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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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Astral projectionAn experience in which awareness seems to exist or move independently of the physical body.By Rob Knott · Reviewed Out-of-body experienceAn experience of perceiving the world from a position outside the physical body.By Rob Knott · Reviewed Sleep paralysisA temporary inability to move at sleep onset or waking, sometimes accompanied by vivid sensory experiences or a sensed presence.By Rob Knott · Reviewed Vibrational stateA reported transition sensation of buzzing, humming, electrical movement or whole-body vibration.By Rob Knott · Reviewed 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.By Rob Knott · Reviewed

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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.

By Last reviewed

Also: cosmic records, universal records

Astral blindness

A reported state in which movement or separation seems possible but visual experience is absent or unclear.

By Last reviewed

Also: blind OBE

Astral body

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

By Last reviewed

Also: dream body, subtle body, astral form

Astral plane

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

By Last reviewed

Also: astral realm, astral dimension, spiritual plane

Astral projection

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

By Last reviewed

Also: astral travel, out-of-body experience, soul travel

Astral travel

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

By Last reviewed

Also: astral travelling, soul travel, spirit journey

Autoscopy

Seeing an image or double of one's own body from the usual first-person location.

By Last reviewed

Also: autoscopic experience

Autosuggestion

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

By Last reviewed

Also: sleep intention, affirmation

B

Bilocation

The reported experience of being present in two locations or viewpoints at once.

By Last reviewed

Also: dual location

Body asleep, mind awake

A practical phrase for maintaining light awareness while the body moves towards sleep.

By Last reviewed

Also: mind awake body asleep, MABA

D

Direct method

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

By Last reviewed

Also: direct technique, conscious-exit method

Dream journal

A record of dreams and sleep-transition experiences made as soon as practical after waking.

By Last reviewed

Also: dream diary

Dream recall

The ability to retrieve and describe experience from sleep after waking.

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Also: sleep recall

Dual awareness

The simultaneous sense of a physical body and a second viewpoint, body or environment.

By Last reviewed

Also: split awareness

E

Etheric body

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

By Last reviewed

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.

By Last reviewed

Also: exit method, separation technique

Exploding head syndrome

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

By Last reviewed

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.

By Last reviewed

Floating method

An exit method that follows a spontaneous or imagined sense of rising away from the bed.

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Also: float-out method

H

Heautoscopy

An experience involving a body double and uncertainty about which body contains the self.

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Also: heautoscopic experience

Hypnagogia

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

By Last reviewed

Also: sleep-onset imagery, hypnagogic state

Hypnic jerk

A sudden involuntary body movement that can occur as a person falls asleep.

By Last reviewed

Also: sleep start, hypnagogic jerk

Hypnopompia

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

By Last reviewed

Also: hypnopompic state, waking transition

I

Indirect method

An exit attempt made immediately after waking, before moving or becoming fully alert.

By Last reviewed

Also: deferred method, upon-awakening method

Intention

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

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Also: set intention, prospective intention

L

Lucid dream

A dream in which the dreamer knows they are dreaming and may be able to act deliberately.

By Last reviewed

Also: conscious dream

M

Micro-awakening

A very brief return of awareness during sleep that may not be remembered in the morning.

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Also: brief awakening

N

Near-death experience

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

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Also: NDE

Non-REM sleep

The stages of sleep outside rapid eye movement sleep, ranging from light sleep to deep slow-wave sleep.

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Also: NREM sleep

O

Out-of-body experience

An experience of perceiving the world from a position outside the physical body.

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Also: OBE, OOBE, outer body experience

P

Panoramic vision

A report of seeing in many directions at once during an out-of-body or non-ordinary state.

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Also: 360-degree vision

Phasing

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

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Also: phase method, focus shift

Practice log

A structured record of astral projection attempts, methods, timing, cues and outcomes.

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Also: attempt log

R

Re-entry

The return of perceived location and sensory attention to the physical body after an out-of-body experience.

By Last reviewed

Also: return to body

Reality check

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

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Also: state check

REM atonia

The normal reduction of most voluntary muscle activity during REM sleep.

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Also: REM muscle atonia

REM sleep

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

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Also: rapid eye movement sleep

Remote viewing

A structured attempt to describe a hidden or distant target without using ordinary sensory information.

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Also: anomalous cognition

Roll-out method

An exit technique in which the practitioner imagines rolling sideways out of the physical body.

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Also: rolling technique, roll out

Rope technique

An astral projection method that uses the imagined sensation of climbing a rope above the body.

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Also: rope method

S

Sensed presence

A strong impression that another person or entity is nearby, even when no clear figure is visible.

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Also: felt presence

Separation

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

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Also: exit, projection exit

Silver cord

A traditional image of a connection between the physical body and the travelling or astral body.

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Also: astral cord

Sit-up method

An exit method that imagines or initiates sitting upright while the physical body remains still.

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Also: sit-up exit

Sleep cycle

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

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Also: sleep-stage cycle

Sleep inertia

Temporary grogginess, slowed thinking or disorientation immediately after waking.

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Also: waking grogginess

Sleep onset

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

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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.

By Last reviewed

Also: REM atonia

Snapback

A sudden, forceful-feeling end to an out-of-body experience and return to ordinary body awareness.

By Last reviewed

Also: sudden re-entry

Stabilisation

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

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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.

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Also: hidden-target test, veridical perception test

Thought movement

The experience of moving through intention rather than muscular effort.

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Also: movement by intention

Time distortion

A mismatch between experienced duration and measured clock time.

By Last reviewed

Also: altered time perception

Trance state

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

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Also: trance, deep relaxation state

V

Vestibular sensation

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

By Last reviewed

Also: floating sensation, illusory movement

Vibrational state

A reported transition sensation of buzzing, humming, electrical movement or whole-body vibration.

By Last reviewed

Also: the vibrations, vibrations

Void state

An experience of awareness in darkness or an apparently featureless space.

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Also: the void

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.

By Last reviewed

Also: WBTB

Wake-induced lucid dream

A lucid dream entered directly from waking awareness while attention remains present through the sleep transition.

By Last reviewed

Also: WILD