Technique Central

[akadrase]

Thank you, Ill try entering an obe through a lucid dream next time I have one!


THANKS AGAIN!!

[CFTraveler]

I've been asked for mine; since I can't rewrite mine, I'll just post it again, with more detail.
1-Relaxation exercises, physical (progressive muscle relaxation) and mental- Color breathing. (Breath in different colors, breathe out whatever you like, change colors as you do it, or 'balloon breathing', which is breathing white in, black out.
2-More pranayama- that is, more 'directing the air' breathing exercises, maybe counting, do your own version of it.
3-Energy raising- the full-body circuit, (NEW) or the Microcosmic Orbit (eastern).  If you're so inclined, you can work on other more esoteric exercises, like Regardie's techniques.
4-Trance Techniques:  Usually the elevator thing, or the air balloon thing, mainly anything that makes you feel like you're going 'up.'  After a bit of that, do the opposite, like 'walking down steps counting', or the 'slowly falling leaf' visualization, or any other that makes you feel descent.
5-Energy body loosening- mainly offshoots of 'bounce' techniques, or meditative techs that exteriorize awareness.  There are many, google is your friend.
6- At this point you should be fairly tranced.  If not, repeat 4 or 5.
7- Go on to 'noticing'.  This is where you passively observe the blobs (or lack of them) in front of your eyes.  If the mind wants to chatter, let it for a short time, then actively silence it by dividing your attention between between the 'space' in front of your eyes and the earhiss you hear.  This tech was invented by a fellow named Birm (or something like that, and he called it the 'Triangle' tech.  I thought I had 'discovered' it until someone disabused me of that notion.  So hear hear, Birm.
At this point you should start to hear 'stuff', or see 'stuff'.  If so, you can prepare to phase or have an OBE.  If you are having some sort of symptom (vibes, visions) start working on an exit technique (there are many: Rope for vibes, waterski or 'rocking' for the sensation of movement, 'leaning' into or 'rollout' for slow movement- you decide.
If no dice, go back to trance techs and energy body loosening.
If phasing, 'lean into' the landscape that you are slowing down or making closer.

One of three things should happen.  You project, or you fall asleep, or you become awake.
If projection happens, give yourself a pat on the back.
If you fall asleep, change your schedule.
If you wake up, then you need to possibly change your schedule, or do longer relaxation and other preliminary stuff.

Good luck.

[traynor]

This may sound silly, but the best technique is need. If you actually need to do something that requires an OOBE to accomplish, you are far more likely to be successful than laying on your bed wishing and hoping.

Necessity also tends to bypass the ritualistic "techniques" that seem to go on endlessly with little or no effect. Unfortunately, OOBE is like a lot of other things--practicing failure is not a good way to succeed. Specifically, there seems to be little point in continuing to "practice" a technique or process that has been a failure for weeks, months, or hundreds of sessions. What, exactly, makes you believe that "today will be the day that it works" when it has failed dozens (or hundreds) of times before?

I know a number of people who are adept at OOBE. In nearly every case, the initial experience resulted from need, not desire--they needed to do something, be somewhere, learn something--impossible under ordinary circumstances. Of that group, not even one was able to achieve OOBE through ritualistic practice of techniques. Further, in years of associating with people who do OOBEs, I have never encountered even one who was able to develop the ability--they either had it or they didn't. If they had it, it could be developed, but if they didn't, all the training and practice in the world can produce little more than a subjective experience impossible to externally validate. Internal experiences are not OOBE.

In that sense, OOBE is a bit like remote viewing; as Joe McMoneagle observed, if a prospective remote viewer doesn't have the ability coming in the door, he or she is unlikely to have it walking out--regardless of how many hours of training and practice are involved.

Does that mean that only a realtively few may be capable of OOBE? I don't have a clue, but it would be an easy conclusion to reach, given the number of people who intensely desire to do it, and the relative few who succeed.

[Beau]

Well I think it really blows that Traynor's post is the last one in this thread so I'm posting.

