How to Achieve an Out of Body Experience?

Out of body experiences or OBEs are one of life’s many quirks. Like premonitions and déjà vu, OBEs are extra sensory experiences that take a person outside of the normal parameters of life. In specific terms and out of body experience is where a person enters a state in which they perceive the world from a location outside their body.

To get a sense of what an OBE would be like, picture yourself lying on a bed with your eyes closed and a camera hovering above your head, projecting the images into your mind’s eye. This sensation of seeing yourself from a different angle is what people who've experienced an OBE go through. Studies have shown that most cases occur when a person is resting, ill or dreaming, however there is also documented evidence that OBEs can occur in active situations. Indeed, studies have recorded accounts of people experiencing an OBE whilst riding a motorbike and pilots finding themselves looking from outside into the cockpit whilst flying.

Such an experience can no doubt be daunting for the person and in some cases frightening, but OBEs are not simply a solitary phenomenon. In some cases an OBE can be reciprocal between two people. Essentially the person going through an OBE becomes aware they perceive reality from a different plane and use the experience to travel to a different location and present themselves to another person. This occurrence is then backed up by both parties.

While a true out of body experience is a spontaneous event, some claim that they are able to induce an OBE at will. Indeed, while many would argue that an OBE can only ever occur naturally, a number of people are convinced that through various techniques they can achieve the same extra sensory experience. One of the main differences between spontaneous and forced OBEs is that in the latter people have reported feeling embodied within a different form that can be changed at will. This contrasts markedly with spontaneous OBEs in which persons largely state that they felt disembodied. Although there may be some differences in the way people go through an out of body experience when it is induced or spontaneous, the fact remains that some form of altered perception can be gained from certain techniques.

So how can you achieve an out of body experience? There are numerous techniques that can be used to bring about and OBE. Not all of them will work for everyone and some may not be able to induce an experience at all, however, as with most things in life it’s about finding which one works best for you.

Imagery Techniques – This technique takes a large amount of skill as to simply imagine entering and OBE requires an extremely vivid and active imagination. To give yourself the best opportunity to do this, firstly lie on your back and relax, then imagine you are floating just off the bed. Maintain this thought for a few minutes until you lose the sense of touching the bed. Once you feel yourself drift into a state of floating you can then begin to focus on objects in the room from your new position. After this you can gradually turn yourself over until you’re able to look at your own body.

Special Motivation Technique – According to Muldoon and Carrington you can trick the mind into an OBE by utilizing your subconscious desires. Their work has suggested that when the subconscious craves something enough it will jolt the body into action to get it. However, if the body is immobilised then the astral body takes over and the person will enter into an out of body experience in order to satisfy their subconscious craving. One easy way to achieve this is by inducing a craving for water. Refrain from drinking for sometime before you go to bed then once in bed and relaxed your body will naturally incapacitate itself. From there you should feel yourself slipping into an out of body experience.

Ophiel’s “Little System” – This system, developed by Ophiel, suggests that you pick a familiar route in your house and spend a large amount of time memorising the details of the route. You should pick out at least six important landmarks on your route and spend a few days intricately memorising them and picturing them in your mind. Once you’ve done this you need to lie down and focus on projecting the first landmark on your route and feel yourself move back and forth from it. After this you can build on the experience and move to the second point and continue on from there.

As with many unexplained phenomenon in life, an out of body experience is something that generates a lot of discussion and intrigue. While there are many more techniques for inducing an OBE the three given here are some of the most simple and effective. Indeed, with the ability to transport your conscious self to a higher plane of thinking, seeing and experiencing, an out of body experience is certainly something worth trying.