Navigating the Out-of-Body Experience
Page 18
[contents]
Epilogue
* * *
This book is the result of nearly a quarter of a century of out-of-body exploration. Within that time I have undergone many changes, both to my opinion of who I am and my view of the nature of reality itself. The writing of this, my second book, has been surprising on so many levels. Surprising because I signed my publishing contract with Llewellyn within a matter of weeks of signing the contract on my first book, Avenues of the Human Spirit. Somehow they were meant to be together—the first a philosophical and autobiographical journey into spirituality and the nature of the transformation the OBE can initiate, the second, the one you have just read, a detailed and scientifically inspired guide to allow you to undertake a similar journey for yourself.
When I look back to the boy of thirteen or fourteen reading about the wonders of out-of-body experiences for the first time, I imagine this book having a similar impact as the books I read as a young teenager. I can see myself dreaming and full of motivation and excitement at the possibility of doing something miraculous. And even when I sat down to begin writing, I felt that sense of excitement return; it is clear that this book is so much more than my young mind imagined.
I always knew I would write this book, because I always knew that I was charting territory that few others had explored. I knew that part of my role in life was to offer others something of these awe-inspiring experiences, a way to access a part of themselves that they never may have imagined before. And while that sense of awe and wonder might be driven by little more than curiosity for many, I know that over time these experiences can open up the whole personality to a profound and deeply important change.
Writing a book is not simply about communicating a set of ideas; it is about raising awareness, lifting someone from the everyday and mundane to a point at which they are inspired and reminded of the vast possibilities awaiting them in the mysteries and wonders of the world. We need not seek fulfillment in the superficial aspects of life. We can grow through our own unique experiences; we can live in the world fully and without compromise. In my understanding, anything I write should be about that sense of growth and change.
While working with the techniques and ideas in this book, I hope that you will record everything that happens each day in your journal—even if it feels like nothing happened—as I have done. Explore through your journal the impact and power of your journey. If you have a powerful experience, note how you got there, so that you will be able to reach it again. And please do share your experiences with me via my website, www.grahamnicholls.com.
Use this book as a launching pad to explore the full potential of consciousness. We are still taking our first steps in our understanding of the vast range of possibilities that exists. I have written this book with the spirit of inquiry, rather than dogma and belief. I hope that you will take something from that, and realise that it was only by letting go of my preconceptions and looking with open eyes that I was able to fully experience not just the out-of-body state, but life itself. I wish you transformative and life-enhancing experiences.
[contents]
Appendix
* * *
techniques and approaches
How to Use This Section
In the following pages, you will find detailed techniques divided into their respective categories. The reason for this is so that you can easily select the most relevant techniques for your personality and skills (based on the questionnaire in Chapter 4). There are three main stages, a relaxation technique, a vibrational state technique, and a main technique for your type (visual, auditory, intellectual, or physical) The relaxation techniques are generally suitable for everyone, but I have highlighted who will likely gain most from each one. Next you will find Vibrational State Techniques, as the vibrational state is common in around half of all people who have out-of-body experiences. Please pay special attention to the G-Technique, as in my coaching and workshops I have found it highly effective, especially for physically fit people used to practices such as Hatha Yoga. The top level techniques in each section are for Waking people, while Type 2, or Sleeping/Dream people’s techniques are marked Type 2. If you fall somewhere between these two categories, you should select the method that most fits your type, plus the sensory category (visual, auditory, intellectual, or physical). You might find it helpful to make a list as you go of the techniques you select to use.
Relaxation Techniques
Virtually all techniques for leaving the body, from both traditional esoteric literature and more modern approaches, begin with a period of relaxation. Body stage relaxation and biofeedback relaxation are two of the best forms. Body stage relaxation is a widely used and well-known technique that involves slowly tensing then relaxing each part of your body in turn until all muscle tension is gone. You might begin with your toes and slowly move to each muscle group, letting go and breathing deeply, until you can no longer feel any resistance. Biofeedback relaxation, as discussed earlier, uses a piece of electronic equipment called a biofeedback device and is a very powerful tool for someone new to relaxation and meditation. The device measures physiological data such as heart rate or skin temperature as indicators of tension and transmits an audible tone. The user learns to bring down the tone, and thus the indicators of tension, through controlled breathing and other relaxation techniques. You can literally hear the results of your relaxation process. This “feedback” helps you learn to relax and, after practice, you will be able to achieve the same results without the device.
