Astral Voyages by Dr. Bruce Goldberg

Astral Voyages 

by Dr. Bruce Goldberg

Today I'm reviewing Astral Voyages by Dr. Bruce Goldberg. The subtitle is Mastering the Art of Soul Travel. Some copies have "Master the Art of Interdimensional Travel." The copyright is 1999. People have requested me to review this book for a long time, so here it is. As usual, I'll start with the bad points and end with the good points.

Credentials 

I always like to start out by asking who is the author and what makes them qualified to teach astral projection? In the case of Dr. Bruce Goldberg, the answer is: he has extensive experience with hypnosis, having conducted more than 33,000 past life regressions, and he's used hypnosis to induce astral projection in more than 11,000 patients. He also claims to also have personal experience, but he fails to give any of his own astral projection narratives in the book. He does mention, however, that he's had OBEs in which he was pulled back inside his body by his silver cord "several dozen times" for getting too close to his body. (pg. 14). He also says "I have practiced astral voyaging since 1971, and have trained thousands of my patients to experience the techniques presented in this book." (pg. 73)

I can tell you this much: he seems well-read on the subject, because he references Monroe, Muldoon, Oliver Fox, and other experts in the field.

Goldberg has made quite a name for himself as an author and lecturer on several new age subjects. He's been interviewed on several talk shows, such as Oprah, Phil Donahue, Leeza, Joan Rivers, The Other Side, Jerry Springer, Montel Williams, Regis and Kathie Lee, as well as appearances on CNN, CBS News, and others.

Assumptions 

The first thing to note is that this book is published by Llewellyn, and like most Llewellyn books, it completely buys into new age beliefs. It's clear from the beginning that he believes in several "planes of existence" and "astral bodies" and such, rather than more modern views like: states of consciousness, how we interpret sensory data streams, "stories of experience," and "body schemas."

Goldberg apparently believes in 13 "planes of existence." The lower six planes are:

1. The Earth / Physical Plane

2. The Astral Plane

3. The Causal Plane

4. The Mental Plane

5. The Etheric Plane

6. The Soul Plane

He doesn't really say much about the "near Earth" area where you seem to visit an imperfect duplicate of the physical world. Many authors call that the "Etheric Plane" but Goldberg puts the Etheric plane much higher in his "plane hierarchy."

Where I Disagree 

This is where the book gets weird. He teaches some really weird, and dubious--eyebrow raising--things about the lower planes. For example:

When describing the Astral Plane, he writes:

"The sound characteristic of this plane is the roar of the sea." (pg. 62).

Wait, what? I've never heard the roar of the sea in the astral plane, and I don't recall any other books on the subject describing that at all. It's just...weird.

When describing the Mental Plane, he writes:

"The soil is blue and is used to build their roads, which have a deep blue appearance. All souls here wear a white flowing cloak and give the appearance of angels. The sound of running water is heard on this plane." (pg. 64) 

Say what? None of the other books I've read on astral projection describe blue roads or the sound of running water.

With regard to "The Etheric Plane," he writes:

"Brilliant white lights dominate the sky of this plane, and the sound of buzzing bees is heard continuously." (pg. 64).

Come on, man. Odder still, he says "Most commonly these sounds are detected in the right ear only." (pg. 68) Again, no one else in the genre make these claims.

Goldberg doesn't name the "upper planes." He just numbers them Plane 7 through 12, and plane number 13 is called the "God Plane." He doesn't describe these upper planes at all. So where does he get this "information?" Unfortunately, he doesn't say. Which leads me to throw it all away as unverifiable "nonsense" passed down for generations, or worse, it may have been "made up" a long time ago by some ancient guru or cult leader in India who wanted to make himself seem more knowledgeable. If it comes directly from his hypnosis patients, he should say so, rather than just presenting it as fact. Either way, it's stretched way beyond my tolerance of credibility. Take it with a grain of salt, or better yet, a horse-size salt block.

This begs the age-old question: "How do you know which plane you're on?" Goldberg writes:

"There are three methods to distinguish your dimensional location. Your Masters and Guides or Higher Self can inform you of which plane you are currently on. The landmarks and uniqueness previously described can assist in your identification..." (pg. 68-69)

So I'm supposed to look for those blue roads or listen for the buzzing of bees? I'm sorry, but after 46 years of OBEs, I can accept some weird experiences, but I'm still too grounded and skeptical to accept this.

I agree with a lot of new age beliefs, but definitely not all. For example, Goldberg writes:

"When you become an experienced voyager, the mere thought of a location or person will instantly send your consciousness to that location or individual." (pg. 15)

Similarly, he writes:

"...we can fly anywhere by merely thinking of a location." (pg. 65) 

And later on, he writes:

"One of the great advantages of voyaging to the astral plane is that our thoughts instantly materialize into reality and create an object or person." (pg. 179) 

I've read similar things in other Llewellyn books, such as The Llewellyn Practical Guide to Astral Projection by Melita Denning and Osbourne Phillips,  (which I haven't reviewed yet). Contrary to this claim, as I described in my first book, I had lots of problems trying to visit my friend Lisa ("LD"). After leaving my body, I'd think of Lisa, I'd visualize Lisa, I'd imagine I was with her, I'd try to fly to her, and yet, despite all my efforts, my consciousness was never "instantly sent" to her as I expected. So I'm sorry, Mr. Goldberg, but that's not my experience. My thoughts during an OBE definitely do not result in the creation of a person (or place) nor make me travel there.

Now, in a lucid dream, that's another matter. In a lucid dream, you will often be transported to a person or place just by thinking of them/it. You can manipulate your dream world with a thought. So naturally it makes me wonder if Goldberg, Denning, Phillips, and the lot, were just having lucid dreams and not true out-of-body experiences. And I wondered the same thing in the 1980s when I read other books that make these claims.

While I agree with a lot of what Goldberg says, I don't agree with it all. Some of it is just outdated, and since been disproven. For example, he writes:

"A blackout is experienced when the astral body separates and eventually rejoins its physical component." (pg. 22)

Robert Crookall and several others wrote about the blackout. As I wrote in chapter 17 of my first book, I've had OBEs in which there was no blackout at the beginning, and others in which there was no blackout at the end. In some rare cases, I've had full-blown OBEs in which there was absolutely no blackout on either end. It was a completely lucid and conscious experience from physical to non-physical and back. I've spoken with a few other people (one recently) who corroborated this. A blackout is common, but not a certainty.

Here's another oddity:

"When spirits are in the normal conditions of astral life, they appear as glimmering lights. When they wish to manifest themselves to mortals, they assume (in order to be recognized) the physical appearance similar, but often much younger, to that they had in their physical body." (pg. 39)

I've seen spirits in the normal conditions of astral life, and they appear normal to me. Yes, I've seen glimmering lights, but normally, they appear normal, fully "there" even when they don't know I'm there. But don't take my word for it. Take a look at Jurgen Ziewe's book, Elysium Unveiled, where he describes seeing people going about their daily lives in the astral world. They appear normal, not as glimmering lights. I have, however, experienced what I call "Schrodinger's Astral Body," a phenomenon in which my astral arms and hands, or legs, don't seem to exist until I think about them.

Here's another curious statement:

"One group of not so happy campers you may encounter are souls going through a near-death experience. These beings are stressed, moody, and most likely will not be very sociable." (pg. 46)

Well, I can't say I've ever met someone going through an NDE, but I've read enough books about NDEs, and personally met near-death experiencers (on the physical plane) that I know their experiences are transformative and almost always positive, so positive that the NDEr doesn't want to return to physical life. One of my friends, Don Bisant (whose book, Death Dodger, is soon to be released) has had three near-death experiences.

Here's another statement I disagree with:

"Demons represent pure evil." (pg. 58)

I'm sorry, but I don't believe in pure evil. I just don't. I never have. Yes, there are negative entities. There are entities that may want to scare you. I've seen some seedy creatures, but I still don't believe in pure evil. Call me naive, but to talk about demons like this is just fear-mongering, and fear is counterproductive to inducing OBEs.

Goldberg goes contrary to conventional wisdom with regard to inducing OBEs. He recommends:

"Lie on your right side for best results, but absolutely never lie on your left side--it will inhibit your success." (pg. 75) 

Well, that's wrong. In fact, science has shown the vast majority of OBEs happen to people when they lie on their back. I've had OBEs facing every which way, right side, left side, stomach, and back. To me, left side and right side seem about equal, but I've had the most success lying on my back, like so many other OBE authors.

Altered States of Consciousness (ASCs) 

Goldberg also says some dubious things about Altered States of Consciousness (ASCs). For example, he writes:

"There are three classes of ASC, and they can be listed as follows:"

He then enumerates them as: OBEs, NDEs, and "COBES," which he describes as Conscious OBEs in which "the soul maintains a connection with the Higher Self at the precise moment of physical death."

If you've watched or attended one of my talks, you probably know I have only two "heroes" in my life: Leonardo Da Vinci, and the late, great Dr. Charles Tart, who wrote the foreword to my first book. Tart did laboratory experiments on OBErs like Robert Monroe. He also wrote, IMHO, the authoritative (and timeless) classic on ASCs, a large book titled "Altered States of Consciousness," which I've read from cover to cover, all 500+ pages of it. Believe me, there are a lot more ASCs than just OBEs, NDEs, and COBEs!

