A study of more than 5,000 people found that unusual experiences such as sensing a presence, seeing visions, hearing voices, lucid dreaming, feeling the presence of the deceased, and having out-of-body or near-death experiences are far more common than clinical diagnosis rates might suggest. Researchers from the Institute D'Or for Research and Education in Brazil found that most participants who reported such experiences were not unwell and generally regarded them as neutral or positive. Nearly half reported some degree of joy or wellbeing during the experience, compared with about a quarter who described emotional neutrality and roughly a quarter who experienced suffering or discomfort.
Most nonordinary experiences occurred while people were alone, although 10 percent happened in religious or spiritual settings, and many were brief or occurred only a few times. While a third of respondents did not believe anyone or anything caused their experience, 15 percent attributed it to God or gods and 11 percent to the Holy Spirit. Lead author Ronald Fischer said such experiences can provide meaning, personal growth, and insight, and that recognizing their prevalence and potential positive effects could help reduce stigma. Separately, Wake Forest University professor Melissa Maffeo has suggested that environmental stimuli, neurological mix-ups, and personality traits can sometimes converge to make ordinary events feel supernatural.