Brain Fry

[Bumblebee]

Hi everyone!

I've been trying to get into Astral Projection for a while now, but haven't made a huge amount of progress.  I was wondering if I could get some tips and / or reassurance on it.

I've had two experiences so far.  The first, after placing the intent to AP for about a week once I started learning about it, as I was falling asleep I heard someone outside talking, but I couldn't make out what they were saying.  I concentrated on it and it started to clarify - they were a male voice chanting a type of mantra "Thank you God, Thank you, Oh thank you God" - I was very curious as I didn't recognise the voice but kind of knew it wasn't "really" there, but wasn't the kind of Mantra "I" would use.  Then the next thing I know I am aware of my astral body kind of front flipping out of my body (I feel like I lost consciousness for a bit and the subconscious took over), and I was fully aware in my astral body.  I thought, WOW!  This is real!  I decided to go "Up" and went flying right up into darkness and didn't know where the heck I was, then my fears took over and I paniced about getting back.  This launched me straight into a lucid dream (though I didn't know it was a dream at first, I thought I was stuck outside indefinately!) where I worked out the fear.

The next day I felt great that I had overcome the fear but it slowly crept back.  The next experience I was falling asleep and a seeming "other" was leading me through a meditation (though I don't really meditate, so it was new to me!  And not something I had read in any of the AP techniques) telling me to imagine myself wrapped in blackness, warm life giving blackness, beautiful calming birthing blackness, on and on like that...  Again, I woke up in an OBE state and this time managed to travel 2 places though I believe they were in my own subconscious rather than any concenscious areas of consciousness.

Soo...  I feel I'm now ready to *consciously* do this rather than by accident, but I'm at a block.  The thing is, since I started reading about AP I feel like I've lost the ability at times to fall asleep unconsciously.  But whenever this happens, it's always the same thing.  As I drop off to near unconsciousness I suddenly get what I can only label a "brain fry" as that's exactly what it feels like.  I get a huge flash of white (and then my inner vision looks like white static), and large "TWANG" noise and my awareness crystalises hugely.  But *every time* it freaks me out and I wake myself up.  So, what I'm asking is if this is something normal?  If so, what could I expect after this stage?  Or am I really just frying my brain? 

Thanks guys, if I need to clarify it more just let me know

[Xanth]

You're still alive, aren't ya?
At some point you're going to have to let it happen and just see what comes of it.

... that's how Robert Monroe managed to get past his block initially. 

[engagement]

Seems to me based on what peoples have said

Astral project occurs for everyone, every night

But most of the time we are not aware, we dont remember

So we dream/view it but arent conscious of it.

So correct me if im wrong but the process is to not project but to just remember our dreams and in doing we will be able to tell the times that we are conscious and not conscious.

[CFTraveler]

Seems to me based on what peoples have said

Astral project occurs for everyone, every night

Yep.

But most of the time we are not aware, we dont remember

Most of the time we're unconscious.

So we dream/view it but arent conscious of it.

We dream/project but are only conscious/remember of the last part of our dreams,  right before we wake up.

So correct me if im wrong but the process is to not project but to just remember our dreams

Not necessarily, the object is to be awake and aware for the exit and to stay lucid for the experience, so that it registers in our conscious mind where we can remember it.