Deep Breathing Technique
Good for: Everyone, but especially those new to relaxation techniques
Consistent full breathing has a tangible effect on the body, resulting in a deep level of relaxation. It is the single most powerful way to relax and relieve stress; therefore many of the processes I describe include some degree of breath work. To begin to understand the relationship between your level of relaxation and your breathing, here is a simple technique.
Step 1: Find a comfortable place and sit down. I recommend a posture that you know you can sit in for an extended period without loss of circulation or discomfort. While many people attempt to go straight into the lotus posture or other yogic asanas (postures), this can be counterproductive when learning, because if the posture becomes painful, you will not be able to continue or benefit from what you are doing.
Step 2: Now focus on your normal breathing rhythm. Don’t try to adjust or slow your breath at this point; just become aware of the natural speed and depth at which you normally breathe. Continue until you feel totally at ease and comfortable with this level of calm stillness.
Step 3: Now take a deeper breath and exhale naturally and comfortably. Continue breathing in deeply and exhaling deeply until it becomes second nature.
Step 4: Continue as in step 3, but now hold the breath for a few seconds longer. Use this moment of stillness on the in-breath to imagine your state of awareness growing and your tensions vanishing. Let the breath out slowly. Continue like this, but begin to gradually slow your breathing.
Step 5: Find a natural, deep, slow in-and-out tempo. You may want to count the seconds so that it is easier to gauge how long the complete cycle takes. By counting in this way, you may also find that you can slow the breathing cycle even more, with practice. If you find counting a distraction, simply trust your intuition with regard to the length of the cycle and slowly build from there. The goal is simply to reach a state of deep, slow breathing, which will result in a deeper level of relaxation and calm.
Presence (Mindfulness) Technique
Good for: Everyone, but especially those new to relaxation techniques
The term presence has become popular in recent years with the success of books like The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle, but the idea is in fact a very old one. It is especially found in Eastern religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism and is essentially a for
m of mindfulness. Mindfulness is a state of full awareness while being detached from the tides and flows of your emotional and mental self. In this powerful state of mind, the very idea of relaxation becomes less important, since you are less prone to emotional ups and downs and thus require fewer processes to deal with stress.
Finding presence or mindfulness is especially useful for people who are confronted with stressful situations in their day-to-day lives. On the most basic level, it allows you to gain detachment from the stress of commuting to work, for example, or dealing with a difficult coworker. For this reason, cultivating a sense of detached awareness will only benefit the process of relaxing and stilling the mind.
I have found that cultivating mindfulness in relation to the out-of-body experience makes leaving the body much easier. However, it is important to also cultivate the psychic and creative aspects of your nature. Awareness that is too inwardly focused can make perceiving on the psychic level harder. As with most things, there is a balance to be struck. The inward stillness of meditation, presence, and mindfulness is key to leading an aware life, but we must also remember to engage fully, with vitality and creativity.
Step 1: The next time you are on a busy train or in a situation that you find stressful, take time to observe what is going on around you. Don’t get emotionally engaged with the situation; try to detach and see it for what it is. Look at the people around you and explore what their attitudes and reactions may be stemming from. If there is a person who bothers you, ask yourself what need he or she is expressing underneath that you perceive as anger, frustration, or negative attitude.
Step 2: Empathise with this person, or try to think of the stressful situation as simply the result of a set of occurrences. For example, a train is stressful because of the physical impact it has on you—the heat, the noise, the cramped conditions, and so on. Accept that these conditions are simply factors that impact your body and lead to a (largely automatic) reaction. You do not have a choice in the situation, but you do have a choice in how you feel.
Step 3: Accept the situation and look for its positive sides. For instance, the train is cheap and convenient, and you will soon reach your destination. Realise that what you are experiencing is temporary and may have few actual negative elements. You may realise that you are letting the situation affect you too much, and are having a more intense emotional reaction than is logical or helpful.
Step 4: Change the way you are reacting to the situation. Draw upon your change in perspective and reflect this in your physiology. Slow your breathing, slow your movements, tone down your emotional reactions, and explore the possibilities available to you. Sometimes the right choice may be to immediately exit the stressful situation, but more often we simply need to regain some perspective—which is what mindfulness is all about.
Relaxation Massage Technique
Good for: Everyone, but especially Physical people
Even if you are not working with a partner, having a professional massage before an OBE session may help you to reach a deeper level of physical relaxation. Many gyms and health spas offer massages, so you may be able to include them in a general health program. Some gyms also have saunas on-site, which are another way of helping the body feel revitalized and relaxed, and can help overcome the stress that colder climates can put on the body. Below are instructions for you giving a massage to a partner; the partner can then repeat this process with you, or use this technique on himself or herself.
