Lucid Dreams and OBEs
by Diane Linsley
Lucid dreaming is a powerful spiritual practice. There are various
degrees of lucid dreaming ranging from dreams in which you are
vaguely aware that you are dreaming to fully lucid out-of-body
experiences.
My First OBEs
I started having spontaneous OBEs in my early forties. Sometimes
I would find myself wandering around the house in the dark, trying
to turn on the lights and thinking that the electricity had gone out
because the light switches didn't work. Then I would go back to bed,
hoping the electricity would come back on by morning. I didn't
realize that the lights didn't work because I was out of my body,
and you can't turn on a physical light with a non-physical hand.
One time, I ended up in the living room, sitting on the couch. I was
afraid of the dark, so I started to freak out. I didn't know I was out of my body, and I didn't know how to go back. (The secret is to say, "Take me back to my body.") I thought I was having a vivid nightmare. So I screamed and cried until the OBE ended by itself.
Most of my spontaneous OBEs were not that dramatic. Sometimes I just rolled out of bed and fell on the floor. Other times, I kicked off the covers. But when I woke up, I was still in the same position as when I went to sleep.
Eventually, I began to wonder if I had a brain tumor or some other dreadful disease. So I researched sleep disorders on the internet. I learned about sleep cycles, lucid dreams, sleep paralysis, and OBEs. That was the answer! I bought a large stack of books, which are listed at the bottom of this article.
Facts About OBEs
I learned that lucid dreaming is a common side effect of meditation. The awareness I was developing through meditation was spilling over into my dreaming life.
Some people are scared or confused by the sensations that accompany an OBE. What exactly is happening? To be clear, your soul does not leave your body (or you would die). It's just your focus of attention shifting from your physical body to your astral body. To learn about the different bodies, read the article on Soul Development.
I learned that everyone has OBEs, but most people don't remember them because they are unable to bring conscious awareness into the dream state. Waldo Vieira says, "Separations from the body are experienced every day by men and women during natural sleep. Having lucid memories of extraphysical occurrences remains the most difficult, yet surmountable problem."
He also states that "projection is a capacity inherent in everyone. It is a reality accessible to anyone with some degree of discipline. The ability to control the projection of the consciousness depends on one's ability to control their own thoughts, judgments, wishes, emotions, motivations and affinities."
In a national survey, 20% of Americans recalled having at least one OBE in their lifetime. But those who are able to do it intentionally are rare. A conscious projector has to train himself to remain lucid during the OBE, control his emotional impulses, and recall the experience after he returns to his body.
Lucid Dreaming Practices
One lucid dreaming practice involves asking yourself periodically throughout the day, "Am I dreaming?" Then look at your hands. If you see all of your fingers very clearly, then you are awake. Once this becomes a habit, you will start doing it in your sleep. When you look at your hands in a dream, they will look strange, and you'll know that you are dreaming.
Full lucidity requires a great deal of self-control. Before I started having fully lucid dreams, I experienced a long series of semi-lucid dreams that seemed to be testing my ability to control my emotions. These dreams gradually increased my awareness until I could maintain self-control during the dream state.
One way to prepare for a lucid dream is to meditate before going to sleep. I no longer dread episodes of insomnia because they are opportunities to meditate or practice OBE techniques.
I've had some enjoyable OBEs in which I floated around my bedroom while listening to books on CD. In the heightened awareness of the OBE state, I can hear and analyze the recording, and I remember what was said after I wake up. The OBE state is not the same as the dream state. This has been proven in sleep labs where researchers study the different phenomena.
Dreamwork for Positive Change
Dreamwork can help us integrate shadow material. All types of dreams are valuable, including the non-lucid ones. The main difference is that in lucid dreams we face the shadow with conscious awareness. The shadow can be dealt with right there in the dream, instead of waiting until we wake up to analyze it.
Andrew Holecek says that lucid dreaming has been shown to be more effective than psychotherapy for creating permanent, positive change in one's life. I'm not sure how this is measured, but I have noticed changes in myself, including more awareness and control of my waking thoughts and emotions.
Waldo Vieira says that a fully conscious OBE "is one event able to provoke modification of scientific, moral and religious points of view, and has deep, far-reaching effects on anyone's knowledge, opinions, education, customs and beliefs.... Generations of teachings are humbled, centuries of civilization are reduced to dust in the mind of the projector, and mountains of prejudice lose their meaning. Through personal experimentation, one dismisses all tiresome arguments. The result is peaceful certainty."
All the lucid dreaming experts say basically the same thing in different words. Whatever else the OBE experience does, it certainly helps a person overcome the fear of death. Even if you don't think you have a fear of death, all it takes is the strange sensation of floating out of your body to scare the living daylights out of you. At least that was my experience until I read my first OBE book. I learned that what was happening to me was normal and could even be positive.
I used to measure the success of any dream by how lucid it was and how much control I seemed to have over the dream. I have since learned to let go of the illusion of control (It really is an illusion, even though it seems like you are doing it) and simply watch the workings of my unconscious mind. I've stopped valuing lucid dreams and OBEs more than regular dreams. I trust that whatever dream my unconscious mind throws at me, I can interpret it in a way that will be beneficial for my growth.
You may wonder why an experienced OBE-er would take such an approach. It's because I have found that what I really need from my dreams is insight and inspiration for becoming a better person. And I can get that from any type of dream, as long as I interpret it correctly. I'm more interested in overcoming the ego than in feeding the ego with delusions of control. Witnessing the workings of my mind is the most important thing. This is basically the same conclusion that Andrew Holecek comes to in Dream Yoga.
Any type of dream is fine for working with shadow material. It also helps to have a dream buddy with whom I can share my dreams. My daughter, who is also a lucid dreamer, fills this role. Because we know each other so well, we can share our dreams with honesty and appreciate the feedback we get.
Here are the books I read along the way. I recommend them only as possible resources. That doesn't mean I agree with all of the authors' beliefs and interpretations. Use your own discernment.
Lucid Dream and OBE Resources
Dream Yoga by Andrew Holecek
Astral Dynamics by Robert Bruce
Demystifying the Out-of-Body Experience by Luis Minero
Lucid Dreaming by Robert Waggoner
Out-of-Body Experiences by Robert Peterson
Projections of the Consciousness by Waldo Vieira
The Secret of the Soul by William Buhlman
Meditating before sleep can trigger a lucid dream. Here's a long meditation you might enjoy.
Be well,
Diane Linsley
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