Robert Bruce's ''Mind Split Effect''

[Chrysocolla]

I was reading Astral Dynamics and he keeps talking about the mind split effect... Anyone else not like this at all? I really dont like the idea of the mind split effect. Iv always thought that your conscious switches between energy and physical bodys. He says that your consciousness stays in the physical, while a copy is made for your astral and your never actually in the astral real time, you only just remember it that way... Am I getting this right? Maybe I just dont understand or maybe Im just being closed minded about it because I dont like it. IDK. Id like to think that I dont like it though because I dont feel like thats what happens.
Any ideas or opinions on this? If I got anything wrong feel free to correct me or add to what Iv said. 

[Lionheart]

 Everyone has their own opinion. Robert found that this was true to him. I don't agree with it either, because I have never experienced it myself. But that doesn't make it false. You can do a google search on the topic of Astral Travel and Consciousness and find a number of different books and view points on the subject.
The most important thing is finding out what is true for you! 

[todd421757]

There is no mind split effect for the classic OBE's (etheric projection). The reason is because in the true classic OBE (without the blackout stage), you can't just exit and re-enter your body instantaneously. You have to travel out of your body in stages and you have to re-enter in stages (instantaneous isn't possible if you don't have the blackout stage).

There is a mind split effect for certain projections that require you to produce a temporary energy (light) body to project into. Examples of this type of projection would be the golden dawn technique and Ophiel's body of light technique.

[Xanth]

The mind split effect is Bruce's metaphor for experiencing more than one reality frame at a time.

Frank called it a "Focus Overlay" experience.

Other people have other terms for it.  Find the metaphor that best suits your beliefs/needs and use it. 

[bluelily]

I wasn't really sure what to make of it either. From what I understood from it, his theory is that a copy of your mind breaks off from the original, goes out and does whatever in the astral, and the only way you're going to remember this is if you manage to make that one dominant as it returns so that it replaces the original experience of the part that stayed in the physical. If you don't the memory will be lost and you will only remember what the 'original' experienced in the physical plane at the time. At least that's my impression of what he said.

[catmeow]

Bluelily has summarised it well. Personally I'm a big fan of the mind split. It explains the known facts very well. The mind split idea allows us to have multiple copies of consciousness running at the same time. There are numerous examples of spontaneous OBEs where an OBE takes place whilst the physical body is awake, active, and involved in a complex activity, for example taking a driving test or playing a church organ.  See "Out of the Body Experiences" by Celia Green, for multiple examples. If you search oberf.org, you will also find examples.

So the FACT is that we can have two or more copies of consciousness running at the same time. I've known this for many years. When I read RB's description of the mind split, it was like a light bulb coming on. It explained what I had puzzled over for many years. It is not restricted to just two copies, there can be several copies. Perhaps we have a different copy for each reality. So we would have physical and astral realities, eac with a corresponding consciousness. Higher realities might have further conscioisnesses.

Todd mentions that there is no need for a mind split during etheric projection. This may well be true, if we consider the etheric body as being an ultra-gaseous part of the physical body. During etheric projection we may be using our physical consciousness. Promoting etheric to astral projection might involve a mind split, since the astral is a different reality to the physical/etheric.

Just my opinion. But fits the facts. Go do the research, go and find those examples of OBEs where the astral projector watches his physical body riding a motorbike, having a conversation, doing some gardening or whatever. Do the research! Most people think the physical body has to be asleep during OBE. Absolutely not the case.

[catmeow]

So here are a few examples of spontaneous OBEs which occurred whilst the physical body was fully active. In many cases the physical body continued with its activity, talking, driving, walking, doing intricate tasks etc, whilst the OBEr was floating up above watching:

Nurse attending to patient has OBE       http://www.oberf.org/marcia_t_sobe.htm
Girl walking round shop has OBE       http://www.oberf.org/bonnie_c_sobe.htm
Girl working on wood carving has OBE       http://www.oberf.org/dixieann_t_sobe.htm
Man talking to personnel dept has OBE       http://www.oberf.org/iran_sobe.htm
Truck driver has OBE            http://www.oberf.org/dwight_m_sobe.htm
Woman driving car has OBE          http://www.oberf.org/nora_j_sobe.htm
Woman walking down 5th Ave has OBE       http://www.oberf.org/karen_k_sobe.htm
Woman walking/talking with friend in park has OBE    http://www.oberf.org/samantha_k_sobe.htm
Screaming kicking girl has OBE          http://www.oberf.org/luise_sobe.htm
Screaming infant has OBE          http://www.oberf.org/kevin_r_sobe.htm
Man walking/talking with cousin has OBE       http://www.oberf.org/brandon_sobe_2320.htm
Woman standing/talking with her mother has OBE    http://www.oberf.org/annie_b_sobe.htm
Girl sitting on swing has OBE          http://www.oberf.org/lisa_c_sobe.htm
Schoolgirl walking home has OBE       http://www.oberf.org/kimberly_k_sobe.htm
Woman fighting off carjacker has OBE       http://www.oberf.org/amy_i_sobe.htm
Woman smoking/driving has OBE(s)      http://www.oberf.org/karen_d_sobe.htm
Man walking to beach has OBE          http://www.oberf.org/wayne_sobe.htm
Woman being screamed at has OBE       http://www.oberf.org/kim_sobe.htm
Man sitting on porch with friend has OBE       http://www.oberf.org/david_s_sobe.htm
Person attending concert has OBE       http://www.oberf.org/onowa_v_sobe.htm
Hospital patient walking down corridor has OBE    http://www.oberf.org/william_b_sobe.htm
Man receiving bad news has OBE       http://www.oberf.org/shelly_k_sobe.htm
Woman standing at father's funeral has OBE    http://www.oberf.org/jen_c_sobe.htm
Woman using ladies room has OBE       http://www.oberf.org/kathryn_w's_sobe.htm
Man sitting in bar has OBE          http://www.oberf.org/gary_m's_sobe.htm

