Ballabene's Astral

Index Pages
(engl. Ring-Tor) Ring-Tor
German main index

Relaxation Based Methods ("Floating

Out")
By: Alfred Ballabene
(alfred.ballabene@univie.ac.at)
Copyright 1995, Alfred Ballabene. All rights reserved. (Revised 1997, 2000)

This article was first published in Charles Goodin's homepage

Fig.: S. Muldoon & H. Carrington: The Phenomena of Astral Projection

S.Weiser, New York, 1974

Disclaimer! Trance methods, meditations and

OBE techniques can be dangerous for
psycholabile persons and persons with
psychological diseases. Further awakened inner
forces can get out of control by peoples with
great problems and uncontrolled fears. Any
attempts to perform methods as described in
these articles are done by own risk!
 How it runs
"I seemed to float about an inch or so up. Not out of my body, but more
displaced. Then while concentrating on moving up. I felt a sudden,
moderate, dropping sensation, as I floated up to a distance that was hard
to determine. At one point, I thought I was near the roof and then it
seemed that I was only three or four feet above my body. The odd part
was that I seemed to lying flat, rather than in the position that I was on
the couch."
OBE Letter 396

This is a passive, spontaneous way of body separation. Nevertheless it has to be

performed by active done deep relaxation. This procedure of autohypnotic
relaxation is accompanied and triggered by the attention at body awareness
(muscle relaxation, feeling your limbs becoming heavy, feeling warmth and at
last cutting off physical body awareness).

These experiences of floating out of the body often are reported to occur
spontaneously in deep relaxation, sleep or near-sleep (hypnagogic state) and in
NDE's (near-death-experiences). This kind of OBE phenomenon, which is
significant in some details, very often is the first encounter to OBEs of persons
who never have heard or thought about this field of experiences.

To illustrate how this kind of OBE separation develops you can see below the
animated drawing, showing the states of separation:

4 phases:

loosening
lifting and falling (often)
swaying
exploring with the subtle body

Floating out of the body belongs to the first experiences I had with OBEs. The
first OBE of mine was not intended and a side effect of deep relaxation. From
this moment on I started to experiment with OBEs. Later on I found this method
much more difficult as several other techniques. To the most preferred methods
now belongs the "stepping-out" technique.

However in my first past experiments I only could perform "floating-out". I used

to do it in daytime and in trance. I mostly did this on Sunday morning. Currently,
having a profession and a family, there is neither space nor time for undisturbed
exercises at such day time. Therefore I have to make my OBE exercises during
the night and then "stepping-out" methods seems to me to be significantly better.

OBE Letter 361

...Also, in my first attempts, I was actually able to feel that I was literally
falling rather then imagining it. What I am asking here is if that is
supposed to happen.

All what you feel when "floating out of the body" (that's how this field of
experiences is called here) is real felt and not imagined!!

Hints and how it is to be done

Position: lying on the back and if possible on the floor and not in the bed. The
best time is doing a nap in the afternoon.

Method: I used to stretch down on the floor, to relax and to intensify my

relaxation by the imagination, that all blood was leaving my head, like fainting.
(This method "all blood out of my head" I had trained many years before, when I
suffered from frequent nose-bleed.)

Relax as deep as possible. Then imagine the blood

leaving the head, streaming back into the body and
then concentrate on your body, stay concentrating
on your body feeling!

Some links to sites dealing with relaxation:

SHORT RELAXATION TECHNIQUES (Sam Houston State University)

RELAXATION TECHNIQUES (Sam Houston State University)

The method of autogene training from Schulz, an autohypnotic relaxation

technique, is hardly found in the English written internet sites, though well
known in German, Netherlands and other European countries.
Here it is - I have found a link!!!

Autogenic Training A Practical Guide

As to my opinion the best results are obtained when you direct your awareness
at your body, not interfering and not using imaginations.
Some people, however, prefere using imaginations as a kind of autohypnotic
triggering. These trance inducing imainations for "floating out" procedures are a
special category of imaginations (inductions) belonging to the field of
autohypnosis (typically examples: you imagine to feel more and more light and
to float up into the air, swaying there).

