OBEs and Diabetes

[Alex-Anderson]

I have been a type 1 diabetic for the last 22 years, and I have noted a lot of similarities with my OBE's and diabetes (mainly low sugars/hypos).
 
As a diabetic when your sugars become low you suffer with what is called a hypoglycaemic episode. The actual hypo experience can vary between diabetics, but generally when a hypo begins you lose concentration/focus and experience various symptoms such as agitation, perspiration, irritability etc.
With severe hypos that have usually happened from waking you are initially confused as to who you are, where you are, and generally reality itself, while on the other hand there is still some conscious logic that allows a response or reaction. 
 
This initial phase when waking with a hypo is exactly like waking within a lucid dream, or even to an OBE. In fact all the emotional and physical experiences are identical, and I still cannot believe just how similar the hypo state can be to OBE or Lucid Dream. 
I have often wondered about people that have experienced OBE's or any other form of non-physical experience and perhaps the lack of similar direct comparisons to experiences within the physical reality. I think the hypoglycaemic episode is direct comparison, but I would not say drugs would be comparable either due to the fact that drugs are usually not a repeatable controlled experience and can have a different recovery time frame.
 
I was having hypos before I ever had my first OBE and lucid dream.  When I first started having my OBE's and lucid dreams I would often during the experience try and test my sugars to make sure I was not having a hypo, but to my horror the experience did not envelope as I thought it should have done.  This conscious or subconscious act influenced my behaviour and awareness during the OBE as I was required to consciously recognise reality within the non reality environment.
 
Despite the potential danger of hypoglycaemic attacks, I have also found them as a training tool towards my OBE's. The hypos have had a positive experience to the OBE while ironically the OBEs have also had a positive experience to my hypos.
 
Both experiences have become more controlled, and I have found that I have developed a more heightened conscious awareness to both the physical and non physical. Oddly I have also discovered that low sugars during the night can induce an OBE.

[blis]

Interesting. So your saying having a hypo is like losing lucidity in the physical? Thast would explain it. I used to share a cell with a diabetic guy and he'd go a bit crazy when his sugar levels went low. He couldnt listen to reason. Even trying to convice him he needed to eat something was near impossible

[Alex-Anderson]

Yeah unfortunately oddly when your sugars get low you can sometimes enter a state of denial and become a little irate.  I sort of compare it to entering a stubborn young childish phase being told to do something you dont want to do.

Your mind can also be easily influenced and it takes a lot of control to stay focussed on your goal (which is to raise your sugar levels), however the positive side is a sugary drink has a rapid recovery time so there is often no post trauma that you have to deal with.

[Xanth]

When we're in the non-physical, you can get knocked out of it fairly easily and return to the physical.
When in the physical, it stands to reason that the same, likewise, can happen too. 

[Swesent]

A very interesting post A-A!

I am a Type-1 diabetic since 26 years back (diagnosed it when I was four). Everything you wrote about the low blood sugar symptoms fits perfectly with what I'm experiencing as well. However, I have not yet been able to complete a successful separation and thus can not comment about any similarities between them. My diabetes is partly to blame for a few times when I've been well underway to a separation but was "tricked" to abort. One symptom I have when my blood sugar drops (and sometimes when it gets too high as well) is that my heart rate increases noticeably.

This has made me pay extra close attention to my heart as it can give away an abnormal blood sugar level for me. And so, when my heart has begun racing during the pre-Astral Projection phase, I have gotten too worried to keep going and aborted the whole thing instead. I will definitely try and pay attention to what it feels like when I finally manage this feat and see if I can remember it and find some similarities with my diabetic experiences. (It wouldn't surprise me if I'm too worked up to remember it the first couple of times though.)

[Alex-Anderson]

Wow - will have to PM you about this, excellent to know there are others out there as well.

Don't worry the confidence eventually aligns between the condition and APs/OBEs but as you know diabetes management can be somewhat deep rooted and I know this from trying to test my sugars during my OBEs, but I feel type 1 diabetes can provide an extra advantage to the whole projection scenario.

I have found my sugar range needs to be lower to project than higher. In the UK sugar level measurement my levels need to be 4.5-5.5 to successfully project. Anything higher can cause the experience to become slightly corrupt.

I still believe that there must be something in insulin chemically that allows easier opportunities for OBEs or APs.

[Swesent]

Wow - will have to PM you about this...

Please don't hesitate to do so whatever you'd like to talk about! I may very well do the same at some point (if that's OK of course).

We in Sweden use the same measurements as you do and somewhere between 4.0 - 6.0 mmol/L is what I typically strive for as well. I'm still too new and inexperienced when it comes to Astral Projection to have thought about any possible correlation between sugar levels and the condition to Astral Project. Therefore I'm very thankful that you mentioned this to me.

I do have a slight tendency to have a little higher blood sugar when going to bed. I shall really put en effort into correct this - for the sake of my health of course but also for an improved chance to succeed with my AP-attempts if what you're saying is true - which it very well may be! And having a too high bs-level makes me really feel it and if I do I will certainly not be able to put that feeling aside until it has been corrected.

Best of luck to you Alex with your APs till next time!
(And feel free to send me PMs in Swedish if you happen to be from around these parts - "Alex Anderson" happens to be a very Swedish sounding name.)