenes relatifs au sommeil tels que la paralysie du sommeil, l'imagerie hypnagogique et les experiences de hors corps (EHC). Les precedentes recherches, en particulier sur les EHC, se sont limitees a reperer une vaste gamme de phenomenes tactiles, auditifs et visuels relates par les individus avant de s'endormir qui pourraient etre relies a l'experience d'une sensation de flotter qui tendrait a preceder une EHC. Dans la presente etude, 178 participants furent interroges sur leurs experiences d'une sensation de flotter avant de s'endormir au sein d'un questionnaire plus large sur les EHC. Une analyse thematique a ete conduite afin de determiner les elements communs dans les sensations de flotter avant le sommeil relates par les participants. On a repere quelques themes recurrents au niveau tactile et emotionnel durant les sensations de flotter. Les plus communes etaient les sensations tactiles de se sentir leger ou sans poids, de sentir un detachement du corps ou une perte de sensations physiques, des sensations de voler et des sensations de chuter. Les emotions associees a la sensation de flotter etaient negatives, positives, ou apparentees avec un sentiment de liberte. De nombreux aspects de la sensation de flottement avant le sommeil recouvrent les descriptions habituelles des EHC que l'on trouve dans la litterature, bien que certaines ne le fassent pas. Les implications de cette etude sont discutees. German Die einschlagige Forschung weist darauf hin, dass ein Schwebegefuhl vor Schlafbeginn zusammen mit verschiedenen, zum Schlaf gehorenden Phanomenen wie Schlafparalyse, hypnagogischen Bildern und ausserkorperlichen Erfahrungen (AKE) auftreten kann. Die bisherige Forschung insbesondere zu AKE hatte sich darauf beschrankt, das breite Spektrum taktiler, auditiver und visueller Phanomene, die von Einzelnen vor Schlafbeginn berichtet wurden, zu berucksichtigen, die sich auf ein Schwebegefuhl bezogen, die einer AKE vorherzugehen schienen. In der vorliegenden Studie wurden 178 Teilnehmer hinsichtlich ihrer Erfahrungen eines Schwebegefuhls vor Schlafbeginn als Teil eines umfassenderen AKE-Fragebogens befragt. Eine thematisch orientierte Analyse wurde durchgefuhrt, um Gemeinsamkeiten der Schwebegefuhle vor Schlafbeginn unter den Teilnehmern zu erfassen. Die Themen, die sich in den Berichten auf taktile und emotionale Inhalte bezogen, wurden festgehalten. Taktile Gefuhle des sich leicht oder schwerelos Empfindens, korperliche Leichtigkeit oder Verlust der Korperwahrnehmung, Gefuhle des Fliegens oder des Fallens waren am verbreitetesten. Wahrnehmungen, die mit einer Schwebeempfindung einhergingen, wurden als negativ oder positiv gewertet oder mit einem Freiheitsgefuhl assoziiert. Eine Anzahl von Schwebegefuhlen vor Schlafbeginn deckten sich teilweise mit den bekannten Beschreibungen in der AKE-Literatur, andere hingegen nicht. Die Implikationen werden diskutiert., It is common for tactile hallucinations to arise prior to sleep as part of the hypnagogic pre-sleep state (Ohayon, Priest, Caulet, & Guilleminault, 1996). These may include a sense of [...]

