Out-of-body experience
An experience of perceiving the world from a position outside the physical body.
Also known as: OBE, OOBE, outer body experience
What it means in practice
Out-of-body experience is the more neutral term used in research and clinical reports. It includes spontaneous, near-death, trauma-related and deliberately induced experiences.
Not every OBE is described in spiritual language, while astral projection usually implies a deliberate practice or a broader non-physical environment.