Conscious Dying

A few authors in the genre, especially those of Eastern mystical traditions, stress the importance of maintaining consciousness and a connection to your Higher Self during death, to avoid reincarnation. William Buhlman comes to mind. But none of them classify it as its own ASC. Perhaps it was just a poor choice of words and/or organization. 

With regard to death, Goldberg writes:

"At the moment of death, our physical body, including the ego, clinically dies. Our subconscious mind or soul survives." (pg. 133)

Maybe it's just semantics, but my out-of-body experiences have shown me (and many others) that the ego, the small "me" that I identify with when I'm awake, does not depend on the physical body, so I don't think it "dies" at the time of death. Maybe he was referring to "ego death" which has become a popular concept in recent years, but I doubt it. He goes on to say:

"The NDE (near-death experience) requires the body to literally die for a few seconds to several minutes, as I discussed in the previous chapter." (pg. 133)

This is way too broad and simplistic of a description. Research on NDEs have stirred up a lot of controversy about this topic. Many skeptics argue that the vast majority of NDEs happen without the physical body being "that close" to death. For example, most NDEs occur during heart failure, but just because your heart fails doesn't mean your brain is "dead" or even inactive, and even if your brain waves go down to zero, that doesn't mean you are "brain dead" because they only measure what's happening on the surface of the brain and not what's happening inside it. What makes Eben Alexander's NDE so convincing is that while it took place, his cerebral cortex was completely shut down by meningitis. His body and brain were, for all intents and purposes, dead, at least more so than the vast majority of NDEs. But by no means does your body "literally die" to have an NDE. 

Regarding Lucid Dreams vs. OBEs

Goldberg is unclear about the difference between OBEs versus lucid dreams. In some places, he seems to say lucid dreams are OBEs. He writes:

"When you have an OBE you are definitely aware that you are not dreaming. The lucid dreamer, on the other hand, is quite aware that they are dreaming. The difference is that of awareness and not of function. In both types of phenomena, the astral body may travel and document these voyages as is reported in remote viewing experiments. There is little doubt among researchers that information is somehow acquired by the projector/dreamer beyond that attainable by our five senses." (pg. 150) 

My stance on the subject is clear and well-documented: I believe lucid dreams (and dreams in general) are OBEs in which the dreamer experiences a self-created hallucination, whereas OBEs seem to take place in some kind of "objective" world. For more information, see my blog article titled Are OBEs the Same as Lucid Dreams?.

Drugs

Goldberg writes:

"Those that experimented with hallucinogenic substances (LSD, PCP, etc.) actually generated a drug-induced astral voyage." (pg. 205) 

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree here. Hallucinogenic drugs induce, well, hallucinations, and hallucinations are not real, not objective. I believe if you take them, you can no longer trust what you see, hear, or experience. Go natural.

One last point of disagreement. Goldberg writes:

"Your belief in your ability to leave your body is a critical prerequisite to purposeful astral projection." (pg. 227)

Well, that's absolutely false. When I first tried Robert Monroe's OBE technique in the fall of 1979, I was a complete skeptic. I didn't believe a word of what Monroe said. But I had an open and curious mind, and that's really all it takes. You don't need to believe in your ability to leave your body. You just need to attain the proper level of focus. 

The Good Side of This Book 

Despite its shortcomings, this book has a pretty good set of astral projection techniques. Some of them are unique to the genre, such as the "37-Degree Technique" in which you practice while your physical body is tilted at a 37-degree angle. This is similar to lying on your back in a recliner, but your feet are nearly touching the floor.

Techniques 

Goldberg's techniques section is actually pretty good. The vast majority of his techniques are based on hypnosis. In fact, he says "I personally and professionally feel self-hypnosis is the most efficient and easiest method to use for astral voyaging..." (pg. 111)

So he goes into great depth about self-hypnosis, creating scripts, trance deepening, trance conditioning techniques, Ganzfeld techniques (although he doesn't call it that--taping halved ping-pong balls over your eyes to create a uniform visual field.), etc.

He also gives several solid OBE techniques: 

• He gives decent "Shifting Focus Techniques" (pg. 86).

• The Mirror Technique (pg. 93)

• The "Body of Light" technique (pg. 102)

• Astral doorways

• Tattwa techniques

• Contemplation techniques (several of them, starting on pg. 112)  

Other exercises include:

• Focusing exercises (pg. 82)

• Relaxation exercises (pg. 83)

• Breathing exercises (pg. 84)

• Contemplation exercises (pg. 110) 

Crutches 

Goldberg talks about various crystals (pg. 96), various herbs and oils (pg. 97). Some of this was new to me. For example, he talks about an herb called "Deer's Tongue" that's like vanilla, that's supposedly "will facilitate OBEs." (pg. 97) I've never heard of it, and don't recall it from any other book on the subject.

