Problem 10: I keep getting sucked back in

 

by Bob Peterson

In this article I continue my series to help you solve out-of-body experience problems. The previous articles in the series are:

1. Problem 1: Nothing Happens
2. Problem 2: I Just Fall Asleep
3. Problem 3: The Vibrations Just Fade
4. Problem 4: I Get Scared and Chicken Out
5. Problem 5: I Can't Get The Vibrations
6. Problem 6: Stuck in Sleep Paralysis 
7. Problem 7: My OBEs are Too Short
8. Problem 8: I Get Out and I'm Blind
9. Problem 9: I Can't Go Anywhere  
   

This time I'll help you solve another common OBE problem: You successfully leave your body but you can't make any progress because your body keeps dragging you back inside.

This has happened to me for as long as I remember: I induce the proper conditions, fly, float or walk away from my physical body and after a few seconds, POOF, I'm snapped back inside my body. It usually doesn't bring me back to full-body awareness; it's just an instant relocation. In the past I've described this as like "Paddle Ball". You know, a paddle with a ball attached by an elastic string, and your goal is to hit the ball with the paddle and the ball invariably snaps back to the paddle. Yeah, pretty lame.

So how do you solve it?

Persistence is the key

Like all things astral, the key is persistence. It's normal and natural for your focus to temporarily snap back to the body, but if you persist in your efforts and try again you will make progress toward your goal. I've had many out-of-body experiences in which I make an exit but get snapped back inside within three feet (1 meter). I refocus, exit again, and get snapped back inside again, but this time I get maybe six feet (two meters). If you keep doing this you can make slow but steady progress. Eventually you'll get beyond the "cord activity range" where you'll have more freedom of movement and will be less likely to get sucked back inside.

Using this technique, I've had three-hour OBEs that were broken into lots of smaller five-to-fifteen minute segments. The down side, of course, is that it's really hard to remember what transpired during those segments. But that's another topic for another day.

The Solution

So if you get sucked back inside your body after a few seconds, my best advice is: 

• Ignore it and immediately exit again.
• When you get back to your body, do NOT move your physical body. 
• Instead, focus on the space in front of you and, if you can, develop a sense of motion and momentum to push back out of your body again.
• Do NOT think about your body at all. Casual thoughts like "I wonder if my body is alright" or "I wonder if I've been away from the body too long" can instantly send you careening back to the body again.
• Just forget about your physical body and focus on the non-physical task at hand. Stay in the present moment.
  
• Be persistent. If you get sucked back inside your body 37 times, exit 38 times.
• If you "reintegrate" with your body and can't easily exit again, don't move your physical body, but focus on inducing the vibrations again.
  

Out-of-body experiences can seem like a game of cat and mouse. You constantly chase it and it constantly gets away. But just like physical life, you need to be tenacious and never give up on your goals.

The Universe (with a capital U) often throws up roadblocks to our goals, but overcoming those roadblocks makes you stronger and helps you develop your skills.

Bob Peterson,
23 May 2023

Biggest Facebook AP Groups 2023

by Bob Peterson

The last time I analyzed the Astral Projection groups on Facebook and published my results was in May, 2021: two years ago! (You can read that article here.) Needless to say, it is now badly out of date.

In that time many groups have come and gone. Others have been renamed or changed focus. Believe it or not, some groups even kicked me out or scolded me for posting links to my blog! This, despite the fact that all I've been doing is offering free astral projection information, techniques, and advice for the last ten years. Anyone who spends five minutes to research me and my work can figure that out. I don't value any group whose moderators are so closed-minded they can't be bothered to research me or my work. Their loss.

Without further ado, here is my updated list of the biggest Astral Projection groups on Facebook for 2023:

1. Astral Projection - 76000 members, up from 66400
2. Astral Projection - Techniques - 60600 members, up from 18000
   
3. Astral Projection Lessons - 58600 members, up from 47000
4. Astral Projection Community - 32000 members, up from 31900
5. The Out-of-Body Travel Foundation! - 17200 members, up from 16000
6. Astral Projection&Lucid Dreams Teachings And Other Psychic Abilities - 12600 members
7. Astral Traveling & Spiritual Awakening - 10500 members
   
