10 months and almost nothing - what am I doing wrong?

[rangestormer]

     It has been 10 months since I started trying to have a conscious OBE exit attempts, and for that period I have had almost nothing close to a conscious exit - once I dreamt I was in my room and tried to flew directly thought the roof, but got stuck in the wall and woke up (it was way to short to know if it was a conscious OBE or just a dream because of all the reading I have done). So, for all this time I have been reading a lot of stuff - Monroe's books, Robert Bruce's and most of the stuff around here and two other forums, including Xanth's materials on Phasing, and even Thomas Yuschak's The Power of Supplements.
    I have been testing three different times - before bed, in the morning after 4-5-6 hours of sleep and in the afternoon, before and after a nap. Before bed seems to be the worst time for me, either I cannot focus enough or I am way to sleepy. My only probable success was early in the morning, and once I had massive vibrations after an afternoon nap, but they were very unpleasant and I could not stay focused.
   Through this time, I have tried different techniques and most of them seem to have some extraordinary effect (sensations that you would not normally feel) but nothing close to conscious exit. I have not ever achieved sleep paralysis either. I have tried binaural beats, I tried Monroe's hemisyncs "The Gateway experience" (focusing mainly on achieving Focus 10). I have read most of the techniques that are out there that you use to get out like rolling, pulling, etc., I tried them but they did not work, as I cannot achieve full sleep paralysis, only some heaviness and numbness in the arms, but nothing further.
    In the past months I have been focusing on Phasing, it seems to have some effect - I lose part of my sensations, I start to see some flashes behing my eyes, but I cannot pass further than that, no matter how much I wait. I have also tried the Galantimine+Choline combo, but despite some REALLY vivid dreams, I did not achieve lucidity.
    It seems the post got long, so I am thankful to anyone that spared time to read it. I know there are a couple of such topics lying around, I have read them and got information from them, but I decided to post my own personal topic, because of my lack of success and mainly because I am losing my desire and hope.

[Pauli2]

1. Have you done NEW for some months? NEW will not give you an OBE, but will (unreliable) help you get into the vibrational state. I think 15 minutes of NEW before any attempt, will improve your attempt.

2. You could try Moen's imagination method. It's not OBE, but it's a step forward. I think it's best described in his first and last books and give a faster result if you are stuck on succeeding with an OBE. One drawback with the imagination method is that it can at times be very fuzzy, so be prepared to using your non-visual viewing.

3. Do you write down your dreams and keep a dream journal? Dream journal writing is one of the better ways to get an LD.
4. Read some book about LD/OBE method's like LaBerge's or Buhlman's.

5. Make some request to guides/helpers, like the Monroe affirmation, chapter 3, Far Journeys or make your own. Do it verbally and set a goal for each attempt to achieve OBE, projection, retrieval, healing, personal growth, energy body development, gaining information, visiting someone, and being open to anything else, the minutes before your attempt. You can also set one or two goals, one day in advance, but also be open to anything during your (next day's) attempt.


The rolling out, pulling only works well if you are into SP or already are loose from your physical body. To get lose is to me the most difficult.

[blis]

Just a thought, the dream you mentioned could be a message from your higher self.

Your house is the place you live and could therefore be a metaphor for your body. You're trying to fly out of your house(body) but getting stuck in the roof(head). Maybe you need to open your roof(work on your brow chakra).

[rangestormer]

Thanks for the tips, I guess I have still not tried everything. I have not really thought of that dream in that way, blis, but I have had a possible problem with my chakras in the beginning, when I was getting a lot of tension between my eyebrows while doing OBE work. So, this is an interesting point.
Pauli2, great advice, thanks again.
1. I never really got myself into NEW, but I will definetely try doing it before an attempt.
2. I have tried it only a couple of times and I have not read his books, it was just an idea from the forum, so I guess the books will give me more insight on how to properly do it.
3. I have a dream journal.
4. Will do, I am familiar with Buhlman, but not with LaBerge.
5. This is something I regularly do. The interesting thing is I have done it for years to get things happen in my life and I am sure affirmations work quite well, but they do not want to give me an OBE for some reason.

[Pauli2]

You actually seem to do a lot of those things suggested. Try:

A. Before falling asleep, look at your hands for 5 minutes, reminding yourself that you shall become lucid when u see ur hands in the dream. Do this for 2 weeks.

