New to OBE and out of control

[RisingSon]

I'm an expat American living in Japan with a great interest in other worldly travel since before I can remember.  Except for a few lucid dreams and experiencing SP a dozen or so times, I've only traveled once on purpose, and that happened just last week.  No, I'm not a drug user or an alcoholic, just a middle age guy living in a foreign culture.

That experience was an induced OBE. It took me 46 days to achieve this goal.  I used the typical techniques out there - first keeping a dream journal, doing reality checks while awake (I used Castaneda's method of looking at my hands), and then visualizing using the target technique that William Buhlman talks about.  So, I tried to first induce a lucid dream via the MILD method and then shifted focus to inducing an OBE.  That shift worked, I think because I'm very familiar with entering SP, but in the past I never tried to leave my body since I was scared to crap.  Now when I enter it, I have no fear feelings regardless of the sensations felt.

I won't go into the details of the OBE, but I can tell you that I failed getting out of my body at first and found myself back in the vibrational state a few times between attempted separations.  This all occurred in one session. Eventually I used the "float to the ceiling command" and I not only floated, but shot out of my body hitting the ceiling hard with my face and chest!  From there I managed to find my body in bed to verify I was really having this experience and not just some crazy dream.  It really was me.  Of course I got silly at that point and actually kicked the sleeping me twice!  Then my projected self got scared because the physical body started making noises, apparently about to wake up.  I shot of there in an instant afraid the two might meet.  Lots of other stuff happened, much of it very dream-like in that it wasn't part of consensual reality per se.  I did remain "in the house" the whole experience until the end when I feel asleep into a lucid dream. 

So what, right?  Here's my question:  any advice of how to proceed?  I seemed rather out of control once out of my body, rushing around and doing impulsive things.  Now that I know how to get out, what can I do next to calm myself down and do things more deliberately?

Thanks, I look forward to your input.

[Xanth]

Thought is movement. Thought is control.
You've just gotta keep your thoughts under control.
That's where practice makes perfect. 

[nickspry]

Hi,
It is difficult to remain calm, especially when you first start projecting. I still find it hard to remain calm and focused even after five or more years of doing this. One thing that can help is to plan your next outing in advance. If you have some kind of mission or pre-defined task worked out, you can get straight to work on it as soon as you project. If you log these tasks in a journal, it helps to keep you focused and motivated.

[Xanth]

Hi,
It is difficult to remain calm, especially when you first start projecting. I still find it hard to remain calm and focused even after five or more years of doing this. One thing that can help is to plan your next outing in advance. If you have some kind of mission or pre-defined task worked out, you can get straight to work on it as soon as you project. If you log these tasks in a journal, it helps to keep you focused and motivated.

That's a very good point. 
It's something also highly advisable.
Always have a specific goal or destination in mind for your projections... especially if you're aiming for etheric.
Read about where you wanna go.  Look at pictures of the location.  Stuff like that.

[RisingSon]

Thanks for the suggestions guys.  It certainly makes sense to control thought through a practical task.  This being my first true OBE, my task was simply to take control of myself during SP and then get out of my body, and I did that 3 times in one session, so I feel it was a good experience.  Now it is time to move more intelligently.  Any suggestions about good sources for reading up on the various otherworldly realms?  I've done some basic reading about them, but nothing specific as such.  I'd be happy just to wander the lower Astral the first few times.  It is incredible to even imagine this is so possible.

BTW, my movement much of the time was that of a wild animal on a hunt, or maybe the proverbial kid in a candy store, or maybe a guy reaching an oasis in the middle of the desert...

[TNAstral]

I spent my first year OBE'ing just figuring out how to get out of the room, then flying around the city. It takes time to progress, but it's a fun and educational process. Definitely have a mission in mind before you go out like others suggested- it makes it easier to focus once you make it out. My first destination in the upper astral planes was the Akashic Records. I spent more than a year there meeting my guides, taking steps, asking questions, and progressing when they felt I was ready. It was frustrating to go back to body when I finally got to a new progression point, but it gave me something to look forward to. I got some information about planes from the site that led me to this message board: http://www.astralvoyage.com/projection/index.html.

Hope that helps.

[ka0s]

I havnt read through the other posters but here is my recommendations:

-Set goals for each projection. My OBEs started spontaneously at the age of 16 then they stopped from age 18-20. Then they started back up again and i learned how to induce them. Read about OBE's. Even if its like 30 minutes a day or 10. Read as much as you can. If you mind is on OBE's, you will likely have more projections or your attempts will increase atleast.

The purpose of having a goal for each projection is reaching it. Willing your mind to reach a goal will help your experience Some of my earlier goals were: setting a glass of water out in the kitchen table and going to bed really thirsty then going out of body to get the glass of water. Later projection goals were trying to read documents on tables as well as sitting on my roof, to going to my mailbox and to flying. I have not gone to where some others have yet and i've been having them since 16. I've flown quite high but I still have some fears about going further into the sky. I believe i have seen different planes but my visits have been brief.

I notice when dream imagery floods my experience and i've learned to increase this range of the experience around my house.

I know exactly what your saying about remaining calm. I remember when I first started inducing my OBE's I would get super excited and the experience would be ruined. Or I would get scared and return to my body once I barely exit. I would just recommend just trying to go with the flow until you have control. Meaning--even if you have the heightened level of consciousness to not remain calm, try to not resist separation. Hopefully this may help even 1%  

[RisingSon]

Thanks again for the comments.  They all make sense.  I'm going to start small, just seeing specific items in the house well, then maybe walk or fly down to the local convenience store...honestly though, I can't wait to get out of this world.  Thanks also for the interesting link!