Robert Monroe - Journeys out of the body, Practical Guidebook

No. 2

Alexei Bakharev

Engineer. Sochi, Russia

This was the first time that I managed to become conscious while dreaming. Before falling asleep, I concentrated on the darkness before my eyes and tried to remain consciousness as long as I could.

All of a sudden, I dreamt that I was levitating to the ceiling, which resulted in my becoming conscious that I was dreaming. My phantom body responded poorly to attempts to control it, and simply hovered beneath the ceiling. There were two people sitting on the floor below.

They were looking in my direction, but it seemed that they did not see me. At this point I woke up and felt some sort of tingling and itching in my legs.

Questions:What factors led to the entry into the phase through dream consciousness? What needed to be done while hovering about beneath the ceiling? Why did the foul happen so fast? What should have been done immediately after returning to the body?

Answers and Comments:Dream consciousness occurred due to the Alexei’s intent to concentrate on the space before his eyes and his desire to remain conscious for as long as possible. The process of becoming conscious was caused by the sensation of flying while dreaming. Flying almost always becomes an anchor for dream consciousness. Immediately after the phase occurred, Alexei should have started deepening. Instead, he simply hovered about and observed. While all the movements may have been difficult to perform, they should have nevertheless still been done very actively.

As a result, lightness and a deepening of the phase would have ensued. His inadvertent exit from the phase happened due to passivity, failure to deepen, and non-compliance with the rules for maintaining the phase. Even upon returning to his body, Alexei should have tried to separate again.

No. 3

Dmitry Markov

Radio Mechanic. Moscow, Russia

My first time was the most terrible event in my life. I had never experienced such terror. It happened in December, 1990. I was falling asleep in my bed at home. Suddenly, I heard someone enter my room, but I did not pay attention to the “intruder”. Then, two female hands grabbed me from behind, and while pressing my belly, started to lift my body up. I distinctly felt thin fingers with long nails on my belly, but was completely paralyzed and absolutely unable move any part of my body or put up any kind of resistance. I felt my body go through the ceiling, but then was pulled still higher and higher.

I got scared that this could be death. I was afraid not so much of death as of the unknown. All of this happened so swiftly that I found myself unprepared for such a crossover. I started to pray. I asked God to help me free myself and go back. I panicked. I can’t say how many seconds my forced levitation lasted or how high I was lifted above my house, but the moment came when I instantly returned to my bed.

Questions:Was this entry into the phase deliberate? What kind of technique led to the phase? What is the name for the complete immobilization that Dmitry encountered? What should he have done in order to start moving? Why did his body easily go through the ceiling? Why was he able to stop this terrible experience by praying?

What could he have done immediately upon returning to his body?

Answers and Comments:This phase experience was spontaneous and falls under the category of direct techniques since there was no significant lapse into sleep. The whole experience was accompanied by sleep paralysis, which is why it was difficult for Dmitry to do anything. In order to move in this type of situation, it would have been necessary to intensify the phase state by using an indirect technique or redouble efforts to move.p

Dmitry’s body went through the ceiling without any difficulty because there was no vision and the phase itself had not been deepened, otherwise this would not have happened so easily. Praying and appealing to God helped in this case because praying facilitated a relaxation of perceptions and an intention to go back to reality: two factors which are crucial during emergency return techniques. Upon returning to his body, he could have still tried to separate again, though this would have been easier said than done due to the fear associated with the first experience.

No. 4

Ivan Yakovlev

Student. Antwerp, Belgium

I don’t know what woke me up, but I knew right away that something was out of order. I could not open my eyes, and my body was almost just asking to rise up. I understood what was going on –

all of this indicated that I was having an out-of-body experience. The first thing I tried was to lift my left hand up, and it worked. I understood that this was an astral hand, because I could see through it. I moved hastily and carefully to the other side of the bed (There was a strange sensation in my head at that time). I calmed down and tried to do something again. I levitated about half a meter above the bed. Vision came back to me right then and I saw what appeared to be my room, but not exactly it, as the rug on the floor was of a different color pattern and the door was closed for some reason. I could not comprehend why everything was lit from behind my back.

Then, I looked over my left shoulder and saw a small bright white ball behind my shoulder blade at a distance of 8 inches. It was lighting up the room up. Then I tried to go through the door, but was unable to. Out of the fear that I would never return to my real body, I woke up in the everyday world.

Questions:During the beginning of his experience, what phenomenon typical to the phase and awakening did Ivan encounter?

What kind of technique, direct or indirect, led to the phase? What specific techniques were employed? How could the sensation of “the body just asking to rise up” have been used? What should have been done immediately when he realized that it was possible to raise his hand? What should have been the first actions taken after levitation?

Why was it unnecessary to immediately try to go through the door?

What should have been done when Ivan returned to his body? Does this practitioner have a down-to-earth view or an esoteric view of the nature of this phenomenon?

Answers and Comments:Upon awakening in a state of sleep paralysis, Ivan understood that he could use this opportunity for the phase and immediately started attempts to separate without employing techniques for creating the state, as they would have been superfluous. This was an indirect technique by nature. He could have followed his impulse to levitate from the very beginning instead of moving his hands. After his hand started to move, he could have stood up or separated. Instead, Ivan simply rolled over and calmed down for an instant, although doing so is strongly discouraged and is a waste of the progress made up to this point. Then, after starting to levitate, he should have, first of all, assumed a position distinct from that of his real body, stood up on the floor, and immediately started deepening. Instead, he diverted his attention to the light source and an attempt to go through the door.

Even if everything had been done correctly from the beginning, there would have been no reason to attempt to go through the door.