Minimal Embodiment: Effects of a Portable Version of a Virtual Disembodiment Experience on Fear of Death

Body ownership illusions are the basis of various virtual reality (VR) applications. However, such illusions frequently require elaborate tracking systems, which make deployment in clinical settings challenging. Therefore, we build on Bourdin and colleagues’ former work [3] to trial a virtual out-of-body experience (OBE, individuals view themselves situating outside their physical bodies) with ”minimal embodiment.” We used a consumer system consisting of a 3 degrees of freedom (DOF) headset and its associated 3 DOF hand tracker. In an exploratory study, we compared participants’ fear-of-death (FOD) after undergoing either a control condition (participants remained in control of the avatar body) or a disembodiment condition (participants drifted out of the avatar body and lost visuotactile contact with their avatar). Results revealed an indirect effect of perceived embodiment increasing FOD through a heightened degree of reported OBE in the experimental condition. We discuss limitations and possible extensions of this study, and the future of using simple VR tools in healthcare settings.