8. Astral Projection and Psychic Experience - 8200 members, down from 8600
9. Journey To The Astral World - 7700 members, up from 7000
10. ASTRAL PROJECTION - 7500 members, up from 7000
11. Astral Projection Help And Tips - 6500 members, up from 3300
    
12. Out of Body Explorers - 6300 members
13. TMI Out of Body Experience Group - 6200 members
    
14. CONSCIOUS EXPLORERS - 5500 members
15. Astral Projection & Lucid Dreaming group - 5000 members, up from 4500
16. Astral Projection (Out of Body Experiences) - 5000 members
17. Astral Projection-OOBE-Lucid Dreaming - 4700 members
    
18. Out of Body Experience & Near Death Experience - 4600 members
19. Sleep Paralysis and Astral Travel - 4300 members, up from 2900
20. Astral projection travelers, experienced and learning. - 4300 members
    
21. William Buhlman Group - 3300 members, up from 2100
    

There are many other groups with fancy names, but I chose to post the groups with the most members because those tend to be the most active and vibrant.

All these groups are excellent resources for people interested in astral projection.

Congratulations to rising star "Astral Projection - Techniques," for outstanding growth that rocketed them to the #2 position. Their dedication to a cause and outstanding team of moderators are to be applauded! Full disclosure: I moderate that group as well as several others (but I'm not very active in my moderation).

If you wish to join these groups, be sure to answer all the entrance questions honestly, and once you're in, please be respectful and thoughtful of others.

Many of these groups don't tolerate hate, religion bashing, religious agendas, self-promotion, controversy, mud slinging, or inappropriate material of any kind and will boot people out in a heartbeat if you cross the line.

Remember: while our paths may all be different, we are all headed the same direction. We are all teachers and students, both teaching others and learning from others.

Bob Peterson,
02 May 2023

Problem 9: I Can't Go Anywhere

 

by Bob Peterson

In this article I continue my series to help you solve out-of-body experience problems. The previous articles in the series are:

1. Problem 1: Nothing Happens
2. Problem 2: I Just Fall Asleep
3. Problem 3: The Vibrations Just Fade
4. Problem 4: I Get Scared and Chicken Out
5. Problem 5: I Can't Get The Vibrations
6. Problem 6: Stuck in Sleep Paralysis 
7. Problem 7: My OBEs are Too Short
8. Problem 8: I Get Out and I'm Blind
   

This time I'll help you solve another common OBE problem: You successfully leave your body but you can't go anywhere. You seem trapped, can't leave your bedroom, unable to push through doors, windows or walls, or you can't seem to reach a friend.

Understanding the problem

Experienced astral travelers agree: barriers like this are almost always psychological: your progress is blocked by limiting beliefs, fears, or doubts, whether conscious or subconscious. For example, subconscious fears--fears you may not even know you have--can hold you back because of the mysterious unknown: Who knows what's out there? It's a defense mechanism to keep you safe.

To get around these problems, apply a bit of psychology. Here are some possible solutions:

Solution 1 - Try all your options

Sometimes you can't push through a door because, in some deep part of your psyche, you think it might be impossible. After all, you can't do it when you're physical. To your psyche, a closed door may imply a barrier you should not cross. But since you've never pushed through a wall while physical, you may not have that bias.

So if you can't get through a door, try walking through a nearby wall. If you can't get through the wall, try a nearby window. Don't give up until you've tried all three.

Even if you can't push through a door, you can try to open it. Many people find that, although they can't really open the door, they seem to pass right through as soon as they try.

Solution 2 - Leave your astral body

In my previous article (#8 above) I offered this as a solution to astral blindness, but it also works for getting stuck and being unable to leave your immediate surroundings. For the same reasons, I might add. So close your (astral) eyes and use your imagination to try to separate your conscious awareness from your non-physical (etheric?) body into a second non-physical (astral?) body.

Solution 3 - Raise your vibrations

I talked about this, too, in the previous article. Sometimes you can't get through a window, wall, or door because your conscious awareness is vibrating at too low a rate; the same reason that may make you blind during an OBE. Occultists would say your vibrations are too slow and "physical," and collide with the vibrations of the counterpart of the physical walls, doors, windows.

