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The following was taken directly from the book Journeys Out of
\nthe Body, by Robert A. Monroe.<\/p>\n
THE SEPARATION PROCESS<\/p>\n
After you have achieved the state of vibration and some control
\nof your stage of relaxation, one additional factor must be
\nconsidered. It is probable that you have already obtained it,
\nsince it is ordinarily a product of the previous exercises.
\nHowever, it should be emphasized.
\n\tThis factor is thought control. In the state of
\nvibration, you are apparently subject to every thought, both
\nwillful and involuntary, that crosses your mind. Thus you must
\nbe as close to "no thought" or "single thought" (concentration)
\nas possible. If one stray idea passes through your mind, you
\nrespond instantly, and sometimes in an undesirable manner. I
\nsuspect that one is never completely free of such misdirection.
\nAt least I have not been, which may account for the many
\ninexplicable trips to places and people I do not know. They seem
\nto be triggered by thoughts or ideas I didn't realize I had,
\nbelow the conscious level. The only approach is to do the best
\nyou can.
\n\tWith this in mind, the first practices of disassociating
\nthe Second from the physical body should be limited in time and
\naction. What follows is designed basically as a familiarization
\nand orientation technique which should permit an approach to
\ndisassociation without fear or concern.
\n\tRelease of extremities. This serves to acquaint you with
\nthe sensation of the Second Body without full commitment. After
\nrelaxation and creation of the vibration state, work with either
\nyour right or left hand and arm, one at a time. This is
\nimportant, as it will be your first affirmation of the reality of
\nthe Second. With one hand, reach for any object – floor, wall,
\ndoor, or whatever – that you remember as being beyond the reach
\nof your physical arm. Reach for that object. Make the reaching
\nprocess neither upward nor downward, but out in the direction
\nyour arm is pointing. Reach as if you were stretching your arm,
\nnot raising or lowering it. A variation is simply to reach out
\nwith the hand and arm in the same manner with no special object
\nin mind. Often this method is better, as you then have no
\npreconceived idea of what you will "feel."
\n\tWhen you reach out in this fashion and feel nothing, push
\nyour hand a little farther. Keep pushing gently, as if
\nstretching you arm, until your hand encounters some material
\nobject. If the vibration pattern is in effect, it will work, and
\nyour hand will eventually feel or touch something. When it does,
\nexamine with your sense of touch the physical details of the
\nobject. Feel for any cracks, grooves, or unusual details which
\nyou will later be able to identify. At this point, nothing will
\nseem unusual. Your sensory mechanisms will tell you that you are
\ntouching the object with your physical hand.
\n\tHere, then, is your first test. After acquainting
\nyourself with the object with your outstretched hand, straighten
\nout your hand and push against the object with your fingertips.
\nYou will encounter resistance at first. Push a little harder,
\nand gently overcome the resistance you feel. At this point, your
\nhand will seem to go right through the object. Keep pushing
\nuntil your hand is completely through the object and meets some
\nother physical object. Identify the second object by touch.
\nThen carefully withdraw your hand, back through the first object,
\nand slowly back to normal, so that it feels as if it is where it
\n"belongs."
\n\tWith this, decrease the vibrations. The best way to do
\nthis is slowly to attempt to move the physical body. Think of
\nthe physical body, and open your physical eyes. Bring back your
\nphysical senses, deliberately.
\n\tOnce the vibrations have faded away completely, lie still
\nfor a few minutes for full and complete return. Then get up and
\nmake a notation of the object which you "felt," locating it
\nrelative to the position of your hand and arm when you were lying
\ndown. Note the details of both the first and second objects
\nwhich you felt. Having done this, compare your description with
\nthe actual first object. Make special note of small details
\nwhich you could not have seen from a distance. Physically feel
\nthe object to compare it with what you felt under the vibrations.
\n\tExamine the second object in the same manner. You may
\nnot have been consciously aware of its presence or position prior
\nto the experiment. This too is important. Test the line of
\ndirection from the place where your physical hand lay, through
\nthe first object and up to the second. Is it a straight line?
