Free Flights to Nowhere....Let Your Psyche Do the Walking
(drug-free exercises in out of body experiences... taken from omni magazine (http://www.omnimag.com), charting science's wilder shores...
Introduction
it could happen spontaneously while you're relaxing in your favourite chair, listening to music, or falling asleep. it could also occur while you're lying on an operating room table, with your heart stopped, or as you're bleeding to death in an overturned car. centuries ago the chinese called the experience 'magical flight'. since then it has been called astral projection, travelling clairvoyance, and ecstasy. modern psychologists prefer the term out-of-body-experience, or OBE, when referring to the sensation that your awareness is separated from your body. whatever you choose to call it, the experience may be as familiar as the feeling that you're falling out of bed or as startling as waking up and floating near the ceiling in the middle of the night. people who have had OBE's insist the experience is different from dreams or waking fantasies. preliminary research suggests that there may be some objective basis for these claims. those who have OBEs, some experts say, can report on distant events and influence the behaviour of distant people and animals. occultists and mystics take these claims further, suggesting that OBEs prove the existence of a soul that survives bodily death. skeptics on the other hand, say that OBEs are just particularly vivid dreams or hallucinations brought on by fatigue and intense physiological or psychological stress. while scientists and mystics debate the ultimate meaning of OBEs, chances are that you or someone you know has spontaneously had such an experience at least once, if not many times. OBEs are so commonplace, in fact, that it strains credibility to consider the popular notion that having an OBE is a sign of unusual spiritual development. more likely, the obe represents a fascinating experience and state of mind that may be available to most, if not all, of us. perhaps the best way to understand the OBE is to explore the experience first hand. these exercises can help you deliberately induce your own OBEs without following an occult belief system or approaching death. since OBEs tend to reflect your state of mind when you enter them, you may find that they're most enjoyable when induced under positive psychological conditions. we therefore recommend that you practice these exercises only when you're feeling emotionally comfortable and relaxed. if you have a history of sleepwalking or any other sleep or psychiatric disorders, we recommend that you check with your doctor before you begin. as you practice these exercises, don't try to force the experience. rather, allow it to evolve as part of an ongoing process. the more relaxed you are, the more likely it is that an OBE will spontaneously emerge. for each of these exercises, choose a practice location where you feel safe and won't be interrupted. we recommend sitting in a stuffed or reclining chair, where you can relax without getting so cozy that you'll just fall asleep. loosen any clothing or jewelry that makes you feel constricted. before each practice session take a deep breath and close your eyes. allow yourself a few moments to get grounded. and be sure to quietly affirm that you'll allow yourself only to have experiences you can easily handle. if you should feel uncomfortable during any of these exercises, you can return to the waking state instantly by remembering how it feels to be completely alert and aware of your body. remember, you may or may not have an OBE as you practice each of the individual exercises. but practicing a few of these exercises on a regular basis can help you stimulate more OBEs than you might otherwise have.
Exercise 1: Getting Grounded
exercise 1 teaches you the basic technique of progressive relaxation. to begin, imagine that warm currents of mental energy are slowly moving up through the soles of your feet toward the top of your head, warming and relaxing each muscle in turn. imagine the currents turning around to move downward through your arms, toward your fingertips, then moving upward once more through your arms and neck to the top of your head. the key to success here is learning to enter a state of deep physical relaxation while remaining mentally alert. in order to maintain this desired state, you may find it helpful to imagine the currents passing through your body in a variety of interesting patterns or colours. you may also find it helpful to practice exercise 1 only when physically and emotionally rested and easily able to remain awake for the entire exercise. as you practice exercise 1, you may find that remaining alert while entering a state of deep relaxation can create the sensation that your mind is somehow separated from your body. this sensation is the most basic form of the OBE. to pursue the OBE further, however, you may decide to practice exercise 1 in conjunction with some of the exercises that follow.
Exercise 2: Gearing Up
in exercise 2 you'll create a mental image that stimulates one aspect of an actual out-of-body experience: the sensation of existing apart from your body. this sensation may not only prepare you for the OBE, it may also help to induce the experience. begin exercise 2 by noticing how it feels to be 'inside' your body. notice, for example, how it feels to 'look' through your closed eyelids or how you focus your attention on the world around you from 'inside' your physical form. quietly note the sensations associated with breathing. now stay perfectly still, and as you exhale, imagine how it would feel to experience these sensations from a position a few inches above your body. imagine that you can simultaneously feel yourself floating above your body and see yourself floating there from your familiar perspective within your body. allow yourself time to fully create this experience in your mind; then gradually move your attention back and forth between the inside of your body and the point you have imagined a few inches above. continue to practice until you're able to maintain the imagined experience of floating above yourself for several minutes without straining. once you've accomplished this, imagine you're floating a few inches above yourself, your disembodied face looking directly back at the physical face below. as a way of easing into the next stage of this exercise, combine exercise 2 with the progressive relaxation techniques learned in exercise 1. imagine yourself floating a few inches above your body, face-to-face with yourself, while entering an alert state of deep relaxation. then imagine your mind moving away from your body to another part of your environment. look back on your physical position from the new perspective. practice focusing as little attention as possible on your body and as much as possible on the mental part of you floating some distance away. create as complete a mental image as possible until, perhaps for only an instant, detailed visual, tactile, and auditory impressions seem to become vivid enough to be real. the experience of looking back on the physical body from an independent location is one of the most commonly reported forms of the OBE.