B. Go to sleep (very tired) with lights on, during day time. Sharp lights, so the light will wake you. This induces SP, which wakes the mind but not the body. When SP, think ur self "forward, forward, forward".

[Ryuk]

You actually seem to do a lot of those things suggested. Try:

B. Go to sleep (very tired) with lights on, during day time. Sharp lights, so the light will wake you. This induces SP, which wakes the mind but not the body. When SP, think ur self "forward, forward, forward".

guess I'm not the only one.

[EscapeVelocity]

I think Pauli and blis offer good suggestions.

My first impression is that your subconscious is holding you back. Maybe there are still some fear issues to work through (whether you're aware of them or not), or maybe your subconscious doesn't want to give up whatever control it has, in which case you need to ask or coax its permission. You could 'ask' in the form of an affirmation quite literally. "I give myself...", or "I ask myself permission to go obe. I'm comfortable with doing this. I will return." Or words to that effect. I went through the same issues early on, and looking back, I think that may have been a component of my difficulty.

My second thought is that you should take a 2 month break and forget all about obes during that time. You have been trying so hard, so many ways...and that frustration can create its own kind of blockages. Take a break and it might just sneak up on you when you least expect it. I've found that applies to a lot of things in Life and especially AP.

You'll get through it. Good luck.

[dayglowdaisy]

I felt in the same boat for the past few months! I stopped trying anything and then it finally happened. (you can read about it in the "OBE or a dream" post down the way a bit) Sometimes if you stop trying and let go things happen.  I was getting all tripped up in having to "do" something exact I think, and was holding myself back because I was not having the same results as everyone else. I was expecting it to be much harder than it actually was! I have had random OBEs since I was a teenager that turned into night terrors because I was confused as to what was happening and got scared. Once I found out about OBEs I was really excited. Learning to control them and actually consciously have them became a battle though, and it wasn't until I said "oh well, it'll happen when I'm ready" that it occurred.

I fully believe that if it's your intention to have that experience, it will happen. It just has to.  Good luck!

[Summerlander]

You can also try this method:

HOW TO ACHIEVE AN OUT-OF-THE-BODY EXPERIENCE


GETTING PRIMED FOR INDUCTION:
Wake up earlier than usual and keep active during the day. Have a nap or sleep in the evening when you are tired. Preferably, the nap or sleep should be dreamless. For example, you can nap for two hours in the evening and then stay awake for an hour and a half before induction, OR, you can go to bed late and sleep to wake up between 4am and 6am to induce. This does not have to be follow strictly but it may serve as an initial guide.

INDUCTION:

Relax:
Lie down comfortably and close your eyes. Your eyes are to remain closed throughout the induction. Relax as deeply as you can and take your time. Be patient and don't rush it. Make sure that you are not disturbed. There are many books about the various effective techniques you can use to acquire a deeply relaxed state, but, because you have biologically primed yourself for the experience, it should be fairly easy for you to do so without having to read up on it.

Focus on something:
It could be a mantra or a familiar object (the latter does not have to be visualised to perfection). Do this as you sense that you are drifting off to sleep or when your mind starts to wander. Keep bringing your mind back to focus whenever it gets 'lost'. Keep still and relaxed and do not fall asleep! Whatever you focus on will start to take a life of its own as you relax deeper and deeper. Focus on your 'something' until you reach the hypnogogic state (the state near-sleep).

The Hypnagogic State:
You will know that you have reached this state once its imagery or potential dreams begin to invade your point of focus. Being aware in this state is already an achievement. Prolong this state by passively watching its imagery, and then, slowly begin to clear your mind until you see nothing but blackness. When this happens you have gone beyond the hypnagogic state and are still conscious.

Sleep Paralysis / Vibrational State:
Remain still and relaxed. Let go of any worries relating to the physical body. The trick is to let your body 'switch off' as your mind is still very much awake. This may involve resisting any urges to move or scratch itches as the physical body sends signals to the brain in a test to determine whether the mind is asleep or awake. Your body will start to feel extremely heavy  and there will come a point where you will not be able to move it. Remain relaxed nonetheless and have no fear. Eventually you will lose all sensory input and only your thoughts will remain. Robert A. Monroe describes a technique for kick-starting vibrations in his book "Journeys Out of the Body" but they tend to occur naturally at this point. The vibrational state can be mild or strong. It can vary from mild tingling, warmth, and the sensation of low voltage electricity flowing through the body. Strange sounds are reported during this stage. Hissing that seems to pulse in your head, sparks, thunder-like sounds, rumbling, wind, electronic sounds, a person moaning (I have likened it to a woman giving birth), ocean waves, something like a train running, a helicopter etc. - people tend to describe the same thing in different ways but the state itself can vary too. It tends to peak before it gradually fades. Vibrations are strange but remain calm and don't analyse what is happening to you. Just act as a beholder or go with the flow. Depending on how deep your level of sleep paralysis is will determine whether you will have a 1st phase OOBE or, a 2nd phase OOBE. These types of experiences are the most common. There are others which don't quite fit the classifications already described (or they do depending on how you look at them) and they tend to be less common.

