In depth explanation of my attempts. I really really need advice.

[ryan1337]

     I am going to do the best to describe the consistent experience and result of my OBE attempts in the best detail possible. Before I begin, thanks so much for taking the time to try and help me!

     I usually try to attempt at night before bed (I know it's supposedly the worst time), and the afternoons that I get a chance to. My usual setup is in my room, in my bed, lights off, usually no blankets on me, a pillow or two under my head, a fan on for white noise. I close my eyes and begin focusing on only my breath, and the darkness of my closed eyelids. after 5-10 minutes of this, I feel I am calm enough to try and project or hopefully get close to it. This is where it gets confusing for me.
   
     I start to feel less of an attachment to my body. Mainly in my hands and feet. It feels as though it would be harder to move; I.E if sleep paralysis is a 10, this is probably a 5-6. however, I've very rarely had this sensation throughout my entire body. At this point, I start to see some very interesting patterns of energy/light with my eye, maybe my third eye; I'm not entirely sure of the difference just yet. The crazy thing is, I almost ALWAYS see nearly the same thing! The color always begins as yellow, and I see a dot. Out of the corner of my vision, a yellow figure is pulled towards to this dot, sometimes head first, sometimes feet first and he slowly rotates around it while being sucked in and becomes one with the dot. Sometimes, it's two figures on opposite ends. Slowly, this becomes all I see and it keeps repeating and repeating until the point this figure looks less and less like a person. I give no attempts to maintain this image, I do my best to passively observe, but it just keeps happening. Anyway, when I FINALLY pass this stage, I start seeing some deep purples and greens but usually nothing coherent enough for me to associate an image with it.
At this point in time, I'm trying to exit. I get some vibrational activity, try to imagine moving my arms around as vividly as possible, and want so badly to leave it nearly breaks me when I can't. I have never felt the sensation of controlling my astral body, and I'm not even sure i've been consciously acquainted with it yet. By then, I feel like I've given it everything so I usually give up and sleep, or go back to my computer or whatever I was doing.

That's about all I can think of to explain. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[blis]

Have you meditated on the vision you keep getting? Sounds like it could have meaning.

I'd be inclined to even try using it as an exit method. Become the figure being sucked around and into the dot.

[ryan1337]

Blis,
   I've always felt this has a meaning, and maybe that it's some sort of a message from my higher self or maybe even other beings. At least twice now, I've seen these figures standing around me that are the exact same energy as the aforementioned pattern. I'm never sure of what they want, but they always seem very friendly. I have tried to become one of the figures, but it hasn't really seemed to help.

[NoY]

I think you just need to stay in trance for longer, these images are just that images,

when you go to sleep at night you just wink out you need to be in the same frame of mind as you are when your deliberately trying to go to sleep, then if you can keep a sliver of consciousness you will pop out

often i loose consciousness and wake up as I'm leaving, i would also suggest a different time of day
morning when you are rested or after lunch

i think you are doing great you just need more time

:NoY:

[ryan1337]

NoY,
    Thanks for the advice! I'll try and work on that. I've generally been trying to stay WIDE awake which may not be the best strategy.

[Lionheart]

 "At this point in time, I'm trying to exit. I get some vibrational activity, try to imagine moving my arms around as vividly as possible, and want so badly to leave it nearly breaks me when I can't. I have never felt the sensation of controlling my astral body, and I'm not even sure i've been consciously acquainted with it yet". (Sorry I don't know how to box quotes on here yet.)
You first talk about seeing the colors and shapes, which shows you are in tune to the Astral. But then you go back to your physical body as you try to "imagine moving arms". You should just stay with the colors and shapes and let that progress into a full blown projection. You haves the vibrations, the hypnogog imagery, now you just need to let it go deeper. It sounds like you are either all ready there or very close, now is the time to use your Astral intent.
One other thing I find of importance, you have trained yourself for years to relate bed to sleeping. Try to Phase in a comfortable chair, lazy-boy etc. You will then train your mind that when you sit in this chair it is time to Phase. All mental programming that you do helps in achieving your goals.
Good Luck and Safe Journeys!  

[ryan1337]

Thanks man! I'll definitely try and see where I can go with my visuals (:

[ryan1337]

P.S What is astral intent?

[Lionheart]

 What you wish to see, where you wish to go. It starts with visualizing a simple scene. Something like sitting by the side of a river, at first just watch the water. Pay attention to the water flow is there a current, is there any rapids? Now look upwards slowly, are there any trees. What's in the scene? You will see that now your entire focus is here, instead of on your body. Now you can change your focus/intent to anywhere you would like to be, anything you would like to see, ask a question of your guide, etc.

[ryan1337]

ooh. So this will induce an OBE? When I appear there, will I have an astral body or will it be remote viewing?
thanks

[Lionheart]

 You will be there, at least your conscious will. Your physical body is a vessel that aides you here in the physical world. Your conscious can be wherever you wish it to be. 

[light487]

That "dot".. focus on that.. ignore the bodies and other things moving in toward the dot. Notice they are there but remain focused on the dot.. when the images clear, keep focusing on the dot.. If the dot disappears keep focusing where the dot was.. in fact even when the dot is there, try to focus just beyond the dot by a few inches or even a foot beyond it. Use the dot as a point of reference to "gaze" at and allow everything else to happen without even thinking about them.

As others have suggested, I think you simply need to remain in the trance a bit longer.. you should use your intent affirmations before you reach this state. So when you reach that point of calmness that you said made you feel like you were ready to begin.. that is what I call my launching point, or starting point. (e.g. of intent affirmation: "I am greater than my physical body and because of this I deeply desire to understand, use and experience my greater energy and greater energy systems beyond my physical form." or something liek that.. I forget the full Monroe Institute affirmation.. it's a long one and hard to remember unless you repeat it a bunch of times.. but it's more about intent than it is about saying words in your head).

[light487]

You will be there, at least your conscious will. Your physical body is a vessel that aides you here in the physical world. Your conscious can be wherever you wish it to be. 

To expand on this.. you are actually "there" all the time ("will be there" implies that you are here now and then at some future point in time, you will be somewhere else). Just that your awareness is primarily focused on the physical body and physical sensory perception when you are fully conscious. Meditation and AP/OBE practise is a means to allow your body and all of its physical senses to "switch off" while you still remain fully conscious.

Normally when your body 'goes to sleep' and your senses "switch off", your conscious minds switches off too because there is no sensory input. Then after some time it begins to 'dream' and so on. You essentially need to reach that same point but in a fully conscious state. As you get better at staying conscious, not to mention your mind and body growing accustomed to doing this, the process will begin to become easier and quicker as well as more consistent.

Only continual and regular practise, like with anything, will see you through.

[ryan1337]

Light,
     Thanks so much for the advice! I've always had a feeling that dot is important somehow do you think there is any significance to me seeing the same thing so frequently?
                       thanks <3

[light487]

No significance really, not in the way you mean. It is significant/relevant to you in that it is what you see when you close your eyes.. heheh.. it's your own personal set of imagery.. Maybe later when you can sort the trash from the treasure on your own, after many months/years of practise, you might be able to find the true significance of it.. but for now.. don't read much into it..

[ryan1337]

Haha alright works for me (: