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I thought it was interesting about the temporoparietal junction (such as it malfunctioning) being described as a possible cause for the experiences people encounter, however I will have to do some more research but I find it hard to believe it could be as simple as that.   

 
Interesting article in New Scientist about Out of Body Experiences and suggested causes.
 
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427291.100-out-of-your-head-leaving-the-b

[Hello]

Hello

I have recently been having some projections where I will float up from my bed and as I rise I visually see the ceiling getting closer. When I get to the ceiling I only rise half way through and then everything goes dark as if my eyes are shut. I will get stuck in this position and usually think that it must be dark due to the fact that I have risen into the loft/attic above our bedroom - obviously no lights on up there.

Could I just be sufferring from blindness or during the projections can you see in dark places?

[Or]

I had an AP the other night in which I was standing in my garden. The lead up to the AP was weird as I initially woke up at 3am and when I woke up I was thinking about the patio in my garden that I had finished laying earlier that day.

I then drifted off back to sleep and in what seemed like a second after being awake I was suddenly standing in my garden, in my pyjamas, and my slippers (I don't remember travelling there from my bed). I remember first starring at the night sky and all the stars, and then looking at the patio I laid. I sort of laughed and thought how the hell did I get out here so quickly after having that thought, and why was I standing in my slippers outside. After a few seconds of confusion I realised I was having an AP, or very lucid dream.

However after that initial thought for some reason I turned around and looked to the bottom of the garden. Towards the garden edge and near a tree line I heard this tremendous loud noise.  The sound was like a metallic type noise - similar to a sliding metal door scraping against a surface. The sound was very loud, and appeared to have some dimensional proportion to it as well.

When I heard the sound I instantly panicked, as I sensed something dark in contrast to the serene atmosphere I was experiencing prior to the sound. I distinctively remember saying to myself 'something is not right here'. As soon as saying that I then woke up back in my bed.

I'm guessing while the point of realising that I was having an AP some sort of fear/novelty factor kicked in and maybe my subconscious fantasy created the sound which I then played out as being something dark and dangerous.

Or is it normal to hear loud indescribable sounds during projections, if so what are these sounds - is the sound I heard like a metal scraping sound common?

While having AP's do sounds in the 'real' physical world get misinterpreted during the AP - and maybe that is why I interpreted the sound as having an unusual proportional weight to it?

Lol, I thought the same! Got the book and will let you know if any good.

Is it possible to have sexual union in the Astral plane? If so in what context does it exist?

Hello

I was looking for a new book to read and came across Charlse T Tart's new book - 'The End of Materialism: How Evidence of the Paranormal is Bringing Science and Spirit Together'

Has anyone read it yet? (It would be my first book by the author).

Thanks..

Yes you are right that in popular culture it is generally accepted that dreams or the experience only take place within the confounds of our heads/imagination - society tends thinks more functionally and logically.

I would also say the subject is often not generally discussed with family, friends or work colleagues on the same level or appreciation to our real life day-to-day activities. I have found when mentioning experiences the general reaction is probably on the same level as discussing the UFO phenomena (conversation going in circles, people generally shrug there shoulders, laugh or no comment). In fact prior to joining this forum I had no other formal way of sharing experiences and looking for answers.

So the depth of the experience and recollection of this alternative reality must only happen to a select few. This alternative reality I would see being composed by our personal understanding of the nature of our consciousness, what we see, our ethics, how we reason, and as Yamabushi mentioned 'phenomenology' perhaps linking them altogether.

But nevertheless the physical world must take priority over how we make up that definition, simply as our primary existence is rooted in the physical real world that we all share. The physical world is the initial place, in which we are conditioned and educated. For instance a newborn has no prior knowledge that can influence its behaviour during the dream state and probably will not until it can differentiate what takes place while awake to what takes place when sleeping (questioning the existence of the surrounding world).

Over time (youth to adulthood +) the knowledge we gain will influence and no doubt probably direct the experience/narrative that takes place during the dream state. This will also be influenced by cultures based on their geographic locations, religious beliefs etc.

So based on that one can say that it remains an important issue where and whether language shapes specific forms of the dream experience (thought, perception, emotion) and their content or meaning and if one can have power over the other.

So if I can experience dream states (AP's OOBE's etc) in what I would associate as reality by the same definition to the real physical world, and maybe consciousness awareness always and essentially involving my sub-consciousness. Then how come I cannot bridge the gap between these two essential levels by being able to validate the existence back to the real physical plane? Quite simply I can never validate an experience thus speculating on the true nuts and bolts of what is taking place during these dreams.

