Exit Symptoms/Signposts

[Lumaza]

 The title says it all. What symptoms/signposts if any do you experience when you attempt or a achieve a OBE/AP from any technique? Here's a list of possibilities.

I think this will help new members see that they aren't alone and that almost anything that they have experienced during a OBE/AP, has been experienced by others as well. Possibly we can find some commonalities with what the most experienced symptom/signpost are.

1. Vibrations. By this I mean any vibrations other then the gentle buzz that you may feel when you first begin to have a OBE/AP.
2. Temperature change
3. Hearing an Astral Wind, high pitch or in some cases hearing nothing. Sometimes I experience the sensation of water plugging my ears, just like a person does while showering and they get water in their ears. It isn't really the lack of sound, it's just my hearing becomes muffled.
4. Eyes twitching or spontaneously opening.
5. Hypnogogic Imagery, as in shapes or colors that appear without any visual intent.
6. Heart palpitations. The feeling of your heart beating faster.
7. Loss of breath/feeling of suffocation or irregular breathing.
8. Physical pain. Some people report physical pain while attempting a OBE/AP.
9. Twitches or a part of the body spasming.
10. Sleep Paralysis. The lead blanket sensation falls under this category as well.
11. Hearing voices or any other external sounds not from your immediate surroundings or environment. By this I mean let's says for example hearing the sound of a Helicopter landing on your roof when there is no physical Helicopter present. I have experienced this one and it got surreal very quickly. Another good example is being screamed/yelled at. I had that happen too, lol.
12, A touch or grab of a body part. A feeling that you have been touched or that something external is holding/raising you. In this I don't mean the lead blanket/SP sensation. I mean the actual sensation of a "hand" or hands on your body.
13. Astral wind. With this, you feel like there is some kind of wind flow blowing on your skin.
14. Inner vibrations. With this you normally will feel the same situation you get when you get chills, but it lasts for much longer.
15. Phantom or etheric body movement. In this you normally feel like a body part is moving, even though your physical body is staying completely motionless.
16. None of the above. Some people never have experienced any symptoms/signposts of a up coming OBE/AP.  

Personally I have experienced every single one of these at one time or another. Sometimes I did and still do experience some of the things on the list simultaneously. Many of these come in different intensities, from mild to extreme.

If I missed out on any symptoms/signposts please feel free to add them to this post. These are the ones that I personally am familiar with, but I know there are more of them. Feel free to elaborate on the intensity you experience/d and any other helpful information you may have on this topic.

Thank You!

[Szaxx]

From my early days I'd almost agree to all. The SP wasn't one and the vibes you can count on one hand lol.
A 17 to your list would be feeling your deep in some liquid rubber. You feel like you're movements are very stiff and heavy. I had this a few times eons ago.
Today the noises of the astral wind and any I choose to make are very common.
No physical body sensations at all can be noticed once I switch them off.

[LightBeam]

My very first symptom was an earthquake shake sensation. After about two weeks of Buhlman's nightly visualization/motion technique, one night I was awaken by a strong earthquake shake. The thing is, I did not recognize, it, woke my physical body and jumped out of bed. I ran to the front door to get out, but I looked at the chandelier, and to my surprise it was not moving. Usually it sways for a long time even after a small earthquake. I was puzzled, then all of a sudden, I remembered that Mr. Buhlman had mentioned somewhere in his book, that inner earthquakes are type of vibrations, indicating frequency change. I smiled and went to  bed sooo excited because I just had gotten a proof that this is real and I am making progress. Surely enough in about a week, I was awaken again in the middle of the night during my sleep by a loud noise and extreme buzzing electricity like in my head. This time I was expecting it and had my very first full blown AP, which lasted quite long. I had full control and the excitement was off the charts.