I haven't had a controlled OBE and the two times I've gone OBE I was not using a technique, but I am certain that whatever I did can be replicated. The moment of slipping out is the big mystery for me. The closest I got to getting out consciously was when I first read JOTB by Monroe and I tried his technique for several nights then I had just nodded off and I woke up in the middle of the most intense vibrations I could ever imagine. It scared me beyond all words...And I'm sure that old fear has an effect on my ability to relax fully. I believe any one can do it and that if someone says only a few can then I say it's like trying to figure out how to ride a bicycle by reading a book about it, rather than being able to watch it and have someone show you how its done. Just because it is a tedious process doesn't mean you should give up unless you want to. I know plenty of people who have taught themselves to do this and I know some who do it naturally and are totally freaked out by it.

Just my two cents because I hated for this thread to end on a downer-- No offense intended, Traynor and I do agree with those who say if you are not ready it will not be given to you, at least not in a meaningful fashion, but I don't think it has to be a conscious need to learn that governs the process.

Yours,
Beau

[Zasifras]

I use a couple of techniques to get out.  First I will say that I have a floating problem.  Many OBEers try to float or fly or visualize getting lighter, I can't do that for whatever reason.   Even when out of body I can't "fly" easily, but I can bound or jump.  Its kind of like walking on a very low gravity planet or moon if you want to imagine that.

Because of this some of the techniques where you visualize floating up or rising don't work for me.  I eventually gave up on them after numerous failures.  Instead I use the following:

1.  Sinking/Lead technique - I've heard shamans use this method, though I have no other info on that than stories.  Its simple enough, once you get your body into a super relaxed state with mind awake, imagine yourself being very, very heavy.  Sink down through your body, the bed, the ground etc till out.   Works pretty well.   Though I have had a few experiences where I just kept sinking uncontrollably through I don't know how many layers of rock strata.   But usually once down I can redirect myself elsewhere easily and go from there.

2.  Rubber Band technique - Once again get into the relaxed body mind awake state.   Then I start gently pushing back and forth with the astral body "loosening" it.  The trick here is to do so without moving the physical body.   Each cycle I push a bit further out so that I'm "rubber banding" back and forth stretching the astral out of the physical and then bouncing back.  Eventually I pop out of the physical entirely.  This can be used with other techniques too.  Rubber band to "loosen", then use another technique to get out.  The rubber banding seems to make it easier to get out.

3.  Roll out technique - This is a standard which I first read about from Monroe's books.   Works but not always.

As for mental projections I've tried that method, but I can't always visualize (as in actually SEE see) where I want to go and thus can't "push forward" to get there.   So I have had limited success with that.   But I find if I can get out another way I can redirect myself to where I want to go once out anyway.

Also of note is that I find that I can get out using these techniques on the right side of my body.   So sink through the right side, or rubber band out of the right side, or roll out of the right side.  I have no idea why I have success on the right side, it feels to me like there is some kind of "hole" or negative space there, not sure how to describe it.  But I thought Id mention it as users might find that there is a particular direction that works better for them than simply going "out the front" or "top".

[AstralBlogger]

The technique I use is pretty simple for those used to the energy body. I will put numbers below on how and when you do each step.

1.Stay sitting up and focus on the energy in your hands don't force it just let it flow

2.Once the energy is in your hands focus on your elbows and then your shoulders

3.Focus on your neck then your head then your chest and then your stomach

4.Focus on your thighs then your legs and then your feet and each toe

the reason I brought this technique to the table is once you get better at it when you start focusing on just your hands.
Your whole body will begin resonating making it a lot easier for you to reach the vibrational state.

Happy Projecting!

Tell me if this helps you guys!

[Summerlander]

HOW TO ACHIEVE AN OUT-OF-THE-BODY EXPERIENCE

GETTING PRIMED FOR INDUCTION:

Wake up earlier than usual and keep active during the day. Have a nap or sleep in the evening when you are tired. Preferably, the nap or sleep should be dreamless. For example, you can nap for two hours in the evening and then stay awake for an hour and a half before induction, OR, you can go to bed late and sleep to wake up between 4am and 6am to induce. This doesn't have to be followed strictly but it may serve as an initial guide.