To counter this, try raise your vibrations. Close your eyes and imagine your conscious awareness is vibrating at a given rate, then imagine the vibration gets higher and higher, like turning up a dial. Or perhaps like a musical note that gets higher and higher in pitch. It might help to imagine peace, tranquility, or heaven or other happy thoughts. Or recall a song that really puts you in a good mood.

Solution 4 - Back your way through barriers

Another time-tested trick is to turn around and face away from the barrier (wall, door, window, etc.), then take a step backwards, backing up through the barrier rather than going through it forwards. This is simple, but effective.

Solution 5 - Freedom Now!

Another solution is to strongly insist, demand, or even scream and shout out that you are completely free from obstruction. Yelling "Freedom Now!" can unlock subconscious barriers and set you free. Willpower can overpower even stubborn psychological limitations.

Solution 6 - Think of a place and pull yourself there

I described this technique in a blog article from 2013 called Controlling Your Reality in an OBE. Basically, you think of a far-away place, set a mental anchor there, and pull yourself to the anchor. It's more about intent than actual movement.

Solution 7 - Ask helpers to take you some where

In my experience, there are helpers "out there" during my OBEs who are willing to help, even if you don't see them. In fact, I usually don't see them, but I can talk to them and hear them normally. They never interfere unless you ask them for help. But if you ask for help, they're usually very cooperative and willing to help.

So if you're having trouble, try asking (aloud) for help. Just say (aloud, in the OBE) "Can I please get some help traveling to X?"

Conclusions

Sometimes we stand in our own way and block our own progress. Doubts, fears and limiting beliefs hold us back. That's true in the physical as well as non-physical environments. The best way around them is often to discover and resolve the limiting beliefs that hold you back. That's best done before you go out-of-body.

But once you're in the OBE, use psychology devices like the solutions above. These can get you past the blockage, which, in turn, helps you resolve those limiting beliefs and fears.

It's a spiraling cycle: limiting beliefs keep you inside, but the more you struggle, the more those beliefs are reinforced.

Instead, use these simple tricks to your advantage, and your newfound freedom will break the cycle of "stuck" and prove that you are, in fact, free to go wherever you want. As they said in the Wizard of Oz, you had the power all along.

Bob Peterson,
18 April 2023

Problem 8: I Get Out and I'm Blind

by Bob Peterson

In this article I continue my series to help you solve out-of-body experience problems. The previous articles in the series are:

1. Problem 1: Nothing Happens
2. Problem 2: I Just Fall Asleep
3. Problem 3: The Vibrations Just Fade
4. Problem 4: I Get Scared and Chicken Out
5. Problem 5: I Can't Get The Vibrations
6. Problem 6: Stuck in Sleep Paralysis 
7. Problem 7: My OBEs are Too Short
   

This time I'm covering another common OBE problem: You make it all the way to a full-fledged out-of-body experience, but you find yourself completely blind and unable to see.

What is non-physical sight?

If you take a step back and look at the big picture, what we call physical "sight" is really just our physical brain's interpretation of the impressions light makes on the retina. Visual data from the eyes gets routed through the lens to the retina, along the optic nerve to the visual cortex at the back of the brain. From there impulses are sent to different processing centers of the brain where we interpret the image in several different ways (threat assessment, facial recognition, pattern recognition, memory processing, etc.). This interpretation is we call "sight."

In fact, the lenses in our eyes present the light onto our retina upside down, but your brain turns it "right side up" for your interpretation. Scientists actually conducted experiments where they gave people special glasses that flipped what they saw to be "right-side-up" on the retina. At first, the people couldn't function at all with the world seemingly upside-down. But after a while, their brains learned to adjust and then they could "see" the world normally again. But here's the weird part: When they removed the special glasses, the world looked upside-down again, until their brains readjusted back to normal.

In an out-of-body experience you don't really have "astral" eyes, retinas, optic nerves, or an astral brain. All you have is a similar interpretation, but of mysterious non-physical data. Our non-physical body schema is really just a framework we use to interpret that data. In fact, the "astral" body can take any shape, such as a sphere, a pinpoint of light, a bird, or a human body. We normally assume human form out of habit because we've been using it so long to interpret sense data.

In fact, you don't really have astral senses of sight, hearing, touch, or any of it. All you have is interpretations of all these non-physical perceptions.

The same can be said for dream senses: When we "see" something in a dream, we are really just experiencing hallucinated inner events, and interpreting that data as sight, sound, touch, and so forth.

