first time- not sure if this is a projection/a question about exit

[fernanda]

so recently, despite the fact that i haven't really been trying to astral project for the last few months, i've experienced what seemed like projections twice in 2 days. an attempt at daytime napping brought on intense vibrations, a felt myself able to move, i looked around and could see my bedroom. i tried to move but couldn't get further than the walls. a few seconds later i woke up in my body.
now these sure felt like projections but here are the reasons i'm unsure/wondering whether they were just dreams: - things in my room being slightly different (eg things on walls that aren't really there)
           - not feeling any kind of 'snap' or physical pull when i went back to the body. it was intsantanaous and without physical sensation.

another concern (if it was a real projection!) is that during exit the second time, i felt a strong sensation of being 'pushed' out from behind. it didn't feel like a malicious force, i assume it was just a normal exit sensation, perhaps simply caused by my will to leave. i'm just a little cautious about these things..

any thoughts?
           

[Summerlander]

Dear fernanda,

If you abhor the materialistic view that such experiences are illusions concocted by the human brain, then consider the views of Rupert Sheldrake and others alike where the mind extends beyond the body and permeates all reality.  In this view, there is no need for a separation from the body because we as a consciousness are, quite literally everywhere.

Where we are consciously, we are unconscious everywhere else (note that being unconscious of being at a certain location does not mean that you are absent).

Thus, wouldn't that explain the absence of 'snap' or pull when returning to wakefulness?  It was instantaneous and without physical sensation because there is no need for a physical sensation.  It is possible that even the sensation of separation is merely a translation of going from one reality to another.  It is your mind making sense of what is happening. 

The pull back to the body as you try to separate is a subconscious barrier that tries to tell you that it is where you belong or where you should be.  This barrier can be broken with confidence and expectation...hmmm...expectation!  A very important something to be considered when you're in that state, don't you think?

About being pushed out...your mind can produce these sensations from expectation, belief, fear and paranoia.  There is no malicious force or any sort of being with a separate existence doing it.  You are, albeit on a not so conscious level.  Like a false awakening that can turn into a nightmare only in this one you know you are there (in the metaphysical realm).

The slightly inaccurate abode replica is merely a badly simulated environment (from expectation and memory) as your mind's last attempt to make sense of what has happened.  It's a deeply ingrained belief-construct (because that is what it is expected of you to see when you move from the bed) which has perhaps been distorted by other more unconscious thought forms (wishes, what-ifs, possibilities etc.)

I have discarded the term "astral projection" ages ago.  What I'm trying to tell you here is that OOBEs and lucid dreams, in my opinion, are one and the same.  There is such a thing as a WILD (wake-induced lucid dreams) and lucid dreams in general can simulate the OOBE perfectly (which brings the "out-of-body" state into question).  Is it real or illusion?

After three years of entering this elusive state, I've come to the conclusion that one always moves in 'mental space'.  We enter the realm of thoughts and perceive them in the same way, or using the same representational forms as the ones that we use to perceive the physical and objective reality.  In the metaphysical realm, even movement, space and distance are thoughts.  The thoughts are experienced as though actual because you have altered your state of consciousness.  When you 'separate', you become the thought of you (this is very apparent when you decide to examine a perceived body which appears to be made of flesh and often resembles your physical self).

Being as pragmatic as I could, I have categorise the main states of mind as the following:

Waking State:

Also known as wakefulness.  In this state, people perceive the physical realm.  An individual who is awake is conscious, self-aware, and there is realism of perception.  The environment is stable and there is no required effort to enter this state.  The perceived world seems to follow set rules, and, only on a quantum level, do things appear to be less logical and more uncertain.

Dream State:

This entails non-lucid dreams and falling asleep is all that is needed to enter this state.  Self-awareness is absent and the unconscious mind often rules over the conscious one.  The dreamer is immersed in plots and often detached from waking life memories.  The experience can be vivid or vague, and, despite the instability, the illogical is accepted as being logical and true.  Certain techniques can be employed to boost dream recall.

Phase State:

This entails out-of-body experiences (OOBEs or OBEs) and lucid dreams.  Both are one and the same as a practitioner of this state has the distinct sensation of being elsewhere other than the physical body.  This elusive state can be entered before, during, and after sleep.  Effort is required in order to enter the phase voluntarily, although, some experiences are induced involuntarily.  The practitioner is conscious and self-aware in what appears to be a reality of a mental nature which often emulates the waking state experience.  One perceives a realistic phantom reality that can surpass the quality of the waking world, and, although phase environments can appear stable, they can also transmute.  It is possible to slip into the dream state from here and vice versa.

Now...

This is how the states differ according to the observed brain activity:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2737577/figure/F4/

Wake with eyes closed (WEC); REM (rapid eye movement); and lucid.  The "lucid" one is a hybrid state between waking and dreaming.  It is the source of lucid dreams and OOBEs.  Simply put, you know that your physical body is lying in bed but you have the sensation of being somewhere else in all its realism.  It is the phase state.  It is the only state that usually requires a little effort to enter (sometimes it is entered involuntarily.  You can enter it before, during and after sleep.  The "before" way is the hardest as this requires you to be adroit at becoming aware and maintaining this awareness during the hypnagogic state.  The "during" way can be hit and miss as you must become lucid in a dream (we call this entering the phase from dream consciousness).  The "after" way is probably the easiest as all you have to do is recognise that you have woken up and it doesn't take long for you to separate from the hypnopompic state. 

Another easy way is the "wake-back-to-bed" or "deferred method".  Anyway, a nap or sleep is an absolute physiological primer.  They certainly provide the necessary shortcut (nobody wants to waste time).

[Greytraveller]

Greetings Fernanda
From the description that you provided it would seem that it Was an OBE. Your confusion is understandable yet there are some indicators that you Were out of body.
First, the vibrations are usually an accurate sign that an OBE is about to occur. Vibrations are not absolutely necessary for an OBE to take place. But many people find it easier to deliberately go out of body (OOB) while vibrations are happening. (So the next time that you feel those vibrations it should be possible to deliberately go OOB.)
Second, some items can appear to be out of place or missing during an OBE. This is called "reality fluctuations" meaning that the astral counterpart of your room and house are likely to be different than the actual physical location. Usually these reality fluctuations are minor, as you noted

things in my room being slightly different (eg things on walls that aren't really there)

And last, it is normal for the inexperienced person to be confused during an OBE. It is a new experience and the (astral) senses are sometimes distorted or blurry. (This happens to me from time to time.) It is also best to try to get at least 20 feet away from the physical body as staying close to the physical body also can cause confusion, distorted senses and can even quickly end an OBE.

Regards 
Grey