I have been trying for almost six years...

[slavefree]

I have been trying to OBE for almost six years now and it's getting frustraiting. My OBE log is so short I know the whole list by memory 

OBE Log:
3 years of nothing
4th year almost OBEd but failed because of the panic caused by the inability to move 
5th year almost OBEd less than 6 times
5th year end and still nothing...

Any ideas?

[kurtykurt42]

http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/welcome_to_the_astral_faq/ive_got_the_vibesim_almost_there_but_why_cant_i_get_out-t19339.0.html

http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/welcome_to_astral_consciousness/why_cant_i_project_invisiblelight_book_reference_for_beginner_to_advance-t28925.0.html

http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/welcome_to_obe_discussions/having_a_bit_of_trouble_some_questions-t27076.0.html

[Kirkland]

Still better than me I can't even get near focus 10:P Every night I try and every night all I get is nothing! I just go to sleep I don't know how and I wake up the next morning wondering how everyone seems to atleast get to the stage where their body is asleep and their mind is awake while I can't even get that

[Steel Hawk]

To really troubleshoot this we would need detailed information on EVERYTHING you do when you attempt OBEs.

How often do you practice?

Do you use a direct method or indirect method?
(direct: meditation->trance->deep trance->willed projection)
(indirect: sleep/dream state->projection)

What technique do you use?

What is the detailed process for you to normally try to have an OBE? (include times between states)

Do you meditate daily?

Do you do any energy work daily?

Why is this something you want to do?

[slavefree]

How often do you practice?

Every day.

Do you use a direct method or indirect method?
(direct: meditation->trance->deep trance->willed projection)
(indirect: sleep/dream state->projection)

Both

What technique do you use?

I have tried many methods, and I have even tried to make up my own methods. For the most part I mainly use mind awake body asleep method.

What is the detailed process for you to normally try to have an OBE? (include times between states)

I try to OBE when I go to sleep, wake up, and after lifting weights.

Do you meditate daily?

Atleast once.

Do you do any energy work daily?

I lift weights, and run up/down atleast two story stairs atleast 4 times a day.

Why is this something you want to do?

My main goals are astral projection, astral sex, OBE, clairvoyance, dream intrusion, and dream sharing

[nickspry]

There are a few things you can do to increase your chances.
I think you should target your attempts differently. In my opinion the only times when you will have a good chance of succeeding are right after REM sleep, so that means during the night (after at least 4 hours of sleep) or when you wake in the morning. Any other time is probably a waste of effort, so personally I wouldn't bother with any attempts when you're  first going to sleep at night, or during the day.
While it's possible to succeed at these times it's very much more difficult, even for someone who's quite experienced.
You should set an alarm for say 3am or later and make your attempt then. You could then make a further attempt when you wake in the morning.
Try using some mental affirmations with your technique, such as "As soon as I am dreaming, I will be aware that I am dreaming" or something similar which instructs your subconscious to carry your awareness into the coming dream. This works best if you keep it up, right up to the point of sleep (and beyond, preferably). It's not as effective unless you do. This method is what gave me my first lucid/projection and I still use it all the time.
Try not to panic if you get to sleep paralysis or vibrations. Easier said than done I know, but it doesn't last long. Don't let any sounds or sensations put you off, just decide to go with the flow and it'll be a breeze, honestly. Over-excitement and/or fear can be great obstacles, but ones we've all had to deal with, and you're no different from us.
If you get vibrations or sleep paralysis which then recede, don't assume that you've failed (you may have exited). This is a common mistake, so always make sure you do a reality check (pinch nose, try to breathe for instance), just to make sure, even if you're totally convinced you're awake.
If you're trying lots of different methods, be sure to give each one a fair go before you switch (a couple of weeks for instance).
If you do all this, I'm sure you'll succeed soon.
Failing that, there's always the shortcut methods such as pills (galantanine/choline etc), NovaDreamer mask etc. I've tried them all and they do work well to give you your first successes and increase your confidence, but they're not for everyone of course.
Good luck...