\n\tCheck your results. Was the first object you touched
\nphysically located at a distance it would have been absolutely
\nimpossible to reach without physical movement? Did the details
\nof the object – especially the minute details – coincide with the
\nnotes you have made? Make the same comparison for the second
\nobject.
\n\tIf your answers are affirmative, you have had your first
\nsuccess. If the facts do not check out, try again another day.
\nAlmost without qualification, if you have produced the
\nvibrational state, you can perform this exercise.
\n\tYou can also practice the following quite easily. After
\nproducing the vibrational state, lying on your back, arms either
\nat your sides or on your chest, gently lift your arms without
\nlooking at them and touch your fingers together. Do this quite
\ncasually, abstractly, and remember the sensory results. Once you
\nhave clasped your hands above your chest, look at them first with
\nyour closed eyes. If you have moved easily enough, you will see
\nboth physical and non-physical arms. Your physical arms will be
\nat rest at your side or upon your chest. The sensory impressions
\nwill be with the non-physical arms and hands above your physical
\nbody. You should test this phenomenon as many times as you wish,
\nhowever you desire. Prove to yourself that you are moving not
\nyour physical arms, but something else. Do it by whatever means
\nare necessary to give you full assurance of this reality.
\n\tIt is important always to return your non-physical arms
\nto full conjunction with their physical counterparts before
\n"shutting off" the vibration state. Although there may be no
\nsevere aftereffect if this is not done, I think it best not to
\nfind out in the early stages.
\n\tDisassociation technique. The simplest method to use in
\nseparating from the physical is the "lift-out" procedure. The
\nintent here it not to travel to far-off places, but to get
\nacquainted with the sensation in your own room, with familiar
\nsurroundings. The reason for this is that the first true
\nexperience will then be examined and explored with identifiable
\npoints of reference.
\n\tIn order to assist in this orientation, it is better that
\nthese first complete disassociation exercises be conducted during
\ndaylight. Test for yourself your needs in regard to the amount
\nof light in the room. Avoid using an electric light if possible.
\n\tTo establish the condition, achieve the vibrational
\nstate, and maintain complete control of your thought processes.
\nYou are going to stay only in the confines of your familiar room.
\nThink of getting lighter, of floating upward, of how nice it
\nwould be to float upward. Be sure to think how nice it would be,
\nas the subjective associated thought is most important. You want
\nto do this because it is something you will respond to
\nemotionally; you react even before the act, in anticipation. If
\nyou continue to hold only these thoughts, you will disassociate
\nand float gently upward from your physical. You may not achieve
\nit the first time, or the second. But quite surely, if you have
\nachieved the preceding exercises, you will achieve it.
\n\tA second method is the "rotation" technique, which has
\nbeen mentioned elsewhere. Under the same prescribed conditions,
\nslowly try to turn over, just as if you were turning over in bed
\nto be more comfortable. Make no attempt to help yourself rotate
\nwith either arms or legs. Start turning by twisting the top of
\nyour body, your head and shoulders, first. By all means move
\nslowly, exerting gently but firm pressure. If you do not, you
\nmay become loose and actually spin like a log rolling in water
\nbefore you can alter the pressure. Such action is disconcerting
\nonly because you may lose all orientation and be forced to find
\nyour way back carefully in rotation juncture.
\n\tThe ease with which you begin to turn, with no friction
\nor sense of weight, will inform you that you have begun to
\nsucceed in disassociating. As this happens, turn slowly until
\nyou feel that you have moved 180 degrees (i.e., face to face with
\nyour physical body). It is uncanny how you will recognize this
\nposition. this 180 degrees about face is merely two 90 degree
\nturns, and without orientation, it is easy to sense.
\n\tOnce you are in the 180 degree position, stop the
\nrotation by merely thinking of doing so. Without hesitation,
\nthink of floating upward, backing up away from the physical body.
\nAgain, if you have reached the vibrational state successfully,
\nthis method will surely bring results.
\n\tOf the two separation techniques, the first should be
\ntried before the second. Then, after both have been examined and
\ntested, the one that seems easiest to you should be utilized.
