(Continued from Part 1)
Reported Experiences
Now that we’ve learned a little about OBEs, let’s read a couple OBE-related experiences.
The website these stories come from, the Out of Body Experience Research Foundation, contains a large collection of interesting and unique stories that shed light on all kinds of dream-related phenomena.
You won’t learn nearly as much about OBEs by researching the facts as you will by reading the stories of people who’ve experienced them.
We’ll hear from Don J. first, who witnessed something strange while practicing chi gong.
While his isn’t necessarily an out-of-body experience, it’s similar in that he saw something in his mind’s eye that was more vivid than anything he could’ve imagined or dreamt.
Don’s Story
Don writes that he was seeing a holistic EDMR-licensed therapist for grief counseling, who taught him some chi gong exercises. He was sitting on the floor of his therapist’s office practicing the exercises when he was asked to close his eyes. As he began to close them, he noticed that the color of his therapist’s neck tie became magnified and “very rich”. The image of the brightly colored tie remained in his mind when his eyes were fully shut. (3)
Don reports that he then perceived “blackness” in his mind, which was followed by the appearance of a “lighted doorway” in the distance. He describes it as far more vivid than what the mind can usually imagine. (3)
As his attention was captured by this “vivid white light”, he writes that a black silhouette appeared in the light and formed the image of a young man in a suit. This image, which was also vivid, slowly took on color. The best way he could think to describe it is to liken it to watching TV in your mind. It surprised him enough to stop his exercise and tell his therapist, who also couldn’t explain it. (3)
He writes that he was instructed to close his eyes again, and when he did, the image was still there. It moved closer and became clearer until it “disintegrated” at the point when it was its clearest. He’s certain the image was of a young man, but even when the image was clear, the man’s facial features were unclear. (3)
Ian’s Story
The next and final story is of a powerful OBE/lucid dream that carried over to the physical world.
Ian T. writes that he’d meditated earlier in the day before his experience and, as a normal part of his meditation, sent love and healing to anyone who needed or would need it. He describes the experience that would follow early the next morning as a “very lucid dream/OBE”. He knew what to expect because he’d had them before, but this would be a new experience involving “real physical symptoms”. (4)
Ian writes that he dreamt he was in a harbor area with apartments, shops, and a beach. He met a familiar-seeming young woman who told him a man in the top floor of a nearby apartment was about to pass away and needed help moving peacefully to the other side. She took him to the man, they both informed the man they were with him and everything would be okay, and the man passed gently. (4)
He writes that he then went back outside. As he looked at the sea, he saw that it was “withdrawing” which signaled an impending storm or tsunami. The sky quickly turned dark as the storm progressed. He shouted at people to get to high ground, but as he started running, he felt a heavy weight on his chest and began to have an asthma attack. He fell over, hit the ground, and couldn’t move. (4)
The moment he felt like he was taking his last breath, he writes, he woke up to find he was having real problems breathing. It seemed that the only way to calm the asthma attack in the dream was for him to wake up. He remained awake for five minutes until the attack went away. (4)
He writes that when he fell back asleep, he went right back into the same dream and the same terrifying circumstances he’d tried so desperately to escape. The asthma attack continued in the dream, and he again remained on the ground yelling for help. Fortunately, another young woman stopped and gave him her inhaler. He used it, felt relief, and thanked her. As he got up, he noticed there were a lot of other people on the ground struggling to breathe. He gave them her inhaler. (4)
When he woke up, he writes, he checked the news and found that six people had died and over 8,000 were hospitalized after a thunderstorm in Melbourne, Australia that caused widespread asthmatic reactions. One of those six was a 21-year-old girl who died from an asthma attack induced by the thunderstorm. When reading an article about her death, Ian recognized her as the girl who gave him her inhaler. (4)
Below is her picture.
The news article about her passing can be found here.
This is an interesting example of a lucid dream or OBE having real-world consequences. Not only did Ian’s asthma turn out real; he reports that the girl whose death made headlines before he even woke up was the girl who saved him in the dream.
Some will say this is consequential or Ian simply wanted to believe the deceased girl was the girl who saved him, but it’s good anecdotal evidence to support the idea that the dream world is real and connected with the physical.
Conclusion
I’ll share more info on OBEs and lucid dreaming in a future report, but for now, I recommend checking out the reports and experiences submitted to the Out of Body Experience Research Foundation website.
If you’re looking for some fascinating reading material, you won’t be disappointed.
Have you had any interesting experiences with lucid dreaming, sleep paralysis, or out-of-body experiences? If so, you’re probably well aware of their fascinating yet bizarre and sometimes frightening nature.
For those attempting to lucid dream or induce an OBE, I’ll repeat my advice from before to be careful and mindful.
From what I understand as a lucid dreaming novice, it can either be a powerful tool for transformation or the manifestation of your greatest nightmares.
Don’t let one or two bad experiences change the way you see it, but don’t continue if it becomes a negative thing.
If you practice it consciously and follow the guidelines established by reputable organizations and websites, a lucid dream or OBE can be a wholesome, fulfilling experience that gives you the freedom to explore your consciousness and the world around you in a unique way.
Sources:
- Lynne Levitan and Stephen LaBerge, Ph.D., “Other Worlds: Out of Body Experiences and Lucid Dreams”, Lucidity.com – https://www.lucidity.com/NL32.OBEandLD.html
- Rebecca Turner, “Out of Body Experiences: Are OBEs Real or Lucid Dreams?” World of Lucid Dreaming – https://www.world-of-lucid-dreaming.com/out-of-body-experiences.html
- Don J., “Don J.’s Experience”, Out of Body Experience Research Foundation – https://www.oberf.org/don_j_meditation.htm
- Ian T., “Ian T.’s Experience”, Out of Body Experience Research Foundation – https://www.oberf.org/ian_t_sobe.htm
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I’m a twenty-something writer & blogger with an interest in spirituality, revolution, music and the transformative creative force known as love. I run The Culture of Awareness, a daily news blog dedicated to raising social and spiritual awareness and supporting the evolution of the planet.
I also have a personal blog, Openhearted Rebel, in which I share writings related to spiritual philosophy, creativity, heart consciousness and revolution (among other topics).
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By Wes Annac, Culture of Awareness, December 7, 2016 – https://tinyurl.com/hvblf53