Emotion while out of body...

[Synergy]

Since I have been doing alot of neuroscience research lately regarding OBEs... I got to thinking...

Neuroscientists claim that consciousness is the result of all the electrical activity bouncing around in the brain, and neurotransmitters sending messages between the different parts of the brain (the easy question). Though they have yet to prove how all that gives rise to consciousness (the hard question), they argue that some of what makes us 'us' , such as emotions can be augmented by chemical means like drugs or supplements, herbs etc. 

But are emotions really what make us 'us'?? I dont think so... During my OBEs, I notice that I still have the same basic hopes and desires, but some of the less meaningful and petty things I wanted dissapear, and I notice a seeming lack of emotion while out.  Its like I am still completely there but without the emotional burdens put on me by my physical brain.  Chalk that up to one for the 'consciousness is nonphysical' side of the argument then for me, because it just shows that the aspects of our mind that ARE apparently cntrolled by physiological means, are not the 'essense' of what we are but merely a mechanism through which we control our physical body and experience the physical world, and are not needed for nonphysical existence.   

Have any of you noticed that while out of body?  That you are still you, but without the physical feeling of emotions?  Like you still know what love and hate and indefference are but you cant feel them while in that state... but you still know the consequences - which makes the theory that we are here to learn even more plausible. 

[predawnglow]

Very often when I am out, the main thing which I feel is curiosity about what is going on around me, and how I interrelate with everything during the experience - this curiosity is more a state of mind than actual emotion. But on those rare occasions that I find myself at higher levels, what I feel are emotions of peace, happiness and contentment; I always wish that I could stay there.

[Synergy]

predawnglow - I wonder if then since you say you felt emotions while in higher levels while OBE, that only the lower emotions are controlled by chemicals in our brains while the higher emotions are more spiritual?? 

The reason I am looking at this, is that scientists say that since they can augment our emotions, our behavior, our memories, and even our desires (through our emotions) using chemicals such as drugs, and since what we think of as 'us' is made up of these things - think for second, if you lost all your memory, and your emotions and behavior were forced into a specific state not under your control... would you still be 'you'? - then that adds fuel to their argument that we are just our brains and that's it.  But, if we look at OBEs and particularly at our behaviors, and emotions while out of body, and these things are absent but we are still our individual selves, then it goes further to proving that emotions, behaviors and even memories to a degree are only physical aspects of us, but are not us in an of themselves...

When I say that I do not experience emotion while out of body, I mean I am not driven by them. I still know what people I care about, who I want to see, places that mean something to me etc.  I do not feel the physical parts of the emotions - you know the feeling in the pit of your stomach when you are anxious, etc.  And my actions seem to not be driven by my emotions - as if earthly desires mean less. The things that really matter, still do.  An example is, say I have the desire to OBE to a particular place to observe someone to try to catch them in a lie, or to obtain information to cheat on an exam etc. (I have never tried to do those btw this is just an example) but when I am out, those things no longer matter and my mindset switches to wanting to just explore, or visit a close friend or relative while out of body.

[jub jub]

Very often when I am out, the main thing which I feel is curiosity about what is going on around me, and how I interrelate with everything during the experience - this curiosity is more a state of mind than actual emotion. But on those rare occasions that I find myself at higher levels, what I feel are emotions of peace, happiness and contentment; I always wish that I could stay there.

Pretty much the same for me as well. I have never experienced emotion while out, just a sense of curiosity and wonder. Maybe if I could stay out for more than a few minutes at a time, I would experience emotion.

[owenp185]

I was just thinking the same thing before i read this. I had an OBE last night and some weird thing attacked me and i just delt with it. I never really feel fear when out of body its like the negative emotions are toned down but i still find myself filled with emotion. From my expereience my emotions depend on the the the level plane im on. lower plane = hardly any emotion, higher plane = positive emotions.

[Selski]

My predominant emotion is curiousity, but I can also feel other emotions.  Fear and excitement tends to snap me back, although I've experienced sexual excitement so frequently (by choice  ), that I've learned to stay within the scenario, rather than jolting back.

Is pain an emotion?  If so, I've felt that but decided to focus on it and realised it wasn't actually pain as such, more like an uncomfortable vibration that I managed to dissipate...simply by deciding I wasn't going to be in pain anymore.

I have on numerous occasions been in a potential frightening situation... but not felt any fear, just curiousity as to what was going on.  Things like scratchings at the door (which in physical reality would have my heart hammering in my chest), but during the OBE, I was more wondering what it might be.

Oh yes, I've experienced extreme happiness too.  That was when I decided to walk on the ceiling in celebration of my happiness... because I could!! 

Sarah

[Synergy]

Hmmm so if you guys are all feeling physical emotions whil eout of body, it supports what the neuroscientists are saying then... since we know that physical emotions are controlled by chemicals in the brain.... if we are feeling the same emotions while out of body, then it could be that the entire OBE is really just in our heads (A notion that I really hope is not true!) 

[Selski]

Hi Synergy

Do you think you are less emotional because you have been projecting for longer?  I'm still fairly new to projection (only 4 years or so) and so perhaps my emotions are still like a childs, a bit 'full-on' at times.

Another emotion I experience often is surprise, normally when I go through a wall/window and find myself in a completely different environment than I was expecting.

If you are thinking it's a total non-physical experience, then how do we see, hear, touch, smell and taste out there too?  I certainly do the first three, although smell and taste are non-existent so far.

I'm curious as to your views on this. 