Exercise 3: Taking Off
exercise 3 may be practiced either as an extension of exercise 2 or as a separate exercise. begin by entering a state of deep but alert relaxation. this time, instead of imagining that you're floating directly above your body, focus your attention on a location far removed from where you are now. imagine that you're a point of consciousness in space, floating above the location in question. take time to allow this perception to form in your mind. then focus your attention on a different location, allowing the sensations associated with this new place to form as those associated with the old place dissolve. exercise 3 can help you overcome the common misconception that OBEs involve a second body that somehow separates from the first, then flies around from one locale to the next. in fact, many people report OBEs in which they feel like an independent point of consciousness travelling from place to place purely through the power of thought. as you did in the previous exercise, focus on making your mental exploration of the distant location as vivid as possible. don't try to just picture or sense the area in your mind. instead concentrate on creating a vivid sensation of actually being present in the place you've chosen. the more detailed your images, the more likely you will be to have an OBE while practicing the exercise or sometime soon after.
Exercise 4: Touring the Louvre
the louvre method was named after the experience of writer darlene moore, who first practiced this exercise one afternoon in the courtyard of the louvre museum in paris. that night in her hotel room on the left bank, she had her first spontaneous out-of-body experience. the exercise put moore in touch with her sensory experiences, evoking the varying levels of perception that entered into her everyday waking consciousness. by becoming more aware of the sensations associated with her body, she was able, paradoxically, to open up her unconscious mind to the possibility of having an OBE. to practice the louvre method you'll need a companion to help guide you through the exercise. choose an unfamiliar location rich in a variety of forms, textures, and sounds. a plaza, park, or beach would be perfectly suitable for this exercise. your eyes should remain closed for the duration of the session, which should take at least two hours to complete. you and your companion are not to talk with each other or anyone else for the duration of the exercise. instead you should communicate with each other through gentle, direct physical contact intended to guide you safely around the area and offer you a selection of stimulating nonvisual sensory experiences. begin by standing with your companion at one end of the site you've selected. then take a deep breath and close your eyes. pay deliberate attention to the sound of your own breathing as well as to the sounds around you. notice how you perceive the sounds in multiple layers that overlap and blend with one another. take a few moments to absorb these layers, then signal your companion that you're ready to proceed by tapping his or her shoulder. your companion should provide you with a variety of contrasting and surprising sensory experiences, taking special care to guide you safely around your environment. he or she may, for example, introduce you to a running fountain by placing your hand under it. listen to the sound of the fountain, slowly run your hands along the edge, then feel the surface of the water. your companion may then surprise you with a contrasting experience by, for example, offering you a handful of fragrant dried leaves to smell and crumble in your hands. listen to the leaves as you crumble them, and continue to notice the sounds of your breathing and the fountain in the background as well. notice how the leaves may smell subtly different before and after you crumble them in your hands. be curious. throughout the exercise your companion should provide you with opportunities for stimulating all your nonvisual senses. you, on the other hand, must pretend this is your first experience having a body, taking the opportunity to explore your physical senses as though you had never done so before. after a predetermined period of time has passed, have your companion instruct you to open your eyes. take a deep breath, open your eyes, and notice the ways in which your awareness of yourself and your environment subtly shifts. take a few minutes to adjust to your overall experience and to visually observe the location in which you've chosen to practice your out-of-body experience. to follow through to the next stage of exercise 4, find a safe and quiet spot at the location you've chosen, relax in a comfortable position, and once again close your eyes. take a deep breath, and imagine that you're mentally exploring your surrounding environment, this time without bringing your body along. you may find that there are moments when the sensation of floating apart from your body feels more real than imaginary. instead of trying to figure out whether you're relly having an OBE, or comparing this experience with your expectation of what an OBE should be like, you may find it more helpful to just allow the experience to form and express itself. you may be surprised to discover yourself feeling as though you're momentarily back at some especially interesting spot, having sensations very much like those you had when you were practicing the first phase of the exercise.