And the following are just too intriguing to omit;  They include a woman who physically chased her own astral body, an astral body which chased its physical body, a spontaneous dual OBE shared by two people whilst standing and talking, a precognitive OBE, an OBEr who talked to her physical friend teleptahically, and finally an OBEr who split into two "astral consciousnesses":

Woman physically chases her Astral Body!      http://www.oberf.org/dawn_k_sobe.htm
Girl chases her physical body whilst OBE       http://www.oberf.org/jewel_sobe.htm
Two talking women have a shared simultaneous OBE    http://www.oberf.org/jean_j_sobe.htm
Girl standing in baseball field has precognitive OBE    http://www.oberf.org/carolyn_t_sobe.htm
Woman talks telepathically to her friend whilst OBE    http://www.oberf.org/debi_s_sobe.htm
Person splits into two "selves" which whilst OBE   http://www.oberf.org/lourens_m_sobe.htm

Taken from this thread:

http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/welcome_to_out_of_body_experiences/the_incredible_multiple_i-t34599.0.html

[Pauli2]

There are more than one experience here. There is mere bilocation, which for example
Monroe/Moen experienced and mentioned in their books. It's even possible to divide
yourself in more than two non-physical bodies.

But to get a full mind-split effect you need to have two independently working minds
at the same time. I think it's very difficult to discover on you own, but others may
notice it during Partnered Exploration, you may find an example in the opening
of Moen's fourth book.

What's also worth noticing is that most of the more skilled OBE:ers have experiences
which few others have been able to verify.

[CFTraveler]

I agree with Xanth that Mind Slit is simply a term to describe something many experienced projectors describe, I call it bilocation because I haven't experienced a conscious trilocation, but others report they have.  Mind Split is less specific as to 'scenario number'.
I think the concept of 'copies of mind that are fully functional' is a way of looking at it-an explanation of an abstraction- you could say 'One Mind' having separate and distinct experiences at the same time.  The important thing is that the term describes well (as catmeow said) what happens.
You can nitpick the heck out of it if it makes you feel better, but the term is apt, as apt as any other for the experience.

[catmeow]

You can nitpick the heck out of it if it makes you feel better, but the term is apt, as apt as any other for the experience.

And we have and it is!

[Tahira]

Hi,

when I read about the mindsplit years ago I found it a rather strange phenomenon since I never experienced it myself, so I had no reference for it - until recently.

It happened to me at what I'd regard as a failed projection attempt. I got conscious at night because of some loud noise. When I figured out that it was the vibrations I tried a projection but obviously hadn't enough energy. I perceived the projection attempt as being a shapeless energy separating from the physical body, but at the moment I should be in the projected state I fell back into the physical body but still was in a partially awake state (i.e. conscious in the physical body). I had a very weak consciousness, so it was hard to stay counsciuos. I could see a slight white-bluish glowing from what I thought would be the arm of my physical body (maybe it was just the in the physical body remaining energy body copy), that's why I thought the projection attempt had failed. Then I saw a tall figure standing a half meter beside my bed, looking down at me. I could clearly notice - although I not realized this yet at this very moment - the resemblance of this being to my own daily appereance - facial features, size and shape did match. Then the being sat down onto the bed and started to lay down / roll into my body. I could feel the unification. I was close to panicing since I never experienced anything similar and already thought of the possibility of being possessed now. Then I rethought everything and noticed that the being looked exactly like me - the only difference was the hairstyle. The being had the hairstyle I'm wearing at day perfectly styled and not the mess that the physical body had at this moment. Still puzzled I reminded the mindsplit robert bruce wrote about and found it described my experience to a T. The memory I have is the memory of the physical version, the experience of the projected double is completely lost.

Experiencing your projected double reuniting with your physical body can be quite freaky, even seeing yourself beside you is something completely different than seeing your image in the mirror.

[CFTraveler]

Experiencing your projected double reuniting with your physical body can be quite freaky, even seeing yourself beside you is something completely different than seeing your image in the mirror.

You know that happened to me a lot when I was pregnant.  I could see myself floating just above me, a perfect copy, except for the milky transparency.  I didn't tell anyone at the time, thought it was just pregnancy craziness.  Now I know better.