Out-of-Body Experiences

by Robert Peterson

  When I asked JP and CA about this incident later that day, they didn't remember anything. JP was reading at the time. CA was awake but doing various things around the apartment. But several times, she had reclined on the bed to relax for a few minutes. Here's another example.

  07/30/81 Thu - OBE #44

  …Well, I turned around and saw my father sitting in a kitchen chair with a sad expression on his face. I didn't want to speak, but I tried to get his attention by waving my hands in the place he seemed to be staring. I was about six or seven feet away from him. He finally looked up and said something like, “Oh. Hello.” I said, “Hi! Look! I'm projecting!” With that, I decided to continue on, not wanting to waste any projecting time, and Dad didn't seem interested.

  Nonphysical People

  The experience quoted above happened when my father was alive. The following experience happened after his death:

  12/20/81 Sun - OBE #60

  …I twisted and reached for the window. I tried to pull myself toward it with my mind. My consciousness was dimmed again, but this time I thought I saw a small boy of twelve or so (years old) watching me from the northeast upper corner of my bedroom (by my window). I felt two or three older people that were on the other side of my bedroom wall. The boy said something to me, and then he talked with the older people for awhile. I don't remember what was said. The boy had dark brown hair, sparkling eyes, and a grin that seemed to indicate that he was pleased and mischievous because I was out of my body .…The older people were standing up. One was male, one female, and I didn't see the third well. These older people appeared to be about thirty-five to forty years old and were more serious than the boy. I became aware of these older people only when they spoke to the boy and he answered. Just as I lost consciousness, I saw the boy slide down what appeared to be a ladder.

  In this OBE, several people seemed to be watching me and speculating about me. They seemed to know me, as if they were my spirit guides, but I didn't consciously know any of them. The grinning boy seemed as if he was pleased with me. He acted lively and mischievous, with his big grin and sparkling eyes. However, none of them seemed to want to communicate with me. It was as if they were scientists during an experiment, and I was the subject.

  Animals

  Some animals have more powerful senses than people. Dogs and cats can often see flying insects that our eyes miss unless we look closely. Animals also seem to be naturally psychic. I've talked to many people who have said their pets exhibited unusual behavior, such as staring off into space or circling their heads as if they were seeing spirits. Those people have looked for insects and other possible “normal” explanations for such behavior without success. My family never had a pet by the time I was experiencing OBEs, but JP had a cat named Zack. During one OBE, I encountered Zack in JP's apartment. It was my only encounter with an animal during an out-of-body experience.

  10/21/83 Fri - OBE #98

  This happened on 10/18/83: I've only had a chance to write it down now. I was having strange dreams and became semiconscious. Then I noticed I was weightless, and that realization brought me to a fuller consciousness: I woke up. I was in JP's living room and I saw JP's cat Zack, and he seemed to see me. I decided that, as long as I was a spirit, and I was near Zack, I should try to frighten him to prove to myself that he saw me. So I stood up tall, raised my arms, and started to run, reaching toward Zack. That cat ran very quickly away!

  EXERCISE 21

  a ship's bow

  This exercise is similar to the theater chair method. Relax completely. As vividly as you can, imagine you are standing on the bow (front) of a ship in the middle of the ocean. Imagine the water is completely calm, and you are looking out over the water. You are completely at peace. Slowly, waves start to kick up and the boat starts to rock up and down. As the boat rocks up, feel yourself lift up. As the boat rocks down, feel yourself gently set down again. Gradually, make each wave bigger until the waves are ten feet high. With each wave, you rise and fall rhythmically. As you fall with each new wave, try to feel that sinking sensation in the pit of your stomach as if you are really there.

  Again, this can call the vibrations and pull you away from your body.

  CHAPTER 22

  out-of-body reality

  Many books about out-of-body experiences say that during an OBE, our thoughts produce instant reality. Well, maybe not instantly. Sometimes it seems as if our subconscious thoughts are more powerful than our conscious thoughts. Our beliefs, expectations, and fears also play a large part in what we experience while out of our bodies.

  For instance, why do you even have an astral body? While you are out of your body, why should you need a body at all? Why do you need astral hands? If you try to pick something up, your hands will pass right through the object. Why do you need astral eyes? With mind sensing, you can sense everything around you without even using your eyes. Why do you need astral legs if you can just as easily float or fly wherever you want? The answer is, you don't need an astral body! We have astral bodies because we are so accustomed to operating with a body, and it's part of our self-image. We believe in our bodies so strongly that we create astral bodies for ourselves to use during an OBE. Perhaps we also do it as a convenience to others. How would we recognize a friend if he or she didn't have an astral body with their familiar face?

  Let's take this one step further. During an OBE, are we naked or do we wear clothes? The answer is, sometimes we are naked, but most of the time we do wear astral clothes. The few people who report being naked during an OBE usually “feel naked” without their body.

  Others report that they were wearing white robes, unlike any clothes they own in physical life. These people usually believe that they are dead or they are temporarily spirits—and what else do spirits wear?

  There are also many people who find themselves in astral clothes identical to the clothes they were wearing at the time of the OBE. Often these people don't realize at first that they are out of their bodies. One moment they lie down for a nap, and the next moment they find themselves standing up and feeling light on their feet. And of course, they believe they are wearing the same clothes.

  More common, however, is the case where the subject doesn't remember whether he or she was wearing clothes. They just don't seem to notice. That is usually the case during my OBEs. I don't think about the clothes I am wearing, and since I'm not thinking about it, no clothes are created. And I don't even notice the clothes are missing.

  The point is, while we are out of the body our beliefs do influence our experience. Our thoughts also influence our experience, but they are subject to our beliefs.

  Not only does this law work for astral objects like clothes, but for our astral bodies as well. If we believe our astral bodies are malleable, they will be. Some people have reported their astral bodies were not in the shape of a human body, but in another shape. Take the following OBE for example:

  11/08/81 Sun - OBE #55

  …I separated my head last, and then I felt just like a balloon. I was bouncing up and down but stuck to my body in a way I could not tell. I couldn't turn around. My consciousness was again very clear and concise .…If I had an astral body, then it was curled up into a ball- shape. And I was stuck to my body's right side; that is, by the right arm.

  After experiencing a few OBEs and reading several books, I came to believe the astral body was not solid. As a result, I started having experiences like the following:

  02/23/80 - OBE #9

  …Another strange thing about this morning's projection was: I folded my arms around my chest to rest them, but they went right through my chest! They rested on the bed.

  This example shows the malleability of the astral body: I folded my arms through my chest instead of on top of it.

  Some people can travel just by thinking of a person or place. But it's not always that simple. It's not just the thought that makes us travel but our beliefs too. In Journeys Out of the Body, Robert Monroe wasn't always able to trav
el to a desired person or place. When trying to contact a friend, he often found himself in unexpected, unfamiliar surroundings.

  I've also run into these problems, which I think stemmed mainly from my beliefs. I couldn't rationalize how people could move from place to place during OBEs, and my doubts and skepticism got in my way. I harbored a belief that it takes more than thoughts to travel. Limiting beliefs such as these can cause us a great deal of trouble. Here is an example:

  12/22/85 Sun - OBE #120

  …Annoyed, I closed my eyes again, sat up again, turned, and stood up again. This time I walked blindly through the door into the living room. I walked across the living room, almost to the door of the apartment. I thought, “I'm far enough away from my body now; it should be safe to open my eyes.” I opened my eyes, and again I was transported back to the same position just above the body.

  I figured this was happening because of some belief I harbored, so I decided to combat the belief. As I lay there, I thought strongly, “I am the master of my reality, and I control what happens here.” With that thought, I felt a strong sensation like a vibration sweeping into me, giving me a sense of power.

  I thought, “Good. Now, I will raise myself up with the power of my thoughts.” I used my mind to pull up, and I started forcefully rising up one-half foot…one foot…one and one-half feet. Then I questioned whether it ought to work, since I hadn't had much luck in the past with this method. That doubt caused me to stop rising, and I started gently bobbing up and down, as if my conflicting beliefs were fighting each other, one pulling me up, the other pushing me down. Then I blacked out.

  The following experience illustrates further how we can use one set of beliefs to combat another:

  04/13/86 Sun - OBE #125

  This morning I was trying to sleep but kept thinking about trying to leave my body. As I was heading toward sleep I found myself in a very good condition for OBEs. I was lying on my left side. Very easily I started swaying back and forth in my body as described before. I swayed back and forth and slipped outside my body. I thought, “Well, that was easy enough.” I slipped a little bit backward and found myself stuck to the body. I tried to pry myself away but was unsuccessful. I closed my eyes and said aloud, “I am in complete control of this reality while I am out of my body. If I am stuck, it's because I believe I am stuck. And I no longer want to be stuck.” I opened my eyes again and tried once more to pry myself away, also without success.

  I decided to try something different. My body was near the edge of the bed. I reasoned that if I was close to the edge of the bed and pushed myself off, I would fall off the bed, thus freeing myself from the body. I was using my own beliefs to free myself: I knew I had a belief that I would fall off the bed. This belief was stronger than my belief that I was stuck to my body. I rolled a little bit until I was lying on my back (my body was still on its left side). I wanted to fall gently, so I gently fell to the ground and I felt a sharp—but not painful—jab in my back caused by hitting something on the floor next to my bed.

  The point is, if you are planning to attempt OBEs, it's very helpful, before you set out on your adventure, to examine your desires, beliefs, fears, and expectations about the experience.

  EXERCISE 22

  buzzing

  This exercise is similar to the musical imagination exercise. Relax completely, then try to get to that passive, quiescent frame of mind.

  As vividly as you can, imagine there is a coarse buzzing sound in your head. Pretend the buzzing is just a little bit too quiet to hear, but getting louder. Simultaneously listen intently for the buzzing to become loud enough to hear.

  As the buzzing becomes louder, imagine the sound is causing your soul to vibrate. Increase the imaginary sound until you feel as if your soul is being rattled and shaken to the core. Hold the imaginary buzzing and vibrating for several minutes.

