Thread: Hello Everybody!

Hi there, Laura Welcome to the forum! Thanks for taking the time to introduce yourself.

Honestly, I don't know what to make of your experience - but then again, I've never had an OBE or anything. Maybe you should check out the Beyond Dreaming forum and see if you can't fine more information.

Good luck and have fun!

Originally Posted by citizennumber3

I was in my body, seeing only black, knowing that I’d have to wait a bit before my eyes would open to the waking world. They finally did. It only took about, what I’d estimate to be, literally two seconds. But it seems like so much longer when you feel helpless and don’t have control. I couldn’t have opened my eyes any sooner..."

So, my question is: what happened between my dream and waking up?

Did I have an OBE? Did I come out of some sort of sleep paralysis? Is that just how one normally wakes from a lucid dream?

I'm very interested in the paranormal--anything supernatural, out of the ordinary, or unusual...so I was quite fascinated by the experience. But if I weren't so into weird things, I think it might have really frightened me.

~Citizen Number 3 (aka Laura.)
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Hey Laura,

My name's Rob and I'm a Newbie too (to the site). I have experienced both of the things you described in your experience. Firstly the rising feeling with the accompanying sounds (although I didn't get so much in the way of colours- that sounds nice&#33 and also the paralysis preceding waking up.

My interpretation of what you experienced is what you already intuited; an out of body experience. I have had a few of these and the adjustment to the "process" is definitely a shock/unusual, even if you (like me) have wanted it to happen for years! I think you said this was your first and only experience... if this is the case then you have many more, wonderful, amazing adventures to look forward to. Most people start with a brief awakening in the dream and then wake up... you've started with the big guns, Astral Projection.

While Astrally Projecting your every thought creates reality, in exactly the same way they do in a dream. The key difference between the two is where the "thoughts" (direction) originate. In a dream your subconscious creates the wild experiences, scenes, conversations &c. but in an Astral Projection your conscious mind (whatever that is) does. So when you become conscious in a dream, 'you' get to interact with your subconscious' design.

It has been postulated that dreams occur in the same realm as Astral Projections. Picture the subconscious (with its weird and wonderful agenda) loose on the Astral Plane (and others); creating 'reality' with its "thoughts"... all of a sudden the two seem no different. Bring awareness to the dream and you gain more control... bring ultimate awareness (something I have not done) and you may find yourself in the Astral or the bigger, ultimate reality- collective unconscious if you will. So there is a HUGE amount to be gained from Lucid Dreaming but also (more so?) from bypassing the 'illusion' and entering the Astral.

About 4 months ago I severed three pairs of tendons in my first, second and third fingers of my right hand. A week later while lying on my back in recovery (at home) I drifted off to sleep. At some point I opened my eyes, they were pointed at the spare bed beside me. In my peripheral vision was everything else in the daylight of my room. When I tried to move I could not for the life of me! I couldn't even move my eyes! So there I was staring at this bed and I thought, "holy shit! This is what it's like to be paralysed" and I thought that this is how it was going to be forever! I was terrified and panicking (in my head?) but try as I might, I could not make a sound. "Help," I desperately wheezed at a subliminal level.

Then after some time (two minutes&#33 something happened. Although my body didn't move, "I" went somewhere. It was not very clear but I feel that it was to a school hall. I was looking for someone to help me... but no one could see me. I was really worried now so I decided to throw all of my energy into breaking this horrid inertia. I shut my eyes (my physical eyes were never open&#33 and on the count of three I absolutely REEFED them open. I was awake!!!

"Thank God," I uttered. And then I laughed. I loved everything around me. I noticed that everything was EXACTLY as it looked in my 'dream' except- interestingly- the colour of the sheet on my spare bed was a lighter shade.

I vowed that next time that happened I would relax and go with it, as I was sure that it was the precursor to an astral projection. It has not happened since but I have had the experience of being separate from my body (floating, rising, falling &c) a few times. I love it. I feel that I am almost ready... and it sounds like you are too!

Dae,

Rob.

Hello Burns and Rob! Nice to meet you both.


Rob,

Wow! Astral Projection? I guess I did start off with the big guns! I thought it was just normal to wake that way from a ld and maybe I was overreacting or something. But the thing that bothered me was, as much as I looked, I couldn't find any stories of people returning to their bodies. I've read about people rising out of their bodies with the same feelings and noises, but never about them returning. But you have? I'm glad I'm not alone! Should I assume that if someone leaves their body in that fashion that they return the same exact way? Or do you think the majority of people just wake up abruptly?

Also, perhaps because we've been taught since childhood that what goes up must come down, I was a little surprised that I felt I was ascending rather than descending back into my body. But, if I was on an Astral Plane like you've suggested, I suppose it makes sense. Correct me if I misunderstood what you were saying--the Astral Plane isn't a location in "reality" (as we know it) but a dimension our concious mind creates? So, it's not as if I left my body and started floating around my home...it was my couciousness in another sort of...well, I guess "another dimension" is the correct way to put it.