[Xanth]

Be honest when you answer this: What kind of pressure are you putting upon yourself to achieve this?
You don't have to answer here... but look within yourself to find the honest answer.

If you're putting too much pressure on yourself to succeed, then you're really just holding yourself back.

[slavefree]

Thanks for the input

The alarm is set for 5. I awoke at 13:00 and now it's t's 1:21 here.

I had a spinach, mushroom, and onion pizza, tomato chilli soup, cantelope, santa clause mellon, 2 bud lights, a small glass of sochu, 1 soda, 1 tall glass of milk. I also lifted weights for over 3 hours.

Tonight I will repeat to my self, "I am awake and I am awake", also in combination of mind awake body asleep. One major change I will make this time is to keep my eyes open. I know it sounds hard but it's really not. I find it harder to keep my eyes closed than to have them halved open. I will also not visualize anything, and instead stare into what ever direction my eyes fall into.

I will tell you how it goes in a few hours.

[slavefree]

Well, no luck

I fell asleep, woke up, fell asleep, woke up, and fell asleep

[Slix]

i noticed when you were asked about energy work you basically respoded by saying that you kept yourself fit. although it probably helps to be fit thats not really what "energy work" is in this case. Energy work is basically the opening of chakras, which are "wheel-like vortices which, according to traditional Indian medicine, are believed to exist in the surface of the etheric double of man."(wikipedia ftw). Personally i have little experience with them and aint entirely convinced, although usually after imagining a vortex between my eyes (where your thrid eye would be if it exists) for a little while that part of my head feels weird, almost as if the skin in that region is gently rotating, so it could be real for all i know. Look around the forum for information on chakras and energy work, there's bound to be loads.

[David Warner]

Slavefree,

I have some advice that might help you out, especially in the begining of your OBE introduction. From what I read, I didn't read anything for tracking purposes on the
projecting.

If you visit my web site, www.invisiblelight.us I put together a excel spreadsheet that can be used as a template for tracking your experiences, food, exercise.. what works what doesn't. The most important part is consistency when starting out and documenting your results. It paints a BIG picture of what works and what doesn't..

I know you have been trying for years - remember its not a contest, or how many OBEs you can produce in a year... focus on quality and your physical life benifiting from the experience.

Tvos

[slavefree]

I appreciate the help but I think I will skip the excel sheet and just keep a good old txt file

I need to focus more on focusing I believe.

[nickspry]

Stick with it Slavefree. Remember it takes some time for changes to have an impact sometimes. If you're making all your attempts at night, you'll nail it soon....
Have you ever tried using any binaural audio? Brainwave generator for instance? While it won't give you an OBE directly, it can help to get your brain into the right state for OBE and speeds up the process. I often use it when I'm phasing and it definately helps.

[slavefree]

Actually I have. I actually find it easier on the ears to listen to looped rhythms.

[Xanth]

You also mention doing three hours of weight lifting... that's kind of a problem, because that kind of work will ground you in the physical.
Do the weight lifting, then afterwards, relax for a bit to ground and center yourself again.

[slavefree]

Yah that could be it.

Here's my workout.

When I wake up I lift for an hour.
Before dinner I lift again for an hour.
An hour or two before I go to sleep I lift for another hour.

[kurtykurt42]

I was into bodybuilding for about 4 years and found it very difficult to astral project. Mainly due to the massive amount of food i was eating. If you're that into weight lifting i am assuming you are eating every 2.5 - 3 hours usually lots of chicken breasts and steaks. I never knew anyone who lifted for more than 45min to an hour that had better results. Usually people that work out for 3 hours are laughed at because they are over-training and actually decreasing the muscle mass acceleration. If you want your body to grow then nutrition and rest take precedence over lifting weights.

So, cut back to one session a day for about 45 - 60 min. Train one muscle group per day and 4-5 days per week. and read some more articles on working out.

[slavefree]

Thanks for the advice

I actually only eat 3 meals a day ,and limit my beer to 2 cans, and soda to 1 can.

