How to Heal Yourself through Out of Body Experience

What if you could shed the cares of this world, of your everyday life, like worn garments to the laundry basket, and fly free even for a few hours?

Like a bird soaring far above, seeing everything from a broad and unique perspective, you would be temporarily free to explore a realm outside of the usual or perhaps one deeply embedded within yourself. This idea certainly appeals to many of us and can be possible by employing a technique or experience commonly called ‘astral projection.’

Let’s take a more in-depth look at what this experience looks like and how it could benefit our personal growth. In esoteric and energetic realms of study, the human being is a multidimensional being. Not just ‘flesh and blood’ as we understand it but also an interweaving of soul, spirit, and the astral-body, coexisting to create the experience of who we are on many levels at once. The astral is described as the layer or facet of our being that sort of links or lies intermediately between how we manifest as physical beings and our essential existence in spirit and soul, relating perhaps more to the subconscious or psychic energies.

The astral plane can be understood as the corresponding realm of experience to this layer of the human being. It would seem there are significant intersections between such a domain and the dream realm or field of deep meditation and certainly, astral projection could be thought of as a more spiritually-oriented way to understand the out-of-body experiences that so many people have had through the
millennia.

We are all familiar with stories of patients in hospital beds flying above their bodies or similar reports of severely injured individuals leaving their bodies only to come back shortly after that. Yet there are folks among us who also practice such experiences intentionally from a perspective of spiritual growth and exploration.

Could it be that such an experience could have further-reaching benefits than merely a night’s adventure or a break from mundane reality? Let’s take a look at how practicing astral projection could serve as a legitimate catalyst for personal growth.

Is Astral Projection Safe?

To begin, let’s briefly explore if astral projection is even safe. To answer this question, one must be honest and aware of their state of mind before getting started. For anyone who may struggle with serious psychological concerns or traumas, any activity that purposely brings us deeper into the self or sends us out to explore the realms of spirit or cosmos. We know that infinite realities are happening and that if we are practicing such things intending to heal or know oneself better, it is likely we may be confronted with our ‘demons’ so to speak. People experienced with astral projection report the ability to travel outside the ordinary confines of time and space. Therefore, it may be wise, to begin with an intention. If one chooses to undertake such a journey without having taken precautions or having a specific direction intended for their journey, there could be the chance of encountering imagery, entities, or experiences that are less than pleasing or downright frightening. Each person must undertake this journey understanding the inherent risks.

Those seeking out of body or astral projection experiences may also wish to spend some time before their travel in becoming aware of and strengthening their psychic grounding cord, or the tie that will keep the physical body connected to the astral body. Though beyond the scope of this article, the blog-sphere is ripe with excellent sources on working with the grounding cord and techniques for astral projection. Do some research and find a method that makes the most sense for you. Don’t forget to employ any methods you rely on for blessing and safety, whether that be prayer, an altar, a crystal or talisman, energy clearing techniques, or having a safe person nearby.

Insight into Life Direction with Astral Projection

In reports of out-of-body experiences, individuals routinely describe the occurrence of floating and hovering above their own reclined or sleeping body and being aware they are looking down at their own body. To grasp the profundity of such an experience, all we need to do is dissect that statement. They look down and see their own body. In other words, there is an intrinsic understanding of the essential self as a consciousness that can be aware of an aspect of itself from an almost separate perspective. In other words, “Who is it right now that is witnessing ME?” What more profound reminder of the essential nature of the self than this?

It is also interesting to note that most people who have naturally or intentionally experienced out-of-body or astral journeys report being above their body, above the earth, or above their usual territory of existence. Again, as we started with, this is the bird’s eye view, the mountaintop view that bestows a valuable expanded perspective. As we go through life, we are embedded in it. We are fully enmeshed and absorbed into our feelings, relationships, jobs, hurts, disappointments, pleasures, motivations. When an individual experiences such a broader perspective, the contrary smallness of such things can be a startling contrast, forcing us to negotiate and become aware of what is truly essential, real, and precious to us. Astral projection can serve as a way to relate differently to one’s life through the gift of a broader vision.

Psychological Healing Through Astral Projection

As stated prior, many who have experienced journeys outside the body report that in this realm, they can travel wherever they wish and that time and physical geography are not limitations. If this is the case, astral projection journeys can allow us to travel back or forward in our understanding of time to give our previous or future selves forgiveness, support, or nurturing perhaps we needed or will need. Traumas are generally painful or shocking events that we can’t fully integrate at the time of their occurrence. They, therefore, are stored, or parts of the self are disassociated, leading to a fragmented personality and way of being. In traveling outside the confines of ordinary life, we may elect to re-visit and integrate those aspects of the self that have been split off through trauma leading to a greater state of wholeness.

Blogger James Simon shares how his astral projection practice helped him heal from a relationship that was weighing down his spiritual growth, saying, “I’ve been practicing out-of-body (astral travel, astral projection) for several years. It served me well for shedding limitations and beliefs during painful moments of my life. A few years ago, when I came out of a long term relationship, I used OBE to drop the egoic attachment, and in doing this, I saw more clearly how much of a lie I was living… When the relationship ended, I used OBE to shed everything. It helped me go deeper into the pain and conflict I was feeling from trying to control life and resist changes. OBE helped me with surrendering and letting go. In this process, it felt like I was going through a series of symbolic deaths that occurred almost nightly for several months. It was a complete shedding of the illusions I had identified with myself. This experience led me to a deeper realization of the self (both physical and non-physical), the pure awareness of being.” Unlike some spiritual practices, the astral projection may happen to anyone even without effort, and many believe that as we step into the dream realm every night, we are traversing the astral plane, working through unprocessed and raw content of the psyche and deep unconscious. Whether through deliberate techniques, at an unexpected time, or while in the dream realm, astral projection represents yet another pathway to explore the realms of existence in search of personal development and discovery.