There’s a place that lies beyond the realm of ordinary consciousness — a place where dreams blend with reality.
Within the lucid dreaming and metaphysical community, there is an ongoing debate about the relationship between lucid dreaming and astral projection. These discussions can become quite passionate.
First, let’s clarify what lucid dreaming and astral projection are. Then, we’ll discuss the perspectives that fuel these debates.
Lucid Dreaming
Lucid dreaming happens when you become aware that you’re dreaming while you’re dreaming. Being aware within your dreams or becoming “lucid”, allows you to consciously experience and shape your dream environment.
Lucid dreaming is often referred to as a hybrid state of consciousness in that it lies between wakefulness and sleep. Validated through scientific experimentation, lucid dreaming is acknowledged by the scientific community.
Astral Projection
Astral projection, also known as an out-of-body experience (OBE), is a concept from metaphysical beliefs. It suggests that the astral body, a subtle and non-physical form, can separate from the physical body. This astral body is often described as an energy form that can travel to different planes of existence while the physical body remains at rest.
Unlike lucid dreaming, astral projection lacks empirical support and is not widely recognized by the scientific community as a proven phenomenon. Its explanations and experiences are largely anecdotal, and it remains a topic of interest in metaphysical and spiritual discussions.
Lucid Dreaming and Astral Projection: 3 Perspectives
There are three perspectives on the relationship between lucid dreaming and astral projection.
First, some see astral projection as simply a deeper or more intense lucid dream experience.
Second, others view lucid dreaming and astral projection as separate phenomena, with lucid dreaming happening within the mind and astral projection involving the actual separation of the astral body from the physical body.
Lastly, a third perspective considers lucid dreaming as a pathway to astral projection, where lucid dreaming can open a door into an astral projection.
Let’s discuss each one in detail.
1. Astral Projection is an Enhanced Lucid Dreaming Experience
According to this perspective, what you perceive as an astral projection is actually a lucid dream with an added layer of vividness and sensory richness. This view becomes especially prominent when discussing Wake Induced Lucid Dreams (WILDs).
WILDs are extremely vivid and realistic lucid dreams that result from a seamless transition from being awake to being in a dream; this means there is no interruption of awareness from the waking state to the dream state. You’re lying in bed fully conscious while the dream manifests itself before your very eyes.
Since there is no break in awareness from the waking state to the dream state, you consciously experience all the bodily sensations that occur right before you enter the dream state.
The bodily sensations result from the chemicals released by the brain through a process called REM atonia. This process helps to temporarily paralyze the muscles, preventing physical movement during vivid dreaming.
The process of REM atonia can sometimes be felt as a vibration or tingling sensation throughout the body. You might also experience auditory hallucinations such as a buzzing or a “whooshing” sound. The whooshing sound is often associated with the perception of departing from or returning to the body.
Other vivid sensations include the feeling of falling rapidly, akin to G-forces, or a sense of levitation and hovering. The intensity of these sensations is such that individuals undergoing these experiences, whether interpreted as a lucid dream or astral projection, often find themselves abruptly waking up or experiencing a rapid return to their physical body, inducing a swift falling sensation.
Those who view astral projection as an enhanced lucid dreaming experience argue that the sensation of REM atonia is often mistaken for astral projection. REM atonia causes temporary paralysis, which can feel like being disconnected from the body. This sensation can lead the mind to interpret it as an out-of-body experience. It’s similar to how when you’re dreaming, real-world sounds like an alarm clock can be integrated into the dream as something different, like a phone ringing. The mind tends to be highly suggestible in this state between being fully asleep and awake.
2. Exclusive Experiences: Lucid Dreaming vs. Astral Projection
On the other end of the spectrum, there are those who firmly believe that lucid dreaming and astral projection are distinct and exclusive experiences. They argue that while both involve altered states of consciousness, the nature of these experiences are fundamentally different.
Lucid dreaming is seen as a mental state where one becomes aware of the dream within the dream, while astral projection is perceived as the separation of the astral body from the physical body to explore other planes of existence.
While the experiences can be similar, there are distinctions between the two.
In a lucid dream, the environment tends to be highly unstable and malleable. The dreamer’s emotions, intentions, and perceptions shape the dream environment in both conscious and unconscious ways.
Lucid dreams often end with either a direct awakening or a loss of lucidity, where you become less aware that you are dreaming before you eventually wake up.
In contrast, those who experience astral projection describe their surroundings as remarkably similar or even identical to their waking life environment.
The astral environment is consistently described as stable and linear, as opposed to the fluid and changing nature of lucid dreams. An astral projection begins in the same location as the physical body’s resting place and unfolds smoothly from there, without any breaks in awareness.
With astral projection, some report observing a silver cord attached to their astral bodies as they venture further away from their physical form. This is a unique marker of the astral projection experience. The experience ends with a return to the physical body, often observed with one’s body lying on the bed.
The level of stability and linear nature of the experience are what distinguish astral projections and lucid dreams from each other.
3. Lucid Dreaming as a Pathway to Astral Projection
A third perspective suggests that lucid dreaming can serve as a pathway to the astral plane. This viewpoint proposes facilitating the induction of lucid dreams to achieve the experience of an astral projection. To do that, you can combine the “wake back to bed” (WBTB) method with an induction method like the WILD technique.
The WBTB method is designed to pinpoint when the longer REM cycles of the night occur. Once you establish this, you can time your direct entry into a dream. In essence, WBTB can be seen as an attempt to create a wormhole through the dream space. You will still need to work on maintaining awareness as you enter the wormhole; that’s where the WILD technique comes in.
With the WILD technique, you’ll use visualizations and mindful exercises to keep your awareness intact as you travel through the metaphorical wormhole. Consequently, you may encounter bodily sensations and auditory hallucinations. Think of it as being on a spaceship and experiencing turbulence while traveling through the wormhole. Once you enter the dream, the turbulence stops.
So how does this lead to an astral projection? It’s quite simple. Once you’re in the dream world, you look for another type of wormhole, such as a door, mirror, or water. Alternatively, you can simply visualize yourself leaving your body. This technique helps to transition from the dream state to an astral projection, where you experience a sense of separation from your physical body.
This viewpoint parallels the Netflix series “Behind Her Eyes,” where the character Louise learns the WILD technique and uses it to find a door within her lucid dreams, leading to astral projection. If you haven’t seen the series, I highly recommend it. It provides an intriguing glimpse into lucid dreaming and astral projection, with an unexpected twist at the end. I won’t spoil it for you, but it’s worth a watch if you’re interested in these concepts.
Testing the Boundaries
Whichever viewpoint you subscribe to, the journey we take when we close our eyes at night remains a mystery. While there is no definitive proof that these experiences are astral projections, there is also no conclusive evidence to disprove them.
The nature of these experiences makes them challenging to study scientifically. We know that chemicals released in the brain during these phases may influence perceptions, but this doesn’t invalidate the experiences themselves.
Perception plays a crucial role in shaping our reality, often blurring the line between what is real and what is believed. While all experiences are real to those who have them, whether they occur in the same reality as our everyday lives remains a topic of debate.
Ultimately, the true test of reality lies in experiencing these phenomena for ourselves and determining their relevance or validity in our lives.
Every night, an inner world invites you to step through the wormhole within yourself.
Sweet dreams,
The Dreaming Siren 🧜♀️
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