  Repeat the procedure several times if necessary.

  CHAPTER 23

  environmental factors

  For a long time I tried to find out if out-of-body experiences are influenced by environmental factors, such as weather, moon cycles, biorhythms, etc. I usually kept good records of my OBEs so that I could study these variables. Here is what I found.

  Weather

  Weather doesn't seem to influence my ability to have OBEs. I've lived in Arizona as well as Minnesota, and I've induced OBEs when outside temperatures were near -30°F and also when outside temperatures were near + 115°F. However, if my body is too hot or cold, it's hard for me to achieve the focus needed to induce an OBE. It doesn't seem to matter if it's raining, snowing, or sunny.

  Moon Cycles

  Some people believe that the moon can affect our ability to induce OBEs, but I think that's a myth. I studied the moon cycles a long time and found no influence. I've had OBEs under full moons, new moons, and everything between. For one period of study that spanned more than a year and a half, I averaged a fifty-eight percent full moon.

  Biorhythms

  For a long time I kept track of my biorhythms, in the hopes that I would find a correlation between OBEs and biorhythms. Biorhythms didn't seem to make a difference. I've had OBEs on physical, emotional, and intellectual “critical” days. I've also had OBEs when these influences were farthest from their “critical” period.

  Months of the Year

  I've had OBEs in all months of the year. Strangely, I usually have fewer OBEs in July. I suspect that's because July is when I have the least amount of time to practice.

  Days of the Week

  I've had OBEs on every day of the week, but I've had many more OBEs on Saturdays and Sundays. That is because I have the time to practice then. On the weekend, I can stay in bed late and induce OBEs once my body is fully rested and relaxed. During the week, I don't normally have the time required to induce OBEs.

  Special Days

  Halloween is traditionally considered a special day, the day that spirits can influence and communicate with the physical world. Other days such as Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving have special meanings for various groups of people. These special days can evoke feelings in believers; fear on Halloween, peace on Christmas, worship on Easter. Do the collective feelings of these people affect our ability to leave the body? As far as I can tell, no. What about the emotions we have on these days? To some degree, I believe our emotions do have an effect. Once, I was uncomfortable about leaving my body on Halloween because I thought it would be a perfect opportunity for spirits to possess my body. But I did it anyway, and there were no complications.

  Prior Amount of Sleep

  I've had OBEs with various amounts of sleep. I recommend getting lots of sleep before you try to have OBEs. One of the biggest problems is trying to induce OBEs when the body is too tired.

  Prior Music Listening Habits

  Music relaxes my consciousness too quickly to induce an OBE. During practice, I like to hold on to the edge of consciousness as long as I can. If I listen to music, I get distracted by it and drop off quickly to sleep. Therefore, I recommend silence.

  Food

  As far as I can tell, food has absolutely no influence on my ability to have OBEs. However, people have reported that fasting can increase the ability to have OBEs. I've never tried fasting. Some people believe that vegetarianism is better for OBEs. I've tried a vegetarian diet (except for eating dairy products), and it didn't seem to make a difference.

  Liquids

  I haven't found any correlation between my intake of liquids and my ability to have OBEs. I do recommend avoiding alcoholic beverages before trying to induce OBEs. Alcohol unfocuses your mind. Believe me, you need as much focus as possible. Sylvan Muldoon recommended jarring your subconscious into taking you out of body by making yourself as thirsty as possible. Muldoon claimed that if you go to bed very thirsty, your subconscious will sometimes “sleepwalk” astrally toward a source of water. In other words, your subconscious detects the thirst, and tries to satisfy it subconsciously because you refuse to do it consc
iously. I've never tried this method.

  Reading

  Reading OBE books does influence my ability to have OBEs. When I read a book about OBEs, I focus my full attention on the topic while I'm reading, and that sends a message to my subconscious, saying “let me out! “And it does.

  Direction

  In Journeys Out of the Body, Robert Monroe recommended pointing your body north when trying to induce OBEs. I've tried to have OBEs facing all directions, and I've been successful in all directions. Strangely enough, I have my best luck when my body is pointing west. I have my worst luck when my body is pointing north. When I induced the vibrations the first time, my body was pointing west. Perhaps it's more effective to point the direction you did during your first successful experience.

  Practice

  By far, the biggest influence on my ability to have OBEs has been the amount of time I spend practicing it.

  EXERCISE 23

  a high-pitched whining

  During your OBE practice sessions, you may have noticed a high-pitched whining noise in your head. If you listen closely, you will notice the noise I'm referring to. We all hear this high-pitched sound constantly, but normally the sound is drowned out by constant distractions and sounds all around us. Most people don't notice it, but some people have a disorder called tinnitis, which causes this sound to be unusually loud and distracting. You can use this sound to induce OBEs.

  For this exercise, relax and focus your mind as before. Then start listening for this whining sound in your head. Once you find it, use your imagination to try to increase the pitch and volume. Increase the pitch until the sound is almost out of the range of your hearing. This can cause the vibrations to sweep in and free you from your body.