Separation:
You can try partial separation first as practice before attempting full separation. Partial separation is optional. There are many ways of achieving a successful disassociation from the physical body. Here's a couple of examples:
- Think that you are getting lighter and how nice it would be to float upwards. Alternatively, you can imagine that the ceiling above you is a huge magnet that counteracts gravity and pulls you upwards.
- You can slowly roll over and out of the body. Do this subtly and as though you are moving physically but without using muscles. It is best to start by rolling over from the head and the rest of the body will follow. This movement is not imagined, it is done with intent. Once out of body you will realise that you did not move physically, you moved incorporeally.

What Happens Next?
Once you are out, explore! Do not get overexcited and have no fear or doubt. Stay out for as long as you can and don't worry about getting back because you always do in the end. A variety of experiences are there for the taking and open to interpretation. From inter-dimensional travel, space exploration, alien encounters, meeting strange spiritual entities, visiting the living and the dead, time travel etc. etc. Remember: whatever the nature of your experience and however profound it may be for you, try to look at it from a viewpoint free of preconceived ideas. For instance, seeing a luminous being who starts singing the most beautiful melody you have ever heard does not mean that you have just met an angel. Consider both subjective and objective perspectives. Record your experiences in a journal. Feel free to carry out experiments of your own to try and determine the nature of your experiences for yourself.

1st Phase OOBE: Belief-centric biased name:
Ethereal Projection

Your consciousness seemingly remains in the physical realm upon separation and therefore is able to see the physical body. You will be able to see the world exactly as it is. Sometimes the colours of the physical world will appear strangely muted, as if the world is being observed through a faint mist, and other times the colours will be clear. You can obtain information in the physical realm which was previously unknown to you, or information of events which at the time you couldn't possibly have known about through your physical body. You are usually a floating point of consciousness and movement seems constant and gradual as though one moves through 'frames of space'. At times, the experiencer may consciously or unconsciously manifest a transparent or shadowy body. One can phase into the 2nd phase experience from here.

2nd Phase OOBE: Belief-centric biased name:
Astral Projection

You may find yourself in what appears to be a remarkable replica of the real world, albeit inaccurate. Familiar objects may be out of place or absent, sometimes unfamiliar objects are seen, and other structural anomalies may be observed. This is the metaphysical realm which many people call "astral plane". You can visualise an environment of your choosing or visit what appears to be the worlds of others. I suspect that dreams are projections or belief system constructs in the realm of thoughts too. The environment can seem extremely real. Some experiences here seem to indicate that one is also capable of perusing the minds of people who are awake, thus making telepathy possible. One may also perceive an inaccurate replica of what the person is doing in the physical realm because, even as we think during the day, we are constantly projecting thought forms in that frequency. This type of experience seems easier to achieve.

Good luck with this. I place great emphasis on napping or sleeping prior to the OOBE induction. It will prime you physiologically for the experience. It will almost guarantee it. It's crucial.

If you don't nap, the odds of you just falling asleep and ruining the experience are greater!

[Volg]

In my humble opinion, just take it as it is, an experience

Don't think about frustration or that kind of things, keep an open mind. Feel the warmthness all around you . Every attempt you make is a step further, not backwards, if you take the right approach .

[Xtensity]

Perhaps you should try Phasing. I say this because phasing is not like traditional OBEing with waiting for the vibrations. With phasing you just jump right into active visulization and mentally placing yourself in a mental location and engaging as many senses as possible. The more often you do this, day by day, the easier it becomes. The easier it becomes, the more quickly you get better at it day by day, until after so much practice, you should be able to phase out of body in times as little as 5 minutes because it will become so easy for you to create full visualizations in your mind that you easily engage yourself in..... You could build this skill up to near mastery with daily practice in a month, atleast.