So, my most frequent symptom is electricity like buzzing in my head, but very strong. No pain, just the noise and slight feeling of tension in my head.
I have experienced 1, 5, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. I have also experienced just floating during sleep, which wakes my awareness up and I refocus.
I have been awaken by sensations that some small creature is walking in my bed. I could feel the sinking of the bed beside my legs, with each step, the thing was making. That is quite creepy and scary.
One time only I felt eruption from underneath my mattress, I sat up, and I knew I was with my astral body. The eruption continued, I lifted my comforter and I saw small skeletons coming out of the crater. I freaked out and I said" if you need help, understand that you are free to do whatever you want. You dont have to be trapped". Then I sent thoughts of love and comfort to these I guess buried small children, and then the whole thing stopped.
In the beginning of my practice I would hear quite often gun shots.

[EscapeVelocity]

From the age of five to twelve, I had no remembered exit symptoms, I simply came aware realizing that I was already "out/somewhere"...some floating/drifting/bobbing etheric kind of sensations were present at times, or I was already flying.

At thirteen, I came across Monroe's first book and soon experienced vibrations, really rough and violent the first few times and in later years they continued to smooth out and soften, sometimes allowing an exit, sometimes not; the last several times a few years ago they were so delicate, they were more like an extremely high frequency, soothing kind of warmth.

At twenty, I had the helicopter sound once which translated into a hypnogogic visual of a black helicopter just outside my window which I floated out to investigate; what I consider my first conscious exit because I pretty much understood what was occuring at the time.

Beyond that it was mostly singular or combinations of symptoms as described previously. I would add a few more: Energy body sensations (however one might define that) including expansion, contraction, single pointedness reduction or expansion to near infinity at times; floating up/down/sideways and sidewise...lol; the absolute and very simple, yet undeniable, loud mental CLICK! which designates a shift of Focus.

Amongst them all are the occasional Dweller On The Threshold/ Fear Tests...the creepy crawlies like Lightbeam described, that come for you across your bed, lol. My last one was when I came aware in the middle of the night and was greeted by a woman leaning next to my bed (she was damn upset and having a bad, frizzy hair day) and screaming at me in a horrid and frightening fashion; caught me so off-guard that I screamed back at her until I realized that we were harmonizing our screams and I started laughing and sending her PUL...at which point she smiled, laughed and dissolved...

Later on, as my experiences evolved (?) along with the pretty much instantaneous Phasing shifts into OBEs/experiences I would get dumped unceremoniously into a scene, sometimes literally dumped on my butt, lol...I now get periods during the night where I don't even wake up directly, but gain enough awareness to know that some experience is occuring: a download of some unknown sort is taking place, a very mental type of discussion/sharing is happening, a visual is demonstrated, a musical piece is explored, or a complete ROTE as Monroe defined it, is downloaded such as my Fieldtrip experience, which did not unravel until more than two years later.

Fun stuff.

[Lumaza]

 Ok, so to add to the list we now have Szaxx's #17, which is feeling you are deep in rubber. I have had this feeling before as well. It feels like you are in some kind of suspended animation.

Lightbeam's experience makes #18, which would be buzzing in the head. Her "earthquake" analogy would sum up the intensity that the vibrations could be. That's why I posted that the vibrations are different from the gentle buzz that one may get upon the beginning processes of "non ordinary states of consciousness" as Stanislav Grof labels it.

EscapeVelocity, I was just coming here to add some more symptoms/signposts that I thought about last night, but you beat me to it. #18 Energy Sensations. These can come like you said as the feeling of expansion, contraction, floating up/down, spinning, tumbling, single pointedness reduction, etc. These sensations could also be "waves" of energy permeating up and down or in just one area of the body.

The last one that you said would be #19, the "click". The click could be known as a sound but also as a sign of a shift. I feel that the click would be one of the last things here experienced that shows you are already out per say. That term is also used in clicking in and out of consciousness. It was coined by Robert Monroe in one of his books.

Thank You guys for helping in this thread. I know some new members will find this information quite useful. The first time a spontaneous OBE happens to a person can be quite scary. It's also exciting. But now they can see that these symptoms are normal. But people don't have to "look" for them or attempt to initiate them. If they do happen it's best to passively observe them and stay the course. Like was said above, many people won't experience them period. You may in the beginning, but as you delve deeper into this practice they will just disappear.