INDUCTION:

Relax:
Lie down comfortably and close your eyes. Your eyes are to remain closed throughout the induction. Relax as deeply as you can and take your time. Be patient and don't rush it. Make sure that you are not disturbed. There are many books about the various effective techniques you can use to acquire a deeply relaxed state, but, because you have biologically primed yourself for the experience, it should be fairly easy for you to do so without having to read up on it.

Focus on something:
It could be a mantra or a familiar object (the latter does not have to be visualised to perfection). Do this as you sense that you are drifting off to sleep or when your mind starts to wander. Keep bringing your mind back to focus whenever it gets 'lost'. Keep still and relaxed and do not fall asleep! Whatever you focus on will start to take a life of its own as you relax deeper and deeper. Focus on your 'something' until you reach the hypnogogic state (the state near-sleep).

The Hypnagogic State:
You will know that you have reached this state once its imagery or potential dreams begin to invade your point of focus. Being aware in this state is already an achievement. Prolong this state by passively watching its imagery, and then, slowly begin to clear your mind until you see nothing but blackness. When this happens you have gone beyond the hypnagogic state and are still conscious.

Sleep Paralysis / Vibrational State:
Remain still and relaxed. Let go of any worries relating to the physical body. The trick is to let your body 'switch off' as your mind is still very much awake. This may involve resisting any urges to move or scratch itches as the physical body sends signals to the brain in a test to determine whether the mind is asleep or awake. Your body will start to feel extremely heavy  and there will come a point where you will not be able to move it. Remain relaxed nonetheless and have no fear. Eventually you will lose all sensory input and only your thoughts will remain. Robert A. Monroe describes a technique for kick-starting vibrations in his book "Journeys Out of the Body" but they tend to occur naturally at this point. The vibrational state can be mild or strong. It can vary from mild tingling, warmth, and the sensation of low voltage electricity flowing through the body. Strange sounds are reported during this stage. Hissing that seems to pulse in your head, sparks, thunder-like sounds, rumbling, wind, electronic sounds, a person moaning (I have likened it to a woman giving birth), ocean waves, something like a train running, a helicopter etc. - people tend to describe the same thing in different ways but the state itself can vary too. It tends to peak before it gradually fades. Vibrations are strange but remain calm and don't analyse what is happening to you. Just act as a beholder or go with the flow. The level of sleep paralysis seems to determine the mode or type of experience you'll get or at least they appear to fit in with the classifications I've come up with according to certain distinctions I've made.

Separation:
You can try partial separation first as practice before attempting full separation. Partial separation is optional. There are many ways of achieving a successful disassociation from the physical body. Here's a couple of examples:
- Think that you are getting lighter and how nice it would be to float upwards. Alternatively, you can imagine that the ceiling above you is a huge magnet that counteracts gravity and pulls you upwards.
- You can slowly roll over and out of the body. Do this subtly and as though you are moving physically but without using muscles. It is best to start by rolling over from the head and the rest of the body will follow. This movement is not imagined, it is done with intent. Once out of body you will realise that you did not move physically, you moved incorporeally.

What happens next?
Once you are out, explore! Do not get overexcited and have no fear or doubt. Stay out for as long as you can and don't worry about getting back because you always do in the end. A variety of experiences are there for the taking and open to interpretation. From inter-dimensional travel, space exploration, alien encounters, meeting strange spiritual entities, visiting the living and the dead, time travel etc. etc. Remember: whatever the nature of your experience and however profound it may be for you, try to look at it from a viewpoint free of preconceived ideas. For instance, seeing a luminous being who starts singing the most beautiful melody you have ever heard does not mean that you have just met an angel. Consider both subjective and objective perspectives. Record your experiences in a journal. Feel free to carry out experiments of your own to try and determine the nature of your experiences for yourself.

