OBE Practical Guidebook – Chapter 8
Primary Skills
THE ESSENCE OF PRIMARY SKILLS
When dealing with a fully-realized phase, requisite knowledge is not limited to entry techniques, deepening and maintenance of the state, translocation, or finding and interacting with objects. In order to feel comfortable, a practitioner has to master or at least acclimate himself with a whole series of techniques to correctly react in any number of situations. For example, a practitioner needs to know how to create vision, if it is absent. Actions including passage through a wall or taking flight in a deep phase do not happen easily, although these actions may be assumed natural occurrences, since the phase exists apart from the physical world. In addition to techniques that allow interaction with the physical setting and surroundings of the phase, methods must learned and applied to counteract fear if it forces a practitioner to consciously and consistently leave the phase.
A practitioner does not have to know all the primary skills by heart, but it is necessary to pay close attention to some of them: emergency return, creation of vision, translocation through objects, contact with animate objects, and, for many, skills dedicated to fighting fear will also prove extremely relevant.
The final choice of methods that require added focus on the part of the practitioner must be made on the basis of personal experiences and problems faced while in the phase, since different practitioners often have completely different types of problems.
DISCERNING THE PHASE
Problems with phase identification during entry often arise at the initial stages of studying the phase. A practitioner simply cannot understand whether or not he or she is already in the phase. This uncertainty can manifest while lying down or while practicing in other postures.
If a practitioner is simply lying down, physically perceiving his own body, and doing nothing, then it is indeed difficult to determine whether or not he is present in the phase. It is sufficient to note that there might be no signs of a phase state. On the contrary, there may be a host of signs and unusual sensations, but they by no means necessarily indicate the onset of the phase.
The problem of the uncertainty of a phase state is always solved through actions. If the practitioner is lying down, then standard separation techniques may produce indication of phase achievement – in the majority of cases – since such techniques may often be incorrectly performed.
It is possible to perform techniques that are only achievable in the phase state. If a practitioner stands up and does not recognize his surroundings, then it can be assumed that the practitioner is standing up in the phase. However, often based on the observation that “everything is as in reality”, a practitioner may stand up and note that everything is in fact “as in reality” simply because the practitioner is still in “reality”. In answer to this dilemma, the phenomenon of hyper-concentration has been previously mentioned in relation to maintaining phase. By using hyper-concentration, it is always possible to ascertain whether the practitioner is in the phase. However, as a rule, hyper-concentration is rarely necessary. Most often, the following signs indicate that separation has occurred in the phase: unusual sensations in the body during movement, extreme tightness during movement, a strong physical urge to lie back down, disjointedness of surroundings, and blurred or complete absence of vision.
Often, the problem resides in the use of direct techniques where the practitioner expects fast results and attempts to determine whether the phase has been achieved. As a principle this should not be done. When using direct techniques, the phase manifests itself clearly; therefore, if an attempt to determine its presence is made, it is an indicator that the phase is quite likely still far off.
EMERGENCY RETURN. PARALYSIS
Statistics show that in one-third of initial phase experiences, a practitioner is faced with a degree of fear that forces a return to the body. Periodically, even experienced practitioners face situations that require an abrupt return to wakefulness. This presents a number of concerns.
In and of itself, returning to the body is almost always unproblematic; remembering and thinking about the body often suffices and within moments the practitioner is returned to the body from whatever location in the phase. Admittedly, it is advisable during this type of situation to shut the eyes and abstain from touching anything. As a rule, when these actions are performed, simply standing up in the physical world is all that is required to complete a return; however, this is not always simply achieved.
Sometimes after reentering the body, the practitioner suddenly realizes that physical functionality has ceased due to the onset of sleep paralysis, or the sensation that the body has been switched off. During sleep paralysis, it is impossible to scream, call for help, or even move a finger. In the majority of cases, it is also impossible to open the eyes. From a scientific point of view, this is a case of an abrupt, unnatural interruption of the rapid eye movement (REM) phase of sleep, during which this paralysis is always present, and it can persist for some time after the phase is interrupted.