This study evaluates the efficacy of the hypnOBE paradigm (Tressoldi et al., 2014), which is claimed to (i) hypnotically initiate outof-body states, and (ii) induce veridical (psi) perceptions of extrapersonal space. Twenty-five people were recruited for a two-phase study, all of whom demonstrated a high degree of partial hits in the experimental condition, although only one person was ostensibly able to identify the correct target. Comparisons are made between our study and prior research. We consider the qualitative factors that emerged from our two-phased project and discuss the implications for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During an out-of-body experience (OBE) a person experiences their center of consciousness from a spatial location that is distinctly different to their physical body. Prior research has suggested that psychologists and psychotherapists may be reluctant to discuss the content of their clients OBE accounts due to a lack of understanding about the nature of these experiences. Yet, other research has highlighted the substantial value of discussing OBEs in the therapeutic process. This paper examines the literature in order to assess the value of utilizing person-centered dialogue and guided visualisation as counselling approaches for working with clients who have had OBEs [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Relational spirituality-a sense of oneness with, or personal connection to, a higher power or greater consciousness-has been associated with positive health outcomes in prior research. An evidence-based meditation method called EcoMeditation produces significant improvements in psychological health as well as physiological function., Objectives: This study places EcoMeditation in the context of relational spirituality to evaluate changes in psychological symptoms and professional productivity associated with transcendent states of consciousness, including those characterized as "flow" and "nonduality.", Methods: Participants (n = 41) were drawn from a convenience sample taking a 21-day online course in which they practiced EcoMeditation along with exercises designed to cultivate personal and relational spirituality. They were assessed pre, post, and at six-month follow-up., Results: Significant reductions in anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were found post-test. These were accompanied by significant increases in happiness, flow, transcendent experiences, and professional-personal productivity. Follow-up indicated that gains in happiness, transcendent experiences, nonduality, and professional-personal productivity were maintained over time., Conclusions: In addition to the improvements in psychological symptoms identified in previous studies, EcoMeditation in the context of relational spirituality was associated with increases in nondual and transcendent states, as well as greater productivity. Although activities such as meditation are usually associated with elevated consciousness in altered states, they may also produce enhanced productivity and performance in everyday life.

Context: Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFTs) can reduce anxiety, depression, PTSD, and phobias. Research has found correlations between attitudes toward money and anxiety and depressive symptomatology. No research has yet examined the effectiveness of EFT in changing money attitudes., Objective: The study intended to measure the effectiveness of EFT in changing money attitudes and to contrast EFT's effects delivered virtually or in-person by evaluating multiple markers of stress, including anxiety, depression, pain, happiness, and PTSD., Design: The research team performed a retrospective controlled study., Participants: Participants were a convenience sample of 54 nonclinical individuals., Intervention: The study included participants into an in-person group and a virtual group. The 24 participants in the in-person group met prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 35 participants in the virtual group participated in the workshop toward the end of 2020. Both used EFT to address money-related issues during a two-day workshop., Outcome Measures: The research team used: (1) the brief version of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), GAD-2, to assess participants' anxiety; (2) the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) to assess symptoms of depression over the two weeks prior to the testing; (3) the PTSD Checklist (PCL-2) to assess symptoms of PTSD over the month prior to the test; (4) the Happiness Scale, an 11-point Likert scale that indicates whether respondents feel happy in general; (5) the Numeric Pain Rating Scale, a self-rated average of pain that participants had experienced in the 24 hours prior to the test; and (6) the Money Attitudes Scale (MAS) to measure change in attitudes., Results: Postintervention, the in-person group has significant reductions in anxiety (P = .023), PTSD (P = .013), and pain (P = .029) as well as significant improvements in happiness (P < .001). The group's MAS scores for Power-Prestige (P = .008), Distrust (P < .001) and Money Anxiety (P < .01) also decreased significantly. At the six-month followup, the group's mean scores showed significant decreases for PTSD (P < .001) and pain (P < .001) as well as significant improvements in happiness (P < .05). Postintervention, the virtual group had a significant increase in happiness (P < .001), but while anxiety, depression, and pain decreased, the changes weren't statistically significant. The group's money attitudes also showed a significant increase in Retention-Time (P < .001) as well as significantly decreased scores for Distrust (P < .001), Money Anxiety (P < .01) and Power-Prestige (P < .01). At the six-month followup, the virtual group's mean differences from baseline were greater than that of the in-person group., Conclusions: The current study's findings point toward EFT's potential to improve money attitudes as well as psychological symptoms and indicated that EFT can be effective when delivered virtually. The study demonstrated improvements in anxiety, depression, pain, and happiness. The current research team recommends delivering EFT and other evidence-based therapies virtually, through apps, on-demand therapy sessions, virtual reality (VR), and artificial intelligence (AI).