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This thread, and all of the responses have been super helpful. I have to assume that the imagery you and lumaza describe are more of a solid, and "real" image that's displayed behind your closed eyes, as opposed to the grainy, and not so solid images of the imagination.

I've always been curious about what the difference is between the clarity of those images and why we can't always imagine in 3d or color. My imagination's imagery is quite clear, but it is not "real" in the sense that it is steady and solid on its own (where I become the observer of it, or like it is separate from my effort of maintaining the imagination). But I understand the difference because it is obvious when that shift occurs, usually before going OOB.

I think it is a matter of focus and intention, and that sometimes we need to kickstart that process as lumaza said. I also think that as we age, if we are not continually practicing, it's very easy to become overly dominant by our intellect, or the analyzing and judging mind. We experience the hardships and challenges of life that can make it harder to focus our attention or to "let go" of our materialistic issues and worries. Because ultimately, what we're doing is letting all of that go, and getting lost in our imagination until we become fully immersed in it.

It all sounds like typical signs of being in the non-physical. The problem seems to be that you didn't have full awareness of what you were doing. You only got glimpses of your room because you didn't allow or you weren't able to focus your complete attention there.

The buzzing (vibrations) is a natural and common sign post, and because you were in the non-physical, you were interpreting the information through your intuitive side and no longer through your intellect. The intellect would have said, "I don't have earbuds in and I'm not listening to BB's", but because your intellect was not as active, you couldn't fully make that connection (you were in a semi-lucid state). It takes practice to become more aware within the non-physical (and the physical as well). Consciousness can be aware or unaware (disassociated in either reality).

Tom Campbell does not state that "you have to be in deep meditation to achieve OOB". Actually, he says the opposite, and that is what he teaches in his courses. He teaches you to access point consciousness at will, at any time you want, by simply letting go of the intellect and accessing the intuitive side. His process does not require deep relaxation, breathing, or any other rituals. Those tools can help, especially in the beginning before you have "control" over your consciousness, but they are not required. With more experience, letting go of the intellect and this physical reality becomes easier, and all you need to do is shift your focus there by using your intent.

Hello everyone, it's been a while since I've posted anything on here as my life has been so busy lately and I haven't really been practicing or attempting to have an OBE for a while. Though I do still enjoy having them and do write them down when they do happen. But I figured I'd share this one because after 10 years of having OBE's this is the first time I've had a classic exit like this.

I woke up this morning around 6am from hearing my dad leaving the house for work. I rolled over onto my back and fell back asleep. I usually have OBE's if I lay on back that's just the way I've always been. There wasn't much awareness between now and the time of the OBE, but all of a sudden I found myself in the familiar black void and I felt myself rising. My "eyes" were closed and I could not see, but I had a sense I was getting closer to my ceiling. I briefly gained vision for a moment and realized I was about 2 feet away from my ceiling and still rising. Then I bumped into it. After this I continued on to have a short OBE of flying around outside my house and down the street and just enjoyed the experience.
This is the first time in 10 years and 100 obe's that I rose up and bumped into the ceiling. I've heard of people doing this, but my exits have always been conscious and I usually just push up off my bed or roll off it.

So just figured I'd share and thanks for reading!

Hi,
I'm now timing myself while meditating to see if I can hold the time. So far the best I've done is 17:48 of 20:00. During the relaxation out of boredom I tried inducing the trance state with a picture (an elevator doing down while saying "down" mentally with a voice in my head). I felt a lose of sense of time. I felt like I was floating and falling in the air at the same time. I also had a buzzing feeling all over my body, but especially below my waste / thighs and feet.

Is this a sign that I entered the trance state?

Thanks.

Yes, there is a feel to it, but don't focus so much on the body, or timing yourself. There is nothing wrong with setting a timer so you don't go longer than you want to or need to, but I used to time myself as well. Recently I stopped because it is not a race. Trying to beat your previous time of 17 minutes will not help you.
Look for the change in your awareness, not so much your physical body, because as your mind relaxes your body will follow and vice versa (sitting still without moving will naturally relax your mind)
I have meditated for 10 minutes and for 40 minutes, sometimes my mind being much more calm during the 10 minute one. So what I'm saying it's not always about the duration of the meditation
And once you become better at it, you will be able to enter the state much quicker and easier. When I first started I always made sure no one was home to distract me, or I would wear earplugs, or my noise canceling headphones, which did help me, but eventually I thought to myself am I really going to use these every time I have to meditate? Or will the perfect environment always be available to meditate? No, so I stopped using them and realized I was still able to do it with noise in the background.
Today, I meditated in the middle of Manhattan, NYC sitting in a car on the side of a busy street mid day for 20 minutes. Even with the car alarms, honking, and 2 way radio going in the car it wasn't a problem to shift my focus away from them, even though I still heard them, they weren't distracting

