I am a 34 year old male who is very skeptical about astral projection. However, I have had some ‘dream’ experiences that have caused me to ponder the possibility. I would like to share these experiences with you and get your thoughts.
For as long as I can remember I have occasionally, during a dream, become aware that I am dreaming. When this happens I am able to manipulate the dream to form it to whatever I want. The dream is usually vivid enough that it will take a moment to convince myself that it is a dream. To determine if it is a dream I will try to manipulate something. Usually I’ll try to make something levitate. If I am successful then I conclude it’s a dream and the fun begins.
But the most unusual experiences I have had seem to come shortly before I wake up or right after I have woke up and fell back to sleep. Like the previously mentioned experience I will come to a point where I realize I am dreaming. But instead of just controlling the dream I am able to focus more on my physical body. I will purposely focus on how my body feels as it lays in bed. I can tell what position I am laying in. I can feel what position my arms, legs and head are rested in. I can even feel my fingers. I know if they are straight or bent. At this point, I feel like I am perfectly balanced between being awake and asleep and I make a conscience effort to ‘leave my body’. After a short period of concentration I feel my entire body tingle and then I can sit up in bed. It feels very much like I am leaving my body. I have never looked back to see if my body is there. If fact, I can not remember even having the thought to look back. At this point in the experience all of the physical sensations seem very real. However, whatever environment I am in does not seem real. I am unable to focus on anything and the experience becomes more like a dream world where I am just manipulating the environment. For example, if I am ‘projecting’ myself walking around in my house and I expect a wall to be there the wall will be there. But if I want to see my wife in the kitchen she will be there too. Although she is not there, she is in bed. So it fails to convince me that I have left my body at all. It just seems more like a dream world where my conscience, (while in a sub-conscience state), is just creating an environment that is no different that any other dream environment except in this one I know I am dreaming.
I will leave you with this. You believe astral project is real. I do not. Is there a way I can make my ‘OBE’ more convincing? Do you believe that, at least on some level, I am having an ‘out of body’ experience? Do you believe that one can ‘project’ him/herself into another real physical place? Or does astral projection just project one to a non-physical environment that their own conscience created.

I would appreciate any response. Thanks,
-John

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