For breakfast I usually eat an 8-16oz salad + mellon + milk or pizza.
For lunch I eat a salad or left over dinner.
For dinner I eat just about anything that's not pre-packaged/frozen and contains a very healthy balance of ingrediants.

[kurtykurt42]

If your working out that much you need to be eating at least 5 - 6 meals a day. Usually 80-100g carbs and 20-30g of protein per meal. You should eat the majority of carbs in the morning and afternoon to give you energy and proteins later in the day.

What about protein shakes after your workouts?

[slavefree]

I have a fetish for kiwis

I eat kiwis with the skin, mad bananas, oranges, giant japanese papples(pear+apple crossed freak fruit), strawberries, and any kind of mellon.

I don't drink protein shakes or anything. To be honest I'm not serious about body building im just trying to get to the stage of seriousness... another act of procrastination.

I haven't worked out today because I was busy so maybe my chances will be better. It's 2:18 here and I woke up at 13:00 I think, so I will go to bed within the next 3 hours, and try to be up before 9:30.

[Gbob]

I don't think you're consuming anywhere near enough protein for the amount of weightlifting you're doing. Are you just weightlifting to increase muscle mass or just tone the body?

[kurtykurt42]

kiwis, bananas, oranges, papplesand, strawberries, and salads wont build muscle.

I actually stopped bodybuilding becuase i wanted to do astral projection instead. Now i ride my bike a lot but don't lift weights and found a gigantic improvement in my ability.

For you though, you seem to have the right diet for astral projection and not for working out.

What do you mean your not serious about bodybuilding but are trying to get to the stage of seriousness?

[David Warner]

Friends,

Here is the verdict after doing a three year study on projecting. I conducted this from 2005 - 2008 based on sleep, food, weight, diet, exercise and if it affects projecting. I am able to project weekly w/o fail at least 1-2 times. When I mentioned about the excel file its more for direction to help you, or maybe give you ideas how to put together your own tracking. It is very important for success because you can see progress, what worked, what didn't and show results.

First of all, stopping weight lifting has nothing to do with projecting or will lessen the ability. I work out six days a week, run, kenpo, yoga, weight lift and still project.

Foods didn't matter, if I was eatting a steak dinner or macroni and cheese - I still projected no matter what. Now, as a side note alcohol / drugs will get in the way of quality of experience and projecting that I have found. Social drinking every so often won't be a big deal, but daily it will wear you out and your spirits will be elsewhere.

As for sticking with it, focus on this instead of inudating yourself with 100 of techniques. Try out the alarm clock method, here are some past posts:

http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/welcome_to_permanent_astral_topics/astral_projection_alarm_clock_method-t20697.0.html

http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/welcome_to_obe_discussions/tvos_quot15_min_alarm_clock_methodquot_help-t26297.0.html

What works for me and knowing my body, my sleep cycles and state of mind is getting up early for a hour or two and then going back to bed for a sleep. You are in a light sleep state at that moment which you can focus on projecting. So I would say if you goto bed at 12:00AM, set your clock for 4:00AM, stay up for an hour and then head back to bed. Don't worry about binuaral beats, meditation etc.. Focus solo on objective, intent and what you want to achieve in the OBE. Simple example could be making it out of body and going into the front living room. Remember to start small and take little steps - it will eventually come.

Last but not least - think of projecting like you are training for the world olympics everyday! It doesn't end and you will never reach perfection but you can give it your all and just do your best.

Tvos

[kurtykurt42]

I'll set my alarm for 4:00 right now.

My projections have been sporadic up to this this point but I'm looking to get more serious.

I'm going for the gold! Thanks for the advice tvos.

[David Warner]

I won't advise you do that technique all the time because it can wear on ya.. but at least you will find a lot of false awakenings which are true projections and wide awake induced experiences..

The key here and pay close attention is to the feel, emotion, sensation of entering into the trance state.. Once you can tune into it eventually it will be come second nature.

tvos