Open Thread, October 27 - 31, 2013

mare-of-night

If it's worth saying, but not worth its own post (even in Discussion), then it goes here.

Is there any research suggesting simulated out-of-body-experiences (OBE)(like this), can be used for self improvement? For example potential areas of benefits include triggering OBEs to help patients suffering from incorrect body identities, which is exciting.

For some time now, I have had this very strange fascination with OBE and using it to over come akrasia. Of course I have no scientific evidence for it, yet I have this strong intuition that makes me believe so. I'll do my best to explain my rationale. Often I get this idea, that I can trick myself into doing what I want, if I pretend that I am not me but just someone observing me. This disconnects my body from my identity, so that the real me can control the body me. This gives me motivation to do things for the body me. I am not studying, my body me is studying to level up. I'm not hitting the gym, the body me is hitting the gym to level up. An even more powerful effect is present for social anxiety. Things like public speaking and rejection therapy are terrifying but by disconnecting my identity from my body, I would find that rejection is not as personal, just directed at this avatar that I control. Negative self-conscious thoughts and embarrassment seem to have a lessened impact.

Am I off my rocker?

I don't think you're off your rocker, though dissociating at the gym might increase the risk of injury.

I tentatively suggest that you explore becoming comfortable enough in your life that you don't need the hack, but I'm not sure that the hack is necessarily a bad strategy at present.

3ChristianKl13y

Do you have experience with OBEs? I personally have limited experience. I'm no expert but I know a bit. In my experience the kind of people who have the skills for engaging in out-of-body-experiences usually don't get a lot done. It rather increases akrasia then decreasing it. If you want to decrease akrasia associating more with your body is a better strategy than getting outside of it. [...] That effect is really there. You are making a trade. You lose empathy. Stopping to care about other people means that you can't have genuine relationships. On the other hand rejections don't hurt as much and you can more easily put yourself into such a situation.

7TheOtherDave13y

A few potentially relevant observations: * The kind of dissociation you talk about here, where I experience my "self" as unrelated to my body, is commonly reported as spontaneously occurring during various kinds of emotional stress. I've had it happen to me many times. * It would not be surprising if the same mechanism that leads to spontaneous dissociation in some cases can also lead to the strong intuition that dissociation would be a really good idea. * Just because there's a mechanism that leads me to strongly intuit that something would be a really good idea doesn't necessarily mean that it actually would be. * All of that said: after my stroke, I experienced a lot of limb-dissociation... my arm didn't really feel like part of me, etc. This did have the advantage you described, where I could tell my arm to keep doing some PT exercise and it would, and yes, my arm hurt, and I sort of felt bad for it, but it's not like it was me hurting, and I knew I'd be better off for doing the exercise. It is indeed a useful trick. * I suspect there are healthier ways to get the same effect.

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Open Thread, October 27 - 31, 2013

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Open Thread, October 27 - 31, 2013

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