Regard: these imaginations are used BEFORE falling in deep relaxation (trance)
in order to trigger the "floating out" process. When the process has started no
imagining will be done, just let it go and observe what will happen without
interfering!!!

Some examples when using imagination:

o "Water skiing method of projecting" (Matt Holmes in the

"Astral Projection Home Page", tips may 1995).
o Flying in an airplane or balloon
o Lying in a boat and relax
o Being carried away on a cloud
o Sitting in a ski-lift or going upwards in a lift
o Being a leaf and being carried away by the wind

o Sliding up or down an escalator

OBE Letter 363

Since I live in a dorm and there is often noise, I listen to a CD I created
with soft static (which sound like a waterfall), and "brain-wave
synchronization" in the background, which is supposed to lower my
consciousness level. It usually works, but I simply fall asleep. I can never
succeed with OBE's and astral projection. I know I am a novice at this,
but I know I can gain the skill, right?

As far as I know music or sounds like waterfall may let you come to good
relaxation. Then the next step is falling asleep and never an OBE.

Well let this be explained as it is supposed by me: the deep relaxation is

a kind of autohypnotic state (let it compare with hypnosis). If you are in
this state and no one gives you a command, then you fall asleep. So it is
the missing command which lets your OBE experience fail.
For that reason OBEs are triggered by plastic imaginations (and desire
to have an OBE) before falling into the relaxation state. Afterwards,
because you have the input of an order, the rest will come without
needing concentration (which would keep your brain awake and hinder
an OBE). What you need, however, is an inner kind of alertness which
enables you to observe what is going on and which enables you then at
the right moment to change the automatic started OBE to an action by
will (you activate your will at this point of state and not before!)
 How to go on and the sensations you have
If you had already some OBE's, the best way to induce new ones is to reimagine
the experienced ones step by step.

Sensations: In the state of deep relaxation I first heard a sound of a kind of

rushing, then the sound vanished and I saw colors or mosaics or landscapes.
This was very delightful for me and helped to stay alert. Then colors and
pictures disappeared in the next state and the eye field became dark. Now the
body started to swing, as if lying in a boat. There was no sound, no picture, no
thoughts - it was a very peaceful feeling. After a while I suddenly could see the
room I was in, or may be an astral replication of the room, and move by will.

Later on the process developed to astral travelling. In this case I stayed floating
for a longer time, enveloped in blackness, mostly feeling a wind or even storm
by which I seemed to be curried away. Sometimes I could see a source of light
like a sun or a shining disc above me in the darkness. After a while, all of a
sudden, my sight cleared up and I found myself flying or sliding in an unknown,
very real seeming landscape, as if , after passing space, I had landed in another
world. My feelings mostly were very euphoric. This was how "floating out"
developed later on (the first variation did not happen again).

Theory:As thought in OBE theory the subtle body may separate spontaneously
in deep relaxation or in sleep (it is thought that unconscious astral travelling is
very common to many people). In this case as described above it is the etheric
body which separates (carrying the astral inside). The etheric body is thought to
be bound to the physical by means of a cord, the so called "silver cord". This
cord is the reason why the subtle body is hold back, pulled down again to the
physical (falling sensation) and why the subtle body is swaying above the
physical like a balloon. (In astral projection never a cord is felt and that's the
reason of many discussion of the fact if a cord does exist or not)
 The etheric body lifts from the physical body, keeping the same body-position.
Like a balloon, held by a cord, the etheric body is suspended in mid-air and
swaying there.

Sometimes OBE-ers report to have experienced rotation in horizontal position

(obviously around an axis given by the silver cord origin).

Alfred Ballabene (alfred.ballabene@univie.ac.at)

Ballabene's OBE and Astral Pages

 OBE-ing And Vibrations
copyright Alfred Ballabene, Vienna, 2000

Are vibrations a basic necessity to achieve OBEs?

