Hi everyone, I've been snooping on here and I'm a OBE newbie. I've been fascinated with this topic since I was 14. I only recently took in serious interest in it. I have yet to experience and OBE, but I'm going to start "trying". I'm one of those types that can't take afternoon naps because almost 99% of the time I get that sleep paralysis where I can't move and am aware of it. It freaks me out because I feel trapped and I fight and fight to move...and FINALLY I jerk out of it. But now after reading here on this forum, it seems this may be to my advantage when trying to have an OBE. In any case, I've got a lot of learning to do.
But I do have ONE big question for those of you who have had OBE...
Do you now not fear death and believe in an afterlife?
I would think having an OBE would diminish the fear and make one enjoy this life even more.
Thoughts?
Sleep paralysis is definitely an advantage because all you have to do is an exit technique, like rolling.
I always believed that there had to be more than just living in the physical but by having an OBE, it has proved to me that we do indeed continue to live after we die. However, instead of focusing on this life, my sights are set on the afterlife. I can't wait for the permanent OBE because I will be free from pain (I will not go into detail, I'll leave it at that). I don't fear death, I look forward to it.
i've never really been afraid of death to begin with, to be honest.
I have no fear of death whatsoever anymore. It doesn't frighten me in the least. I know I'm more than my physical body. I know I can/do exist without it. I enjoy the time here, but I'm not about to cling to it. When it's time, it's time. I have a pretty good idea of what to expect so it isn't some strange, scary experience for me.
Nope, don't fear death. However the dying part still strikes fear into. Don't know why, guess its the fact that you don't know when its going to happen. It just does. I guess anyone would be afraid of the thing that causes their death though.
But death, naw. I got thing to look forward to with that. Lots of fun to be had.
My OBEs have confirmed my belief in an existence after physical death.
I think you got it right in your quote --
QuoteI would think having an OBE would diminish the fear and make one enjoy this life even more
Yes , it does Diminish the fear. But, No, it does not completely erase the fear. That fear is there for a reason - that survival instinct keeps people from doing foolish and dangerous things. I respect that fear and I respect death.
Absolutely!!
I thought it did until recently.. I was in the Montreal subway one morning and the driver asked everyone to exit the train because of a problem with the brakes... We waited for it to leave and for a new one to come, but when it tried to leave, there was this explosion and the braking system caught on fire. Not only did the explosion startle me and everyone around, there was this very strong fire about 10 feet high just a few steps away from me... It wasn't that dangerous, but all the people screaming, the running, the feeling of helplessness... I ran for my life on that day, I was definitely convinced that I could die if I stayed there... I was still shaking a few hours later...
Death isn't that scary.. Until it feels like it's starting to happen...
Hey Kiwibonga,
Great post. Not wanting to go into details, but I've been in more than one situation where death seemed imminent and totally out of my control. And in such times, previous held beliefs dissolved. I didn't fear death, but when it's facing you, it's a very different story. As someone said above, death itself doesn't really worry me; it's the method of dying and the reaction of the brain to the dying process. I've had experiences on psychedelics where time stood still, an eternity passed. I've also had experience during OBEs of unfathomable forces and pressures pulling and crushing my very essence. I feel when the brain starts shutting down for the last time, there's every possibility the dying process could last a subjective eternity including any distortions experienced as various brain areas malfunction and shut down. This could be very uncomfortable, and a situation nothing or nobody could remedy.
My OBE experiences have taken me from believing in existence after death, to sitting on the wall. When I first entered the OBE field I drank up the words of various Gurus and integrated their beliefs into my own without questioning. But my own questioning and searching have made me look fully into the possibility that death is the end. If we survive or not, it doesn't matter as one possibility sees us go on, the other sees nothing – and such nothingness could never be feared by pure definition.
Although to counter the above, I've also been in situations where I wouldn't have cared at all if I had died right there and then, as I was absolutely content with my place, myself, and the situation going on around me.
As long as there is some existance after death, I'm not afraid. But they idea of just dissapearing and not continuing in any way is very scary. I would hate to just... dissapear.
Personaly I don't know if I fear death even after having astral projected.
I do have to say I am entranced by it all.
However, even after seeing the other-side. Someone can fear passing on.
Quote from: MisterJingo on December 12, 2007, 10:08:04
Hey Kiwibonga,
Great post. Not wanting to go into details, but I've been in more than one situation where death seemed imminent and totally out of my control. And in such times, previous held beliefs dissolved. I didn't fear death, but when it's facing you, it's a very different story. As someone said above, death itself doesn't really worry me; it's the method of dying and the reaction of the brain to the dying process. I've had experiences on psychedelics where time stood still, an eternity passed. I've also had experience during OBEs of unfathomable forces and pressures pulling and crushing my very essence. I feel when the brain starts shutting down for the last time, there's every possibility the dying process could last a subjective eternity including any distortions experienced as various brain areas malfunction and shut down. This could be very uncomfortable, and a situation nothing or nobody could remedy.
My OBE experiences have taken me from believing in existence after death, to sitting on the wall. When I first entered the OBE field I drank up the words of various Gurus and integrated their beliefs into my own without questioning. But my own questioning and searching have made me look fully into the possibility that death is the end. If we survive or not, it doesn't matter as one possibility sees us go on, the other sees nothing – and such nothingness could never be feared by pure definition.
Although to counter the above, I've also been in situations where I wouldn't have cared at all if I had died right there and then, as I was absolutely content with my place, myself, and the situation going on around me.
I have to second what MJ said about going from being sure to sitting on the fence. Even though I have had some experiences supporting life after death, OBEs are not what got me to that position.
I wasn't sure exactly how to describe my stance on death, but I think I figured it out:
It's not that it's changed my perception of physical death, but has changed my perception of physical life. When your concepts of physical existence itself get smashed and turned upside down, death as it was previously understood doesn't exist anymore. Life as it was previously understood doesn't exist anymore, it's a whole different experience. For me anyways.
Stookie - I may understand you correctly in a similar way that I understand the process; the *process*. I can't say that OBEs can take sole recognition for forming these ideas in my mind, but death seems like more like a switch than anything else, like railroad tracks being moved from one track to another.
I really think it will be the ultimate OBE; a fantastic rollercoaster - when I think about death I feel how I do before I ingest psychedelics - something wild is up around the bend!
I would also have to agree with the other posters who mentioned death may not be feared until it is present. I havn't actually been in seriously dangerous situations but my mind is fairly flexible and in times where I nearly dodged car accidents or some such thing I am able to think intimately about the idea of of having died at that point. When I was first able to experience that feeling it was pretty a little disconcerting - especially since I thought I had no fear of death. I found out that I do fear death to a certain extent; I think mostly because of how massive of an event it is. It made me realize how integrated into this world I am and how my physical disposal would affect the people around me.
I've never really feared death before, but yes OBEing has totally eliminated my fear of death. I still think it'd be pretty nice to stay how I am now, physical and beyond, instead of just beyond. On the other hand, being in the astral or ethereal without having to come back into the physical would be very nice also.
I may fear pain and suffering, but not death. If I'm in a scary situation that I think I may die from, it's not the thought of death that's going to scare me. It's the thought of living and having to endure some type of trauma.