Robert Monroe - Journeys out of the body, Practical Guidebook

No. 10

Oleg Sushchenko

Sportsman. Moscow, Russia

Last night I spent about an hour developing the interplay of images in my mind after I no left felt any feeling of kinesthetic sense.

I was lying on my back in an uncomfortable position. After sliding towards sleep for some time, I felt slight vibrations and echoes of sounds from the dream world, but the uncomfortable position still hindered me. In the end, I thought the heck with it, and decided to lie down however was comfortable, and turned over to lie on my stomach. Despite the fact that the movement upset the process, after about five minutes the state began to return and build up. I was able to get a little vibration this time, although I was unable to amplify it.

I drew a picture of my kitchen in my mind, and because the images in that state were really vivid, strong, and realistic, after some time I understood that not only were my attention and awareness there, but so were my bodily sensations. I was quite surprised that the phase had been so easy to fall in to (there was no doubt that this was the phase).

I jumped out through the window and began to fly around the courtyard. Actually, it was the first time that I had flown only upon a single mental command, without any physical effort, as occurs during dreams. The courtyard bore only 10% similarity to its real-life counterpart, but I was not at all surprised by this, and I simply enjoyed it as much as I could, as I was able see and was not immediately thrown out. But, after having looked at and taken in the city, the thought of whether or not this was the phase and not just a lucid dream occurred. I was so conscious in the dream that I was able to know about and comprehend such terms, and differentiate between them - can you imagine?! I have to add that I gave little attention to my memory, so I can’t say how much of my “self-awareness” was there, but I was aware enough to be able to differentiate between the phase and a lucid dream (or at least think about the difference). I even went and asked people around if it was the phase or a lucid dream. Sounds funny, doesn't it? The funniest thing was that they answered that it was a different world, and they refused to discuss the topic any further with me. Then, I decided to not get my mind all mixed up and just go with the plot, which turned out to be quite long and uninterrupted! I recalled a moment from the day before how I had lain down and induced the phase while lying on my back, and how I had turned over and flown away. I recalled all this periodically during the course of the phase, and realized that I should try to ask about what had been going on with me on the forum later.

Then, later in the phase, I found myself in a basement. As there was just a really nasty smell there, I decided that I had already had enough and that it was time to go back. That happened even more easily, as soon as I thought about going back, a vibration as light as a breeze went through me and then I was back in my body with full awareness and a well-rested body and mind. I was completely refreshed! And that’s despite the fact that I remember everything, every second of the dream, from the moment I started flying!

Questions:Which type of technique helped Oleg enter the phase?

What initially made it harder for him to enter the phase, and could this have had a positive effect on later results? What can be said of techniques related to vibrations in the context of Oleg's entry into the phase? Which specific technique brought him into the phase? Which initial actions should have been taken upon entry into the phase?

What was lacking that could have lead to productive use of the phase? Was it worthwhile to immediately translocate by jumping through the window? What was the cause of reflection on whether the experience was the phase or a conscious dream? Was it beneficial to try to offhandedly learn from objects what type of state this was?

Why did the desire to return back to the body arise, and what could have caused it?

Answers and Commentary:Oleg entered the phase using a direct technique. He was initially unable to enter due to the uncomfortable position that he had assumed, although lapses in consciousness into short dreams did occur. Nevertheless, the initially unsuccessful technique still ended in a positive final outcome because the state that Oleg was in was close to the phase. However, attention should not have been given to vibration amplification techniques, especially straining the brain and straining the body without using muscles, as they can be detrimental during direct techniques.

The technique of visualization was used immediately before entering the phase instead of observing images, which is used more often. Oleg deliberately conjured the observed images instead of searching for them in front of himself, which is where the difference between the techniques lies. However, he did not perform deepening upon entering the phase. Additionally, he had no clear plan of action to ensure that the phase would be productive Starting to translocate by jumping through windows should only be done by those with a certain amount of experience since beginners sometimes perceive reality to be the phase, or the phase to be reality.

The reason for the reflection on the nature of the phenomenon was due to terminological confusion, which is quite widespread. If a practitioner is aware but does not feel the body as in the physical world, then it can be assumed that the phase has been entered. This is why there was no reason to inquire about this among animate objects.

Deliberately returning to the body was a big mistake. There was no reason to throw away an opportunity to travel and use the phase.

Beginners are not often afforded such an opportunity. The reason for the return to the body in this case is most likely found in the absence of a plan of action and lack of clear understanding of how the phase might be used for practical aims.

No. 11

Alexander Lelekov

Computer Programmer. Saint Petersburg, Russia

I tried all night to use the Astral Catapult that cues you when you’re dreaming, but I gave up on the idea after several unsuccessful awakenings and simply fell asleep. When I'm dreaming I usually move by taking great leaps, much further than a kangaroo, about 100-300 yards. This happens regularly in my dreams, and I usually immediately realize that I'm in a dream. During one of the leaps, I realized while airborne that I was dreaming and also realized that I was able to land in a small dirty pond. As expected, I landed right in the pond and went deep under the water. And at that very moment, I found myself in the stencil, with my hands and head half stuck in it.

I got a little nervous that this attempt would also be unsuccessful, and so I immediately tried to separate from my body. I was unable to get my head or hands out, and for the first time I tried to turn around round my axis and managed to get out. Then I either slipped down or fell from the bed, but I did not feel any pain. I crawled for 1-2 meters and then felt that I could go back. I started to touch the rug and some other thing, though I don’t know exactly what it was as it was dark, and, lo and behold: within 20-30 seconds I probably felt what small kittens feel when their eyes open for the first time. Everything was foggy and blurry at first, but then a picture started to appear, the room filled with light, and colors became bright and vivid. I tried very hard to restrain my excitement, and, to my surprise, was able to.