How do you turn sleep paralysis into astral projection?

What is happening in sleep paralysis?

So many people tell me they are frightened of sleep paralysis. They wake in the night, they can’t move, and they panic. If this happens to you naturally and it scares you, let me tell you something that may surprise you: you are actually very lucky. I love that state. I wish I could experience it every night, because every time sleep paralysis has come to me, I have left the body.

In sleep paralysis the physical body is still, and you are awake inside it. The body can’t get up. So what happens if you strongly intend to get up anyway, without thinking about it? You get up, of course, in your astral body.

Why does it feel so frightening?

On the way out of the body there can be all sorts of perceptions: loud sounds and voices, static or swirling colors in your vision, and the feeling of your energetic body coming loose, more lively than the physical body of blood and bones. It is a little like tuning a radio. As you move into the non-physical, you hear all sorts of frequencies on the way. You only need to be impartial toward them and carry on.

Some people see shadowy figures, or feel a presence in the room. These perceptions come most often to people who haven’t yet overcome their fear of astral projection and haven’t yet had a full out-of-body experience, and they diminish as you get past that fear. Most of them are simply tests from your own subconscious, to see whether you can really handle having your consciousness out of the body, or whether you will let fear and frightening thoughts overwhelm you.

What keeps you stuck?

Do you know the only reason you are stuck? It is fear and panic. That is the only thing holding you down. It comes from not realizing that you can easily leave the body, or bring on the vibrations, from that very state. If you simply stop indulging in the fear, you will see that you can use your will to separate from the physical body.

On my own first night, the 25th of July, 2011, I woke in the middle of my sleep and, instead of getting up, stayed completely still. I wasn’t trying to leave my body, and I had never done it. Within a few seconds my whole body began to tremble with vibrations, like a small earthquake running through me. Colors swirled behind my closed eyelids, and I heard a noise like a hurricane mixed with static. I didn’t know what was happening, and I didn’t fight it. It grew until I felt I could lean into it, and when I did, I began to float upward, slowly, out of myself.

How do you turn sleep paralysis into astral projection?

This is what I do, and what I would suggest you try the next time you find yourself there.

• Don’t try to move the physical body. Let it settle and stay still, without frustration or restlessness, and just relax.
• If fear comes, observe it. Say to yourself: okay, whatever, let’s carry on and experiment. Don’t fight it, and don’t follow it.
• Feel, or wriggle, your astral body instead of your physical body. The energy starts to build, and the vibrations come easily from this state.
• Don’t grab at the new sensations. Be patient, surrender to them and let them unfold, and they intensify. Once they do, lean into them.
• Then just get up, or float up, the way you normally would, without moving the physical body. This needs no thinking. Just do it.
• If you still feel stuck, try intending a swaying sensation in your awareness, back and forth. It loosens you out of the physical shell, like a chick rolling its egg around to crack it open.

Don’t try to leave; just do it. If you feel the vibrations and keep ruining the moment by trying something too early, stop trying. And don’t analyze what is happening while it is happening. Leaving the body is simple and natural, and in practice it is straightforward as long as you don’t overanalyze it.

Watch the talk on YouTubeI Spent 100 Hours Trying Astral Projection and Found 7 Common Errors

What if you can’t get out?

Don’t worry. It doesn’t mean you’ve failed. Go back to noticing the sensations, immerse yourself in them, and try again a few moments later. Just keep your awareness, your willpower and your intent; that is all you need. Every attempt contributes to your progress, however long you have been trying, and the fact that you are making the effort is reason enough to give yourself credit.

What about the presence in the room?

The fear people describe most often is of something in the room with them: the dark figure, the presence in the corner. Here the whole answer is resonance. The inner worlds answer your state. A fearful traveler is drawn toward fearful things and takes this to mean the inner worlds are dangerous, when in truth he has been shown, faithfully and exactly, the state he brought with him.

So have courage, and give your attention to what you want to do, not to the sensations. Maybe you want to go to the moon, or visit someone you love who has died. Hold that in your heart; it takes your mind off the fear. And fear cannot really exist when you are truly conscious of yourself.

Do you need sleep paralysis to astral project?

No. You don’t need to experience sleep paralysis, or try to bring it on, in order to astral project. It often comes naturally with these practices, and it is only one doorway among many. Countless crossings are made with no roar, no vibration and no sense of leaving the body at all. Try not to think in terms of stages, either: the same sensations won’t necessarily come again, or in the same order. Let your intention reach beyond the paralysis and the vibrations, to where you want to go once you are out.

If sleep paralysis comes often or is distressing, or if you are having trouble sleeping, please talk to a doctor. What I share here is my own experience, not medical advice.