Dim OOBE?

[jub jub]

Last night I felt the vibes and had a case of sleep paralysis, a first for me. Anyway, using the "roll out of bed" technique I projected up and out of the house. The curious thing about this particular OBE was that everything was dim and I had trouble seeing. I commanded "Clarity Now!" which helped but not a lot. It was almost as if I was dreaming but at the same time I was aware of my thoughts and actions. Perhaps I just went into a lucid dream state instead of the RTZ.

Can anyone offer any insight as to what this was?

[MisterJingo]

Hi jub jub, a lot of OBEs I've had in the RTZ at least start off like this. It's almost like (to me) I am aware but still feeling sleepy, like I have not fully woken up yet. This has led to a number of scenarios where I've questioned if I am actually awake but still half asleep mentally.
A common factor in such experiences (and I guess most experiences in the RTZ) is that everything seems to be bathed in a (beautiful) blue light.

I guess one explanation could be that the paralysis state by definition implies parts of the brain/mind are still asleep – so when projection occurs through this state, ones faculties might be reduced (depending on to what degree parts of our brain/mind are still asleep).

[Rewen]

Maybe you needed to get further away from your body.

[jub jub]

Hi jub jub, a lot of OBEs I've had in the RTZ at least start off like this. It's almost like (to me) I am aware but still feeling sleepy, like I have not fully woken up yet. This has led to a number of scenarios where I've questioned if I am actually awake but still half asleep mentally.
A common factor in such experiences (and I guess most experiences in the RTZ) is that everything seems to be bathed in a (beautiful) blue light.

I guess one explanation could be that the paralysis state by definition implies parts of the brain/mind are still asleep – so when projection occurs through this state, ones faculties might be reduced (depending on to what degree parts of our brain/mind are still asleep).

MisterJingo, thanks for the explanation! It makes perfect sense but I needed to hear it from someone with more experience.

You don't suppose that the fact that I had a few pints that evening had anything to do with it, do you?  

[Selski]

Hi jub jub

I too experience this on a fairly regular basis.  

I have "blind" OBEs where I am still able to know (via some sense) where everything is.  I believe Robert Peterson called it "astral mind sensing" and a description of it can be found in the Astral FAQs - http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=17866.

I've also experienced tunnel vision where it felt as though I had goggles on.  And dim OBEs too.

What I have found to be the most productive solution over the years is to simply ignore the darkness/blindness and get on with what you are doing.  You will realise at some point that the lack of sight has disappeared.  

I have found that drinking a moderate amount of alcohol actually enhances my experiences.  I think it's because it enables me to be more relaxed than normal, thereby getting me in the right "state" to project more easily.

Before I ever visited the RTZ, I never dreamed about being in my bedroom.  I suppose there is the possibility that once having had RTZ OBEs, we then dream about having RTZ OBEs.  But it's hard to classify all these experiences.  It seems to be about awareness.  

Lucid dreams only seem more important because of the heightened awareness possibly?   :dont-know:

I'm coming to the conclusion that the key to OBEs (for me anyroad) is relaxation.  That's all there is to it.

Anyway, I'm digressing...  :blahblah:

Sarah

[MisterJingo]

What I have found to be the most productive solution over the years is to simply ignore the darkness/blindness and get on with what you are doing.  You will realise at some point that the lack of sight has disappeared.  

I agree with this. I've had many OBEs where I've not only had no vision, but the sensation of being OBE is very faint too. It's like I roll out and have a very vauge sensation of being on the floor. In such circumstances I've learnt to crawl away, whichs seems to strengthen the sensations, and before long i'm in a full-blown OBE with sight.

[jub jub]

Oh yea! You guys are describing perfectly what I was experiencing.

Up until this point, all my OBE's have been very lucid. This one was equivalent to getting being stuck in the mud and having to fight my way out. Like you mentioned Selski, I hung in there and gradually the lucidity increased, although not quite as lucid as I would have liked.

As a footnote, this particular OBE was my longest, probably 5 minutes or better and I seemed to have pretty good control!