Alpha Waves & 3-D Reality
The “Out of Body Experience” (OBE) is described as having the sensation of experiencing one’s consciousness outside of the confines of the physical body. A frequent description of an OBE is the ability to perceive the environment from a vantage point of a few meters above the body. A commonly reported catalyst to induce an OBE is from significant physical trauma. However, organizations such as The Monroe Institute (TMI) and the International Academy of Consciousness (IAC) have been extensively researching non-trauma related protocols to induce this type of experience. The Division of Perceptual Studies at the University of Virginia has been researching OBE occurrences coinciding with near-death experiences (NDE’s) for decades as well. Many people describe psychedelic experiences as inducing OBE-like sensations although they generally differ from those reported by the protocols developed by TMI and the IAC or during NDE’s.
In the Tibetan Buddhism tradition, the place where a person goes once they die is called “the bardo”. This term is used to describe an intermediate state and is also applied to specific states such as “the bardo of dreaming”. This place is described as a period when the mind is less constrained to the physical body during sleep. The bardo of dreaming is also known as the “little death” being that Tibetan Buddhists believe that falling asleep is similar to the experience between re-birth.
In the recent piece titled, “Alcohol, Psychedelics, & Idealism of the Brain” we outlined the numerous electroencephalogram (EEG) studies showing a consistent change in the mammalian brain following psychedelic ingestion. Alongside the observed increase in gamma oscillations is a consistent and dramatic suppression of the alpha wave frequency. Interestingly, the dissociative substance ketamine (Ajeku et al., 2016; De la Salle et al., 2016) and the stimulant MDMA (Lansbergen et al., 2011; Frei et al., 2001) both induce similar oscillatory changes to classic psychedelic compounds. This is in light of ketamine acting primarily upon the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor system and MDMA acting indirectly upon the serotonin (5-HT) system. This indicates that the consciousness shift of mind-altering substances can be partially attributed to their changes to specific oscillatory signatures rather than solely receptor-focused activation (although they are intimately intertwined).
There are many theories regarding the alpha wave regarding the sense of self, a “sense of flow”, or light relaxation. Other more technical theories cite the active role of the alpha wave in default mode network communication, coordination, and idle states. It’s important to note that the simple act of closing your eyes induces a significant increase in alpha power. This has been documented since the invention of the EEG in the 1920’s. However, during the transition from waking to sleep, the alpha wave generally disappears giving way to the slower theta and delta waves throughout the non-REM sleep stages (Biabani et al., 2023; Nayak et al., 2023). During REM sleep which is the sleep stage largely associated with dreaming, there is evidence suggesting that alpha waves are suppressed when compared to wakefulness (Baird et. al, 2018; Esposito et. al, 2004).
Lucid dreaming (LD) is the experience of being aware that you are dreaming while in a dream. LD research indicates that a hybrid of neural activity occurs that differs from waking and regular REM sleep that also shows a suppression of alpha wave power & coherence (Voss et. al, 2009). It’s been observed that people suffering from insomnia exude greater alpha power at wake before sleep onset (WBSO) than regular controls (Rezai et al, 2019). Interestingly, the condition that might be considered the opposite of insomnia, narcolepsy has been shown to coincide with suppressed waking alpha power (Sasai-Sakuma et al., 2015).
The phenomena known as “sleep paralysis” (SP) is described as the sensation of experiencing full-body paralysis where a person is unable to move or speak. Its occurrence is commonly reported during the transition from wakefulness to sleep or the transition from sleep to wakefulness. In some cases, subjects report seeing beings or entities during SP. It’s been reported that an increase in alpha wave power has been observed during episodes of SP (Takeuchi et al., 1992; Terzaghi et al., 2011). A 2023 study in the Journal of Cognitive Neurosciences utilized virtual reality (VR) to induce a virtual OBE-like experience. The participants were exposed to the perception of floating up above their body within the VR environment. The researchers found that this subjective experience coincided with a decrease in alpha wave power alongside other oscillatory changes.
There seems to be a certain theme arising from the data we have presented thus far. Based on all the information we’ve cited, we speculate that the increase in alpha wave power from simply closing your eyes indicates that it appears to be playing an important role in maintaining the sense of orientation. The increased power seems to act as an anchor of sorts regarding the sense of inhabiting our bodies, our location in proximity to the external environment, and general time-space perception. These concepts aren’t entirely baseless as there is research indicative of alpha waves stabilizing a person’s perception of time (Mokhtarinejad et. al, 2024) and space (Jin et al., 2006; Lozano-Soldevilla et. al, 2019; Alamia et. al, 2023). There is also data alluding to distortions in alpha waves altering a person’s perception of time (Iwasaki et al., 2019) and space (Foster et al., 2017). Imagine the difficulties navigating the human experience if we were to experience substantial time-space distortion or even an OBE from merely closing our eyes for a few seconds. Theoretically speaking, once we open our eyes the alpha power can subside a bit as we use our 6 senses to orientate ourselves to the external environment.
The condition known as schizophrenia is largely associated with altered states of perception including delusions and hallucinations. Multiple research teams have found a suppression of alpha power in schizophrenic subjects compared to normal volunteers (Gaspar et. al, 2011, Knyazeva et. al, 2008; Abeles et. al, 2014; Goldstein et. al, 2015). There is also evidence to suggest that time (Ueda et al, 2018; Stanghelleni et al., 2016) and space (Stanghelleni et al., 2020; Silverstein et al., 2021) perception are altered in schizophrenic patients. As cited earlier, the condition of narcolepsy is associated with suppressed alpha power and is also associated with hallucinatory phenomena in a significant percentage of patients (Hanin et al., 2021) in addition to time distortion (Poryazova et al., 2013). Perhaps patients suffering from schizophrenia and narcolepsy are more loosely tethered to their bodies and “3-D reality” based on their impaired baseline alpha waves.
An interesting description of the psychedelic experience, especially DMT is the sensation of instantaneous pressure building in the body/head followed by a feeling akin to bursting out of the top of one’s head. The subject then tends to describe the sensation of immediately flying through space at a rapid pace leading to the visionary journey. It’s an intriguing notion to speculate that the alpha wave abolishment indicates the untethering of one’s “spirit/soul/consciousness” from the body while the gamma wave modulates the intricacies of the journey. There have been reports from participants in extended state DMT research that they experienced the phenomena of the “silver cord” at the back of their heads. The reports state that beings interacted with them during their journey and purposely examined the back of their heads to verify whether the silver cord was present. This is intriguing in light of the research at TMI and the IAC also consistently reporting the experience of the silver cord for OBE explorers. What does the silver cord signify? It’s not entirely clear but it appears to act as some sort of connection between the physical body and the “spirit/soul/consciousness”.
An interesting phenomenon regarding young children is that many of them report being able to perceive people, creatures, and memories that adults cannot. Whether their perception is based purely on imagination or having the ability to see a wider spectrum of reality is not for us to speculate in this piece. However, it is clear that the brain activity of developing children is distinctly different from that of adults. When a child is between infancy and 6 years old, they exude dominant frequencies of theta (Orekhava et al., 2006) and gamma (Takano et. al, 1998, Tiernay et. al, 2013). It’s been documented that about the age of 7 years old, children transition from theta to alpha dominant (Cellier et. al, 2021) alongside a decline in gamma power (Tierney et. al, 2013). The increase in alpha power in maturing children seems to coincide with the developmental maturation of their brains synchronously with their perspective of reality. It’s been cited that prominent connectivity of the default mode network (DMN) also generally begins to occur at the age of 7 years old (Fair et. al, 2008). The DMN is considered to be the set of brain networks that are active when a person is thinking about themselves and during passive tasks requiring remembering past events or imagining future tasks. It’s been consistently observed that following psychedelic administration, the DMN is significantly suppressed (Gattuso et. al, 2023). This data regarding children is indicative that their consciousness before the age of 7 is not firmly anchored to their bodies and this could be the reason they act super crazy.
In the early Apollo missions, astronauts would report hallucinatory phenomena such as flashes and streaks of light. In 1976, the crew on the Russian-Soyuz 21 mission reported olfactory hallucinations in which they smelled a foul scent which upon deboarding was found to not exist. A 2023 study in Nature Scientific Reports observed that astronauts in space experienced a significant reduction in alpha wave power in the DMN. This reduction continued up until 20 days after deboarding the spacecraft. An interesting observation is that this decrease in alpha waves during and following space flight is not seemingly linked to changes in gravitational forces as subjects exposed to weightlessness via parabolic flights (not space flights) did not experience similar suppression of alpha power (Schneider et al., 2008).
A 2021 white paper authored by several scientists at NASA titled, “The Impact of the Schumann Resonances on Human and Mammalian Physiology”, outlines the effects of earth’s geomagnetic field on human and mammalian physiology. Schumann Resonances (SR) form standing waves in the “cavity” between the surface of the Earth and the underside of the Earth’s ionosphere. These waves are created and maintained by lightning strikes worldwide. The researchers cite data regarding the effects of changes in the geomagnetic activity that affect heart rate variability (HRV) in humans. The scientists state that future research regarding the specific effects of SR decoupling from the human body during long space flights needs to take place to better understand the consequences.
(Schumann Resonance Animation from NASA)
So here we are… we’ve cited data points indicating that decreased alpha power (at varying degrees) coincides with psychedelic experiences, schizophrenia, young children, during sleep, narcolepsy, and astronauts during space travel. We’ve also cited evidence of increased alpha power from closing your eyes, during sleep paralysis, and insomnia. Let us not forget that the ever-so-evil alcohol also increases alpha power following ingestion (Ehlers et al., 2004).
So what is our conclusion regarding all this?
It’s difficult to say but let us speculate that we do indeed have a “spiritual body” (SB) as well as a physical body. Under this assumption, the strength of the connection between the SB and physical body is predominantly modulated by the alpha wave. When there is too much alpha power, it indicates a distinctly firm connection with the body and the earthly realm. This could be tied to insomnia or sleep paralysis as the inability for a person to let go and allow their SB to release from the confines of the physical body. In the case of alcohol it drives a focus on bodily pleasure rather than consciousness expansion.
There lies the possibility that a coupling with earth’s geomagnetic field via Schumann Resonance could also play a role in modulating the alpha wave and our general conscious experience. If we are to take the DMT experience description at face value, there is the potential that a person’s SB is launched out of the physical body and through the cosmos to another star system alongside the collapse of the alpha wave. This is the place where the SB is having experiences with beings in a galaxy far, far away while the physical body is registering the correlates neurologically. This sense of bursting out the top of one’s head could coincide with the SB leaving the confines of earth’s geomagnetic field breaking out of earth plane reality. There is evidence from researchers at Caltech in 2019 that showcased human’s having the ability to perceive earth’s magnetic field via EEG measurement and that changes in alpha power occur during this process.
This is all extremely outlandish and speculative but hey… that’s what we are here for.
P.S. In order to have some sort of grasp into the true nature of reality sometimes we need to compile anecdotes and process them at face value rather than simply writing them off as nonsensical stories. The video down below provides a description of an experience of a woman who had an OBE and floated out of her apartment building and onto the street where her spiritual body encountered a homeless man believed to be schizophrenic. When she encountered the man the following day… I’ll just let you watch the clip.
(A 30 Second clip from the JeffMara Podcast episode with Dr. Edi Bilimoria)
> wouldn't surprise me
LOL
same