Some of my experiences that have taken place while asleep such as OOBE's, AP's, Lucid Dreams have been so real that they have definitely contributed in mentally shaping my life just as an experience taking place in reality (mentally shaping such as experiences being emotional, spiritual, psychological, and physical).

However I have found that I question the validity of these experiences and if they deserve the same level of attention as one would experience in real life (i.e. it was just a dream or wasn't it).   

I'm not trying to insinuate that I have become somewhat deluded between what happens during my dream states to what happens during my waking hours. But I do question and sometimes find it difficult to trust or differentiate things that happen to me externally to internally. I have also found while mentally categorising and segregating the real from the non-real experience, that it will often impact and pollute the subconscious experience, or visa versa.   

Anyone else with similar issues, or advice?

More recently my dreams have developed that involve being awakened during the night by an entity in my room. The dream is very lucid and will involve me sometimes floating from my bed and encountering the entity crouched in the corner of my room wearing a hooded cloak, or pointed hooded top of some sort. The entity then launches itself from its crouching position grabbing me and pulling me upwards through the ceiling. It has only been in the last year that I had encountered the entity in the real world environment (i.e.: the room for which I am sleeping in and have been awoken from during the dream).

In previous years it appeared more in the dream world but my lucid dreams have matured over the last few years where experiences only take place in the real world or non-imaginary dream world. I would never class them as aliens similar to the classic abduction scenario that is often referred to when people are awaken during the night by something in their room and being taken somewhere.

For me it has only happened in the 'dream' state and not during the actual physical conscious awakened state. Nor have I seen what would be classed as your typical 'grey' or other typical alien in any of my dreams. Mine has always been very tall and lanky in its shape. Its mouth is often in an 'o' shaped position and its jaw is somewhat stretched or elongated. Its eyes are dark or seem to be more void like.

However when I am grabbed by the entity I have a gap in my dream that I have no recollection and then the dream carries on in its complete lucid/OOBE from where I was grabbed from - sounds silly but its like I have missing time during my dream.

My impression is I do not think the entity likes me being to consciously aware of my surroundings and its form when I have action reaction awareness when it grabs me. I'm not sure why it's taking me or where I go to in the dream but its very odd and more so very scary. The thing that makes it more frightening is the fact I can remember to much detail after awakening as if it has happened in real life.

Well for many years I have had somewhat disturbing dreams. It has only been in the last few years and more so recently that my dreams have somewhat matured and no longer take place in the fictitious dream world, but take place in the 'real' world.

I have never really understood the full scope of what an astral projection is. I assume like most things within this context the users experience can be quite subjective compared to others.  However my experiences always starts from the dream. During my experience there is often something that triggers my senses to awaken from the dream, and once awakened I would say I have almost full conscious awareness of my environment in which I have awoken from. The environment is usually the immediate surroundings for which I would be sleeping.

During my dream episodes I have not yet seen myself asleep, so I have not been presented with visually recognising a separation from my physical self. So with that in mind during the experience I still think of myself as the physical form, but I assume it's not my actual physical form, as I seem to float upwards through a wall or ceiling. Other times I seem to walk as if I'm physically awake.  But the thing to note is my projection has never allowed me to travel any further than the distance of the room or house/place I'm sleeping in.

The point that I'm trying to understand is the power of the senses during the dream, such as having the ability to recognise action reaction awareness but the dream being darkened by the recent encounters with the entities - sort of turning an initial dream experience full of wow factor (like I am floating etc) into a full blown nightmare. However unfortunately the dream seems to always be constrained within real world physical limitations as if you're physically awake (what I mean is I do not seem to have the power to suddenly fly away at an instant speed, nor do I have any imagination power to will the entity away.

In my initial post I did not mention the full detail of my office dream episode. And some of the details are important for me in understanding if any external influences could be triggering the dream (such as the environment your sleeping in, maybe tossing and turning while asleep, sleep walking etc).

In my office episode I fell asleep early in the morning and it was still dark out. I tilted my chair back and rested my legs on draw pulled out. In our office we have light sensors that turn off after 20 minutes of no movement. My chair unfortunately was beneath the sensor. On previous occasions if I fell asleep and the lights switched off they would switch back on with a movement such as a twitch of your hand or foot. The lights coming on across the office floor and sound of them switching on always awoke me instantly. It was difficult to doze off sitting up in a chair with your legs resting on a drawer but sometimes it worked.

