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Astral Projection Field Guide

Plain-language explanations for the terms people use around astral projection, sleep and out-of-body experience. Short when short is enough, connected to deeper guides when it is not.

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Showing all 38 entries

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Astral projectionAn experience in which awareness seems to exist or move independently of the physical body.Out-of-body experienceAn experience of perceiving the world from a position outside the physical body.Sleep paralysisA temporary inability to move at sleep onset or waking, sometimes accompanied by vivid sensory experiences or a sensed presence.Vibrational stateA reported transition sensation of buzzing, humming, electrical movement or whole-body vibration.Wake-back-to-bedA timing method in which a person wakes after several hours of sleep, stays awake briefly and then returns to sleep with a deliberate intention.

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A

Akashic records

A spiritual idea describing a non-physical record of events, thoughts or knowledge that some experiencers believe can be accessed.

Also: cosmic records, universal records

Astral body

The non-physical or experiential sense of self that a person reports moving through an astral projection.

Also: dream body, subtle body, astral formRead the full guide

Astral plane

A name for the apparently non-physical environment encountered during astral projection or astral travel.

Also: astral realm, astral dimension, spiritual planeRead the full guide

Astral projection

An experience in which awareness seems to exist or move independently of the physical body.

Also: astral travel, out-of-body experience, soul travelRead the full guide

Astral travel

A common synonym for astral projection, especially when the experience includes deliberate movement or exploration.

Also: astral travelling, soul travel, spirit journeyRead the full guide

Autosuggestion

A short intention repeated before sleep to influence attention, recall or behaviour during a later sleep transition.

Also: sleep intention, affirmation

B

D

Direct method

An attempt to move from waking awareness into an out-of-body experience without first losing consciousness.

Also: direct technique, conscious-exit methodRead the full guide

E

Etheric body

A term from some spiritual systems for a subtle counterpart believed to sit close to the physical body.

Also: energy body, subtle body

Exit cue

A mental movement used to shift attention away from the physical body once the transition state is established.

Also: exit method, separation techniqueRead the full guide

Exploding head syndrome

A generally painless sleep-transition event involving a sudden imagined bang, crash or flash of light.

Also: sleep start sound

F

False awakening

A vivid dream or altered state in which a person believes they have woken up and begun an ordinary activity.

H

Hypnagogia

The transitional state between wakefulness and sleep, often involving brief imagery, sounds, thoughts or bodily sensations.

Also: sleep-onset imagery, hypnagogic stateRead the full guide

Hypnopompia

The transitional state between sleep and full waking, when dream imagery or unusual body sensations may briefly continue.

Also: hypnopompic state, waking transition

I

Intention

A clear decision made before sleep about what to notice, attempt or remember during the next useful transition.

Also: set intention, prospective intention

L

N

Near-death experience

A cluster of experiences reported during actual or perceived proximity to death, sometimes including an out-of-body perspective.

Also: NDE

O

P

Phasing

A method of shifting attention into a non-physical or imaginal environment without emphasising a dramatic separation from the body.

Also: phase method, focus shift

R

Reality check

A deliberate test used to decide whether an apparently ordinary scene is a dream, false awakening or waking environment.

Also: state check

REM sleep

A recurring sleep stage associated with vivid dreaming, rapid eye movements and reduced activation of most voluntary muscles.

Also: rapid eye movement sleepRead the full guide

S

Separation

The reported shift from feeling located in the physical body to moving or perceiving from another position.

Also: exit, projection exitRead the full guide

Sleep cycle

A repeating sequence of non-REM and REM sleep stages that occurs several times during a typical night.

Also: sleep-stage cycle

Sleep onset

The period in which waking attention gives way to sleep and thoughts, imagery and body perception begin to change.

Also: sleep transition

Sleep paralysis

A temporary inability to move at sleep onset or waking, sometimes accompanied by vivid sensory experiences or a sensed presence.

Also: REM atoniaRead the full guide

Stabilisation

The use of sensory attention or a simple task to make a newly formed experience clearer and less likely to end immediately.

Also: grounding the experience, deepening

T

Target experiment

A planned test in which an experiencer attempts to identify concealed information from an out-of-body perspective.

Also: hidden-target test, veridical perception testRead the full guide

Trance state

A broad term for narrowed attention, reduced awareness of the surroundings and increased absorption.

Also: trance, deep relaxation state

V

Vestibular sensation

A feeling of floating, spinning, falling, tilting or moving that occurs without corresponding physical movement.

Also: floating sensation, illusory movement

W

Wake-back-to-bed

A timing method in which a person wakes after several hours of sleep, stays awake briefly and then returns to sleep with a deliberate intention.