An out of body experience is an interesting phenomenon that people often experience at the time of impending death but happens at other times as well. Sometimes referred to an OBE, this experience has been scientifically studied and validated. An OBE is a sensation of floating outside of your body while you are still aware of your surroundings.

Those who have an OBE report they can look down upon their physical body lying in a room. In cases where it happens near death in a hospital setting, they have memories of activities going on in the room as hospital personnel work to save their lives. This type of eerie occurrence has happened to many people and been thoroughly documented numerous times. Some people refer to this out of body experience as astral projection.

In olden times, an out of body experience was called spirit walking. People have reported this phenomenon throughout the ages and it has become the subject of scientific studies in modern times.

Consider that 1 out of every 10 people have encountered an experience such as this at one point in their life or another. The statistics for individuals that have experienced an out of body experience are staggering. So while a person may want to look at this skeptically, one can not deny the facts.

A person does not have to be near death to have an out of body experience. There are times that this can happen spontaneously. There are also times that an out of the body experience can be brought on by a mental or physical trauma. As well as when a person has used drugs or slipped into a coma.

There are a plethora of websites on the net that promise a person astral travel and astral projection joys. Astral projection is not a difficult thing for one to do, as long as that person does it the right way. It is believed that astral projection is a natural process, a process that has been since ancient times by ancient people. Unfortunately the generations of the ancients that are here today have forgotten about the art of astral projection. The good news is that out of body experiences do not require a high level of mental power or spiritual awareness or connectivity.

You should be able to focus your concentration on one specific point, but many times the conscious mind holds you back because of the fear that once you've projected your mind out of your physical body, you won't be able to return. It is this subconscious fear that prevents astral projection and travel.

Belief also plays a role in being able to astral travel successfully. If you believe it is safe and actually possible for your astral body to leave your physical body and return unharmed, then your conscious mind will more readily let go of your astral self. If you have fear that your astral body will not be able to find its way back inside of your physical body or you fear your physical body will die without your astral body, then you should not play around with inducing an out of body experience.

If you are confident in your beliefs, then you must silence your mind with methods like self hypnosis and meditation so you can leave your body. Think positive thoughts about having an out of body experience and tell yourself that you will astral travel. Once your thoughts are in the right place, your mind will take over and be receptive to astral projection.

Set aside a time when you will not be disturbed. Stretch out and make yourself comfortable. Place your arms at your side. Take slow deep breaths and work on total relaxation of your physical body. When your physical body and mind are in a state of deep relaxation, your astral body can depart and explore new dimensions of reality that exist beyond your present mental and physical awareness. As it prepares to leave for an out of body experience, you will notice that your body begins to tingle. Don't fight this sensation, but encourage it. Ignore any conscious thoughts you may have and focus only on taking gentle deep breaths.

Typically an out of the body experience begins with the feelings of vibrations and an increased heart rate. Stay calm and breathe, let the vibrations embrace you. Avoid getting excited, just let them take over your body, you are soon going to experience your astral body leaving your for an astral journey.

Many people throughout the ages have learned how to have an out of body experience or astral travel. Some of them report the event is cut short due to their fear of leaving the side of their physical body. Others report they leave for unimaginable new spheres of existence and have experiences with such a level of clarity they cannot be mistaken for dreams or imaginings. You have the ability to astral travel as well. You can learn how to do it but the first step is in believing you can and that it is totally safe to do so.