I agree with Phalanx to practice meditation, it will help you learn to keep your mind calm. I also have struggled with your problem many times. I usually end up rolling over and giving up at that point too, because you have already lost your focus if you are that agitated. But I also stopped trying to OBE during the day or evening because it has never worked for me, so I only try in the morning upon wakening when my body is already relaxed and can easily slip back into sleep
Also agree with Xanth, stop trying so hard. If you have to tell yourself to "stop having thoughts", or "focus, focus, relax" because your mind is having thoughts, then you are actually working against your body and mind relaxing. Meditation will for sure help you with that

I sit in my computer chair, nothing fancy. With a pillow under my butt. I used to put another pillow behind my upper back/shoulders to support my head a bit, but recently moved it to my lower back. Noticed that it keeps my posture better and is more comfortable for me. My head used to slowly fall forwards sometimes and my chin would end up resting on my chest, but since I've moved the pillow to my lower back it is easier to keep my head straight up.
And you're saying it takes 5 minutes for you to relax to your meditative state? I noticed it usually takes me about 10 minutes. And I'll usually stop around 25 - 35 minutes total

For meditation, I usually sit upright in a chair. A Mantra meditation works well for me, but recently I've noticed a chakra visualization meditation is working better / faster. Depends on my mood and what I'm trying to get out of the meditation.
Sometimes if I'm tired, I'll lay in bed. And if I do lay in bed it's on my back.
For OBE, it's usually always on my back in bed. (that's just what works for me)

lol this made me laugh   

Thanks for sharing, good read. Sounds like fun!

Welcome and congratulations, it sounds like you are describing a classic out of body experience (OBE), and not a dream.
I'm not sure why your teeth are hurting, but I find that sometimes in my normal, unconscious dreams some of my teeth are loose and falling out as if I were losing my baby teeth. The feeling is exactly like it was in real life when they fell out. And sometimes it can be "painfull" in the dream. It is a very good sign post for me that I am dreaming because it happens so often that I can remember that it's a dream. And from there I can turn the dream into an OBE

Welcome! Looks like you are off to a great start. The only thing I really have to comment on is this.
"Often I just don't seem to be tired enough after waking up to fall into the crucial "Mind=Awake Body=Asleep" state, so then I lie like this for another 5 minutes or less, only to eventually give up as nothing ever does seem to happen if it doesn't start happening more or less straight away."

I can relate to this because often when I wake up I feel as though I'm not tired enough either, and the more I think about it, the more aware I become of the physical world. I've found that for me, it can vary greatly. Sometimes I can wake up, empty my bladder, get back in bed and lay still, and still be able to relax into sleep paralysis (SP) within 20 minutes. Other times I wake up and it can take less than a minute, or it won't happen at all.

Usually when I wake up I roll onto my back, which for me, means obe. I never sleep on my back and I've found FOR ME that rolling onto my back helps induce SP easily. I'm not saying this will work for you, but that's what works for me. And once I roll onto my back I try to rerun through my dreams. That way I'm keeping my mind busy, but not thinking about waking reality which helps me focus my awareness to the non physical. If it works, I'll feel the shift of my body entering SP (usually accompanied with vibrations or random noises) and usually enter a black void, from there I either roll out, or imagine myself in the living room until the scenery fully comes to view.

I am in no way an expert, but that's what has worked for me. And it's usually not consistent. My success seems to come and go

Thanks for the replies, I think if I continue to ask for help like I did, I will be able to open myself up to a lot of new opportunities. I got into doing retrievals about a year ago. I performed them for a few months and then stopped, I did have some minor verifications, but nothing major