That vibrations are a necessary condition for an out of body experience is a wide
spread opinion. That's not right! Vibrations are relevant for etheric OBEs or for
astral projections which start first by a loosening of the etheric double. The more
an OBEer is used to astral travelling the more he shifts from dense ethereal
experiences to the more subtle astral experiences. By the time these OBEers get
used to start directly astral projections without an intermediate etheric state.
Because vibrations are a prestage of etheric body separation and not for astral
projections, these OBEers experience no more or at least seldom vibration and
sound sensations.

Among the methods in this homepage are methods for direct astral travelling
and they all start without vibration and sound sensations. To number them:

Methods for OBEing which do not require vibrations as a prestate:

o Starting OBEs by means of visualisations (it is meant real seen inner
movies)
o Projection by intense and plastic imagination of a well known place.
o Tunnel methods
o Starting astral projections after a dream phase
o Stepping out in false awakening - this may be etheric but can be mere
astral as well.

Methods for OBEing which require vibrations as a prestate:

o Trance method "floating out of the body"
o Trance method or near sleep method of "stepping out of the body"

Vibration qualities: OBE promoting and non promoting vibrations.

Very often OBEers enter into the "vibration state" and are awaiting their OBE at
the next instant. Being best informed by literature they are convinced to
experience the last step before the OBE process. But nothing happens! It's quite
to understand that they all are very frustrated and disturbed. The reasons of this
bothering fact may be following:
1) They have achieved a false vibration state, which has nothing to do with
OBEs - they have mere physical body vibrations (as muscle vibrations)

2) As a second possibility, they have started a vibration state which might fit,
but instead of performing the process to an OBE, by staying passive, they
are fixed at the vibrations and concentrate on them, in this way prolonging
and fixing the vibrations and shielding away the subtle body loosening.

OBE letters dealing with vibration problems

I have got quite a lot of letters like the following ones, which I present as an
example:

"It's Richard here, I've written to you on 3 occasions now for

your expert opinion. I'm writing to you about a failed OBE
attempt that happened today and would be very grateful if you
could tell me exactly why it failed.

Around 1pm today I was using one of my methods of inducing an

OBE.
So far the only OBE I've had was through a sleep paralysis and
this scared me a lot. So I want a conscious OBE in case I get
scared I can stop it.
Not too long into the practice I felt vibrations consciously for
the first time! I expected to have an OBE right then when they
started but that didn't happen. I waited for around 5 minutes and
the vibrations started to stop. All of a sudden, I felt a great
rush of energy enter my body from all directions and my heart
started to beat extremely quickly! In fact, my heart was beating
so quickly and powerfully that it was making the top half of my
body move every time it beat!

At this point I thought it was time for an OBE but I wasn't

floating out of my body."

Hi Richard,
you are not alone with that bothering problem. I've got a lot of
letters with the same problem (all not published). After your
letter now I have decided that I will not give you a "three line
respond" but a more complete overview about this problem. Thus I
thank you for giving me the hint to summarize explanations for
this wide spread problem.

Here's an other letter which I had in the same week like the above one:

"My main method to attempt these experiences is to concentrate in

the vibration of the (subtle) body, beginning with my feet and
ascending until the head. The vibration feel more strong when i
focus my mind in a part of the body. Then when I am arriving to
the head, begins a strong sound vibration that resonates inside
my head. And then nothing more. I can stay in this state all the
time. Have you any idea ? "

I think you have shifted your awareness already into the subtle
body, but instead of simple stepping out of the body you wait for
a signal which tells you "now you can start your OBE!". But
perhaps such a signal never will come. Well, instead stepping out
of your body you made vibration exercises with your subtle body.
It's a coincidence that I am doing this just now like you, but in
my case not as an OBE attempt but as an exercise for raising the
Kundalini (in addition to other yoga exercises).