Your story, sir, is quite remarkable! I cannot imagine what it'd be like to feel paralyzed for two minutes! I'm a real theater nerd, and have been on stage since I was 11 years old. I know what two minutes feels like--if you have to cut things from a show, or clean up any blocking, usually you only need to cut several minutes. And when those minutes are cut, it can feel like you've taken an enormous chunk out of the play. Minutes are very long, especially when you're in a state of panic. Not being able to move for two minutes must've felt like an enternity! But (correct me if I'm wrong) you believe you were paralyzed in your dream? The difference in the sheet color would seem to point to that; now that's quite strange! Perhaps the lighting in the room was different and made it appear so, but you had actually woken up and were paralyzed...??? Either way you look at it, that is awfully strange!

Well, thank you very much for sharing your experience, sir. I cannot tell you how thankful I am to read your input; it helped to make more sense out of my own experience.

~Laura

Originally Posted by citizennumber3

1. But the thing that bothered me was, as much as I looked, I couldn't find any stories of people returning to their bodies. I've read about people rising out of their bodies with the same feelings and noises, but never about them returning.

2. Correct me if I misunderstood what you were saying--the Astral Plane isn't a location in "reality" (as we know it) but a dimension our concious mind creates? So, it's not as if I left my body and started floating around my home...it was my couciousness in another sort of...well, I guess "another dimension" is the correct way to put it.

3. I know what two minutes feels like--if you have to cut things from a show, or clean up any blocking, usually you only need to cut several minutes. And when those minutes are cut, it can feel like you've taken an enormous chunk out of the play. Minutes are very long, especially when you're in a state of panic...

4. Well, thank you very much for sharing your experience, sir. I cannot tell you how thankful I am to read your input; it helped to make more sense out of my own experience.
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Dear Laura,

It is absolutely my pleasure! I have never talked to anyone who has experienced sleep paralysis either! So it was great for me too. You had a few questions and statements in your reply that I numbered and will go to now. =)

1. You ALWAYS return to your body, on this you can be sure. In fact, it is only about one million times easier to return to your body than it is to 'exit' it. Just by thinking about or looking at your body (or bed/room) will more often than not snap you back (apparently it can be quite abrupt, like a falling dream- but they're cool anyway). Almost all of the literature I have read on the topic (quite a lot) insists that you keep your emotions in check when in your second/astral body (which isn't to say that you are ever out of it, but I'll get to that) because any highly emotional response (and "highly" can just be excitement) is more than likely to send you flying back into your physical body.

So, no fear is a huge key to success... to assure you that there is no need for fear let me ask you a question: are you afraid right now? No? Of course not. Did you know that your "astral body" is on the Astral Plane right now, where you sit? That's right. You have several finer layers to your body of which the Astral is one. "You" exist as all of these layers simultaneously, you can not not. So when we "astrally project" it is more of a 'tuning in' like a radio to the frequency of that already existing body, the body unbound by time, matter and space. We do this EVERY night in our sleep.

2. The Astral realm is not so much a reality or dimension we create with our minds, rather (according to what I have read and believe) the Dream is a reality or dimension we (our subconscious&#39 create WITHIN the Astral Plane. So yes, if you were to successfully "astrally project" you would indeed be "floating around your room"! Exciting, huh? If you were to then think of a friend and clearly intended to visit them then you would be transported (in a variety of ways- often instantly) to their location in the matrix we call space... in real time. This means that if you were to ring your friend when you woke up you could describe what you saw them doing, where they were and it could very well be absolutely true (possibly inaccurate due to numerous factors, but that’s another story)! See how it differs from a dream?

So to clarify, all space where you are (behind you, where your computer sits, &c.) is also 'Astral space'. If I were projecting to where you are right now you would not be able to see me because of the high frequency that our Astral bodies consist of. It is the slow 'vibration' of what constitutes "matter" that allows our physical eyes to see it. An example of this is to take a piece of glass, (quite a high vibratory pattern) and a rock (a much lower vibratory pattern) and throw the rock through the glass. You can easily imagine what would happen. Now, shine a torch through the glass... it remains intact and the light has indeed "gone through". This is because light has a much higher vibration that glass. So, our Astral bodies to the physical 'level' of existance is similar to what light is to glass (not a perfect analogy, but it points generally to what I mean).

The reason you don't seem to be in your room (or anywhere else in particular) in a dream is because your thoughts create reality on the Astral and remember how I said that a dream is the (strange) subconcsious creating that reality? So every night we Astrally Project... Lucid Dreaming is a step closer to that reality and is how I had my first of only a few brief Astral Projections (I just laid in my (dream) bed and willed myself up and out of my body- it is much easier from a dream because you are already essentially there).

3. I am glad that the non-exaggerated "two minutes" did not go un-noticed. =) 'Tis a long time indeed! Have you ever done any film before?

4. As I said, it is my absolute pleasure. I love it here. These are the only things I am really interested in, and I have never had anyone to really talk to about them. Hopefully I'll see you in the chatroom some time.

Dae,

Rob.