Almost there

[Leranomek]

I have been attempting to induce a conscious OBE for about a year now. I must admit, I only practice sporadically so I often find myself starting at square one again.

Recently I have had a couple of unconscious near-OBE's. I would wake up at about 2:30 – 3:00 in the AM with all the classic symptoms: mild vibrations, a ringing in the ears, energy sensations etc. I would feel like I am at the threshold and I merely have to push slightly to induce some sort of OBE state.

However, something is holding me back. An irrational fear response prevents me from taking that step into the unknown. After waking up, I would feel very disappointed in myself for having been afraid. Afraid of what, I ask myself? I don't know. Rationally there is nothing to be afraid of!
Fear of the darkness and what could be lurking there? Cant be, I'm not a kid anymore! 
Fear of the unknown™?  Damnit, I WANT to experience the unknown, that's partly why I'm doing this in the first place!

Am I just not ready yet? Is the fear I'm experiencing acting like a safety mechanism of some kind?

So here I am, still trying to have that coveted conscious OBE, but I have a feeling that wherever that fear response is originating from will also rear its ugly head when I reach that specific pre-OBE state consciously.

[Token]

Congratulations on getting to the threshold.  You are 90% there.  Don't worry too much about the fear.   Fear is a huge issue for a lot of people on the threshold of projection so you are definately not alone.  There are a couple things you can do to prepare yourself for this.  Probably the most significant is to constantly remind yourself during the day, that if this happens again you are just going to do it.  This is no different then preparing yourself to perform in a play for example.  No one can just get up on a stage and expect to pull off an acting performance without first preparing and psyching yourself up for the "big opening night".  You have to have confidence that only comes with preparation.  Basically you just have to commit to it.  You have to tell yourself that these opportunities only come along once in a great while and next time it happens, nomatter what you are feeling, you are going to do it.  The other thing that might be helpful is to basically just free yourself from what you perceive to be consequences.  If a person has fear of the stage, even after preparation, it is usually due to a fear of the consequences if the performance goes badly.  What will the reviews be like, how will this affect my future acting carreer, how will my friends see me now, etc.  Your fear of projection is also based on similar issues.  Will I die, will I be unable to return, will I run into a monster.  etc.   No, you won't die, yes, you will be able to return, yes you might run into a monster, but so what, you are stronger then it is and can easily win any battle.  So next time you are in this situation, don't waste it.  Just remember there are many here who would love to be in your shoes.