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Neuroscience and Out of Body Experiences

Susan Blackmore

What can neuroscience tell us about out of body experiences? Psychologist Susan Blackmore investigates the new science of OBEs and finds unexpected insights into the self and consciousness.

Instructor
  • Susan Blackmore
    Susan Blackmore
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About the Course

Out of body experiences are world-changing for those who have them. They can shake one’s ideological foundations or leave one with a new lease of life. Yet it is not entirely clear what they signify or what we can learn from them philosophically or scientifically.

In this course Susan Blackmore explores the philosophical, scientific and personal significance of out of body experiences. Borrowing from her own experiences as well as the neurological research of others Blackmore argues that out of body experiences play a crucial role in understanding the self.

During this course you will learn about:

 ·        What it feels like to have an outer-body experience.

 ·        The emotional, psychological and spiritual effect an out of body experience can have.

 ·        The neurology behind out of body experiences and what this can tell us about the mind.

 ·        What out of body experiences can reveal to us about the nature of the self.

Through video lectures, questions and suggested reading discover why out of body experiences can be the most life-changing and philosophically insightful experiences one can have. Share your ideas and support your learning through our discussion boards and test your knowledge through an end of course assessment.

About the Instructor

  • Susan Blackmore

    Susan Blackmore is a freelance writer, lecturer and broadcaster as well as a visiting Professor at the University of Plymouth. Specializing in parapsychology, psychology and consciousness Professor Blackmore has devoted her life to studying out of body experiences and become a world-leading expert on the matter. She has written or contributed to over 40 books and is a contributor to the Guardian newspaper and to BBC Radio 4.

Course Syllabus

  • Part One: Experiencing the Out of Body Experience
  • Part Two: Neurology, Psychology, Philosophy - What can we learn from out of body experiences

Suggested Further Readings

Blackmore, S. (2017) Seeing Myself: The New Science of Out-of-body Experiences (Robinson, Little Brown Book Group)

Ehrsson, H. (2007) The experimental induction of out-of-body experiences,Science, 317(5841)

Leggenhager, B, Metzinger, T, Blanke, O. (2007) Video Ergo Sum: Manipulating Bodily Self-Consciousness, Science, 317(5841)