This is where it gets interesting. People in the physical world are accustomed to an important rule: if you wish to achieve something, then do it, and do it as actively as possible. This rule, though good, is not always applicable to certain conditions linked to the phase, and applies least of all to exiting the phase. Sometimes extreme effort makes it possible to break through sleep paralysis and resume movement, though most of these efforts tend to exacerbate immobility.
Due to the unusual nature of a negative situation following a deliberate, fear-induced return to the body, the depth of the phase may greatly increase because of the body’s natural, protective inhibition of functions originating in the cerebral cortex; this results in even greater agitation, greater fear. The paralysis grows stronger. This is a vicious circle that leads to unpleasant feelings and emotions, which may evaporate any desire to practice the phase.
Ignorance of correct procedures has led to the widespread opinion that such adverse situations may make it impossible to come back from the phase at all. These opinions suppose that it is, therefore, dangerous to get involved with the practice. However, the solution to this problem rests in very simple actions and procedures that can prevent a large number of negative experiences:
Complete Relaxation
In the section on deepening and maintaining, it was noted that the more active a practitioner is while in the phase, the better. Conversely, if there is less activity, the quality of the phase declines, allowing for an easy exit. Thus, in order to leave the phase, the practitioner only needs to completely relax and ignore any perceived sensations, actions, or thoughts. A practitioner may also recite a prayer, mantra, or rhyme, since that helps the consciousness to be distracted from the situation more quickly. Of course, one needs to calm down and try to get rid of the fear, which in and of itself is capable of keeping such a state going. Periodically, the practitioner should try to move a finger in order to check whether attempts at relaxation have had an effect.
Concentration on a Finger
A practitioner experiencing sleep paralysis should try moving a finger or a toe. At first this won’t work, but the practitioner has to concentrate precise thought and effort on the action. After a little while, the physical finger will begin to move. The problem with this technique is that the practitioner may accidentally start making phantom motions instead of physical movements, which is why an understanding of the difference between the two sensations is necessary, since it is often not very obvious.
Concentration on Possible Movements
The physiology of sleep paralysis, the phase state, and dreams are such that when the practitioner is in one of these states, some actions are always associated with movements made in the real body. This is true when moving the eyeballs, the tongue, or while breathing. If the practitioner concentrates attention on these processes, it is possible counteract inhibitions to physical movement; as a result, a sleep-paralyzed practitioner will become able to move in reality.
Reevaluating the Situation
Under normal circumstances, deliberate exit from the phase is not the norm. Deliberate exit is commonly caused by certain fears and prejudices. If a practitioner is not able to activate the body using other emergency return techniques, a careful consideration the possibilities offered by the phase is recommended. There are many interesting and useful things that can be experienced in the phase. Why ruin the possibility of great opportunity because of a baseless fear?
To be fair, it must be noted that emergency exit techniques do not always work. As a rule, after a long period of sleep deprivation, or at the beginning of or in the middle of a night’s sleep, the urge to sleep is so great that it is difficult to resist the sleep paralysis phenomenon. In this respect, reevaluating the situation is highly recommended so that a practitioner is able to take advantage of the situation versus suffering by it. Sleep paralysis is easily transmuted into a phase state by means of indirect techniques.
By the way, knowing how to exit paralysis is important not only for practitioners of the phase, since such paralysis occurs even without the phase for approximately one-third of the human population at least once in a lifetime. It usually happens before or after sleep.
FIGHTING FEAR
Fear in the phase is a very common occurrence. The practitioner may experience fear at any stage, although it is expressed much more clearly during initial practice. The causes of fear are very diverse: a feeling that returning to the body is impossible; a fear of death; worrying that something bad is going to happen to the body; encountering something scary and terrible in the phase; painful sensations; overly sharp, hyper-realistic sensations. One fear dominates all others: the instinct of self-preservation, which, without any apparent reason, can induce a feeling of absolute horror – a feeling that cannot be explained or controlled.
