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after the experience. Mood states such as joy (df = 304, p < .01), freedom (df = 309, p < .008), calm, peace and quiet (df = 90, p < .0002) were experienced much more frequently than in those who had feelings of fear during the experience. T-test comparisons also revealed the fact that those who were mentally calm had more detailed and vivid experiences than those who experienced fear at the time of the OBE, for example, senses of energy (df = 312, p < .02), vibrations (df = 322, p < .01), feelings that people not out of the body were aware of their presence (df = 155, p < .008). In the mentally calm group the experience was seen as having a more lasting and dramatic impact on life; for example, it was described as a spiritual or religious experience (df = 302, p < .01), an experience of great beauty and lasting benefit (df = 301, p < .0003), and effected a change toward a belief in survival after death (df = 313, p < .01). The data is quite reminiscent of the categories used to describe peak and plateau experiences32 and mystical religious experiences:33 for example, the sense of unity, transcendence of time and space, sense of objectivity and reality, a noetic and sacred quality, a deep positive mood state, and a quality of ineffability. Subjects who described a sense of purpose to the experience in general indicated that the experience enabled them to obtain closure on some of the major existential questions, for instance: “to show me everything is possible,” “to show me new possibilities or new realities.” These accounts reflected a preponderance (85%) of subjects who were dealing with issues associated with major life changes and requiring much introspection, review, and assessment of personal strengths and weaknesses.
DISCUSSION
Even without reviewing the widely recognized defects of the questionnaire approach, this study has a number of added defects, including the fact that many of the experiences are remembered from many years before. Structuring the questionnaire in a directive way added forced-choice features; however, the questions were forced-choice to aid in quantifying data but the sacrifice, of course, is obvious. Although a large number of questions were asked, this approach suffers from a lack of detailed individualized protocols. In an attempt to remedy this defect, extensive psychological testing has been done on a selected sample of 100 of these subjects, a random cross section of whom will be personally interviewed and reported in future studies. The generalizability of this data is aided by the semi-random nature of the study and the anonymity of respondents.