OOB – Personal Experiences

It is our great pleasure to present our first guest post on this blog from someone who has not only had many OOB experiences, but who kept a journal of them to track what she was experiencing. Here is her story, and we invite you to visit her blog to read more.

OOB Traveling Begins

It has been about five years since I have started traveling OOB on a regular basis, privately journaling each and every experience, and three years since I started posting them in my public blog (www.karen659.blogspot.com). I have learned much about myself and my world around me, and shall continue to learn for as long as I live. My motto has always been, “the more we learn, the more limitless the Universe becomes!”

I began my journaling in September 2005 when I was told this would be a productive method for me to start with in order to understand what is happening in my life and to find answers. Despite being told by psychics that I had ‘dream-walking’ abilities and that I should journal my dreams, I did not do so until I felt ready. I read as much as I could by authors like William Buhlman, Robert Monroe, Kurt Leland and many others. I read the various techniques suggested and adapted my own individual method of induction, initially using various guided meditation tapes to achieve the proper state of mind, and always with the visualization of energy flowing through my body.

The very first lucid AP/OOB experience I can recall had to be the dream I had back in 1994 when I felt I was being ‘lifted up’ higher and higher, with my hands ‘tied’ in front of me (with the feeling that I couldn’t do this alone and needed someone to pull me up), and all I can really recall was two things: The colors…they were so spectacular that words cannot even begin to describe them. I can remember clearly thinking, “Wow!…the colors are just awesome! They are so indescribably beautiful!”

The only other impressive recall I have of that dream is near the end of the experience, crying at the ‘elevator’ that was to take me ‘back’ and feeling SO upset that I HAD to go back. The emotions were so powerful that I still can feel that ‘twinge’ of intense sadness I felt at that time.

OOB – Slow and Steady Progress

I can see that I have made slow and steady progress in the ability to become ‘aware’ within a dream sequence and what events usually foreshadow an OOBE. Most times I just know when it’s time to ‘roll out’ and find myself in my real time physical surroundings. Other times, I become aware of some anomaly within a dream, and use this signal or dreamsign to take control. In the beginning, there were frequent references to flying or driving a car that was a lucid signal to getting OOB, and by journaling I was able to make that connection.

I also noted there were many references to ‘falling’ that were a key in getting OOB. I have progressed to the point where I can now become aware if I am driving/flying/falling in such a way that I become ‘concerned’ about my safety. That usually tells me to check and see if it’s a dream, which it always is. I then am fully conscious and thinking lucidly from that point on within the dream to use it as I wish.

This is one of the more concrete means I have used to become aware, the idea that I ‘question’ my status. During the day I do frequent ‘status checks’ or ‘reality checks’, taking careful note of my surroundings, what I’m doing, and what it feels like, especially if I’m driving my car. That way, when I’m dreaming, I am programmed already to do another ‘reality check’. When I realize I am not quite certain of my status, then I KNOW I’m dreaming! (Think about it, when you are driving a car in real life, and you do a reality check, you have NO DOUBT of your status. However, if you are dreaming, there will be that little ‘degree of doubt’ and you can take control. The hardest part is learning to trust that ‘degree of doubt’!)

OOB Mentoring to Guide the Journey

My mentor in the beginning stages was William Buhlman, with his books “Secrets of the Soul” and “Adventures Out of the Body”. I use his affirmations consistently, and still do, to learn to move and become clear within an experience. Remembering to affirm ‘to the door!’ would move me easily, away from my body to an area where I could ‘think’ clearer and easier.

Finding myself in total blackness was a frequent initial finding with my exits, and learning to trust my feelings as to what to do was a key learning point. Using the “Clarity now!” or “Awareness now!” affirmation would sometimes help with my vision, although it is important in the beginning stages not to try to be too visual. Learn to trust your instincts/feelings and use your thoughts to maneuver when OOB is what you need to do, and it took many attempts before I was able to become comfortable with the non-physical OOB movements and actions.

In the beginning, it felt so good to just be ‘free’ when OOB and I can recall ‘flying’ fast and ‘swooping’ all over the areas around my house in a number of OOB experiences. With time, I saw that I was learning to ‘control myself’ while in the OOB state, trying not to be so quick to ‘fly off’ and take note of my surroundings so that I may learn more.

As noted by other authors, many times there are ‘preludes’ to the OOB experience, another signal that gives me confidence that I can separate. I may hear beautiful music, other voices talking, or even at times children laughing and the sounds of waterfalls that tell me I am close to separation.

Overcoming Fear in OOB experiences

I must mention here that the biggest concern for many in learning to get out of body is fear. Fear will stop you immediately and it is something you will have to learn to overcome if you wish to continue your efforts. In the beginning, once you feel fear, you will always find yourself back in body, as I have done many times. But each time, I was determined to not let it discourage me, and have eventually learned to actually face ‘negativity’ while OOB without fear, and have learned to dissipate it by sending love. That took a long time to master, but what helped me was a VERY FIRM conviction that I could NEVER be harmed while out of body, and always included a ‘white light’ blanket of protection in my induction technique. (My techniques are posted on the blog as well) Read all of Karen’s guest posts about Fear and the OBE.

Additionally, I have experienced what many would call ‘retrievals’ where I meet others who may have passed over to the ‘other side’, yet for some reason did not know it or were not able to understand that they were no longer ‘tied’ to this physical Earth. Because of their beliefs, they are unable to ‘see’ their helpers and guides who are there trying to get them to cross over to the higher astral planes. When I meet them, they can ‘see’ me as I still have my ‘ties’ to my physical body and the ‘lower vibrations’ necessary to allow them to interact with me. Many times all I have to do is just tell them to ‘look for’ someone, or bring them to a particular area, which allows them to ‘see’ the higher vibrational helpers.

Using OOB Experiences to help Others

I always awaken after a retrieval experience with such joy at the thought of being able to assist others while ‘sleeping’, something that is already an important part of my life’s work while awake. My most favorite experience was with a young child named Stephanie, and to this day gives me deep feelings of contentment and joy at what I experienced.

There is so much you can do once you learn to move out of body. The most important aspect of this learning process, however, is to realize that it is a very individualized process. What works for one may not work for others, and only through persistence, diligence, and concentrated effort can you find the ‘right way’ for your own learning. Once OOB, it is up to you what you want to do with it, but you will always find that you will receive that which you put forth; it’s the Universal Law of Attraction at work in all aspects of our lives here on planet Earth, including astral travel.