I became interested in out of body experiences (or OBEs) after doing a general spirituality google search a couple of years ago. I found a few places where they teach you how to have OBEs, one was the Monroe Institute as recommended by Hawkins.

I couldn't afford to go to one of these seminars, so I bought an audio cd by Stuart Wilde called "Trance states and the theta brainwave". Track 3 talked about the psychic phenomena in theta which prepared you for Track 4. Track 4 was a guided theta meditation designed to guide you out of the body. I found this useful though I only managed what seemed to be half-way up out of my body.

I then bought a book by John Magnus called "Astral Projection and the Nature of Reality: Exploring the out-of-body state". I found this book really useful as it gives a step-by-step guide of how to do it, and all the surprises that can arise when you find yourself outside of your body, it's a great way of preparing you for what is to come. I read a lot of the book but not all of it, I stopped because the initial out of body process, the first few times you go into the hypnogogic state it becomes really scary.

I felt a very sharp tug in my solar plexus, and my heart raced like it never had before, a massive amount of fear like you wouldn't believe just washes over you until you kick yourself out of the state and back into everyday consciousness. When you are in the hypnogogic state, your body is completely paralysed, as in sleep, but you are conscious of what is going on. So you can at first fear that you won't be able to get out of the state, or you'll stop breathing, so you panic and your heart races furiously.

After a bit of practice I could move a little bit away from my body, as the fear and panic wore off each time, as I surrendered the fear and did it anyway, I found I could move further. The more you do it, the more conscious you become when you are in the state, it becomes more relaxed and focused.

Many times I saw a mirror image of myself right in front of my face, and if I lifted my etheric hand over my face I could not see my hand, the hand just disappeared, I felt some kind of weak energy field there.

I have only had a handful of OBEs so I am not very experienced, but the furthest I have been out of my body was when I was in India this year. I awoke in the hypnagogic state so my body was paralysed, and as the fear of OBE was surrendered, I moved forward, standing up, through the double-bed of my apartment to near the end of the bed. Then I walked back into my body. That was enough for that day

After having an OBE today I've decided that I feel more comfortable with OBEs, so next time I have one I'll attempt to leave the house then come back to the body. It should be interesting to say the least!

Cool! The hypnogogic state is pretty freaky, I have indeed felt that a few times.

Mike Elias wrote:Cool! The hypnogogic state is pretty freaky, I have indeed felt that a few times.

I tried riding my bike just before hitting the hypnagogic state (so I didn't go into the hypnagogic state) and that was weird, it felt like a level of autonomy like I wasn't moving my legs to pedal the bike. Interestingly though, the identification with the mind was still there.

Cool stuff Sanders.

I've had one or two OBE's, but they were triggered through intense surrender and happened spontaneously. Trying to make them happen by surrendering didn't work. They happened on their own.

Pretty cool feeling either way, no?

I'm excited to hear more about your travels sans physical body.