專家揭祕:人死後爲何會"靈魂出竅"

Throughout history people have described how they have floated from their bodies and looked back at themselves, often when close to death or on the operating table.

人類歷史上有很多關於靈魂出竅、回望身體的故事，而且往往發生在瀕臨死亡或在手術檯上時。

The accounts have been so vivid that they are often cited as proof of the existence of the soul or Heaven.

而關於這些都生動描述常作爲靈魂和天堂存在的證據。

But scientists now claim they have dispelled this myth by artificially creating an out-of-body experience using computers and cameras.

然而科學家卻稱，通過電腦和攝像機可以人工創造出靈魂出竅的感覺，進而破除這樣的迷信思想。

They believe the feeling of detachment occurs when the brain becomes confused by conflict between the senses - and is not proof of any "spiritual dimension" to existence.

科學家認爲當大腦各種感覺出現矛盾時，大腦就會混淆，從而產生出竅的感覺，而並不是所謂證實了“靈魂世界”的存在。

Professor Olaf Blanke and his team at University of Geneva said they had "immersed" volunteers into the body of an avatar - a computer generated version of themselves.

日內瓦大學教授歐拉夫 布蘭科和他的團隊稱他們把實驗對象“浸入”到一個電腦模擬的化身裏。

Volunteers were asked to wear virtual reality goggles and then stand in front of a camera.

The subjects saw the cameras view of their back on screens in the goggles, computer enhanced to create a 3D virtual version or avatar.

志願者們要求戴上虛擬現實眼鏡，站在攝像機前面，能從屏幕上看到自己的背面。這種眼鏡，藉助計算機能創造出3D的效果，即虛擬化身。

When their back was stroked with a pen so was the virtual avatar in front of them, making them think that the virtual body was in fact their own.

當用鋼筆戳他們的背時，他們面前的化身也會受到同樣作用，這讓他們以爲化身就是自己的身體。

In this way people became confused about their real and the virtual self - even though they were effectively two meters apart from each other.

這樣就混淆了真實自我和虛擬自我，雖然二者相距2米遠。

Prof Blanke, who presented his findings at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) conference in Washington, said: "Through vision and touch they lost themselves.

布蘭科教授在華盛頓的美國科學發展協會會議上提出了此項研究結果，稱：“通過視覺和觸覺的關係，他們和自己剝離開來，認爲這個虛擬成像就是自己，從而實現了部分出竅的感覺。”

They start thinking that the avatar is their own body. We created a partial out-of-body experience."

“我們可以將觸覺和視覺剝離開來，讓人們以爲身體就在兩米外的前方。”

"We were able to dissociate touch and vision and make people think that their body was two meters in front of them."

他說此項實驗證明出竅更像是一種大腦障礙，視覺、觸覺和平衡感都混淆起來。

He said by inducing the out-of-body experience it proved it was more like a brain malfunction when sight, touch and balance become confused.

布蘭科博士說：“這並非關乎靈魂，不過是頭腦混淆。沒有人認爲幻肢症是靈異事件，那麼出竅也不應成爲迷信說法。”

Dr Blanke said: "Instead of it being a spiritual thing, it is the brain being confused. Why do we think that it is spiritual when we don't think a phantom limb when one is lost is an example of the paranormal."

Aside from explaining out-of-body experiences, the work could have more commercial applications, said the researcher.

The technique could be used to make computer games even more exciting or projecting people into robot soldiers or surgeons.

研究者稱，除了用來解釋靈魂出竅這一說法，該項研究還有商業應用價值，可以讓計算機遊戲更爲逼真，或者讓人們變成諸如機器士兵或醫生的形象。

Out-of-body experiences most often occur during sleep or waking as well as through drug use, trauma and under anaesthetic.

They effect around one in 10 of the population.

“靈魂出竅”一般在睡眠、吸食毒品、創傷或者麻醉等狀態時發生。約有10%的人有過這樣的經歷。