My point is simply this: if you don't "see" during an OBE it's not really something to be too concerned about. I've found myself blind in countless OBEs where I just ignored it, walked away from my body and focused on other things, like plotting a course of action, etc., and a few seconds later, without even trying, I realize that I had started to "see" without even trying. My sense of sight somehow just naturally kicked in without effort, and I hadn't really even noticed it.

Different types of non-physical sight

In my first book, chapter 18 (which you can read here) I described four basic types of non-physical sight:

• Astral sight - This feels closest to "physical sight" everyone wants to have.
  
• Astral mind sensing - This is more like sensing everything around you in all directions at the same time. It's almost like touching the entire room, and everything in it, all at once.
• Body sight - This is where you try to open your non-physical eyes, but instead your physical body's eyes open and you see, for example, your ceiling, but often blurry.
• Clairvoyance - This is what people today would call "Remote Viewing", where you receive visual impressions of things, both near and far. Long ago, they used to call it "traveling clairvoyance." Most people don't stop to consider that if you can do it from the in-the-body state, you can also do it while out-of-body.
  

So when I say I'm "blind" I really mean that I want (or expect) to have the first type, astral sight, but I have one of the other types instead, or none at all. And that's annoying because it's hard to describe what you "saw" in your OBE unless it's that first type. So what can you do about it?

Solutions

Here are some ideas to get you unstuck.

Solution 1 - Get farther away from your physical body

Author and experienced astral traveler Sylvan Muldoon wrote that the physical body has a "cord activity range" that not only pulls you prematurely back to your body, but also interferes with your sense of sight. He estimated it to be 15 feet/5 meters, but some authors say it's more like 10. I've also found this to be true, so I always recommended follow these steps:

• Close your (astral) eyes.
• Put some distance (15 feet/5 meters) between you and your physical body.
• Make an effort to open your (astral) eyes. This is just like opening your physical eyes.
  

In my experience this is usually enough to restore good eyesight.

Solution 2 - Clarity now!

William Buhlman, author of several books on the subject, suggests you demand “Clarity Now!” to engage your sense of sight. Other suggest you even scream it at the top of your lungs. And it often does bring clarity.

Solution 3 - Engage your analytical mind

I've had OBEs in which my "sight" didn't operate properly until I engaged my analytical mind. I could "see" objects in my bedroom but my vision was extremely limited and I couldn't correctly identify or interpret them. So I started doing math problems in my mind to engage my analytical mind. I started doing simple math problems in my head. Something like this: "1024 plus 768 is, let's see, working from the right to the left, 8+4, is 12, 2+6 is 8, but carry the 10, so 92, and 10+7 is 17. So the answer is 1792." As I did this, all the objects in my bedroom came into sharp focus and I could "see" everything normally.

Solution 4 - Leave your astral body

Try to leave your astral body. Seriously. Like I said before, our non-physical body schema is really just a framework, and if that form is limiting, leave it behind. How do you do that? Just try to escape your astral body like you did your physical; walk away from it or visualize your spirit leaving the astral body, rising up, etc.

The result is that you'll usually find yourself in a different "astral body," one that can see more clearly.

Solution 5 - Raise your vibrations

Occultists of old would probably say that you cannot see because your awareness was associated with a dense a non-physical body, like the "etheric body," or the "lower astral." So you can either leave that "etheric body" and take control of the finer "astral" body, or else just focus on raising your vibrations to a higher level, and hopefully your sense of sight will snap into place.

Solution 6 - Leave "The Void"

Some seasoned out-of-body experiencers describe a place called "The Void" that's a jumping-off point for non-physical excursions. Fred Aardema comes to mind. In "The Void" all you see is blackness. It's like you're in outer space, but no stars or planets are visible.

I firmly believe that many people misinterpret "The Void" as blindness because you can't see anything. Look down at your non-physical hands. Can you see them or are they invisible too? (I've had OBEs in which I could, OBEs in which I couldn't, and still others where I could see them as filmy and translucent).

Either way, refocus your awareness to someplace more familiar, but not in your bedroom or wherever your body resides. In fact, it's usually better to focus on an area outside your house or apartment. Refocus to the roof of your house, out in the street, a garden, a park or wherever you want. Once refocused, your sense of sight is usually restored.