Imo, traditional/Classic OBE methods don't really give the OBE'er much control to develop his ability and a lot of it is reliant upon your autonomic body functions such as waiting for your body to fall asleep. Phasing, is a skill you can more fully control and build up.

[Pauli2]

Your body will start to feel extremely heavy  and there will come a point where you will not be able to move it.

The part about "...not be able to move it" is probably the most difficult. I have never managed to do SP from an awake state.

[Astral316]

The part about "...not be able to move it" is probably the most difficult. I have never managed to do SP from an awake state.

In my experience you don't enter SP from an awake state, you enter a trance. In a deep enough trance you can't move your body but you also can't perceive it... so from a subjective standpoint SP is irrelevant to the process.

[schockstuhh]

I just wanted to say that your short experience of flying into a wall could have easily been an OBE. i'm in the same boat, that is, i've been trying to achieve a conscious OBE, but lately i haven't been that successful; however, from all my attempts, I have been experiencing more & more OBE's through dreams. They might not be from conscious attempts, but i sure as hell was conscious while experiencing them. Maybe if you had some more confidence in yourself, you'd make more progress (if you don't have much confidence). Maybe you do have a confidence in yourself, but if you projected and got stuck in a wall, and after, doubted the possibility that you had actually projected, maybe that's what's holding you back. don't get fustrated! that's what held me back from making any progress after my first projection. I wasn't sure if i had even projected during my first projection. Later, i accepted the possibility that i had actually experienced an OBE, and i simply used it as an inspiration to want to experience more. this led me to experience many more. over the past week, i've had OBE's every night, all because i overcame my doubt. just saying!

[Xanth]

In my experience you don't enter SP from an awake state, you enter a trance. In a deep enough trance you can't move your body but you also can't perceive it... so from a subjective standpoint SP is irrelevant to the process.

Completely!    Well said.

Your goal for entering a deep trance in which you have that "can't move or perceive your body" is DISASSOCIATION from the physical body and it's surroundings.
It's all about removing your consciousness from this reality so you can focus it towards another reality.

[rangestormer]

A lot of priceless information here for me, I did not expect so much input, so thanks everyone! It seems I have a lot more things to try and change.
@Pauli2, I have actually done the techniques with the lights in the past  when I would fall asleep and forget the lights, and as I remember I did kind of wake up, but my body did not, but back then I had no idea what OBE was. I just did not remember this case, so thanks for sharing that, I will try again.

@EscapeVelocity, I believe in taking breaks too, and I have taken a few for a week or two in this period, they do help. And as for affirmations, I will continue doing them, my subconscious could be getting in the way.

@Summerlander, thanks for sharing. This is the techniques that I propably tried the most, but I cannot move past the hypnagogic state.

@Xtensity, I am focusing mostly on Phasing now. Not much results yet, but it seems I get the flashing lights and some images sooner now, so I will keep practicing. A projection in 5 minutes sound fantastic.

@schockstuhh I am building my confidence again, and I agreem that with lack of confidence, I would not succeed.
@Xanth, I know that, I have read probably all of your materials, it is just harder to be done than said, but I hope practice will bring results soon.

[Psan]

That's too many things to try in such a short time
Anyway I admire your enthusiasm.

IMHO, take a break and don't do drugs. Drugs are there to save lives, using them for anything else is bad karma, it comes back to bite you in many forms . I know you did everything in desperation, but desperation is usually counter-productive for AP. Stillness and calm works better.

I'm sorry if I'm asking something personal, is there anything unsolved in your life ? Are you trying to AP for some specific reason (other than to have fun and learn). Have you attempted in some other place, like not in your own house always?

[rangestormer]

@Psan, the drugs (Galantimine) could have been in desperation too, but it was more to try. I cannot resist trying anything that is interesting and fun, but anyways, I am not planning on achieving OBEs in this manner. And yes, I am trying AP to look for solutions (there are unsolved problems) and further, knowledge and non-physical experiences, I have enough fun in the physical world. Do you think this is what is holding me back?

And two other questions that I have had for a long time - do you think an OBE attempt should last more than an hour, would this increase my chance of success? I find it hard to go over an hour, because I either go asleep or lose my focus after that period and become awake. And the second question is, if I am practicing after sleeping for a couple of hours, how should I feel to increase my chance of success - still sleepy or relaxed and wide awake? Right now, I wake up after 5 hours of sleep, and even after staying awake for 20-30 minutes, I am still sleepy.