Step 1: Work with a partner with whom you’re comfortable physically. Your partner should lie down on his or her stomach and breathe slowly and evenly, trying to clear the mind of any distracting thoughts.
Step 2: You will begin by focusing on your partner’s back, shoulders, and base of the neck. These areas usually hold the most tension and prevent full relaxation. Start by slowly rotating your thumbs at the points on either side of the base of the head. You will feel the point of the skull on either side of the neck; apply pressure just under those points. You may want to place your hands on the sides of your partner’s head to position your thumbs better.
Step 3: Now move down the neck to the top of the shoulders and firmly but gently massage the muscles that run across the top of the shoulders.
Step 4: Now move down to the shoulder blades; for many people, this is where the bulk of their knots and tension are located. You may find it useful to bring your partner’s arm across their back a little, which will open up the shoulder blade and allow you to work out all the tension located there.
Step 5: Move down the spine, working the muscles on either side as you go, until you reach the base of the spine. Here you will feel the two points that the pelvis often makes, which look like dimples in the back. With your thumbs, push and rotate the area around these points.
Step 6: Now repeat what you have done so far, but in reverse. When you reach the shoulders, move down the right arm, paying attention to the muscles as you go. When you reach the hand, apply pressure to the center of the palm with your thumb for a few seconds. Then move to the small, round muscle just above and next to the thumb and below the index finger. Again, apply pressure and rotate it for a minute or so.
Step 7: Repeat the above process on the other arm and hand.
Step 8: Return to the base of the spine and move straight up. Apply more energy to the shoulder blades before ending at the base of the skull.
Conscious Sleep Technique (Yoga Nidra)
Good for: Type 2 (sleeping/dream) people
For those who identified themselves as a Type 2 (sleeping/dream) person in Chapter 4, I advise working with a relaxation method that utilises the hypnagogic or “in-between” state, which is the point just before sleep when images and impressions from your day arise. Generally, these people have less need for a relaxation method, since by working when you’re about to fall asleep, you are already in a state of relaxation. However, you can still benefit from this technique, since it results in deeper sleep and also reduced stress, which ultimately benefits your OBE training. It is based on the traditional Yoga Nidra practice, but with slight variations for our purposes. It involves consciously feeling the process of falling asleep, but as you go through each stage, you maintain a distant awareness.
Step 1: Get into bed or into a position where you are comfortable and could easily fall asleep. Close your eyes. Allow the images and concerns of the day to arise. Let them drift into your mind and then let them go. Let all the emotions arise and then subside. Try to remain detached from what you see and feel.
Step 2: Now allow the abstract images, colours, and shapes that appear on the eyelids to come to the fore. This is called the hypnagogic state, but in this context you remain still and conscious, observing from a distance as if you are centered at your core.
Step 3: Now allow yourself to enter into a state of deeper relaxation, but again, remain aware and engaged. Your body and your everyday mind are essentially asleep, yet your core self is aware, conscious, and centered.
Step 4: With practice, you will reach a state of “mind awake/body asleep”. Leaving the body from this state is far easier. Focus your attention into the expanse of awareness.
Step 5: Let your self or centre of awareness phase or move to another place distant from your body. Simply focusing in this way, and using a simple cue such as “up” or “leave my body” will often result in an OBE.
Vibrational State Techniques
Achieving the vibrational state is one of the key abilities in the development of fully conscious out-of-body experiences, whether you are a Type 1 (waking/conscious) or a Type 2 (sleeping/dream) person. The following techniques will help you learn to sense and manipulate energy related to the vibrational state and should be used in conjunction with a relaxation technique beforehand and a sensory (visual, auditory, intellectual, or physical) method. If you are a Type 2 Sleeping/Dream person
you can still use vibrational state techniques before sleeping, as it does not involve being fully asleep.
Introductory Vibrational State Technique
Good for: Those new to visualisation or energy manipulation techniques
This method should be practiced daily until you can induce the vibrational state effectively. When your visualisation skills have improved, progress on to the more complex techniques.
Step 1: Hold your hands out in front of you as if you are holding a basketball or beachball. Imagine that in your hands is a glowing ball of light and energy. Try to feel the sensation of pressure between your fingers.
Step 2: In your imagination, throw the energy ball up into the air. Imagine it stopping and floating at a point above your head.
Step 3: Close your eyes and, in your mind’s eye, see the ball of energy floating there like a small sun. If you are able, feel its heat as well. Continue for a minute or two.