Conclusions

Non-physical senses can be confusing; especially the sense of sight. Hopefully these tricks can help you get unstuck. So go out and see the sights, and write down what you "saw" in your OBE journal.

Bob Peterson,
04 April 2023

Problem 7: My OBEs are too short

by Bob Peterson

In this article I continue my series of articles designed to help you solve out-of-body experience problems. The previous articles in the series are here:

1. Problem 1: Nothing Happens
2. Problem 2: I Just Fall Asleep
3. Problem 3: The Vibrations Just Fade
4. Problem 4: I Get Scared and Chicken Out
5. Problem 5: I Can't Get The Vibrations
6. Problem 6: Stuck in Sleep Paralysis
   

In this article I'm trying to solve another common problem: out-of-body experiences that are too short.

For me, there's nothing more frustrating than spending multiple hours in bed inducing an out-of-body experience only to have it end after 3 or 4 seconds. It feels like all that time is wasted.

So how can you make your out-of-body experiences last longer? Here are some tips and tricks you can use:

The Problem

To induce an OBE you need to disengage or disconnect from your physical senses (through relaxation and sensory deprivation), and guide yourself into what I call an alternate "Story of Experience." Basically you use imaginary sense data to trick your brain into "derailing" your normal sense-based in-the-body story of experience. Once derailed, you let go of the imaginary sense data and automatically transition to a story of experience based on non-physical data.

The problem with too-short OBEs is that the brain sometimes puts itself back on the rails by reconnecting with the body's five senses to return to that story of experience.

The solution is to keep it distracted from the physical senses.

Engage your non-physical senses

• Touch things
  To make your OBEs last longer, first, make a habit of touching things. Touch the walls. Touch the ceiling. Touch the lamps or whatever else you see. It doesn't matter what you touch, just that you touch things. Author Michael Raduga calls this Palpation. Examine things with your sense of touch.

• Rub your non-physical hands together
  If there's nothing close by, try rubbing your hands together and feel that sense of friction between them.
  

• Touch your arms or face
  Your physical hands have a large number of nerves dedicated to the sense of touch, and so does your face. So squeeze your non-physical arms with your non-physical hands. Examine how they feel in your hands.
  

• Peering into things
  Again, I'm borrowing this term from Michael Raduga again. Engage your non-physical sense of sight by examining something closely. Look at your hands and try to see every hair and joint, and look at the color of the skin. Look at the walls and try to see every fine blemish or bump in the paint or wall. But be careful:
  

• Keep your eyes closed at first
  If you're too close to your physical body, trying to open your eyes can sometimes cause your physical body's eyes to open. If you can maintain focus there may not be a problem. But if your focus is weak, your sense of physical sight can re-engage and send you back to your physical body. So it's always best to keep your eyes closed until you're at least 15 feet/5 meters away from your body, then open them. Sometimes it's not a problem especially if you start seeing with your non-physical eyes (through your closed eyelids) before you even leave your body. But it's a trap you should avoid if possible.
  

Direct your internal monologue

I believe your "story of experience" is directly related to an area of the physical brain called the right temporo-parietal junction (or rTPJ) which compiles the sense data and formulates your idea of what's currently happening to you. That's the thing we're trying to "derail."

The left side of the brain has a corresponding area (the left temporo-parietal junction or lTPJ) that resides in an area of the brain that's responsible for language. Among other things, I believe the lTPJ is responsible for your "inner monologue," the ongoing story or narrative you tell yourself about your experience. This is basically the language-version interpretation of your current "story of experience." Let's just call this your "monologue of experience."

The important thing to remember is: these areas of the brain talk to each other. Your interpretation of what's happening to you is based on both your rTPJ's "story of experience" and your lTPJ's "monologue of experience." And each affects the other.

One of the most important concepts I got from Carlos Castaneda's books is his suggestion to "Stop the inner dialogue" (I would say monologue) as both a meditation technique and to basically make magical things happen in your life.

Affirmations are a way to change your inner monologue to fit a desired outcome. Author Jane Roberts/"Seth" might suggest you simply alter your inner monologue to make changes in your life. For example, losing money at a casino (as a rTPJ story of experience) can turn your inner monologue (lTPJ) negative: "I never win." But changing your inner monologue to be more positive ("I win.") can also alter your experience and help you actually change your reality to be more positive.

