Last night I experienced a frightening OBE/LD. (I'm not sure if it was an OBE or LD)
I was lying in bed aware that my eye mask was on but able to see slightly below the mask. I reached my arm out to take off the mask, but realized I couldn't see my arm. At that point I knew I wasn't in ordinary waking consciousness.
I grabbed the mask, which I could feel in my hand, and threw it to the floor, but somehow the mask was still on blocking most of my vision. I shouted out a command (W. Buhlman's technique), something like "vision now!", but nothing changed. I had the feeling that this was something like sleep paralysis, where according to R.Bruce, you are already out-of-body wandering around freely somewhere. So I gave another command, "Go to astral body!". Again, nothing happened. I was still in bed blinded by the eye mask. I grabbed it again, threw it to the floor, did this several times, and each time the mask somehow remained stuck to my face like a black shadow covering my vision. I started to feel a little panicky and wanted to wake up. I shouted the command "Return to body!" But nothing happened. I remained stuck. I started to feel a sense of dread. What if I can't wake up, what if I'll be stuck here forever?
During this time while the fear was growing, my body was hovering horizontally within a house. All I could see through the narrow crack were empty white walls and a stair case that led nowhere, then my body would be automatically pulled back to my room and I would start drifting around again.
Eventually the feeling of fear and suffocation grew so much that I started chanting a Chinese Buddhist mantra, "A Mi Do Fo, A Mi Do Fo..." I felt my body slightly rise. At some point I was out side, and through the crack of my vision I saw three or four bodies covered by blankets as if they were dead. I broke the mantra and quickly yelled as loud and hard as I could while shaking my head, "WAKE UP!!"
This time I rose out of bed and yanked the damned eye make off my face. I was finally out of this creepy OBE.
What could I learn from this experience? How come I was so powerless, how come my commands didn't work? Has anyone else had a similar experience? I'd love to hear about it! What's the secret to control :?: :!:
Feelflowz
oh yeah, that's the last time I'm using an eye mask!
That's easily the scariest OBE I've heard of, apart from a few that I've had.
To be honest, I'm still getting over the fears of my experiences of complete powerlessness in lucid dreams or certain OBE's. It wasn't sleep paralysis - more like mind and soul paralysis.
I don't know what to say, Feelflowz, other than to trust that you will awaken. Do what you can to cultivate a sense of power in your waking life, even if it's small, like learning an instrument or doing something simple very well.
Finally, I believe you can learn best from this experience by learning to laugh at it. To take a nightmare or your worst fear and be so confident over it that you find it ridiculous and laughable is divine strength and wisdom.
Thanks for the reply and advice Telos!
Actually, right after I woke up and out of that creepy OBE, I wanted to go straight back in again, but I decided to write down the experience first before I forgot it. When I was fully aware that I was out of the obe, the sense of fear and dread was automatically gone.
I had one other negative experience a couple years ago. I had never experienced sleep paralysis before, but after reading about it in Astral Dynamics, I experienced it that very night! I woke up, unable to move, and felt overcome by a sense of terror. Interestingly enough, I don't remember fear growing and graduallly becoming terror; it was more like I was slammed right in the middle of terror, like it came with the package. Maybe because that's what I read about and so subconsciously wanted to or expected to have that experience. Luckily I remembered R. Bruce's theory, that I was actually already out of my body, and instantly found myself standing in my bedroom. I passed right through the window, stood outside and gazed toward the sky. I jumped straight up hoping to head toward a star and enter an astral plane, but my body became really heavy and I woke up.
Fear has never been an issue with my obe's (except for those two examples), but I do struggle with control. I think when we do go into OBEs or LDs, our emotions, fears and desires become magnified.
Often as soon as I enter the trance state I become overwhelmed with excitement and forget the tasks that I originally set out to do. This is especially true with lustful/sexual desire :wink:
So far I think the key to keeping our fears and desires in check is to practice OBEing a lot until it becomes almost a mundane experience. (I said almost; OBE's are never mundane!) And I think its important to be on a spiritual path where self-develoment, gratitude, and the quest for unconditional love are the main priorities.
Still, a constant inquiry into the reasons for and mechanics of fear, desire, powerlessness, loss of control etc. is important...and fascinating. I would love for this to be a topic that people here contribute to!
Feelflowz
I was able to get out of a frightening OBE by picturing myself in a safe place in my mind, surronded by wolves. I suggest you creat your own special place and imagine some kind of protective creature or thing in it.