Just thought I would share this since it's a little different than my usual obe's and to see what you guys have to say
OBE #67, Dream to obe
       I was in a non-lucid dream I was in my house, in my downstairs bathroom, standing in front of the toilet. I realized the bathroom looked a little different than it does in the physical and that made me become aware I was in the non-physical. I also realized I should not pee lol. I turned and floated through the door and up the stairs to my living room. I went over to the sliding door which leads out onto the deck, and floated through the door to the outside. It was gray and overcast outside, might have even been raining a little. I looked down at my hands and said "I'm aware I'm in the non physical right now."
       I thought about what I wanted to do while I was out, something different than the usual flying around my house until I lose focus and wake up. I asked, to no one in particular, "I would like to speak to someone who can answer some questions I have about the non-physical." I waited a few moments and then turned around. Someone else was standing on the deck with me, a young unfamiliar male in his 20's, not someone I would have expected to show up. (but maybe someone comfortable for me to speak with) I immediately went over and introduced myself and said "Hi, I'm Justin" and he said "Hi, I'm Chris". I asked him if he can answer some questions I have about the non physical. He said yes, and so can his (friend?) Jesse. I said, "okay great", and might have also asked who's Jesse? He said you don't know Jesse? Making it seem like I should have known him for some reason.
       Chris went inside my house through the sliding door and I followed him and watched where he went, he went downstairs and a short moment later he came back up with someone else. The two of them both came back out onto the deck. I immediately introduced myself to Jesse and we shook hands. My dad was now on the deck with us and we all sat down at the table. My dad quickly asked a question before I could. He asked, "what can you guys tell me about living in the non physical?" They responded, "It is a one way path, the void is the smallest part?" I immediately leaned in and asked, "Can I speak with deceased relatives or friends?" One of them responded with, "No, and his explanation was something like it would be too easy for them to tell you everything?" I asked another question. "Then what can I do to prove to myself these experiences are real, how can I get validity out of my obe's?" Jesse was now standing up and it sounded like he was eating something and talking at the same time, I couldn't understand him well. He said, "Bromanager" I said, what? He said "brermember", again I said what? "brermember". I couldn't understand what that meant, but I made him repeat it so I could remember it. It faded and I woke up.

To me it seems like I got no valuable information from this contact, at least for now. But I will try this again in a future experience

The loud buzzing ZZZ's as you call them are completely normal and safe. They are a good sign post that you are very close to an exit.

Very cool!

I had a slightly vivid dream the other morning where I was also a woman in my, (hers?) late 40's or 50's where I had a son about 7 or 8 years old. We were walking up a long staircase outside somewhere. He was in front of me carrying a (bag of recycling?) and I told him to keep going as I was slow because my knees were weak. Once I reached the top the purpose of the dream sort of changed and now I was back to being me again and some of my normal friends were there.

It was definitely an interesting one to say the least..

I've found sometimes that I also, "get ticked off" while laying in bed in the early morning looking in the blackness, usually accompanied with vibrations and I decide to roll over because the feeling is there, but I just can't get all the way out. After rolling over I realize how close I was and I probably should have just kept trying, but oh well.
So next time, stay calm and keep going because you're almost there

I'm not sure exactly what you mean Klaxen, but I'm just gonna say this.
I obviously picked up and saw the correct card in the RTZ that was actually on the top of the deck of cards in the physical. But in the physical, the card wasn't actually where I found it in the nonphysical.
The deck of cards was on a shelf in my room, but I saw this card on a shelf in my living room in the nonphysical. (because that's where I thought I had placed a card) but when I woke up I realized nothing was there.
So even though I wasn't in the correct location in the RTZ, I was still open and accepting to the information of the correct card. Maybe because I had a strong belief that the card was actually on the shelf in the livingroom so I was able to access the correct info.

Not sure if that will help or confuse you more haha, but thought I'd mention it

Seems like you're on the right track. A lot of times I get obe by doing what you described, imagining yourself "there". You could imagine yourself anywhere, but I prefer somewhere that is close to my physical body and somewhere I am very familiar with. I just posted a thread about my card experiment and I describe what I do there. I've found it works when you imagine you are actually in the environment and walking through or feeling things in it (in my experience I would be walking down and feeling the walls of my hallway) And once I reach my living room by this point it is still mostly all blackness with maybe a few vague outlines of the walls like you described. I've found what works for me is that I actually have to imagine opening my NPMR eyes and it really does look like I am opening them as my living room comes into full colored, clear view in front of me.

And it did take me some time to learn that, I failed a lot of times and sometimes still do. Sometimes I'll loose the experience before being able to open my NPMR eyes. It's just a matter of learning what works best for you, but from what you described I can relate to pretty well so I would say give that a shot.