Mode 1 OOBE:

Your awareness seemingly remains in the physical realm, or what could be interpreted as an accurate simulation of the waking world upon separation, and, therefore, is able to see the physical body (autoscopy experienced). Sometimes the colours of the physical world will appear strangely muted, as if the world is being observed through a faint mist, and other times the colours will be clear. Vision can be hard to describe here, almost mixed with a feel of the environment and appears somewhat different to vision in the waking state. You can obtain information in the physical realm which was previously unknown to you, or information of events which at the time you couldn't possibly have known about through your physical body. This statement, of course, has to be taken as conjecture if one considers the nature of coincidences and cryptomnesia. Nevertheless, in this type of experience you are usually a floating point of consciousness and movement seems constant and gradual as though one moves through 'frames of space' or "mouse-trails". At times, the experiencer may consciously or unconsciously manifest a transparent or shadowy body. One can phase into a more metaphysical type of experience from here. In other words, from Mode 1 you can shift into the realm of thoughts.

Mode 2 OOBE:

You may find yourself in what appears to be an inaccurate emulation of the real world. Familiar objects may be out of place or absent, sometimes unfamiliar objects are seen, and other structural anomalies may be observed. This is the metaphysical realm where dreamland and anything that the imagination can conceive can manifest. You can visualise an environment of your choosing as everything appears to be representations of thought, or even visit what appears to be the worlds of others, the latter being that which you believe you have not imagined. The environment can seem extremely real, sometimes displaying a crisp and bright hyper-real quality that outshines our waking reality. Some experiences here seem to indicate that one is also capable of perceiving what's on the minds of people who are awake, thus this type of experience would enable telepathy if the experiencer peruses the minds of the visited. One may also perceive an inaccurate replica of what the person is doing in the physical realm because, even as we think during the day, we are constantly projecting thought forms in that frequency. Mode 2 is easier to achieve than Mode 1. My experiences suggest so as well as indicating that there is a whole other reality or more appropriately, perhaps, more to reality than meets the eye.

I induce next to my sleeping wife too. Sometimes she fidgets and ruins it all. If you find this too much of a hindrance, just make an "OOBE bed" on the floor or do it on the sofa when you plan to have one.

During the sleep paralysis stage and when you get hypnagogic imagery, try not to get excited. Just act as an observer...

Don't worry about vision until you are out. Once out, vision relies more upon the wish to see rather than the 'tactile' feeling of opening your eyes. Don't worry so much and have a relaxed approach. Sometimes vision is there already. Sometimes it's partial. And sometimes you come out in darkness.

You're welcome.

[Simo]

When you reach the prime time point they're slightly off from each other. Almost like a bad trace drawing laid offset over the original drawing if that makes sense to you.

Yes I've been watching this for some time--when i move my arm no matter how slowly,it leaves some sort of foggy trail.are you saying that one can see his astral body?

[ShaMagus]

So, im new to AP, but have been doing LD for some time. But for several reasons ive not practiced for a year and now im rebuilding my skills. Ive been drawn to start practicing AP and for that ive started my meditation practice again as i realize it is paramount to learn to be able to go deep into different states of consciousness to AP. While practicing meditation, i also read up A LOT andfill my mind with everything AP related, so its possible i will have spontaneous AP, since i realize it takes a lot of practice to induce one from waking state.

What i then do while waiting for the spontaneous AP, is to practice at least 30 minutes of meditation each day and also get up early in the morning around 6 to try to meditate myself into a consciously induced AP. Been feeling sensations of expanding, floating and also of a presence, but not heard the buzzing sound. Also, i think ive felt small tinglings in my body, but i get excited and must start somewhat over

If anyone can help me to improve this protocol, feel free to reply.

[Travellingmist]

I have two techniques that seem to work well with me. These might take a little practice to get right. They sound simple but it's amazing what the mind does to keep you in the physical. As I naturally travelled astrally as a kid anyway, I don't need these techniques - I just take off. But sometimes I do this to make sure I still can go into the astral if I for some reason can't just will my body out.