[ThaomasOfGrey]

I have had number 12 before. I am curious about another variant of this though - on several occasions when I have been trying to project I get the distinct feeling that there is some kind of presence near my head. Moreover I feel a relegated sensation as if someone is putting their hands on the pillow my head is on. It is usually quite shocking, of course every time I have sensed it and opened my eyes there was nothing there and no explanation for the feeling of something touching the pillow.

[Lumaza]

 Tonight while listening to Tom Kenyon's 12 minute meditation named "A Bridge Between the Worlds", I experienced another signpost that I remember experiencing a couple of times before. This one we can call #20 and it has to do with pulsating lights. They weren't bright. The light seemed to come in waves, but it was definitely moving forward towards me. This could have also been something from the other realms. I thought of it as a symptom or signpost because it started almost immediately.

In this meditation, Tom says to just be aware of the space around you. He also says that with further practice you can just be that point of view. I have experienced the feeling of being a point of consciousness before many times. But this pulsation seemed to be a rarity to me.

Here's a link to his 12 minute meditation. Just relax and "be". https://tomkenyon.app.box.com/s/vvxo2gpr8vasl087q0sodttjwljo1czr

[Lumaza]

 Searching through past threads here I found this one created by Szaxx that is very good and fits the current topic of discussion here.
http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/welcome_to_astral_consciousness/hypnogogic_commonalities_wanted-t45515.0.html

[Astralsuzy]

I have had two very strange symptoms.   One time I heard what sounded like a helicopter in my room.   I could feel myself being moved onto this machine.   I was in this machine with a man and I was taken to a suburb and he left me there.   I do not know why I was taken there.   I should have asked.   Another time I heard what sounded like a hair dryer.   I could feel the cold air onto my chest.   I did not ap as that was very off putting.
This morning I took a deep breath and felt myself relaxing.   I imagined myself swaying and it felt like I was really swaying.   I was only swaying a little bit but it was enough to know I could get out of my body.   I spiritually walked out of my body.

[SleepyHollow]

Imagining myself swaying or spinning is something I'll experiment with. LightBeam also mentioned it in the other thread Lumaza linked to above. I have a vague memory of spinning sensations, and I sometimes wake up dizzy. I wonder if focusing on that will help me to be ok with letting go.

One thing I get 100% of the time when lucid is a feeling like a soft, warm vibration everywhere on my body. I don't notice it unless I check for it, but when I do it's always there.

I've experienced several of those other things without making much sense of them. A feeling of touching or a breeze, voices, images, knocks. Not much came of it most of the time, but it was passing things as I slept. Probably multiple times almost every night these things startle me awake, particularly sounds and faces.

I kind of wonder how often I wake at night and roll to my side, or scratch myself or whatever, without actually moving physically.

[Lumaza]

 Last night/this morning I became aware just before a oncoming spontaneous OBE separation. I paid particular attention to the entire process this time, actually slowing it down at times.

First came the ultra awareness and I knew that something was occurring. Next came the Astral wind/high pitch frequency and inner vibrations. But at this time, they were both occurring in flows or pulses should I say. A full OBE did not occur until both the sounds and vibrations became a consonant or continuous harmony. They were no longer coming in waves. Now they were continuous. Full separation occurred immediately following this.

[Tabac79]

I feel a loss of gravity and direction (up/down/left/right stop to exist), accompanied by a deep wierd distorted vibrating sound. Quite unplesant experience. Then BAM into the projection where it's silent (in the beginning) and crystal clear, my eyesight is way better compared to when i'm awake

[Nameless]

Wow, this is a lot of information. I have experienced everything on your list Lumaza, to one degree or another. Number 8, physical pain I have found goes away or becomes pleasant the moment you loose your fear of the pain.

EscapeVelocity mentioned the click. I am ecstatic to come across this. I had not seen this mentioned anywhere else and so have kept it to myself. So I am not the only one 

I have felt the click on a number of occasions and it is is always followed by what I call 'a download or an upgrade'. When the psychic energy is high I can often switch visual lenses simply by moving my eyes in a specific direction. There will be a lens change from whatever colors are swirling in my vision to a solid though 'thin' yellow. If I keep my eyes on that lens I will receive some kind of 'upgrade/download'. I don't know what I'm getting but I can feel it happening.

Can anyone else relate to this?

[Lumaza]

Can anyone else relate to this?

Yes, I have written threads based on all of those things. Clicking in and out can be a method used in "rescripting" as well.

http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/welcome_to_dreams/the_download_aka_the_forbidden_dream-t44872.0.html
http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/welcome_to_dreams/rescripting-t37506.0.html

[Nameless]

Yes, I have written threads based on all of those things. Clicking in and out can be a method used in "rescripting" as well.

http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/welcome_to_dreams/the_download_aka_the_forbidden_dream-t44872.0.html
http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/welcome_to_dreams/rescripting-t37506.0.html

Thanks I just opened those tabs.

[SCHMUSTIN]

@Lumaza,

I had an experience last night where I felt the vibrations really strong (This has happened twice now) and then they slowly calmed down but I was still vibrating slowly and comfortably. That is a sign to start looking at getting out of body correct?

So I tried visualizing myself hearing things, seeing things, moving limbs, etc... But could not get a separation. 

The way I was laying was on my side, again, as when I lay like that it seems like i can "will" the vibrations to come on naturally (Dose any one ells have this, or is it all in my head?). I had my hand under my head and a couple of my fingers were touching my forehead. I began to try and press my fingers into me forehead (just trying to see if i could move them). Where the skin to skin contact was I would get this "electrical" feeling/sensation when I would use my fingers to apply pressure to my forehead.

I ended up not making it much farther and woke up.

"14. Inner vibrations. With this you normally will feel the same situation you get when you get chills, but it lasts for much longer."

When the process was over I was awake laying in bed and I could not stop shaking. Almost like I was very cold.
I guess it was more like I felt so EXTREMLEY happy and loved that I was just shaking. To the point where my wife woke up and asked if I was OK.

Is this what point 14 above is referring to??

[Nameless]

Hi S, I can confirm that everything you have described is on point. In my experience when the vibrations happen you have a choice. You can interact with that energy or you can relax into it. Interacting is what you did with your fingers pressing your forehead. You can move the vibrational energy around. Just be ready to get some surprise reactions when you do. Also, if you do decide to interact you likely won't have an OBE, at least not right away.

On the other hand if you decide to relax into the vibrational energy field you are more likely to have an OBE. The problem will be relaxing into it AND staying consciously aware. OR you can relax into and just let yourself fall asleep. In my experience this works best as I will generally awaken already out. At that point you just have to stay in the experience. To do that just go with whatever is happening, don't question it, accept and observe. If there is anything you need to do you will know.

You are definitely on track and gaining ground fast. Stay with it and if you find yourself slowing down or having difficulty take a break and get some real world interaction. When you are ready (which may not be when YOU think your ready) things will resume. And remember all we can do is give you our own experience which varies by person so take what you need, what works and leave the rest.

Hope I've helped.

[SCHMUSTIN]

Hi S, I can confirm that everything you have described is on point. In my experience when the vibrations happen you have a choice. You can interact with that energy or you can relax into it. Interacting is what you did with your fingers pressing your forehead. You can move the vibrational energy around. Just be ready to get some surprise reactions when you do. Also, if you do decide to interact you likely won't have an OBE, at least not right away.

On the other hand if you decide to relax into the vibrational energy field you are more likely to have an OBE. The problem will be relaxing into it AND staying consciously aware. OR you can relax into and just let yourself fall asleep. In my experience this works best as I will generally awaken already out. At that point you just have to stay in the experience. To do that just go with whatever is happening, don't question it, accept and observe. If there is anything you need to do you will know.

