A developing OBE?

[falsetigerlimbs]

Last Sunday, I was laying in bed. I had been taking a nap, but had been awake for about 10 minutes when this occurred, trying to get back off to sleep.

I heard a clicking noise in my head, like there was a bug inside my skull, tapping to get out.

Nothing happened.

Then, after a few minutes, I heard strange noises in my ears, like white noise kind of, with a beeping mixed in. Then my body started to feel really strange. It was vibrating, and felt like it was rising up. I panicked, and tried to move to grab my cell phone to call for help, but I couldn't move! I could see my blinds moving up and down, and I started panicking even more, and then, it was over. I was crying and shaking uncontrollably; I thought aliens had been trying to abduct me! It felt like my body was being sucked up.

This morning I googled the aspects of my experience, and the thing that kept coming up was OBEs. I have had experience in the past with strange occurrences, mainly with things disappearing and reappearing in different places before my eyes. A friend and I also got stuck in what I initially thought was a parallel universe (lol) where we couldn't move out of this 200ft long area of space. No matter how long we walked for, everything in front and behind us stayed in the same space. Then, my friend was thrown back, the bonfire we had initially been near suddenly reappeared, and we could move again.

After I read that it may have been an OBE, I decided to take a nap. I awoke from my nap as my alarm went off, and then tried to fall asleep again, but at the same time trying to remember what my past experience felt like, trying to induce it.

About 10 minutes past, and then I heard the same white noise, and my body felt like it was vibrating again. This time I decided not to open my eyes, since my vision was what scared me before, and simply to explore the sensations. This time was much more intense, I felt my body rising, and as I concentrated more on that I felt like something was being sucked out of me. This time, I was able to remain more calm, and it actually felt quite peaceful for a while...but eventually, after about a minute, panic set in again, and I was jolted back to reality. Oh, I also saw a faint image of a desk when my eyes were closed, right before the experience ended.

Does this sound like a possible OBE, or perhaps part of one? For those of you who have successfully left your physical bodies, is this what it feels like?

I'm not sure if I'm completely off base or not. I'm on anti-seizure medication for bipolar disorder (which I don't think I have), and anti-schizophrenia medication for OCD, so I'm pretty sure it wasn't a seizure, or a hallucination. So the question remains: what was it?

- Kirsty
(19/F/CA)

[Dragonhawk]

Hi there and welcome to the forums.  :welcome:

What you describe is the classic start to an OoBE. The paralysis is quite normal and is commonly referred to as 'sleep paralysis' or SP. This occurs when the body is asleep but since your mind is still awake you are able to feel it still. Most of us also along with the SP feel a vibration as if your whole body was humming and a slight electric tingling sensation. The best thing to do is not to fight it but go with it. The sounds you mentioned are also quite common. Many report what sounds like rushing wind, pops, bangs, whispers and the crackle of electricity.

Don't worry about the panic as that will fade the more you practice and understand whats happening. You will find alot of friendly people here to help you with advice and encouragement.
:thumbsup:

[falsetigerlimbs]

Thank you!

Today I managed to induce the same thing I felt yesterday. Before I post all of the details of what I experienced, I have a simple question:

When you have left your body, do you feel just like you're awake, does it feel like a conscious dream, or is it in a class of its own? (I read somewhere on here that an OBE is a conscious dream, but does it FEEL like one?)

I had an experience today where after the usual vibrations, noises and rising sensations, wooden poles appeared down the side of my bed and I stood up on my bed and started climbing them. My body felt really strange, kind of pulsating and shifting, and I remember feeling the metal of my bed and the wood under my feet. However, I didn't feel completely awake. I was conscious of what was happening and had full control of myself. I marveled at what was happening, and thought about where I wanted to go. Then I was laying down again, still pulsating. I could still see the poles. Then they vanished and the pulsating stopped.

I didn't think to look down or to look for my body when I was climbing. I did however look at my hands when I was laying down, before the poles appeared, but I couldn't see them?!! They alternated between being completely transparent and semi-transparent. My cell phone screen was also transparent. I could see through it to my bedroom wall.

Does this sound like a lucid dream, or an OBE?
Let me know if it would be helpful for me to include more details?

[CFTraveler]

falsetigerlimbs wrote:

When you have left your body, do you feel just like you're awake, does it feel like a conscious dream, or is it in a class of its own? (I read somewhere on here that an OBE is a conscious dream, but does it FEEL like one?)

All of the above. One of the theories is that when you dream, you are projecting, but are still 'in' the body, just not in phase with it, the normal way.  So a projection can be realistic, as in you're completely lucid but can fly, etc., can be cartoonish or dreamy, theoretically because the dreaming part of the mind is in charge, for whatever reasons... but I have never had a projection where I wasn't completely lucid- in other words, if something was absurd, I knew it couldn't be real, therefore was prob. a dream (or low-energy projection.)  In my case I wouldn't have 'accepted' the freaky bed thing as normal.  But then again, I don't know about anyone else.

[falsetigerlimbs]

I have never had a projection where I wasn't completely lucid- in other words, if something was absurd, I knew it couldn't be real, therefore was prob. a dream (or low-energy projection.)  In my case I wouldn't have 'accepted' the freaky bed thing as normal.  But then again, I don't know about anyone else.

The freaky bed thing? Do you mean how the wooden poles appeared?
So it's only a projection if everything is how it should be; nothing can appear that's not really there? Is that what you're saying...?

[The Present Moment]

I read somewhere on here that an OBE is a conscious dream, but does it FEEL like one?

Check this thread for info on the OBE/LD debate. I would say you had an OBE because of the exit sensations. My OBEs are never anything like my dreams, but that's because my dreams aren't very lucid.  :confused:

[Dragonhawk]

I had an experience today where after the usual vibrations, noises and rising sensations, wooden poles appeared down the side of my bed and I stood up on my bed and started climbing them. My body felt really strange, kind of pulsating and shifting, and I remember feeling the metal of my bed and the wood under my feet. However, I didn't feel completely awake. I was conscious of what was happening and had full control of myself. I marveled at what was happening, and thought about where I wanted to go. Then I was laying down again, still pulsating. I could still see the poles. Then they vanished and the pulsating stopped.

This sounds like a transition from the dream state (ie. climbing down the wooden poles) into the projection state.

When you have left your body, do you feel just like you're awake, does it feel like a conscious dream, or is it in a class of its own? (I read somewhere on here that an OBE is a conscious dream, but does it FEEL like one?)

Good question. I can't say for others but for me it's almost like being awake but with emotions subdued a little. My sight also has what seems to be slight haziness to it, like I am looking through a fog or mist. A conscious dream or LD (lucid dream) is different in that you can sense that it is a dream. Your surroundings will be really strange (well they always are in my case). In some cases you can mistake an OoBE for a dream but rarely a dream for an OoBE

The more OoBE's and LD's you have the more you will be able to tell the difference.