T1 :

I go to bed, semi-tired, and lie down on my back. I focus on a point in the room until I feel the need to shut my eyes (normally after 10 minutes but sometimes I will close my eyes if my brain doesn't send signals to do so). Normally at this point I will lie on my side with my legs bent in my natural sleep position. I then focus all my energy on keeping still to try and trick my body into thinking it's asleep (the hardest part of this is to not fall into the trap of moving when your body says it's uncomfortable as it's your body way of testing that you are indeed asleep). I focus on my legs until they go cold and numb, then I work my way up the body. Next I try and wiggle a finger to make sure I've hit sleep paralyis and if it proves difficult, I will move on to the next stage. The next stage is pretty easy. I imagine myself sitting up and then *POOF!* I'm out.

T2 :

I normally do this one in the day around noon but have done it at night and in mornings too. Sit in your chair or lie down, make sure you aren't disturbed or have background noise like the TV on. Just be natural - don't lie down in an unnatural position because, contrary to popular belief, this won't work.
You need to focus on the silence around you - if you are new to this technique it's best to shut your eyes so you take away any visual distractions. Your brain will automatically fill the silence with noise known as 'white noise'. Focus on that white noise. It will probably sound quite faint at the start but will get louder the more you focus on it.  If you are lucky you might hear someone call your name (that'll be your guide) but don't be afraid. Next, when you have established the white noise and can focus on other things, you need to focus on your forehead. You should see an eye staring back at you after a while or you might feel your head tingle.
You now need to imagine your head getting bigger and your perception broadening. You will notice the white noise you heard so faintly at the start is now sounding like a jet engine next to your ears. Don't fear it. Try to move your astral limbs and get up.

[Travellingmist]

Oh and I forgot to add - everyone is different so you might get all or none of the warning signals like breathlessness, tingling, buzzing or anything else. Personally only after T2 do I get the buzzing. I normally have signs in that I'm astral by the colour and perception of the room (like seeing hues rather than a solid colour). As weird as it sounds, I don't always realize I'm astral until I get a sign like seeing my body in bed or seeing something non physical. As of this moment, I know by immediately finding myself on the lower planes...ugh. 

[sac_boy]

After reading all about various techniques in the early 2000's,  I settled on a few that worked for me.

1) Induce sleep paralysis, raise the static in my ears to fever-pitch, then just roll out.

Inducing sleep paralysis is sometimes as simple as going to sleep on my back if I'm already fairly well-rested--like if I take an hour's nap around 8pm, then go to bed around 11. Or take an early-afternoon nap after a good sleep the night before. No special effort required, but sleep paralysis can be hit-and-miss and often eithet doesn't happen, or isn't 'energetic' enough for a decent OBE (lots of dragging myself through dim, treacle-like versions of my room).

2) Like 1), but instead of trying to go via sleep I sequentually relax my body (feet, hands, legs, arms...) until I can no longer feel my limbs and torso. Then, I just wait. If I have an itch, I scratch it. If I need to stretch, I stretch. But the key is just getting as relaxed as possible, getting numb, waiting 5 minutes to an hour, then recognising the sudden weightlessness and either stepping out or rolling out.

3) Meditation. Probably the most productive technique in the long run. Again on my back and comfortable, I focus on the sensations of one part of my body as I breathe. E.g with my hands on my chest, I feel my hands rise and fall, and keep my focus on that as much as possible. Give it time. That leads to extraordinary experiences, not just the OBE. I once felt myself rise out of my body but maintained my focus, as an experiment--meditated in the 'astral', if you will...and that body fell away too. I entered a new space, was given a whole new perspective.

[sac_boy]

I should mention that nothing worked for the first year or so of trying, until I had a dream that a friend was at the top of a dark flight of stairs, inviting me to walk up. I took one step and the dream dissolved, I was in my bedroom, had partially left my body and had rotated 90 degrees at the hips--my legs had gone through the bed, and I was waving my arms in the air. I looked at my hands and saw just a faint electric outline. Amazing sensations that first time. The next day, or very soon after, I had my first fully-controlled exit...went running down the driveway to make as much space as I could between myself and my body, and was scared sh*tless by a small grinning asian man who told me to relax and slow down.

Those first experiences lasted about as long as a single held breath...remember to breathe.