You are definitely on track and gaining ground fast. Stay with it and if you find yourself slowing down or having difficulty take a break and get some real world interaction. When you are ready (which may not be when YOU think your ready) things will resume. And remember all we can do is give you our own experience which varies by person so take what you need, what works and leave the rest.

Hope I've helped.

Nameless, I get what you are saying about relaxing into them.
I don't know if you read my other post on here where my head fell through mu hand. But I did realize I was relaxing in them and letting them take over.

I guess the fear i get after that (where my head fell through my hand) now is keeping me from relaxing once they start to come on. I feel my body tensing up.

I was working on it last night and I think I made progress on letting the fear go. I feel good about the situation and I am open to what may or may not happen or be presented to me. I guess it is about letting go and let happen.

Thank you for the reply.

[Nameless]

I read your other post and laughed (not at you but to myself) when you described your head falling through your hand. I don't think it is all fear as you seem to be pretty okay with it, what I think is that it is just the bodies natural way of responding. So really all you need to do is convince your body not to respond to the falling sensations. And you're always welcome, we're all learning together.

[Lumaza]

@Lumaza,

I had an experience last night where I felt the vibrations really strong (This has happened twice now) and then they slowly calmed down but I was still vibrating slowly and comfortably. That is a sign to start looking at getting out of body correct?

So I tried visualizing myself hearing things, seeing things, moving limbs, etc... But could not get a separation.

Are you attempting a "Etheric body" separation or just shift in consciousness? 

The way I was laying was on my side, again, as when I lay like that it seems like i can "will" the vibrations to come on naturally (Dose any one ells have this, or is it all in my head?). I had my hand under my head and a couple of my fingers were touching my forehead. I began to try and press my fingers into me forehead (just trying to see if i could move them). Where the skin to skin contact was I would get this "electrical" feeling/sensation when I would use my fingers to apply pressure to my forehead.

You can get the vibrations going at will by making a inner shiver, akin to a cold chill. You could also stand up straight, close your eyes and start to sway your etheric body side to side. In a couple of minutes you will have a hard time keeping your balance. You will be actually feeling your body moving, even though it's completely stationary. These "etheric exercises" are very good for learning to "disassociate" yourself from your physical body. After a while all it takes is a simple "thought" to do it. It takes a lot of conditioning to get to this point though. At least it did with me. But this is why I stress the importance of daily etheric exercise. They are so easy to do and only take  few minutes. I always hear how people don't have the time and that baffles me. Just sitting here at the computer I can close me eyes and start a simple one of reaching with me "etheric hand" to the tree 200 feet away or I can close my eyes and visualize driving down road. Sure it starts with "imagination", but then the scene becomes alive and something unexpected may occur.

I find now that just watching  TV show without moving will get mild vibrations going, even with my eyes completely open. This is because my focus is 100% on the show and not on my body or anything else. Once again a shift in focus.

With Astral Projection you are shifting your focus from here to there, wherever "there" may be. How you do that is up to you. There are a ton of techniques to do it. You just need to find one you are comfortable with. Bedeekin's pre-nap technique is very good for a "etheric separation" from SP.
http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/welcome_to_astral_consciousness/fantastic_obe_technique_bedeekins_method-t31819.0.html

[SCHMUSTIN]

Are you attempting a "Etheric body" separation or just shift in consciousness? 

Not, that I am aware of, no.
This would be the first time I have ever heard of "Etheric Body".

Every time I have tried to bring on the sensations, I am workig toward APing.
Even if I decide to practice relaxation, it is with the sole intent to further my skills on APing.

I will look in to "Etheric body" more, as it sounds like great way to exercise the mind.

[Lumaza]

Not, that I am aware of, no.
This would be the first time I have ever heard of "Etheric Body".

