How latest mindfulness trend could lead you to have an out-of-body experience
It is the trendy wellness practice that has taken the health industry by storm. But mindfulness can trigger unpleasant out-of-body experiences, experts have warned.
Billed as a way of reducing stress or coping with depression and anxiety, mindfulness involves meditating as part of a bid to feel ‘fully present’ and aware of each moment.
Fans of the billion-dollar industry include Harry Styles and footballer Raheem Sterling.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Figures indicate that 15 per cent of adults in the UK have learnt some form of it. Scientists from the University of Cambridge conducted a trial to assess its effectiveness as a way of coping with exam stress.
Of the 670 trial participants, those who had received mindfulness training were twice as likely to experience feelings of unity — a sense that borders dissolve and a feeling we are all part of a larger, interconnected whole; and disembodiment — a floating sensation, meaning a person can feel disconnected from their own body and mind.
Dr Julieta Galante, from the Department of Psychiatry, who led the trial, said: ‘It’s important that people who are offered mindfulness are told about the possibility that they may come across these experiences.’
The findings were published in the journal Plos One.