So during your OBE, occasionally inwardly remind yourself, "Wow, this is really happening. I'm really out of my body," and so forth.

Curb your emotions

Nothing can end an out-of-body experience more quickly than getting too emotional and letting your emotions run amok. If you get too happy or too excited, or even too scared, your OBE can end in a heartbeat. I've found it's always best to try to be a dispassionate observer: Just experience it and watch what happens with emotionless curiosity. Tell yourself you'll have time after the OBE to get excited.

Curb your fantasy

In the past I've cautioned against playing "what if" in the non-physical world. The slightest fantasy can send you back to the sleeping state and you'll start an ordinary dream. In my first book I called this the "Fantasy Trap." So during an OBE, avoid all hypotheticals and stick to what you see, hear, and feel.

Ignore Your Physical Body

Whatever you do, don't think about your physical body. Stray thoughts like "Gee, I've been out a long time...I wonder if my body is still alright" can send you careening back to your body instantly. So train yourself to focus on what you can see, and try not to think about your physical body.

Reset, reboot and retry

I've been a computer analyst and programmer my whole life, and in computers there's an old saying: If it doesn't work, reset, reboot, and retry. Sometimes computers run out of memory or other limitations, and they need to be rebooted before they'll cooperate. (They've gotten much better over the years). This saying can also apply to OBEs. Sometimes you may need a lot of tenacity and patience.

So if you get sent back to your physical body prematurely, don't move and just re-engage the same imaginary sights or sounds that got you into the OBE state before you got kicked out. Sometimes this can seem like a fight: You induce an OBE, step three steps and get sucked back in, but instead of giving up in disgust, you don't move and try the technique again, induce another OBE, step five steps, and get sucked back in again. This can go on for several iterations before you get far enough away from your body to have something significant happen. So be persistent and keep trying until you make significant progress.

Bob Peterson,
21 February 2022

Review: The Quantum Akashic Field

by Jim Willis

It's been a long time since I wrote an OBE book review. It's not because I ran out of books to read. It's because I've been focused on other things. Part of the problem is that this book was difficult to read, and I mean that in the literal sense. The contents were good, but the font/typeset was so small I had to wear reading glasses (aka "peepers" or "cheaters") in order to read it. It was micro-font.

The book was 174 pages long, and each page was on thick, high quality paper. But if it was a normal font, it might have been 250 pages. So I was struggling to read every page, and therefore reluctant to go back to it; I'd put it down and not pick it up again for weeks.

I know I've said this in many other book reviews, but here it comes again: this book is fascinating and different from all the rest. If I had to sum it up in one sentence, I'd describe the book as "A philosopher's struggle to find life's meaning in the light of his OBEs."

The author, Jim Willis, is a good writer; he's authored 11 books, so he has great grammar, spelling, organization, and thoughtfulness. He doesn't waste your time.

Willis comes from a Christian background. Before he retired he was an ordained Christian Minister for more than 40 years. He wrote sermons and shouted the messages of Christianity at a pulpit in front of congregations of church-goers. And then, in 2013 or so, he started having out-of-body experiences, and needless to say, it caused him to do a lot of soul-searching, and his soul-searching is reflected heavily in this book. In a good way. OBEs are where the spiritual rubber hits the spiritual road! And that fascinates me. For example, he writes:

"If an argument about the existence of God hinges on proof texts selected from a Bible that is said to be without error, then all someone has to do is show that the Bible contains some discrepancies and the argument is over. God simply ceases to exist. In other words, I wasn't preaching about God anymore. I was preaching about an inerrant, infallible Bible. In my theology, the Bible had taken the place of God." (pg. 50)

He's one of the first Christians I've ever read who pointed out a discrepancy in the Bible, one I had never heard before (and I've heard many):

"And language changes and cultures evolve. I find it fascinating, for instance, that the opening chapters of Genesis, the first book of the Bible, describes paradise as a forest-like garden of Eden. Sixty-six books later, in Revelation, the Bible's final book, paradise is described as a magnificent city." (pg. 133)

Rather than interpret OBEs through Christian-colored glasses, he started doing research, some of which was science-oriented, but much of which was in other spiritual traditions. So yes, there are a few quotes from the Bible in this book, but Willis also talks open-mindedly about Buddhism, Shamanism, and other spiritual traditions. He talks about spirit guides, past lives, and other "new age" beliefs. He also cites Robert Monroe and William Buhlman. I've got to admire a Christian who is as open-minded as Willis. So many religious believers, especially Christians, are not. I applaud Willis for being open-minded and doing the hard work.

