35 volunteers were asked to perform a test in the phase involving pinching the nose to the point where the airways are completely blocked. They would then have to try to breathe through it and report their results. The aim of the experiment was to see how often the pinched nose reality check works in the phase when a practitioner knows he is in it.
Out of the 35 volunteers, 25 managed to enter the phase and accomplish results that differed from one another. Out of the 25 accomplished volunteers, 19 (76%) were able to paradoxically breathe through a pinched nose, while the remaining 6 (24%) failed to do so and experienced impairment of respiration (but not so acute as to the point of suffocating).
Already, the results apparently show that the pinched nose reality check is fairly reliable – especially when the practitioner is aware of being in the phase. Whether the other 9 volunteers out of 35 that are yet to report back results can make a significant difference to this conclusion remains to be seen. It is worth mentioning that a minority of volunteers that failed to breathe through a pinched nose were, at first, unsure whether they were awake or in the phase at the time. Subsequently, they fouled or fell asleep and realised that they had been in the phase indeed.
Likewise, a particular volunteer that knew she was in the phase and yet was unable to breathe through the pinched nose, was subsequently able to do so after reminding herself that it is all a “dream”. It is a fair statement, however, to say that the majority knew they were in the phase and were able to breathe while carrying out the reality check.
To add to our understanding, according to comments from volunteers, it appears that when the phase is deep, it can be hard to breathe through the pinched nose at the beginning as one often has to consciously force such experience. Perhaps, a deep phase reminds us of the sensation of being awake in the real world, which, in turn, could subconsciously equate the idea of breathing through a pinched nose as an impossibility. Hence, the restriction of performing what is known to be impossible becomes reality in the phase.
In the majority of cases, however, phasers will feel their nose being pinched but can still breathe through it. Hissing noises like that of a balloon being deflated or air coming out of a punctured tyre can sometimes be experienced. Other unusual sensations include air coming out of one’s ears or a breeze is felt.
Finally, it is still worth considering the following factor when applying the pinched nose reality check in the phase state: the stronger the doubt that one is in the phase, the less reliable the pinched nose method becomes. This is because, in cases of real doubt, it is very likely to produce the same result as in reality. In order to make this reality check more efficient, practitioners should always be open to the possibility that they are in the phase no matter how realistic their sensations might be.
Arlindo Batista
Phase Managing Department
OOBE Research Center
