Robert Monroe's Out-of-Body Experience
Research
 Robert
A. Monroe (1915-1995), was a radio broadcasting
executive who became known for his research into
altered consciousness and founding
The Monroe Institute.
His 1971 book,
Journeys Out of the Body,
is credited with popularizing the term "out-of-body
experiences"
(OBE). His other books are
Far Journeys and
Ultimate Journey are equally outstanding.
Monroe
achieved worldwide recognition as an explorer of
human consciousness and the pioneer of out-of-body
experiences. His research, beginning in the 1950s,
produced evidence that specific sound patterns have
identifiable, beneficial effects on our capabilities.
For example, certain combinations of frequencies
appeared to enhance alertness; others to induce
sleep; and still others to evoke expanded states
of consciousness. Assisted by specialists in psychology,
medicine, biochemistry, psychiatry, electrical engineering,
physics, and education, Robert Monroe developed
HEMI-SYNC,
a patented audio technology using
binaural beats
that facilitates enhanced performance. He is also
notable as one of the founders of the Jefferson
Cable Corporation, the first cable company to cover
central Virginia.
Monroe had a large number
of extensive out-of-body experiences into the
astral realm -- an out-of-body state unbound
by time or death. His testimony of OBE journeys
have comforted millions of people who have had such
paranormal experiences yet not fully understanding
the phenomenon. His OBE journeys began spontaneously
and without his will when Monroe would find himself
leaving his physical body and traveling via a second
body (the astral body) to locations far removed
from any physical or spiritual reality he could
comprehend. In the ensuing years, Monroe and his
group of researchers began working on methods of
inducing and controlling OBEs and other forms of
consciousness in their laboratory. As an expert
in radio technology and in creating patterns of
effective sound, Monroe applied his expertise for
their OBE research. Monroe as his group of researchers
efforts began to produce significant results, and
attracted International interest among people from
all walks of life. The following is a brief description
of his technique:
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Robert
Monroe's Technique for Triggering Out-of-Body
Experiences |
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1. |
First lie down in a darkened room in a relaxing
position. |
2. |
Loosen your clothing and remove all jewelry. |
3. |
Enter into a very relaxing state and consciously
tell yourself that you will remember everything
that happens at this time. |
4. |
Begin breathing through your half-open mouth. |
5. |
Concentrate on an object. |
6. |
When other images start to enter your mind,
passively watch them. |
7. |
Try to clear your mind and observe your
field of vision through your closed eyes. |
8. |
Do nothing more for a while. |
9. |
Simply look through your closed eyelids
at the blackness in front of you. |
10. |
After a while, you may notice light patterns. |
11. |
When these cease, a state of such relaxation
will happen that you lose all awareness
of the body. |
12. |
You are almost in the state where your only
source of stimulation will be your own thoughts. |
13. |
It is this relaxed and refreshed condition
where out-of-body journeys are triggered. |
14. |
To leave your body, think of yourself getting
lighter and of how nice it would be to float
upwards. |
15. |
With sufficient practice Monroe claims that
a wide variety of experiences. |
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The following explanation
is courtesy of
SpiritualTravel.org.
 There
are a wide variety of psychic and spiritual states
that can result from leaving the body consciously.
The traveler can find him or herself in either formed
states (those containing objects) or amorphous states
(without a clearly defined shape) when
leaving the body in this way.
One type of conscious
transition occurs when the traveler simply disconnects
the inner spiritual self from the physical body,
and moves out and away from the physical body consciously.
This disconnection happens frequently in near-death
experiences when a person near-death moves a short
distance from the physical body and observes it.
This method of slipping
out of the body has little excitement associated
with it except for any fear aroused in the individual
who does not understand what is happening. Robert
Monroe described his experience as follows:
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"In 1958, without any apparent cause, I
began to float out of my physical body.
It was not voluntary; I was not attempting
any mental feats. It was not during sleep,
so I couldn't dismiss it as simply a dream.