As for boosting your awareness I usually do this immediately after opening my NPMR eyes as sometimes I can be very unbalanced and would like to ground myself in the experience right away. I usually do this by bringing my hands up to my face and looking closely at them for a second or 2. Then I'll either say something like Clarity now! or recently I've been saying something like "I'm now OBE in the nonphysical" to reassure myself.

Hello everyone I thought I'd share my experience from this morning. I'm going to mostly skip over the obe since nothing of great significance happened during it and I'd rather just tell my card verification experience.

1/3/14
OBE #57 RTZ, WBTB, Phase method
   Before going to sleep last night I had a great feeling that I was going to have an OBE this morning. I went to sleep and woke up around 10am not remembering that I had that feeling last night. I called my cat to come lay on my bed and cuddle, but she didn't come over and I was experiencing a feeling of drowsiness so I decided to lay back down and close my eyes. Within a few minutes I was seeing some vague imagery behind my closed eyes. I stretched my arms out and I rolled my body over to the left, but something felt different. It was heavy and slow motion and I was still looking at the blackness behind my closed eyes, but I thought I had moved physically. Next thing I know I'm staring at my ceiling about a foot away from it. My vision went back to blackness and I realized I was obe and I didn't want the experience to end so I started to imagine I was walking down my hallway and feeling the walls with both my hands as I did. I grabbed onto the cool, metal, railing as I walked past the stair case. Once I got to my living room I slowly opened my NPMR eyes and had great vision of where I was standing and now fully phased in that reality.
   I did a few awareness boosters by looking at my hands and telling myself I was OBE in the nonphysical. I remembered I wanted to check the card that I placed on a shelf in the living room so I walked over to it and reached up and grabbed the card. The first card I saw was a black 4 of spades. I noticed I was holding about 3 or 4 cards so I placed them back on the shelf and then tried to only grab one. I grabbed about 3 or 4 again, but the card on top was a black 4 of spades again. I thought that was good enough so I put the cards down and proceeded with the rest of my OBE.
   
   When I woke up I went to the living room and reached on top of the shelf. I didn't feel a card so I took a look and there was no card there. The shelf looked like it was recently dusted off so I thought maybe one of my parents found it and moved the card. I was a little disappointed and I don't actually remember how long ago I placed the card there. I decided I would count the cards from the deck and whichever one was missing maybe that would be the card. I grabbed the deck of cards and flipped it over to see the faces and first one on top was the black 4 of spades.
    It's not the best verification, but I think it speaks for itself that there was some level of verification there. I know I probably shouldn't be focusing on trying to prove the existence of the NPMR this way, but I find it a fun experiment to play with

Thanks for reading and any feedback is appreciated  

Very cool! I love when I can hold my awareness while entering SP right before exiting and seeing all the images behind my closed eyes. Usually they move/change very fast and I have a hard time recalling them

^^ What Xanth said. ^^
Plus, I've been practicing for 6 years and still have trouble consciously projecting at times. Like said above, it's a life long project haha.

Yes, I love the music! I can either create it or sometimes it just plays by itself, but every time it sounds amazing! I hear it while in SP before consciously exiting

I've actually been looking into this as well recently. When I first started meditating (and still happens now) I remember I would get to a point where after about 15 minutes or so I was looking into the blackness but then I would "see" an outline of my arms and hands. By this point in my meditation my head was usually totally slouched down so if I opened my physical eyes I would be looking towards my stomach where my hands were actually placed.
But for the life of me I didn't completely understand what I was seeing or why. Was I really seeing through my eyelids? Was I almost OBE? Or was it just my minds interpretation of what I thought was really there?

I've been doing a lot of recent meditations where I just place my intent to experience and explore 3D blackness or any hynogogic imagery. Usually, I'll just experience the feeling of some sort of depth to the blackness, or I see something that looks far away in the blackness. Or I'll see random images that seem to not be related to anything at the moment.
But what I've come to consider seeing my hands through closed eyelids would not be actually seeing through them, but just my minds interpretation of what I would think to be there AS my nonphysical senses are starting to "turn on" and I become more aware of them.

But that's just what I think as of right now since I've been looking into it recently, can't say for sure.

My sign post for being able to exit is an electric pulsing (zapping) in my head. It starts off soft and increases in speed and intensity with every zap. I can feel it and hear it in my ears and head. It's a little uncomfortable, but bearable. If this sounds anything like what you're experiencing, it's normal and you were close to exiting.