On the experience I described in my post above I fell asleep in my office and awoke to rising from my chair then noticing the entity with its hands on my shoulders pulling me upwards towards the ceiling. There was a gap in the dream and then my dream continued but I was suddenly standing in the office floor next my desk (next to where I was sleeping in my chair).

As I said during my dream I was standing on the office floor next to my desk, and the entity was no longer there. For some reason I remember initially being a bit dazed and confused, like my god what was that thing that pulled me up from chair. But as I was thinking that I realised the lights were not on. I then remember looking up at the ceiling and as I was standing there and starring at the light panel I then began to wave my arms backwards and forwards trying to see if that would trigger the sensors. Upon doing that I was suddenly shocked to realise I must have been still asleep, but this time (and the only time so far) I had complete 100% full physical awareness such as the ability to look and analyse paperwork on peoples desks.  

For some strange reason as I tried to take a few steps forward and I tripped on something - it was like as I walking on jelly or my legs were not solid when I tried walking. However it was that trip and physical feeling of hitting the floor that awoke me. As soon as I awoke I was in my chair and the lights came on and subsequently realising I had just had a dream.  

The point that I found interesting was the fact I fell asleep probably at around 5:45am or just earlier and awoke at around 6:15am or just later. During my sleep in a uncomfortable office chair and based on the dream I had I cant believe I did not twitch once. Yet during the dream I initially experienced the physical sensation of rising, the entity grabbing me, being back in my office floor and waving my arms around to see why the lights didn't come on then finishing by tripping. There was a lot of physical movement in the dream but I must I have laid still enough to have allowed the lights to switch off and not trigger them.

This incident resolved my suspicions that I was sleep walking or maybe moving my arms or legs during my sleep and causing a reaction during the dream. I was told in a previous post on another site I should video myself while asleep to see if I could try and capture any movements but for some reason I have not had a dream recently to persuade me to do so.

Athymari - yes the image I think you are referring too is the scream painting by Munch. The entity I'm seeing is similar in its face with its lower jaw and mouth. However its head is slightly more stretched and its eyes are dark or void like.  Its skin was yellow and glowed or appeared to be lit as if it was illuminated.

Hello

I have had what I would label as wild and crazy dreams for the majority of my life. The dreams became more lucid in the last 12 years and it has only been in the last few years that my lucid dreams no longer take place in the imaginary dream world but now in the actual physical environment for where I would be sleeping.

In the last year my dreams have become slightly darker and disturbing. It's hard to dismiss them as your standard nightmare simply because there is to much physical awareness in the real world environment for which they are taking place.

The dream scenario that takes place would often involve me awakening during a dream and seeing the entity or being awoken by the entity. Sometimes I would awaken while asleep and instantly know I'm dreaming as I would be floating across my bed and usually there is the inital shock and wow factor of what is happening during the dream, plus staring at all the objects in our bedroom. But then there would be this hooded thing crouched in the corner of the room. It seems to where a grey pointed hooded top and can't be higher than say 3 feet or so.

I assume it is initially crouching because as I float towwards where it may be, it then seems to leap from it's position on the floor. The thing is then no longer covered or shrouded by a hooded cloak or top but it is somewhat naked in form. It is very tall, skinny, sort of yellow or brightly illuminated. It's face seems to be somewhat stretched and it's mouth is always open in an 'o' shape (as if it's sucking in air or something). The incident seems to last only a few a minutes and it always grabs me from above and then pulls me somewhere (usually through the ceiling).

My last experience was now 6 months ago. It happened at work when I got in very early and fell asleep in my office chair. There was no one in my office (it was around 5-6am). I fell asleep in my office chair and awoke as I rose to the ceiling. During the dream I felt a presence and as I turned my head I saw a hand on my right shoulder. I looked over my shoulder to see the same entity but half emerged through the office ceiling with it's hands on my shoulders pulling me up.

It was at a 45 degree slant and pulling upwards. I tried to struggle but as always during the incident I get pulled and then there us a gap or blank space to the dream. I'm then subsequently dumped back into my dream and the entity is no longer there. The thing that makes the experience disturbing is the real physical awareness of the environment during the dream - something to real like I could feel the hands on my shoulders which is what grabbed my senses initially.

If these are simply nightmares I'm sort of confused and disturbed that I could script a dream such as the ones I'm having when I cannot attribute the scenario towards anything personal or visual (like a film).  I guess my main concern is trying to control the experience when they happen, trying to understand what this entity is and why I would dream it.