An out-of-body experience (OBE) is precisely what the name suggests: an experience where your consciousness is separate from your body, which frees you to roam an open world while the body remains unconscious. It’s a common experience that’s linked to lucid dreaming and sleep paralysis.

Your experience with OBEs, lucid dreams, and similar dream-related phenomena depends on your mindset and the level of control you’re able to exert over your surroundings. Conscious sleep paralysis, on the other hand, is almost always a negative experience.