Traveling out of body is what many people hope to experience when they attend the Monroe Institute. The out-of-body experience (or OBE) is a concept that's been around for centuries, though  the term, “out of body,” was coined in the book “Apparitions,” by G.N.M. Tyrrell, published in 1953. Luckily for us, Robert A. Monroe had one in 1958. He learned to use his OBEs to discover, explore and map deep levels of awareness. Thanks to his efforts, the Monroe Institute was born. 

OBEs have been thought to be induced by traumatic brain injuries, near-death experiences, sleep disorders, and/or electrical stimulation to the brain. My own personal journey with OBEs began when I was a teenager. I experienced sleep paralysis literally every single morning, and it was a real struggle that I had to work through. I first found myself fighting to move and filled with terror. As time went by, I began learning to calm down and project myself out of my body. I’ll admit that I never mastered this process, but it was something that shaped me and pushed my interests in the direction of the metaphysical world very quickly. 

As I grew into adulthood, my adventures in sleep paralysis became less frequent, and when I did have them, I taught my husband to wake me up. I found I could make a very specific sound that he could recognize so he was able to wake me quickly. My OBEs became less and less common. Throughout my experiences in different Monroe Institute programs, I’m not sure I’ve ever really had an experience that could compare to the ones from my teenage years, though I’ve definitely had some incredibly life-changing moments. 

To get yourself on track to having an OBE for yourself, here are a few things I’ve found that have helped me that could potentially help you.

As you allow your body to drift to sleep while keeping your mind awake and alert, you can experience a whole new world of Focus levels to explore, and can potentially experience an OBE.

Stay calm and go with the flow.

There can be a small amount of fear associated with letting go and going within yourself before expanding your state of awareness. While this is normal, it’s important to learn to relax each part of yourself and truly stay calm to experience an OBE. “Mind Awake, Body Asleep” is a state heavily associated with OBEs, and it’s for a good reason. As you allow your body to drift to sleep while keeping your mind awake and alert, you can experience a whole new world of Focus levels to explore, and can potentially experience an OBE. If you get nervous or fight yourself as your body goes to sleep, it’s incredibly counterproductive and may inhibit your ability to have an OBE. So, going with the flow and being willing to commit to any experience that comes your way are especially important. 

Be open to using your imagination. 

When you’re over-analytical like I am, it’s possible you’ll decide one of your experiences “doesn’t count,” or you’ll quickly invalidate something you’ve gone through. This is immensely counterproductive. You have to be willing and open to work with your intuition, and through it, your imagination. You have to believe that your mind could be taking you on a journey through your imagination to lead you to something important, and that this is the way your intuition can show it to you. Just as our subconscious can show us our inner thoughts and turmoil while we sleep, our imagination can open up insights into our inner thoughts, desires and worries while we are awake. So, if your meditative experience has you on a journey within your imagination, go with the flow and see where it takes you. It might just surprise you, and it could easily lead you to an OBE.

Don’t compare yourself to others, and definitely don’t try too hard. Part of the meditative experience is truly just letting go and experiencing it, as I said.

Trust that you will have the experience you want when you are ready for it.

Trying too hard or pushing yourself will most likely not end the way you want it to. Everyone’s journey is unique and will, therefore, take different amounts of time to accomplish. Don’t compare yourself to others, and definitely don’t try too hard. Part of the meditative experience is truly just letting go and experiencing it, as I said. If you spend your meditation asking yourself, “Why can’t I see anything?” or “Why isn’t this happening for me?,” then you’re living in your head and are too focused on that to experience anything deeper. You have to trust that you are on the right path for yourself and that everything will reveal itself to you in time. Being impatient isn’t going to help.

All in all, our journeys are different. However, if you are open to staying calm, going with the flow, listening to your intuition and trusting yourself, you can be assured that you will go down the right meditative path for you. Hopefully, with time and practice, this can result in an OBE. 

Learn core techniques to induce an Out-of-Body Experience in OBE Spectrum and let the adventure begin!