He says of Mugwort: "This plant induces astral voyaging." (pg. 98) but that's not my understanding. Mugwort is known for its ability to induce vivid dreams, and it's known as the dreaming herb. Some people drink it in a tea, while others put it in a bag under their pillow. The first time I tried mugwort (many years ago) it just gave me some vivid nightmares, with no lucidity. Subsequent attempts didn't do anything at all for me.

Astral Sex

Goldberg has a whole chapter (chapter 12, page 169) dedicated to astral sex, and he treats the subject quite fairly, which not many authors talk about. Some of this comes from D.J. Conway, another Llewellyn author.

Also, with regard to sex, he writes:

"You are much more prone to an OBE following an orgasm than at any moment of your waking life." (pg. 171)

I wrote about that in my Hacking book, and also a blog article titled OBEs, Celibacy, Masturbation and the Sex Drive.

Astral Healing

Goldberg has a pretty good chapter on the topic of astral healing, which is a subject few authors talk about. This includes several astral healing techniques.

Time Travel

This is another subject that very few authors talk about. What fascinated me is his observations about traveling into the past and future. For example, he writes:

"...you may not be able to travel to a time three hours ahead of you, but a scene two days in the future might be relatively easy to attain. Some voyagers failed to venture ten days into the future, but found going ahead by one month child's play." (pg. 208)

He also talks about time distortion between the physical and the astral. In many cases, he notes that time in the astral seems to pass the same speed as waking life. And yet, there are exceptions:

"For instance, you might very well spend several days or weeks in the twenty-eighth century, while only a few minutes have elapsed on the physical plane." (pg. 209) 

That reminds me of the childhood experience I described in my first book where my friend, Frank ("FD"), knocked me out with a bear hug. It seemed like literally centuries of time had passed, yet when I woke, only a couple minutes had passed. You can read my full account at this link: https://www.robertpeterson.org/obe-chapter-2.html

This book also offers some good advice for astral projectors. For example, he writes:

"One of the most efficient methods of stabilizing the astral body is to look at a bright object." (pg. 22)

Well, that's kind of true. The trick here, as it turns out, is to engage your non-physical senses as much as possible. Michael Raduga recommends you touch everything in sight. In other words, engage your non-physical sense of touch as much as possible. But staring at (or into) any object, i.e. engaging as much as possible, your non-physical sense of sight, has the same effect.

Conclusions 

I give this book 3.5 stars out of 5. The writing is professional and I found very few spelling or grammar mistakes. The book is 247 pages with a conservative font and decent margins, so there's ample content to satisfy. He has a good amount of exercises and techniques, but also a good amount of misinformation. Some of the exercises are good, but many are based on hypnosis, and a lot of people are resistant to hypnosis.

Bob Peterson
31 March 2026

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If you want me to review a book about out-of-body experiences or astral projection, send me an email: bob@robertpeterson.org, but please check the index first to see if I've already reviewed it. Also, I've got a huge pile of books I'm planning to review, so don't expect a quick turnaround.

If you like my work, visit my website, robertpeterson.org, where you'll find lots of other free OBE advice and links.

Return to the index of my OBE Book reviews

 

Review: Astral Projection Without Tears by Mark Gurriaran

Astral Projection Without Tears

by  Mark Gurriaran

Today I'm reviewing Astral Projection Without Tears by Mark Gurriaran. The subtitle is A Primer in Out-of-Body Travel. The copyright is 2022.

Unbeknownst to me, this is Gurriaran's second book about OBE/AP. I haven't read or reviewed his first book, which is titled: The Illusion of Method: Undressing the Core Practice of Astral Projection, Lucid Dreaming, and other Psychic Phenomena.

First let's talk about the negative things about the book. I'll cover the positive later.

As always, the first question I ask is the author's level of experience. In the case of Mark Gurriaran, he doesn't offer many clues. There are absolutely no AP/OBE narratives to give you an idea whether he's speaking from experience. A couple of times in passing, he says things like, "In my experience..." and such, but it's not much to go on. 

The main problem I have with the book is that everything is grossly oversimplified. For example, many authors write about different out-of-body "planes" like the "etheric plane" AKA "real-time zone", a multi-leveled "astral plane," "mental plane," "causal plane," and so forth. Charles Leadbeater described seven different planes, according to the teachings of Theosophy. Robert Monroe wrote about three different "Locales" in his first book, and many "Focus Levels" in his other two books.  Jurgen Ziewe's book Elysium Unveiled is dedicated to describing and illustrating numerous different nonphysical locations. Reminds me of:

Gurriaran simply writes:

"After exiting the body you'll find yourself in the out-of-body reality, also known as the astral plane." (pg. 5) 

That's it. Now, maybe he's deliberately simplifying everything for a reason. Maybe he goes into greater depth in his first book. But I think details like that are important if you're going to attach a label like "astral plane" to it. I hate labels like that. I've said many times, "It's not like there's a sign hanging on the doorway that says 'Astral plane.'" For me it's more like I find myself in an unknown place, and some places feel more "heavy" and physical, and other places seem more ethereal or malleable than physical reality.

