Questions from a "newby"

[tr0798]

I'm fairly new to this... so i have a few questions ... I would really appreciate it if someone could answer my questions. Let me describe the situation I had today and yesterday before I list the questions:

For the last few days, I've been attempting to have an OBE. Yesterday afternoon, I managed to remain conscious until I reached REM sleep. However I was still had auditory and tactile perception (could hear the air conditioning and my computer fan, and could feel my eyes moving uncontrollably). I began to feel a tingling sensation and a rush of energy over my whole body. I realized I was coming closer to having an OBE, which caused me to become extremely nervous. My heart then began beating rapidly out of nervousness which woke me up. I felt slightly dizzy after I woke up.

This afternoon, I attempted the same thing.

My first attempt I managed to hold onto my consciousness through the entire hypnagogic imagery. After a few minutes, the imagery disappeared and I felt as if I was fully awake, and just lying in my bed. I was just getting ready to open my eyes and look at the clock when the muscles in my neck went limp. My head drooped over to the side and my eyes started twitching, indicating I was in REM sleep. Once again, I was still fully able to perceive auditory and tactile sensory. After what seemed like 30 seconds I felt a rush of energy and tingling. Once again, my nervousness and my rapidly beating heart brought me out of this state. I was able to re-enter REM a few seconds after that, but it lasted only a moment. Immediately after that I decided to get out of bed and check something up on an IM that I received while I was asleep. These events happened in a period of about 25 minutes.

While I was at my computer, I still felt as if I was asleep.

After about 10 minutes at my computer I decided to make another attempt. On my second attempt I reached REM much quicker than on the first attempt. Just like in the last two attempts, I had full sensory awareness through the whole event. This time however, I was able to prolong REM without waking up. The energy and tingling feelings came and went every 15 seconds or so. After a few minutes, I noticed that I no longer had any normal feeling of my arms or hands. They felt as if they weren't part of my body, but were still there. What was odd, was that I felt as if my right hand were on the side of my body, when in fact I had both my hands on my stomach. This annoyed me greatly, because I knew that was not where it belonged. I focused on having my right hand in the correct location. After a few seconds of concentrating, it felt like it snapped into place over my stomach. The energy I was feeling seemed most concentrated on my hands. I started trying to focus on building up the energy more. The more I focused on it, the more it built up. Eventually I got to a point where I wanted to see if I could lift up my disembodied hands. I started lifting my hands, but could not tell if it was my astral hands or my physical hands that were moving. My hands felt cool, as if I had dipped them into water. I came out of REM sleep immediately after this and looked at my hands, which were still on my stomach. For some reason I think I was actually lifting my physical hands, which caused me to wake up.

Ok, now that you've read my rather in depth story, here are the questions:

1. Does this sound more like sleep paralysis than the beginning of an OBE?
2. If it sounds more like sleep paralysis, how can I prevent myself from having sleep paralysis instead of an OBE?
3. Is it normal to still be able to have physical sensory perception of things around me before an OBE?
4. Does anyone else reading this see anything similar to what they've experienced?
5. Does anyone have any suggestions for getting my astral body out of my physical body, without moving my physical body?

[Dr.Acula]

1. Does this sound more like sleep paralysis than the beginning of an OBE?

It seems to me that you started in a sleep paralyse, and once you felt the rush of energy that was the beginning of an OBE. but you freaked out and that's normal for a beginner. I still get scared sometimes by all the sudden energy rush and heart beating. All you need to do is stay calm and you'll be out in a second.

2. If it sounds more like sleep paralysis, how can I prevent myself from having sleep paralysis instead of an OBE?

You don't prevent it, you actually want it!, because sleep paralysis is like a gate to OBE. once your there all you got to do is have the intention and strongly think about leaving your body. and it will be helpfull to try any exit method that you prefer so you can trigger the OBE faster.

3. Is it normal to still be able to have physical sensory perception of things around me before an OBE?

From my experience. Yes. and sometimes you'll be completly aware of what's happening near you in the physical world while your out of your body! oh yes!, Not to mention the "double vision" and some other crazy stuff. its normal.

4. Does anyone else reading this see anything similar to what they've experienced?

Oh yes it happens to me all the time and I'm sure there's lot of people here who share the same experience as you've had.

5. Does anyone have any suggestions for getting my astral body out of my physical body, without moving my physical body?

Try The Rope Technique -google it- when done right it triggers the astral body pretty fast. at least for me it does.



good luck!

[Drift]

Fear is very normal, remeber whatever is happeing its not "normal" for your conscious mind. Its easy to get freaked and easy to panic. Sometimes you even have irrational fears and start imaging shadows lurking around you.

Its a question of understanding that you arent the first or the last to have it. Everyone whos experience it has probably been down the same pathways. I started you with compulsive experiences, but since they stopped ive had to work my way back using techniques. I believe in fact my own fear from my last compulsive experience is what ruined them for years.

Dont be dismayed, it happens. Just laugh at yourself, relax and try again, eventually you will lose the fear quick. You might sit up in panic but you will calm fast (happened to me last night when it felt like someone tried to yank me through my chest!), you smile laugh and realise you just blew the exit and try again.

The worst thing is once you know, because a blown exit will normally kill your next exit that night stone dead if you are using forced techniques, so its a bit of a downer but you live and learn. Im still kicking myself for last night.

Remeber the exit despite what some people say in the majority of case is SHARP and BLUNT. It literally feels like someone just reached into your body, grabbed hold and gave you the motherlord of tugs right on out and believe me the first time it happens you will freak right out Once you can get over it things are all nice and floaty and you have the gazillion problems of movement and spacial understanding to cope with, really thats a real grump to overcome. First times you will just kind of float round and round, but hey, its very fun so you'll enjoy it, you always wanted to fly right?

Later you will get a more balanced experience, more controlled and sometime you will just just a plain nasty experience so be prepared!

[tr0798]

Just curious... how intense are the "vibrations"? I think I felt it today, but it was pretty weak. To put it in more quantitative terms, my normal heart beat was a lot more noticeable than the vibrating feeling I felt.

[Drift]

People talk about vibrations but after many experiences in my life ive never felt them or had any need of them.

Just an addition, maybe the 'vibrations' are describing tingling? I do tingle slightly as the body sleeps but its very slight and I dont pay much attention to it anymore. I suppose also the experience probably differs ever so slightly depending on the body, at least id guess so. Only have one body so cant test the theory.

I used to have complusive ones and those were preceded by a tingling which feels more like "shivers down me spine" than anything else, nothing more dramatic but in alsmot every compulsive Ive had I felt the tingling.

In method experiences ive neither felt nor had need of vibrations. The experience is not physical so for me vibrations will not help do anything except hold you back. Ignore your body once you feel it going numb just completely switch your brain into thinking about soemthing completely disconected, I use a blanket or blackness, or sometimes I image a universe and planet, whatever it doesnt matter as long as my mind isnt thinking about anything physcial and forget all about my sleeping body ill get there.

Once the body goes numb you are 90% there to be honest its just getting your mind clear and forgetting about the physical thats the last hurdle, not so simple but with practice you will master it no problem.

Im not knocking anyone elses methods here, but experience taught me simple is best and the simplest route works I know that for a fact. For me its quick and simple and it doesnt involve any kind of complexity. I let the body go numb and then I start forcing my mind to think about a single disconnected thing and boom shake the room im out of there. The times I fail its because I panic at the suddeness of the exit, sometimes the yank can be very freaked out, but overall im ok.