Willis is level-headed. For example, he's quick to point out that:

"If OBEs constitute a scientific event as well as a metaphysical phenomenon, they will stand up to scrutiny. Indeed, they must stand up to scrutiny or they are not worthy of our study." (pg. 36)

He goes on to cite various scientific research and fundamentals of quantum physics, referencing, for example, one of my favorite non-OBE authors, Dr. Dean Radin, chief scientist at the Institute of Noetic Science (IONs). (If you haven't read Radin's book Entangled Minds, you definitely should!)

In many of my book reviews, I complain that there are not enough OBE narratives, so readers have no idea the author's level of experience: Are they nut jobs (or "nutter" as they say in the UK), an inexperienced "book-knowledge-only" author, or have they actually been there? Thankfully, Willis has ample OBE narratives and explains exactly what his OBEs are like. Thank you, Jim Willis.

For example, he gives an OBE narrative from August 11, 2014, in which he finds himself on Martha's Vineyard trying to talk to the President of the United States (at the time, Obama). In another narrative, he describes flying directly into the Sun to "burn away all my impurities" He not only made it, he "enjoyed every second of it."

His narratives clearly point out that, like me, he's met various spirits and even the "invisible helpers" I wrote about. He even struggles with what to call them because nomenclature can be brutal to Christians: One person's "Angel" is another person's "Spirit" or another's "Higher Self." Choose your words carefully because each term is "loaded" with positive and negative connotations for the believer!

"Unseen angels," the Bible calls them in the book of Hebrews. The "Spirit Guides" of shamanic traditions. Our 'Higher Self.'" (pg. 61)

I can really relate to Willis because in some ways we're a lot alike. We're both old guys. Like me, he lives (or lived) on a properly in the middle of the woods, embracing nature. Like me, he questions everything, including our perceptions. Many years ago I wrote an article that compared OBEs to NASA: Why are most ordinary people convinced that the planet Mars is real? They've never been there (in-the-body that is!), so all they've got to base their beliefs on is anecdotal evidence: photographs and videos, all of which could easily be faked. Willis makes a similar analogy, except with England, since he'd never been there.

Near his home is a "Medicine Wheel" that he thinks might have been a sacred place for Native Americans who once lived there, and possibly a "vortex." Many of his OBE narratives involve traveling to the medicine wheel and witnessing rites, ceremonies, and spiritual lessons there.

I was pleasantly surprised when one of his narratives described beings I've seen myself. Here is his description:

"There I met someone, or something, that is very difficult to describe. It's not a 'being,' as such. It's more like a pillar, or tube, of light. It seems bright and, in contrast, I seem dark. (I guess anything would appear dark next to that light.)" (pg. 97)

In the past I've described them (verbally) to friends as looking like a giant, human-sized Coleman Lantern filaments floating a couple feet in the air. And I believe these beings are the basis for descriptions of "Angels" in the Bible.

Any self-respecting fundamentalist Christian would say "See? See? Being of Light? That's how the Bible describes Lucifer!" And yet, in my experience, these "angels" go out of their way to help people and perform sacred missions, often with unconscious and unaware astral travelers in tow to use as unwary tools of their trade. But I digress; that's a different topic for a different day.

I was disappointed that Willis never addressed "The Elephant in the Room," and that is: Why do many (at least fundamentalist) Christians think out-of-body travel is a trick of the Devil, evil, or even "Witchcraft," which is forbidden in the Bible?

Or the other, even bigger Elephant in the room: Willis talks about meeting and interacting with various spirit guides and spirits, even giving them names, like his spirit guide, Sobuko. But the Bible strictly forbids consorting and talking to spirits. How does he reconcile that?