Exercise 5: Nocturnal Flights
exercise 5 can be practiced just as you're falling asleep. as you're nodding off, clear your mind and casually give yourself permission to have an OBE sometime during the night. you may, for example, repeat the following sentence: "i'll allow myself to have an out-of-body experience." one caveat: don't tell yourself you're going to try to have an OBE, since we only try to do things we believe we might not be able to accomplish. simply allow your conscious mind to express your openess to the idea. the key to success in exercise 5 is clearing your mind of all other thoughts the moment that you give yourself permission. then let go of the thought of having an OBE the moment you acknowledge that permission. keep things simple and positive. focus on having an OBE sometime in the future, when your unconscious mind decides it is appropriate to do so. depending on your personal predisposition, exercise 5 may lead to many different types of OBEs. for example, you may find yourself feeling as though you were waking up and getting out of bed sometime during the night, only to look back and notice your body still lying in bed. conversely, you may find yourself having a vivid dream that gradually or suddenly transforms itself into an OBE. if you're prone to lucid dreaming, in which you're aware of having a dream while the dream is in progress, you may try a variation on exercise 5 by giving yourself permission to have an OBE sometime during the course of one of these dreams.
Exercise 6: Flying Home
exercise 6 is a simple technique for inducing an OBE and may be
practiced anytime you find yourself on the verge of falling asleep or
waking up in a strange environment. close your eyes and imagine that
you're lying in your own bed, experiencing all the sensations that you
usually associate with sleeping in your own home.
you may also practice exercise 6 without leaving home. just lie down
in a place where you wouldn't normally sleep, such as the sofa or even
the kitchen floor. then just as you're falling asleep or waking up,
imagine that you're lying in your own bed, experiencing all the
familiar sensations you associate with being there. exercise 6 may be
particularly effective when combined with exercise 5, in which you
give yourself permission to have an OBE as you're falling asleep. by
imagining you're in a familiar place other than where you are
physically, you may induce a powerful OBE.
Exercise 7: Night Missions
the next time you notice some out-of-place object in your everyday surroundings, don't set it straight. the object may be a crooked picture, a book postioned oddly on a shelf, or a glass that you forgot to put away. later, when you're about to fall asleep, remember the feeling you had when you first noticed the displaced object, and allow yourself to experience the annoyance of not having set the object right. don't exagerate these feelings, but allow them to surface naturally. then give yourself permission to have an OBE and imagine yourself getting up in the middle of the night and setting the object straight. for the best results, don't deliberately 'misplace' objects to provide artificial reasons for practicing this exercise. practice only when the opportunity presents itself.
Exercise 8: Pilot to Copilot
exercise 8 is practiced when two adults, accustomed to sleeping together, find themselves sleeping apart. the couple must agree to synchronize practice sessions from two different locations. the exercise may be practiced while both parties are falling asleep or while they are in the relaxed but alert state described earlier. it may even be practiced while both people are asleep. begin by entering a deeply relaxed state, and start to remember the physical sensations you associate with your partner. if your loved one is in a familiar environment, such as your bedroom, you may help this exercise along by remembering the room and all the attendant sensations in as much detail as you can. if your loved one is away, imagine him or her in a familiar position beside you. you and your partner may follow this exercise as far as your imagination comfortably allows you to go, mentally incorporating as much of your physical experience as you can. the result may be a mutual OBE that adds a new dimension to your relationship. you may find it useful to prepare independent descriptions of your experiences so you can compare notes. if your partner agrees, you may also conduct this exercise without synchronizing your practice sessions. in this case, you may give yourself permission to have an OBE and visit your partner in the middle of the night; you may induce the experience of being with your partner just as you're waking up; or you may simply enter a relaxed state and induce an OBE whenever it's comfortable for you to do so. once you've begun to induce OBEs in the course of your practice sessions, you may decide to expand the focus of the exercises to include a wider variety of references in space and time. in other words, you may focus your subjective attention on mentally 'visiting' places at increasingly greater distances from your body, as well as focusing your awareness on events in either the distant past or future. if you feel comfortable doing so, you might consider using the exercises above to induce OBEs in which you don't predetermine the particular locations or events upon which you focus your awareness. instead you can allow the experience to emerge from the unconscious. in this case you may discover your unconscious mind leading you to experiences that reflect concerns and interests of which you are not even consciously aware. for this reason we strongly suggest that you consider pursuing such unconsciously directed experiences only under the guidance of a sympathetic psychotherapist. you may discover that OBEs are different in many ways from what you expected and can be as varied and interesting in their content as your activities in everyday life. remember to maintain a balanced perspective as you explore the deeper potential of this experience. OBEs can teach you some important things about your inner world and your relationship to the world around you as well. (rs)
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