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.
人类历史上有很多关于灵魂出窍、回望身体的故事，而且往往发生在濒临死亡或在手术台上时。
The accounts have been so vivid that they are often cited as proof of the existence of the soul or Heaven.
而关于这些都生动描述常作为灵魂和天堂存在的证据。
But scientists now claim they have dispelled this myth by artificially creating an out-of-body experience using computers and cameras.
然而科学家却称，通过电脑和摄像机可以人工创造出灵魂出窍的感觉，进而破除这样的迷信思想。
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.
科学家认为当大脑各种感觉出现矛盾时，大脑就会混淆，从而产生出窍的感觉，而并不是所谓证实了“灵魂世界”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.
日内瓦大学教授欧拉夫 布兰科和他的团队称他们把实验对象“浸入”到一个电脑模拟的化身里。
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.
志愿者们要求戴上虚拟现实眼镜，站在摄像机前面，能从屏幕上看到自己的背面。这种眼镜，借助计算机能创造出3D的效果，即虚拟化身。
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.
当用钢笔戳他们的背时，他们面前的化身也会受到同样作用，这让他们以为化身就是自己的身体。
In this way people became confused about their real and the virtual self - even though they were effectively two meters apart from each other.
这样就混淆了真实自我和虚拟自我，虽然二者相距2米远。
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.
布兰科教授在华盛顿的美国科学发展协会会议上提出了此项研究结果，称：“通过视觉和触觉的关系，他们和自己剥离开来，认为这个虚拟成像就是自己，从而实现了部分出窍的感觉。”
They start thinking that the avatar is their own body. We created a partial out-of-body experience."
“我们可以将触觉和视觉剥离开来，让人们以为身体就在两米外的前方。
"We were able to dissociate touch and vision and make people think that their body was two meters in front of them."
他说此项实验证明出窍更像是一种大脑障碍，视觉、触觉和平衡感都混淆起来。
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.
布兰科博士说：“这并非关乎灵魂，不过是头脑混淆。没有人认为幻肢症是灵异事件，那么出窍也不应成为迷信说法。”
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.
研究者称，除了用来解释灵魂出窍这一说法，该项研究还有商业应用价值，可以让计算机游戏更为逼真，或者让人们变成诸如机器士兵或医生的形象。【(www.qidian55.com)编辑整理 www.qidian55.com】
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.
“灵魂出窍”一般在睡眠、吸食毒品、创伤或者麻醉等状态时发生。约有10%的人有过这样的经历。
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