About the Kundalini (the force which is thought to be the origin of the
vibrations)

The origin of the OBE promoting vibrations (the second version as mentioned
above) is still unknown, but usually declared as a form of awakened Kundalini.
The Kundalini is concerned as a spiritual force which is activated (awakened) by
special body and mental conditions. Yogis try to awaken the Kundalini by means
of body positions, breathing and meditations on light and sound. Maybe some
thousands years ago the Yogis had the intention to create by these Kundalini
methods a heavenly body which enabled them to travel to the upper and under
world in order to communicate or fight with gods and demons, quite as Shamans
do it up to now (see: OBE in Taoism, Part 1 and OBE in Taoism, Part 2).
By the time the social aspects and the religion in India had changed and the goal
was now to achieve a higher state of consciousness (unity with universe) instead
the shamanistic OBE of the old times. Whatever, the inner force they are dealing
with is called Kundalini and as such the bundle of these Kundalini symptoms
together with the Sanskrit name has become to an accepted term all over the
esoteric field. Thus when I want to specify the vibrations as a special kind of
OBE promoting vibrations in contrast to other forms of vibrations, I use the term
"kundalini vibrations".

To summarize: The "awakened" Kundalini is a dynamization of the etheric and

(?) astral energies/substances. A simultaneous special state of the physical body
is necessary (body positions, relaxation, mind states).

The awakened Kundalini with vibrations as a side effect is the cause of altered
states of consciousness. But besides OBE other forms of altered states of
consciousness may be experienced as well like euphoric states, visionary states
and cosmic consciousness (samadhi). For all these states thus vibrations (or
inner waves) are a sign of a pre-state. This fact is neglected by the OBE group,
which is uninformed about the other possible states and regards vibrations as a
pre-state for OBEs alone.

Theosophic considerations about physical and subtle body alignment

From the Theosophic point of view the in OBEs experienced vibrations promote
a separation of the etheric body. The body separation occurs when the vibrating
physical body comes out of alignment with the subtle body. In this case,
however, the subtle body (etheric body) has to be loosened to a small degree. If
the subtle body is totally fixed to the physical body, because the mind totally is
consumed by the physical plane, then the subtle matter is bound as much to the
physical matter that both are vibrating in alignment and no detachment will be
observed. In this case etheric matter does exist as rough unshaped matter and no
etheric body is existing (the etheric body is shaped by the mind every time
before separating - ego imagination.).

These Theosophic thoughts are not contradictionary to the above mentioned

Kundalini theories.

Some words about OBE dogmatism

All over the worldwide family of OBEers a tendency to OBE dogmatism can be
observed. What do I mean with OBE dogmatism? Well, dogmas tend to to
explain processes or features by simplifying, making these thoughts acceptable
by this way to a great uninformed group. But at the other hand dogmas are
conservative and new ideas are not allowed. Furthermore dogmas tend to deny
problems which do not fit to their theoretic construction. In this way vibrations
have become part of recent OBE dogmas as a must intermediate state. In some
way this dogmatic opinion is irrational if you consider, that the same OBE
experts at the other hand deny the existence of an etheric body (which is
loosened in the vibration state). If you have a look into the postings of the
alt.out-of-body news group you will find such ideas very often.

Vibrations in the state of OBEing

I have 1 question. Before separation I'm supposed to feel the vibrations... but I
felt my vibrations when I was floating upside down... Which was when I was
already OUT of my body... Thats what confuses me. Is it supposed to be like
that?

Vibrations commonly are declared as pre-OBE symptoms. At the one hand this is
right, at the other hand it is too much generalized. Vibrations are the symptoms
of an inner energetic state. In most cases these vibrations cease while OBEing
(or are not felt because your awareness has shifted to the double). In some cases
the vibrations may continue and may be felt in the subtle body as well (more
often if it are not vibrations but waves) - it's a kind of repercussion which
influences the subtle body.

Alfred Ballabene, Vienna, Austria, Europe, 2000