Every time I have tried to bring on the sensations, I am workig toward APing.
Even if I decide to practice relaxation, it is with the sole intent to further my skills on APing.

I will look in to "Etheric body" more, as it sounds like great way to exercise the mind.

You experience your "etheric body" during what is known as a RTZ experience. RTZ stands for "real time zone". Your etheric body can also be known as your energy body. My daily exercises teach me how to feel things with it. Hence the feeling of motion when you simply begin to think or focus on swaying.

Here is a easy exercise for you. Clap your hands gently for 1 minute. Now do it with your eyes closed. Now stop clapping with your "physical" hands and keep clapping with your etheric hands. When you attempt this for the first time, you will find that putting that intent causes your physical hands to move. It takes a while and mental discipline before you can still feel the entire motion of the movement without actually moving your physical hands at all.

If you want a easier practice. Just close your eyes and try to move our finger without physically moving it. Now move focus on moving your hand. Like I said, you need to learn to walk before you run. But in time you get so good at this that you don't need to "leave" your body at all. You have disciplined your focus so strong that you can turn shift on and off at will.
For people that wish to learn more on this, check out these Stickies here:
http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/welcome_to_astral_consciousness/how_exactly_do_you_perform_the_phantom_wiggle_method-t44583.0.html
http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/welcome_to_astral_consciousness/the_doorway-t46013.0.html

Here is a fantastic thread that has the owner here Adrian, Frank Kepple, Ginny, Novice and others talking about creating their own paradise or "Happy Place" I call it, which takes them to all kinds of adventures. It begins with "imagination", but when you lock your focus onto whatever you have created, you will find that things just start happening that you haven't created, thus leading you to a new adventure.
http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/welcome_to_astral_consciousness/focusing_attention_within_and_my_f27_place-t2595.0.html

[SCHMUSTIN]

Decided to have a read over these again as I find I am having an issue separating and I feel as if I have missed out on numerous attempts this week alone all due to item 15 in the original post.

Would it not be nice if this process came with a personalized manual!!!

So Item# 15..... I have noted that the last couple weeks the main thing that happens pretty much every night while attempting the Direct Technique prior to bed is I will always have the feeling that my hands/arm and feet/legs are moving or in a whole new position. I analysed this last nigh pretty good and have concluded that indeed the feeling I have been having and they are actually moving.

Just need to figure out where to go from here. Everyone says just roll out or stand up with out using your physical muscles. This is taking a bit for me to grasp as i have no idea how to do this.

Is there a "TRICK" to moving that I am missing.

[floriferous]

To me it just sounds like you are not far enough along to try an exit technique. I don't pay much attention to smaller exits symptoms like etheric limbs moving. It just distracts you from the goal here. For me I wait for that clear shift in consciousNess. That is my cue to attempt an exit technique. With practice you just know when it's time. This is why i advocate indirect obe methods first.

My shift in consciousnees feels like an internal whoosh sensation

[Lumaza]

To me it just sounds like you are not far enough along to try an exit technique. I don't pay much attention to smaller exits symptoms like etheric limbs moving. It just distracts you from the goal here. For me I wait for that clear shift in consciousNess. That is my cue to attempt an exit technique. With practice you just know when it's time. This is why i advocate indirect obe methods first.

I agree. I feel that your anxiety is making you "jump the gun". The goal is isn't to bring on sensations. The goal is to project. I think you need to work more on that part and see the sensations for what they really are, a "Symptom/Signpost". The signposts are to be "passively observed" with a air of curiosity. This is why this "practice" takes so much "practice. If I could borrow a "gambling term", "you need to learn when to hold them and when to fold them". I like the words of a 38 Special song here too, Hold On Loosely But Don't Let Go, If You Cling Too Tightly, Your Gonna Lose Control". That pretty well sums it all up!  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJtf7R_oVaw

Edit: A friend of mine and former Moderator here named Contenteo once said this " I feel deep down, that OBE's aren't something to achieve quickly. Fast food is rarely healthy." I have found this to be true as well.