Sarah

[ViperThunder]

Last time I projected (quite a while ago...), I didn't have emotions. I came to realize that I was floating up and down quite slowly just above my body. The room was dark. (I thought I was just waking up from a nap until I realized that I was floating up and down). my mental response was "Oh... I'm floating. Ahhhh..... This is pretty cool. Maybe I can use this as an opportunity to learn some more about the Universe". As soon as I tried to will myself to break out of floating, I started falling downward slowly toward my body. I was going "No..noo! go UP not down! UP UP UP!" but I descended downward into my gut. my consciousness then went upward toward my head where it normally is and then physical sensation returned to my body. I immediately regained emotion: fear. I felt like I was being compressed electrically. My entire body was being crushed electrically, thought. I tried to scream but I couldn't speak because I was still paralyzed (I had feeling but could not move my body yet). It took some screaming and strong will to wake my body up. Having a working mind but being trapped in a nonmovable body is the most horrible thing I have ever experienced. Thankfully it only lasted 30 seconds or so.

[Synergy]

I have always been this way when I project.  I guess the way I can explain it is that I experience the thoughts associated with the emotions but NOT the physical feelings associated with them.  Like when you are afraid in the physical you know the feeling in the pit of your stomach etc.  I still get the 'wow I just flew through a wall' thought... but its only thoughts. 

Thats what I am trying to differentiate.... and only to try tp help us prove OBEs are real and not a figment of our minds.  But of course then we could also say that if we feel physical parts of the emotions, while out, then it could be we are just getting them transmitted by the silver cord.  I guess we will never really know then... but the scientists are so sure that emotions etc are what makes us 'us' and the fact that they can control them with drugs proves that our consciousness is just a product of the brain.  I am hoping to prove otherwise somehow... and just lookin at all angles.

[Selski]

Hi Synergy

I think this discussion is very interesting.  I hadn't really thought about whether I experience emotions rather than think about them.  However, upon musing some more, I can say that I do feel them.  By the way, I am only going to use my RTZ OBEs when talking about this - just to keep it simple. 

I always automatically create a second body.  Do you?  I can touch things and literally feel the texture with my second fingers.  And when I'm zooming somewhere too fast, my stomach flips and I feel like I'm going to be sick.  Fear is felt too. I've even licked a window (don't ask) with my second tongue, just to see if I could taste anything. 

I wonder if it's because I've created a second body, therefore I take the memory of what emotions feel like and believe that I've experienced them.  But in actual fact, I am only thinking them.  Does that make sense? 

It's similar to if I ask to remember the smell of chocolate.  You will immediately conjure up the smell and it's as if you really did just smell it.  However, quite clearly you didn't, but your memory of it almost created it, to the point that you might just be convinced I'd wafted some chocolate around. 

What about NDEs?  I'm not very well read about them, but if someone is brain-dead, then comes back and tells us they saw their deceased relatives and felt utter joy to be reuniting with them... then how does that fit with it all?

Great thread. 

Sarah

[Synergy]

If on the one hand emotions are experienced as true physical sensations while out of body... then do you believe that is a clue that OBEs may only be 'in our heads' as it were?  If drugs can alter people's emotions while in their physical bodies... then could those same people's emtions be altered while out of body as well?  And if so... then it does not look very good for us being really 'out of body' - on the other hand as I said, the silver cord may transit the sensations so that emotions are fully experienced... I don't know...

As for creating a separate body while i am out... I do in astral projection.... and as far etheric, at least not consciously, but I have looked at my hands and arms while in etheric projection and they were there... only translucent, so I had a body of some sort.

[Selski]

Hi Synergy

Personally, I don't have any fixed beliefs about obes.  It doesn't really bother me one way or the other whether they are in my head or not, so I'm probably not a good advert for those who want to prove either or. 

I kind of like the idea that consciousness doesn't reside in our bodies in the first place, and also our consciousness is "us", the very core of us - meaning our personality, emotions, humour, character etc.  Therefore "we" are separate from the physical body in the first place! 

We need the physical body (especially the brain) to experience our physical existence, due to the density of this earth (or something like that), however when we are no long in the physical realm (i.e. out of body), we are more of the "real" us, freer, but still emotional beings with our personality in tact.

Hmmm, that sounds quite good - I like that!  The reason I said 'due to density' about being on earth was based on the fact that when I'm out of body, I'm so light I can levitate anytime.

Just a daft theory of mine - not really formulated and probably way leftfield.

In a nutshell, I haven't got a clue.  But that's OK with me - I'm quite happy not having a clue. 

Sarah

[iNNERvOYAGER]

A simple way to categorize emotion is to rate the feelings from good to bad.
(And in a separate category, inexplicable feelings remembered from meditation experiences.)

The feeling of Inspiration and completeness being on the top, with fear, anger, and hate on the bottom.

One incentive for practicing meditation is to experience the good feelings, and discipline is required to let the emotions towards the bad end of the scale dissolve away and not interfere.
( I did experience frustration during a RTZ experience and it became magnified and out of proportion, and reinforced a self lesson on how emotional bad habits have to be changed in daily life.)

I would say that "emotion", or any feeling that you experience in the physical originates from the body and is the result of chemistry. (Do we contol emotion by controling our chemistry?)

Feelings that you remember having from a meditation experience (OBE, RTZ, astral, etc) that can't be explained in terms of everyday life, I believe do not originate from the body chemistry and are a part of the enlightened self that we aspire to be upon leaving this existence.

IMO, emotions originating from the physical body can still effect higher experiences as we are still involved with the physical.

last post edited for being too long and tedious..... 

[Ben K]

Pretty much the same for me as well. I have never experienced emotion while out, just a sense of curiosity and wonder. Maybe if I could stay out for more than a few minutes at a time, I would experience emotion.

im with this crew