Another example of the author's oversimplification (and he even admits this upfront) is how he describes people as having just two aspects: A conscious self and a subconscious, which he simply calls the "nervous system," the same system that controls our automatic breathing, heartbeat, etc. He says we need to motivate our "nervous system" to achieve an OBE. In my opinion, it's a lot more complicated than that. In my opinion, there's a big separation between the subconscious and the "autonomic nervous system" that keeps our heart beating and our lungs pumping. Not to mention the "Higher Self" that so many authors, like William Buhlman, talk about. Or, say, the "ego," "id" and "super ego" that Sigmund Freud wrote about. He's right, though, that we need to motivate our subconscious to achieve OBEs. Sylvan Muldoon observed that almost a hundred years ago in his classic The Projection of the Astral Body.

There are several places where I disagreed with the author. For example, he seems to say that "seeing everything black" only happens to novices:

"However, most practitioners' first experience is seeing everything black, feeling intense fear and returning almost immediately to the body as a result." (pg. 6)

He assures the reader that the problem will go away with experience. 

None of that is true. In fact, "seeing black" may be one of two things: First, if you're too close to your physical body, it often interferes with your eyesight. Second, you might be in "The Void" which is a jumping-off place that several authors describe. Frederick Aardema's book Explorations in Consciousness describes this well. See my blog article in the "Problem solving" section of my "blog" page on website titled Problem 8: I Get Out and I'm Blind.

As for beginners having intense fear: that's also not true. In fact, people's first out-of-body experience is almost always one of joy, elation, and wonder, with absolutely no fear. You can verify that by reading any number of books, like any of Robert Crookall's OBE-heavy narrative books like The Study and Practice of Astral Projection, or With the Eyes of the Mind by Gabbard and Twemlow, two professional psychiatrists who studied OBEs. Or other books of OBE narratives, like Herbert Greenhouse's expansive book The Astral Journey. 

I also disagreed with this statement:

"However, as soon as we astral project, we can no longer imagine--our five senses suddenly start to perceive the astral reality with incredible vividness and realism." (pg. 15)

Well, that's completely wrong. When I was first learning astral projection, I used to try to visit various people, like my friend Lisa ("LD" from my first book). Many times I tried to visit them by using my imagination: I would imagine their face, their presence, the way they "feel" to me, etc. It took me a long time to get learn that skill. Hell, I've used my imagination in countless out-of-body experiences. In my first book, chapter 20, I described what I call "The Fantasy Trap" where my conscious awareness got "blurred" back to a lucid dream or even a normal dream because I let my mind wander too much. You can read it at this link. Your imagination works perfectly fine in an OBE, but it can definitely pull you back into the dream state if you're not very careful.

I also disagreed with this statement:

"Now, the next thing you must know about OBEs is that they don't take place in a state of full wakefulness....you cannot have it if you're walking your dog, eating a pizza, writing an essay or playing video games. You need to enter an altered state of consciousness." (pg. 32)

Well, that's not entirely true either. While you should focus your astral projection efforts on altered states (like the hypnagogic or hypnopompic), they can, in fact, happen in broad daylight, while you're wide awake. This has happened to me on more than one occasion. One time I was walking down the street and suddenly found myself in an OBE and my body kept on walking as if nothing had changed. Another good example is in the book Loved by Mary Dioma where she describes (among other things) an intense out-of-body experience while driving her car in heavy traffic! I seem to recall another example in Gary Wimmer's book A Second in Eternity.

But the main thing I disagree with is: Gurriaran writes that you need to let your mind drift. He writes:

"The mind can only reach deeper states if it's relaxed, and in order to relax it cannot be expectant over anything--it has to flow aimlessly as if it was dancing." (pg. 37)

Not in my experience. The key, I've found, is focus, which is different from concentration. In my favorite technique, I focus on an imaginary object that's moving. It's even better if you work your way down to the hypnagogic state, then "focus" on the hallucinated images you see or the hallucinated sounds you hear. Still, your mind should remain passive and act as an objective "observer." If I let my mind flow aimlessly, I'll just fall asleep.

He also writes:

"...if you want to have an out-of-body experience you cannot obtain it by trying to force the exit or waiting in expectancy for separation to occur." (pg. 45)

That's not true either. Plenty of people have obtained it through the use of intense focus. 

