Hello, from Earth...

[AsparagusBerry]

Hello everyone, I want to start by introducing myself, My name is Gina, I live in Washington state, which is beautiful and inspiring. I have been attempting to astral project for over a year, but something is holding me back...I have probably attempted it about 15 times, to no avail. The only sensations I have really even felt are tingling around my third eye, and tingling in my extremities. I have tried various techniques, such as "growing" out of my body, "swinging"  out of my body, envisioning myself floating upwards out of my body, *and as a mist escaping from my third eye; this was the most successful technique, I use it when my third eye starts to tingle.

I don't know why I am having such a hard time, I feel that I am very in tune with my inner forces, and I can will my energy to flow into others.

Do you think that wearing jewelery could be the cause of my failure?
another thing that I feel is inhibiting me, is my inability to relax my face muscles...I keep finding myself tensing my eyes, like I am trying too hard to keep them closed and I find it too distracting when they are open.

Thanks a bunch!
Gina

[Prophazuh]

I don't know why I am having such a hard time, I feel that I am very in tune with my inner forces, and I can will my energy to flow into others.

You're probably just trying too hard.

Do you think that wearing jewelery could be the cause of my failure?

If it's distracting you in any way, then yes that can be part of the problem.

another thing that I feel is inhibiting me, is my inability to relax my face muscles...I keep finding myself tensing my eyes, like I am trying too hard to keep them closed and I find it too distracting when they are open.

Maybe you should try tensing your facial muscles, hold them for like 10 seconds and then relax them (as one would do in Progressive Muscular Relaxation).

I think it would be best if you stopped focusing on your eyes being closed and relax while gently focusing on your 3rd Eye or your breathing or...

Also, a blindfold may help (?).

[AsparagusBerry]

I haven't thought of a blindfold, but that might just help...I use progressive relaxation, tensing all of my muscles, including my face, and it seems to help for the first 10 minutes or so, then I realize that I am tensing them (eyes) again.

The jewelery is not a distraction, and if I take my jewelery out, its sort of difficult to get it back in...however, I did try it the other night with no jewelery, and I didn't feel as grounded..that's probably just all in my mind though.

I know I am trying too hard, but when I let everything go, I fall asleep...

I really...really don't want to give up on this, I know there is more out there, and I want to experience it...but I am starting to loose motivation big time.

Thanks for your input, it was very helpful.

[Steel Hawk]

In my experience metal on your body will prevent you from projecting, or make it extremely painful, or harder.

Here, try my method "No Technique", nothing else worked for me. I need someone to test it anyway, since you're falling asleep it might work for you. You don't need to do anything differently than what you do when you want to goto sleep. In fact, that's a rule *Don't do anything other than what you'd do before going to bed*. Maybe stretch, loosen the joints, that's it.

First, observe how you fall asleep. Think about what happens before you drift off, think about the last thing you can remember. For example...

There you are after a hard day, you finally feel like sleeping. You crawl into bed, pull the covers over your body and try to get comfortable. In the darkness you think about anything that may be on your mind, after awhile you push it away and say to yourself "Enough, I'm tired let's just go to sleep", little trickles of thoughts and ideas whisper faintly through your mind, perhaps one is a nice warming thought that helps you relax. Finally your mind feels heavy like it's on some drug, you hear a faint buzzing noise before you slip away.

Maybe it's not exactly like that, maybe it is. But you must observe how you fall asleep, most important all the experiences you have 30 seconds before you sleep.

I don't want you to try to have an OBE, that will only make it harder when using this method. Sure before going to bed you'll know that it is your goal -- to have an OBE, but you're not really going to put more effort into it that you would trying to lift you finger.

This is a hit and miss method, you may fall asleep multiple times before getting this to work. But it doesn't matter because it doesn't require you to lay still for an hour while focusing on a trance state and breathing like a yogi, there's really very little effort so if you fail over and over again so what?

Now, my method works by finding something you can focus on that normally happens when you go to sleep. Meaning, if you always here a buzzing/ringing noise just before going to sleep this could be your focus point. Or perhaps you always imagine something like what would do with a million dollars, and you then turn it into a dream, the fantasy would be your focus point.

If you can't find anything that happens, then make one of the above happen, everytime you go to sleep listen for a faint buzzing noise and focus on it, then fall asleep. Or make up some nice dream for yourself, get involved and fall asleep.

So it will become part of your natural unconscious sleep process. This may take a few days if it's not something that already happens. Once it is, or if it already is continue to the next step.

It's vital that you've observed how you fall asleep, so that you'll know when it's about to happen. If you want to you'll remember "Hey this... just... happens... before.. I fall.. asleep..."

Once you reach that point you are to bring up your natural unconscious sleep process.

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For example, you realize your about to fall asleep (or a few minutes from it). And also suppose that for the past few days you've observed that you hear a faint buzzing noise before going to sleep.

At that moment you aren't hearing that buzzing noise, but you can tell your going to go to sleep any minute now. Now we want to consciously bring about that noise. Will it in to existence and focus on it.

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Or for example, you realize your about to fall asleep (or a few minutes from it). And also suppose that for the past few days you've observed that you have fantasy dream like scenarios imagined in your head before going to sleep.

At that moment you aren't having a fantasy, but you can tell your going to go to sleep any minute now. Now we want to consciously bring about that dream like state. Will it in to existence and focus on it.

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So with either example, bring about that focus point, it's all that matters, that noise, that dream, you want to pay attention to it, make it more vivid, more in focus. But that is all that exists right now. Not your thoughts just that focus point, focus, focus, that's all that there is, nothing else.

You want to barely try to stay awake, barely, while only thinking about your focus point.. Don't think too hard, but don't loose your focus either.

You only need to keep your focus for 30-60 seconds if you time it right. As, you need to time it just before you would normally be going to sleep.

If everything happens as it should then you should suddenly find your heart speeding up, your body paralyzed and vibrations soon to come. (At this point whatever you will be focusing on will have disappeared). Remain calm, clear your mind and now try to project.

The theory behind this is like this:

There's an easy way and a hard way. Imagine that leaving your body is like breaking out of a prison. There would be several ways to do this.

Some would say the obvious way out would be to scale the chain linked fence and run, of course you would have to do sit ups and push ups and get in shape so that you could be quick and run away fast.

This would be a "Yin" or Hard-style active technique. Force on force. And that's how most OBE techniques are.

Now another way would be to hide on top of a prison bus leaving after bringing in a new batch of prisoners, being very still and silent let the guards drive you out.

This would be a "Yang" or Soft-style passive technique. Which in Kung-fu I've found to be most useful. Do not swim against a river, flow with it.

If your subconscious (the guard) sees that you always hear a buzzing or have a fantasy before falling asleep then he will not think anything is amiss. In fact, it's part of the process he will say -- she always does that. Your subconscious will think -- she will be going to sleep soon, I better start the engine and get the bus under way... and he starts to drive while you barely hang on -- not letting him know that you have hitched a ride.

And then you're out of the gates and there is nothing he can do to stop you.

[Steel Hawk]

But about the metal thing, just to be clear I wouldn't worry about it -- you'll know if it's stopping you from getting out because you'll feel pressure at the point where the metal is, if it is indeed preventing you from having an OBE.

And if you continue to push past it it will become pain, again only if it is stopping you.

[AsparagusBerry]

Steel Hawk,
Thanks, I don't think my jewelery will hold me back, I have never felt anything negative, or any pressure.

I observed myself falling asleep last night, and I really didn't remember much about it. I fall asleep very fast, I don't know if that makes a difference, but I will see if I can try to focus on willing a buzzing sound into existence tonight, and see where it goes from there.