This is definitely an excellent book if you want philosophy and conjecture with regard to out-of-body experiences. It's a search for meaning and answers. It's brutally honest and dripping with self-doubt. He asks all the right questions, and he treats opposing views fairly. And he comes up with excellent conclusions. For example:

"You inhabit all realities. It's only your five sense that create the illusion that this one is all there is." (pg. 91)

Then he argues his point by citing various theories of quantum physics, such as that we may be creating our reality simply by choosing from probable outcomes and collapsing the wave-forms by observing them. But how does that lead you to Ultimate Meaning, to "God"? That's a difficult question to answer. But he struggles to do so.

If you're looking for OBE techniques or tips, this book is not for you. There are no exit techniques in there. Well, he almost does. Willis offers some practical advice and breaks it down into several pages of instructions, which he summarizes as:

1. Make the Decision
2. Stick to it (Don't give up!)
3. Develop a System
4. Focus, Focus, Focus!
5. Stay Calm
6. Keep a Journal

He also suggests:

• Learn to find stillness: Stillness of heart, stillness of mind, stillness of body.
  
• Learn to staying grounded
• Try to slow down your heartbeat.
  

He's also quick to point out that he's not always successful in getting out-of-body. He writes:

"I fail to still my mind as often as I succeed. Maybe even more often. It's a constant struggle." (pg. 125)

I feel your pain, Jim! 

You may be wondering: What does all this have to do with the quantum akashic field? Not much. Aside from a few small attempts to relate OBEs to quantum physics, there's really very little in the book about the "Akashic Library" or quantum mechanics. I'm not sure why so many authors try to relate OBEs to quantum physics: both William Buhlman and Michael Raduga did it, but neither did it justice. If you want a good discussion of how all this relates to quantum physics, go back to Dean Radin's book "Entangled Minds" which I mentioned earlier.

I enjoyed this book a lot and give it 4 stars out of 5. It's more philosophy and conjecture than I wanted, too light on techniques, but worth the money.

Bob Peterson
21 February 2023

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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

Problem 6: Stuck in Sleep Paralysis

by Bob Peterson

This is part 6 in a series of articles I wrote to help you solve out-of-body problems. 

The previous 5 articles I focused on problems getting out-of-body. Here are links to them all:

1. Problem 1: Nothing Happens
2. Problem 2: I Just Fall Asleep
3. Problem 3: The Vibrations Just Fade
4. Problem 4: I Get Scared and Chicken Out
5. Problem 5: I Can't Get The Vibrations
   

Now I will focus on problems you encounter after you've induced the proper state. 

In this article I'd like to focus on a problem many have faced: You exit your body, but you find yourself tightly glued to it, stuck in sleep paralysis, and unable to go anywhere.

I first wrote about this problem twenty-one years ago in this article.

The secret lies primarily in knowing what’s really happening.

In the sleep paralysis state your consciousness seems to be focused, not in your astral body, but in your "energy body," also known as the "etheric body." Since the energy body is closely associated with your physical body, you won't be able to dislodge it or get it more than a few inches/centimeters away from the physical body. That can’t happen until you’re dead, or close to it.

There are exceptions to the rule: "physical mediums" or "spirit mediums" seem to be able to remove their etheric body from the physical. You may also be able to dislodge it temporarily if you're sick or injured, but for most normal people, there's just no way.

The secret is, you need to transfer your consciousness from your energy or etheric body to your astral body.

After a lot of experimentation, I found a way.

1. Close your eyes and keep them closed.
2. Push forward with your consciousness and imagine your consciousness is moving forward. Even though you may not feel any movement, your consciousness will move forward in your astral body. If you doubt that it is working and open your eyes prematurely, your awareness will zip like a ball on a rubber band back into your energy body. So keep your eyes shut and have faith that your consciousness is moving forward.
3. Keep pushing forward with your consciousness as hard as you can, just like walking underwater, until you are about fifteen feet (five meters) away from your physical body. Of course, since your eyes are closed, you can only guess (or approximate) how far this is, so don’t obsess on the distance. Just take a best guess.
4. Once you are safely fifteen feet/five meters away from your body, open your (non-physical) eyes again, and you will be in your astral body and free to roam.

In his book The Vibrational State, author Maverick Vardøger described a similar technique he calls "Breaking the Glue" in which you close your eyes and sit up and pry yourself free with a great deal of force coupled with imagination.

You are now free to move about the cabin. Enjoy the ride!

Bob Peterson,
07 February 2022