Mark Gurriaran's out-of-body technique is oversimplified too. Here is a summary of the steps he recommends:

1. Ensure that you are fresh and rested (e.g. mid-day).
2. Lie down intending to have an OBE.
3. Rest in a comfortable position during the whole session.
4. Forget about the goal and pretend that you fall asleep.
5. Instead of falling asleep you will leave your body.

In step 1, he recommends you make your attempts when you are fully rested, like the middle of the afternoon on a non-work day. I agree that you should avoid practicing at your normal bedtime. I used to practice on weekend mornings. Most OBE books recommend you practice in the early morning. But that's not the final word on the matter. Many OBE books say that broken sleep is conducive to having OBEs. A lot of new parents start having OBEs because their newborn baby breaks up their sleep. So "fresh and rested?" Maybe, maybe not.

Step 2 is great, because as many experts say, intention is almost everything. It's what motivates the subconscious.

In Step 3, Gurriaran recommends a position that gives you the most comfort. That may work for him and for others, but a lot of experts recommend being slightly uncomfortable. Gurriaran even addresses this, but frankly, I didn't buy into his explanation. I've had plenty of OBEs in slightly uncomfortable positions. He says:

"When we are in an uncomfortable body position, the body becomes rigid and tense, therefore being unable to relax." (pg. 56)

Well, that's kind of true, but as I said, I can still fall asleep in a slightly uncomfortable bed. Many times I've induced OBEs when I'm staying overnight at my in-laws house in a much colder room than I'm used to, and on a much smaller bed than I'm used to. The slight discomfort doesn't stop my body from sleeping, so relaxation is not a problem. But with so little space, I can't roll around, so I sometimes wake up stiff and sore. Given the slight discomfort, my subconscious doesn't let me get too deep into sleep, and my conscious awareness is closer to the surface. The same can be said for hotel rooms, which are often uncomfortable and brightly lit from outside.

In step 4, pretend you fall asleep, he writes:

"In short, mind-wandering is what I mean by 'fake or pretend that you fall asleep.'" (pg. 63)

As I said earlier, letting my mind wander will only put me to sleep, even when I'm fully rested and alert during broad daylight. I remember one time I told a friend, John, that I had very good control over sleep, and I could sleep on demand. He didn't believe me and challenged me to fall asleep right then and there, middle of the afternoon, in a brightly lit room, wearing headphones that were playing loud, raucous music. I took the challenge, put on my headphones, cranked the volume up so loud he could hear it, and started playing "Powerslave" by Iron Maiden, and boom, I forced myself to sleep. The trick, as I told John, was to learn to direct your attention where you want it, to the exclusion of all sensory distractions. But I digress.

Step 5 is way too vague. The OBE is just supposed to magically take place because the conditions are right? Or because you pretended to fall asleep? For me, it's never been that easy. For me, what's necessary, as I said before, is focus: "passive observer" focus. And I almost always need to initiate it by exercising the intent to move. See my "Almost Move" technique for details.

He says:

"You don't need to imagine your way out because words are more than enough, plus the problem with these techniques is that, as stated above, you you spend your whole session imagining what you want to occur rather than just letting it go." (pg. 55)

There's something to be said for stating your intentions to have an OBE and "letting go" but I think it's more reliable to "knock your story of experience off its tracks" by using your imagination to override the data your brain is getting from the physical senses.

He writes:

"You simply need to stop resisting the experience; as soon as you allow it to happen, it will happen." (pg. 101)

I don't know, man. He doesn't know how many countless hours I've spent "allowing it to happen" unsuccessfully!

Okay, I've talked about the negative, so let's talk about the positive.

Gurriaran does get several things right. He agrees with me (and many authors) that OBEs are very different from lucid dreams, and that Lucid Dreams, like normal dreams, are self-created hallucinations, whereas OBEs are more "objective" and resistant to change.

He is right that we tend to overthink things, psych ourselves out, judge our own abilities by past failures. Most of us don't "let go" to the extent we need to for OBEs to happen. Most people don't let themselves drift close enough toward the sleep barrier, for fear of falling asleep.

Some authors describe how they return from OBEs feeling tired or drained. My experience is that I come back feeling super energized, and Gurriaran agrees.

"I rarely wake up refreshed from sleep, but I feel fresh and rested after an OBE." (pg. 18) 

This is probably the only AP/OBE book I can remember that talks about Aphantasia, the rare inability to use visual imagination. Gurriaran writes:

"I know practitioners who can't imagine at all, yet they astral project on command." (pg. 14) 

His advice is, like I mentioned, don't worry about it, don't try to imagine anything, and just let it happen. 