\n\tLocal experiments and familiarization. Once you have
\nsucceeded in the separation process, it is most important for
\nyour own objective continuity that you remain in complete
\ncontrol. The only possible way to do this seems to be by staying
\nclose to the physical in the early stages. Whatever you may feel
\nemotionally, keep in close proximity to the physical. This
\nadmonition is made not because of any known danger, but so that
\nyou will maintain a step-by-step familiarity and thus perceive
\nfor yourself exactly what is taking place. Wild, uncontrolled
\ntrips at this stage may well produce uncomfortable situations and
\nconditions that will force you to relearn much of what you have
\nalready achieved. The process of mental acclamation will be
\ndifferent from any you have ever consciously experienced. The
\ngradual adaptation will greatly enhance your peace of mind and
\nconfidence.
\n\tAt this point, the principal exercise is to return. Keep
\nyour separation distance no more than three feet away, hovering
\nover the physical. Do not make any attempt at this time to move
\nlaterally or farther "up." How do you know how far aware you
\nare? Again, this is something you sense. Your vision now is
\nzero. You have conditioned yourself not to open your eyes, and
\nlet them remain closed for the moment. Stay close to the
\nphysical. The mental concept of this will keep you in proper
\nrange.
\n\tFor the next three or four exercises, do nothing but
\npractice getting "out" and returning to the physical. To return
\nunder these conditions, merely "think" yourself back into the
\nphysical, and you will return. If you have used the first method
\nof separation, the reintegration is relatively simple. When you
\nare back in exact alignment, you will be able to move any portion
\nof the physical body and reactivate any or all of your physical
\nsenses. Each time you return, open your physical eyes and
\nphysically sit up so that you know you are completely "back
\ntogether." This is to ensure orientation, to instill confidence
\nthat you can return at will, and most important, to assure
\nyourself of continued contact with the material world in which
\nyou now belong. Whatever you believe, this reassurance is most
\nnecessary.
\n\tIf you have applied the rotation method, move slowly back
\ntoward the physical, again by thinking of it, and when you feel
\nyou have made complete contact, start your rotation back 180
\ndegrees to conjunction with the physical. It seems to make no
\ndifference whether you continue the circle of rotation or reverse
\nand turn back in a motion opposite to that which helped you
\nrelease.
\n\tIn both techniques, there seems to be a slight,
\nclick-like jerk when you are again in conjunction with the
\nphysical. An exact description of this sensation is quite
\ndifficult, but you will recognize it. Always wait a few moments
\nbefore sitting up after you have returned, primarily to avoid any
\npossible uneasiness. Give yourself some time to readjust to the
\nphysical environment. The physical act of sitting up provides
\nevidence of continuity in a demonstrable form; you will know
\nthat you can consciously, willfully act in a physical movement
\ninterspersed with experiments in the non-physical environment and
\nretain conscious awareness throughout the process.
\n\tYou will have completed the cycle when you are able to
\nseparate, return to the physical, sit up and note the time, go
\nback to the separation process, and return to the the physical a
\nsecond time, all without loss of conscious continuity. The
\nnotation of the clock reading will help in this.
\n\tThe next step in familiarization is to separate to a
\nslightly farther distance, applying the same procedures. Any
\ndistance up to ten feet will do. Always keep mental
\nconcentration on a single purpose without stray though patterns,
\nespecially in these extended exercises. After you have become
\naccustomed to the feeling of being more "apart," mentally tell
\nyourself that you can see. Do not think of the act of opening
\nyour eyes, as this may well transmit you to the physical and
\ndiminish the vibrational state. Instead, think of seeing, that
\nyou can see – and you will see. There will be no sensation of
\neye opening. The blackness will just disappear suddenly. At
\nfirst, your seeing may be dim, as if in half-light, indistinct or
\nmyopic. It is not known at present why this is so, but with use,
\nyour vision will become more sharp.
\n\tThe first sight of your physical body lying below you
\nshould not be unnerving if you have applied the previous
\nexercises. After you are satisfied that it is "you" lying there,
\nvisually examine the room from the perspective of your position.
\nMentally move slightly in one direction or another, slowly and
\nnever violently. Move your arms and legs to reassure yourself of
\nyour mobility. Roll around and cavort in the new element if you
\nwish, always staying within the prescribed range of the physical.<\/p>\n