[Psan]

rangestormer,

It is my experience that if there are urgent and serious unsolved problems (pertaining to this world) the body won't let go of you. It's like a defense mechanism, your body holds on and demands immediate resolution of the problems first. By body I mean your physical aspects - the body, brain and ego mind.This nature of the body manifests in the form of restlessness during meditations/AP attempts, or incessant chatting in the mind, or hot flashes (like those of jealousy) or simply a failure to achieve the altered state needed for AP.

If you can go AP in such a state and manage to resolve those problems, I'll call you an extraordinary person, because, usually its the other way round, you first relieve yourself of earthly hassles then it becomes very easy to explore the stuff beyond. (That's why the yogis take a shortcut and relinquish all worldly stuff to get rid of this burden).

IMO, its should not take an hour to reach the AP state. It may take 20-30 minutes to reach a relaxed state, assuming you started very active and in an excited state of mind. But once you are in relaxed state it takes only a few minutes to transition to AP. It is possible to hold on to the transition state for longer but it takes practice and is of academic interest. For an ordinary mortal it lasts for like 5 secs.

The whole point of the "wake up early" method is to feel sleepy (but not tired and needing sleep). If you are sleepy it becomes easy to reach trance state and lose focus from body. The trick is to keep mind awake while you let yourself fall asleep.

If you feel too sleepy, try extending the sleep period, say to 6 hours or some more. This is a hit and trial method, the 5 hour recommendation is for an average fellow who sleeps 8 hours and has an ordinary lifestyle.

[Loki999]

Rangstormer the reason you have had little to no success in 10 months is that, the truth is that 99% of the people here have not had a concise OBE or Lucid Dream why, becuase you cant just learn how its to complex or not even real if one could learn OBE woun;t you think that astral projection would be all the rage but no very few people have ever really had a true astral projections and usually they are on drugs or just plain crazy
Unfortunately you have fallen for the self help book industry scam buy this book for $29.99 and learn Astral projection in 90 days written by some sketch self help Guru with a marketing degree! And to prove my point look at the threads on this forum piratically every single one deals with trying to achieve results but no successes with the same over used advice of relax more or some bu((s(iT that one should face their own fears and beliefs, give me a break people...ANY BODY CAN SAY THEY know HOW TO ASTRAL PROJECT BUT HAVE ANY OF YOU REALLY Actually DONE SO "only you can answer that
Thank You
Loki666       

[Xanth]

I'm on a dry spell myself right now... not quite as long as yours, but unusual for me to say the least.  It's been over a month now for me.
I had a close one this morning where I might have come lucidly aware had an alarm clock not woke me up.  LOL

Oh well... back to the practicing and waiting game. 

[rangestormer]

Finally!!! As I hoped, besides the priceless advice that I got, asking for help like I did acts for me as affirmation. Today, I woke up at around 7 am after 5 hours of sleep, went to the bathroom and tried a technique that a forum member shared not long ago - the idea is just to listen ot hemi-sync or binaurals for 30-40 minutes and if nothing happens, go back to sleep, he says there is a great chance to find yourself in a lucid dream or OBE. So, I listened to Monroe's hemi-sync Free Flow and then binaurals, achivieng some relaxation and heaviness, but nothing more. I decided to sleep again, but I was moving around for 30 minutes and could not relax. At some point I have lost conscious for a few minutes and then became conscious with eyes closed. Without doing anything, I felt my legs going up and soon after my whole body was floating. I was afraid to open my astral eyes in order not to ruin the experience and I tried asking for awaraness, but I was blind. Anyway, being near my body I guess as I did not move far, it was a real struggle to stay out as I was being constantly pulled back and did not have control. I decided to think of a place or situation. I do not remember what I though but I was immediatelly taken to my school and saw myself there - I have no idea if this was the astral or a lucid dream, but I decided to think of my body. Straight away I taken back to my room, near my physical body, again struggling for control. As this is my first time, I decided to stop the OBE at this point. I woke up for a few minutes, and then I must have drifted away once again into a vivid dream.
Anyway, I am quite sure this happened and it was not just a dream, and I am quite happy with it. Thank you once again, guys, for all the support!!!

[NoY]

Congratz! 


:NoY:

[personalreality]

Forget about that "Loki" (.....telling name) person.  It took me nearly 8 months of daily practice, plus multiple years of study before I was successful with conscious exit.  It is real, it is possible and you can do it.  It just takes time.