Another thing I liked is this statement:

"Approach every OBE attempt as if it's your first one: don't look back on past results, nor create ideal expectations or preconceived ideas about future outcomes." (pg. 107)

That's absolutely true. You shouldn't set expectations for your attempts. Don't lie there frustrated because it feels hopeless, or because the same technique doesn't work a second time. Just be optimistic and accepting of whatever happens. And if it doesn't happen, don't kick yourself. Dismiss it and hope for better next time. 

The book has no OBE narratives, and the only technique is the one I described above, but in more detail. He doesn't cover what to do when the vibrations hit. He doesn't recommend any types of meditation. As a matter of fact, he dismisses and discourages the use of ages-old OBE techniques like chanting mantras (inwardly or outwardly) and occult rituals, or newer tricks like binaural beats, hemi-sync, sound-and-light machines, etc. He dismisses timeless techniques like the target technique, falling asleep while repeating, "I will have an OBE," and everyone's favorite, Rope. He doesn't give any problem solving tips. It's just...lacking.

The book is 115 pages, but the format is small, so there's not a lot of content.  

I give this book 3 stars out of 5. It's not a terrible book. It's just not a great book. The spelling and grammar were okay, but the author uses exclamation points way too much, especially at the start of the book! There were just a few typos. What I didn't like is that everything was oversimplified, and I disagreed with the author on several points. His technique may work for him, but it seems naive to assume it will work for everyone.

Bob Peterson
03 March 2026

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If you want me to review a book about out-of-body experiences or astral projection, send me an email: bob@robertpeterson.org, but please check the index first to see if I've already reviewed it. Also, I've got a huge pile of books I'm planning to review, so don't expect a quick turnaround.

If you like my work, visit my website, robertpeterson.org, where you'll find lots of other free OBE advice and links.

Return to the index of my OBE Book reviews

Review: The Astral Traveller by Gerard M Pratt

The Astral Traveller

 by Gerard M Pratt

Today I'm reviewing The Astral Traveller by Gerard M Pratt. The subtitle is Guardians of Light & Shadow. There's also a sub-subtitle: A Journey into the Supernatural: Exploring Astral Projection and Out-of-Body Experiences.

I know it's been a long time since I posted to my blog. I took a long hiatus and I've had very little time to read. However, I just finished this book and wanted to share my thoughts about it. I set down a lot of flags, so let's get into it.

Note that the author, Gerard Pratt, is British, so I'll be using the British spelling of some words throughout. 

The first question you should always ask about a book on astral projection / out-of-body experiences is: Is the author writing from experience? Experience is almost everything in this genre. Sure, there are a few exceptions, if the author has done their research. Authors like Anthony Peake, Robert Crookall, and Janet Mitchell come to mind. They may or may not have had OBEs themselves, but it hardly matters because they've done tons of research and are really experts in the subject.

In the case of Gerard M Pratt, the answer is yes, he does write from experience, and he has multiple journal entries in the book to illustrate his claims. He even went above and beyond and took a polygraph (lie detector test) to demonstrate the authenticity of his claims, and put the results at the end of the book. So Pratt is the real deal. But you can also tell that from his narratives themselves. For example, he writes:

"It's both frustrating and exhilarating--this dance between fear and discovery." (pg. 84)

He shares some experiments he did in the out-of-body state, like trying to deliberately get himself stuck inside walls, then calling for help to see who would come to his aid. 

He talks about Robert Monroe and some of his odd experiences, and compares them to some of his own OBEs. For example, he talks about one of Monroe's "locale 2" OBEs in which everyone seemed to bow down to a powerful being. Then he writes about a similar experience he had, along with conjecture about whether this being was the entity known as "King Paimon," a renown demon and djinn celebrated in the Ars Goetia. My (amazing) brother, Joe, has been studying this, and similar, work for about 50 years and is an expert on these subjects. He could probably spend hours talking with Pratt. Do yourself a favor sometime and look up "Joseph Peterson" on Amazon. He's written more books than I have.

Pratt is also contemporary. His experiences are as recent as 2024. That's important.

Here's an example I loved from one of his journals:

"At that moment, the realisation dawned on me: my Higher Self is far more significant, and the impact of my actions is--or will be--immeasurably substantial. It's a gentle reminder that even when we feel small or insignificant, our potential and influence are far greater than we can fully comprehend." (pgs. 90-91)

Some of the most intense and interesting of Pratt's experiences have to do with the "angels" or light beings I've sometimes talked about, who sometimes take us out-of-body to go on spiritual missions; often without our conscious knowledge. For example:

"08 Nov 2019: I had an unforgettable experience that still lingers. One morning, I awoke to two voices deep in conversation. One of the voices, a commanding male tone, urged, 'Don't wake him yet; we have another task for him!...'" (pg. 216)

I've had things like that happen to me, so it gave me the chills. He ends this same OBE narrative with:

"...A part of me firmly believes that humans are intricately woven into the fabric of the astral world, engaging in battles far beyond our waking reality." (pg. 217)

Also like me, Pratt did some of his own "God" experiments, with interesting results. (Page 242, etc.) He also was given "tests" and "lessons" by spirit guides, like I describe in my second (hard to find) book, Lessons Out of the Body.