[arkain744]

I've had the most success with disrupting my normal sleep pattern. I'll set my alarm to go off in the middle of the night, then I'll sleep in a different position on the bed, like sideways or something. This usually let's me be more aware of my body falling asleep. What also works for me as well is taking a nap after thinking about leaving my body and reading heavily on the subject and being focused on projecting.

[metaphysicist]

Background: I am a novice at OBE's but I have gotten out on 4 separate occasions and moved around my house. I have been meditating for about 2 years and specifically got into aiming for an OBE around 1 year ago, inspired by Robert Monroe's works.  I have been through the first 4 waves of his Gateway CD's, doing each of the 24 exercises several times over the course of a week before moving onto the next.  I had some success in particular with remote viewing.  However, my OBE's were not directly related to listening to these CD's. 

My method: I wrote down all conscious OBE's that I recall in my diary immediately after the experience.  Here is what they had in common:  I have only been able to project in the hypnopompic state i.e. while coming out of sleep, and in general have had many brief but unusual experiences during this state aside from OBE's.  My method is:
1.   I verbally repeat an affirmation 5 times to myself as I am close to falling asleep for the night: "I wake up slowly and deepen my hypnopompic state to have conscious, positive out of body experiences that I remember." 
2.   My alarm rings a couple hours before my normal wake-up time in the morning.
3.   I get up briefly and go to the bathroom.  Others advise being active for more like 45 min. so you don't just fall back asleep, but I personally find it hard to fall back asleep even with just a bathroom break.
4.   I lay back in bed and repeat my affirmation 5 times again.  I also try to get into the borderland state but typically not much happens before I fall asleep.  Sometimes, I fitfully go between dreaming and waking.
5.   On a successful morning, I begin to wake up around 15 min. before my usual wake-up time, and my dream merges into an OBE.  For example, in my first OBE, my dream ended off with falling into water and my legs then floated up above water.  Then, I woke up to find my astral body in the same position with only my head still integrated in the physical body.  From there, I exited and "walked" slowly around in my bedroom, with pretty good control of movement and thoughts.

This method does not usually end up in an OBE, but with persistence for a few weeks it finally did work a few times.  I think it's also important that I spend 1-2 hours every day on reading/watching material on the subject and meditating.  I am wondering if anyone has more advice on hypnopompic OBE's i.e. while waking up, as this seems to be what works for me at the moment.  But it's hard to remember to try for an OBE when you are coming out of sleep (unlike having an OBE while falling asleep i.e. hypnagogic, where you lie down and do a method right before the OBE).

[EscapeVelocity]

Welcome to the Pulse metaphysicist,

The early-morning technique you are describing is often the most productive technique even for more experienced projectors such as myself; early am is still my best time to try. I suspect it has to do with the energetic balance between the wakefulness of the conscious mind, the tiredness of the physical body and the trick to separating the two in order to facilitate an OBE is a subtle thing to learn, but that's what you need to aim for.

Some few people can just lay down in the evening and a few minutes later, phase into another dimension. God bless them, I can't do that; except when conditions are exactly right. In the evening, my body is simply too tired that it just drags my consciousness down along with it, into the depths of sleep; I think that applies to most of us. If that is the case, then the rest of us have to be on the lookout for opportunities, and the best of these are middle of the night, early morning or daytime naps. The key is to get yourself ready to notice the opportunities.

Yes, remembering to try for an OBE in the early morning can be a frustrating thing; but it always happens with a kind of ironic smile for me.  . This is part of your subconscious programming actually working...well done! It's also a challenge to your seriousness to this undertaking. You are being questioned and tested at many levels. All at the same time, it's fun, exciting and serious and demanding.

Pre-sleep affirmations would work well for you like they already are. Experiment with this. Keep it simple and just state what you want. The journal is priceless! This is all inner communication with your subconscious and higher self. Dreams merging into projections are perfectly fine, go with whatever presents itself. Here's a small mind-blower: you are being introduced to different entrance methods to the Non-Physical Realities...have fun thinking about that!