Hard Problem of Out-Of-Body Experiences (OBEs)

The specific puzzle of the visuospatial perspective. During an OBE, people often report seeing their own physical body from an external point in the room. The hard problem is: From where, and with what, is this third-person visual data being generated and processed? The brain is inside the skull, receiving data from eyes pointing forward. Even if it's a hallucination, the brain is constructing a geometrically accurate, egocentrically rotated 3D scene of the room from a vantage point it has never physically occupied. This requires integrated knowledge of the room's layout and the body's position within it, all rendered into a coherent, panoramic "view" without using the optic nerves.

Example: A patient under anesthesia has an OBE and later accurately describes the surgical tools used and a specific conversation among the staff. The hard problem isn't just about hearing (which could be auditory processing while semi-conscious). It's: How did their brain generate the visual scene of the operating theatre from a point near the ceiling, including the top of the surgeon's head and the layout of equipment, without visual input? It suggests either an inexplicable, high-fidelity internal simulation or a literal displacement of the perceptive locus—neither of which fits current neurobiology. Hard Problem of Out-Of-Body Experiences (OBEs).

by Nammugal January 24, 2026

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