I had full, conscious awareness of what
was happening, which of course only made
it worse. I assumed it was some sort of
hallucination caused by something dangerous
- a brain tumor, or impending mental illness.
Or imminent death.
"It occurred usually when I would lie down
or relax for rest or preparatory to sleep
- not every time but several times weekly.
I would float up a few feet above my body
before I became aware of what was happening.
Terrified, I would struggle through the
air and back into my physical body. Try
as I might, I could not prevent it from
recurring." (Monroe,
2-3)
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The out-of-body traveler
can also move directly into a visualized space that
is very much like a dream environment while maintaining
continuous awareness of his or her transition into
this space. Although the experience involves being
in a light sleep, some people have had a very similar
experience while awake when the image perceived
turns into a three-dimensional space via spiritual
travel.
Sometimes the OBE traveler's
transition to formed environments involves dynamic
movement and the traveler will enter the environment
flying above fields and cities, taking in vast panoramas.
In many cases, the body
image of the traveler is more or less identical
to the physical body but this is not always the
case. A common experience is for the traveler to
become a point of consciousness or a unit of awareness
with no sense of a body taking up space. Here travelers
identify themselves as a pure observer - more like
a disembodied set of ears and pair of eyes. Sight
and hearing are the two senses that usually dominate
during such spiritual travel.
Moving consciously into
amorphous states is more difficult to describe.
These states are usually areas of intense experience
where the dominant reality is that of light, sound,
vibration, motion or emotion.
Going from a waking state
or semi-waking state into an amorphous state is
usually the most dramatic kind of spiritual travel
experience. In one type of amorphous transition,
the traveler suddenly senses a powerful vibration
or sound and is caught up in that energy. This is
sometimes accompanied by a feeling of being drawn
or propelled by this vibration at tremendous speed
through a dark space. This experience seems very
similar to the descriptions of the tunnel associated
with near-death experiences. Numerous people who
came very close to death (no heartbeat or respiration)
have near-death experiences where they have described
different types of sounds or vibrations which propelled
them at seemingly great speed through a dark tunnel
or corridor.
Sometimes, there is a
feeling of being catapulted out of the body. In
these cases, the vibrations usually start at a low
pitch and continue gaining in frequency and power
until they become almost explosive in their intensity.
In other cases, there
is the feeling of the inner sounds or vibrations
but not the experience of movement and acceleration.
Often, such static experiences involve hearing spiritual
music or sounds, and can be quite ecstatic.
The above mentioned inner
sounds, along with inner lights, can sometimes act
as a means of transition between the waking state
and some formed inner world.
This transition involving
inner light starts from a waking state, moves initially
to an amorphous state of energy and movement, then
to a formed state of stability. This stable state
is usually a quasi-physical environment.
Sounds occurring during
the conscious transitions out of the body are usually
very powerful and may result in the obliteration
of the body perspective. Monroe discovered that
the nerves which inform the person of their body's
weight, size and position in space, seems to largely
quit functioning when this sound occurs.
Some of the sounds occurring
are of a spiritual or mystical nature rather than
transitional sounds carrying the traveler to a different
location. These higher spiritual sounds are of a
heavenly nature and are ecstatic beyond description.
They are aspects of the final destination of spiritual
travel rather than a phenomenon involving travel
to some other location.
Some sounds a person
may encounter include the sounds similar to a speeding
train, a loud buzzing, a flute, or sounds of nature
like the roar of a waterfall. These sounds or vibrations
are of such intensity that they seem to pass right
through the body, overpowering the other senses.
These are examples of the transition to ego-loss
during spiritual travel where the person literally
merges with the sound.
This illustrates conscious
transitions out of the body which may occur spontaneously.
They may occur due to an accident or injury, or
as a result of deliberate actions and intentions.
The main lesson to be learned here is that there
is no loss of consciousness during the transition
between the waking state and the spiritual travel;
and consciousness survives even after bodily death.
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Robert Monroe OBE Related Internet Links |
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