"Suddenly, I was transported to a shadowy cave. It was all a test--a series of virtual challenges orchestrated by unseen guides to confront my fears and gauge my growth." (pg. 267) 

Like me, he gives this advice about the vibrations:

"I've realised the importance of approaching spirits with a mindful sense of caution. Not all of them are who they claim to be; they can embody forms or generate personas that resonate with those they guide." (pg. 227) 

Experience aside, Pratt has also done a great deal of research on the subject. In my books, I tried to use a more scientific approach. Pratt takes a more occult-leaning approach. Like many authors in this genre, he's investigated more traditional occult approaches to the topic. So he subscribes to the multiple-bodies theory (Physical body, Etheric body, Astral body, etc.) I found it interesting that he doesn't mention Eckankar, but that's probably a good thing.

He writes about (and quotes) people like Eliphas Levi, Madame Blavatsky, Aleister Crowley,  and so on. He references Crowley more than any of the others. He also talks about Dr. John Dee, astrologer to Queen Elizabeth I, and so on. (e.g. Page 20). Dr. Dee is also near and dear to the heart of my  brother, Joe. (See above). Pratt even has a photo on page 228 of Dr. Dee's crystal and scrying stone from the British Museum. (I also took a photo of it when I was there in 1990.)

He also writes about the Rosicrucians, Golden Dawn, Theosophy, and other organizations, and occult works like various grimoires. 

Pratt also talks about the Scole Experiments (pg. 118) and also on pages 226-227. So he's well-read and examines all these paths.

He divides the astral dimensions into three categories:

1. Consensus Realities
2. Non-consensus Realities
3. Voids 

In talking about exploring higher planes of existence, he says:

"[Crowley] noted that while a 'fine body' may be sufficient for the lower planes, it falls short in penetrating the higher realms. Significant development and a deep infusion of our highest spiritual essence are essential to pierce those veils of perception." (pg. 123)

In his quest for spiritual explorations, Pratt has studied several different paths. This includes a "Truth of Spirit" group. He delves into the world of Mediumship (chapter 12), the world of witchcraft, and he addresses phenomena like the incubus and succubus, and the guardian of the threshold.

Pratt gives good, sound advice for inducing out-of-body experiences. It's not the usual rehashing of the same techniques in other books. He gives good advice about relaxation, meditation, and such. He discusses tools and aids, such as binaural beats, crystals like labradorite, lapis lazuli, and keeping both dream and OBE/AP journals. Like me, he recommends that you do not try to amplify "the vibrations" but instead, to make yourself as calm and passive as possible when they come.

As for techniques, he gives a pretty good sampling of various techniques, from many sources. He puts more emphasis on the manipulation of hypnagogic images, which is my go-to technique.  He covers:

• Visualisation techniques
• Post-Sleep techniques
• Lucid Dreaming
• Affirmations and Intentions
  He echoes various authors who say that intention and mindset are the most important things to leverage. (Author Franck Labat comes to mind.)
• Dream Journaling
• Relaxation techniques 
• Rocking & swaying techniques
• Roll Out technique
• The Hammock technique
• The Rope technique 

He also talks (briefly) about supplements like mugwort, Dream Leaf, and "Lucid Esc": 

I was slightly disappointed he didn't go into more details, so even though he covered a lot of ground, he never went very "in-depth" on any of them.

He also talks about UFOs/UAPs, and even a bit about the "inner voice" phenomenon. For example, this quote is just as likely to be from my book Answers Within:

...their responses often remain elusive and brief, mentioning, "I can't tell you." (pg. 293) 

In short, I loved this book. It's like someone used "CRISPR" to mix my "spiritual DNA" and knowledge with my brother Joe's "spiritual DNA" and knowledge, with a good healthy dose of personal experience.

The book is 333 pages, with good margins and font. It's well thought-out, well written, and well organized. I only found a few mistakes and typos. I give it 4 and a half stars out of 5. There was one particular place in the book where the author used an excessive amount of "passive voice" sentences, which got on my nerves, but most of the book was great. This is a great book.

Bob Peterson
10 February 2026

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If you want me to review a book about out-of-body experiences or astral projection, send me an email: bob@robertpeterson.org, but please check the index first to see if I've already reviewed it. Also, I've got a huge pile of books I'm planning to review, so don't expect a quick turnaround.

If you like my work, visit my website, robertpeterson.org, where you'll find lots of other free OBE advice and links.

Return to the index of my OBE Book reviews