For a novice stricken by insurmountable fear that causes paralysis, there is only one way to gradually overcome. Each time a novice enters the phase, an attempt should be made to go a step further than the previous time. For example, in spite of feeling terrified, the practitioner should try to raise the hands and then move them back to the initial position. The second time, the practitioner should attempt to sit down. The third time, standing up should be attempted. The fourth time, walking around in the phase is advised. Then, after incremental steps toward experiencing the harmlessness of the phase state, productive, calm action may ensue.
Interesting fact!
Fear itself can be used to enter the phase and remain there for a long time. Once fears are allayed, a calmed practitioner is experiences increased difficulty with entry into the phase.
For a practitioner who faces periodical fears, realizing that there is no real danger encourages progress in practice. Urges to rapidly return to the body are then made baseless. Sooner or later, calmer thought dominates events in the phase, and fear happens less often.
When dealing with momentary fear caused by events in the phase, the simplest solution is to tackle it head-on and follow through to the end in order to avoid a fear-driven precedent. If a practitioner always runs away from undesirable events, the events will occur more and more frequently. If a practitioner is incapable of facing fear in the phase, it is best to use the translocation technique to travel elsewhere, although this solution only produces temporary relief.
CREATION OF VISION
Vision is often available at the very beginning of a phase, especially when the practitioner uses image observation and visualization techniques to enter. Sometimes vision appears within the first few seconds. Other times, it manifests during the deepening process. However, there are cases where vision is not available and must be created quickly, at any cost. Vision may arrive as soon as it is thought about, but if this does not occur, a special technique is necessary.
To create vision, a practitioner needs to bring the hands four to six inches in front of the eyes and try to detect them through the grayness or darkness. Peering aggressively and attentively at the minute details of the palms will cause them to appear, much like they are being developed on Polaroid film. After several seconds, vision will become clear, and along with the palms, the surroundings will also become visible.
Under no circumstances should the physical eyelids be opened. Vision will appear on its own and will not differ from that of reality and the physical sensation of opened eyes will emerge. It is possible to shut the eyes in the phase an infinite number of times, even without having opened them at all, since the latter is not needed for creating vision. The physical eyelids may be open only while experiencing a very deep phase. In a shallow phase, opening the eyes will cause a return to wakefulness.
The practitioner must also keep in mind that vision should only be created after a complete separation from the body and a subsequent translocation has been achieved. Attempting to view the hands during flight or while hovering in an unidentified space leads to arbitrary translocation.
CONTACT WITH LIVING OBJECTS
Two problems may surface while conversing with animate objects in the phase: silence or a return to the body. In view of the fact that many phase applications are based on contact with people for one purpose or another, it is necessary to understand how to correctly manage contact with living objects.
In order to avoid a foul (ejection from the phase into reality), the elementary rules of “maintaining” must be observed. Actively observing the facial features or clothing of a person you want to communicate with. While communicating, the practitioner should constantly rub the hands together or maintain strong vibrations by straining the brain. Remember to perform the techniques to avoid becoming absorbed in communication.
A more complex problem is overcoming the communicative unresponsiveness of objects in the phase. In many cases, the speech of an object is blocked by the internal stress of the practitioner. Sometimes the problem stems from an expectation that an object will not be able to communicate in the phase.
It is important to treat the objects in a calm manner. There is no use trying to shout or beat the object to force communication. On the contrary, it is much more effective to treat the object gently, without applying pressure. Do not peer at an object’s mouth, expecting sounds to emerge. It is better to look elsewhere; taking a passive interest in communication generally yields the best results.
As a rule, the first time that communication with a living object is successful, future attempts go unhindered.
Communication methods in the phase are should be no different than those used in ordinary life: talking, facial expressions, gesturing with the hands, body language. Telepathy is not necessary.
READING
Reading text in the phase may be accompanied by a number of difficulties. First, small print becomes illegible because the affects of hyper-concentration may distort text. This problem is solved by using large-font textual sources of information. For example, the text of a normal book blurs when observed too attentively, but the large font on the cover of a book is easily read since its size is sufficient for rapid reading without detailed scrutiny.
The second problem encountered while reading in the phase is when text is legible but is completely meaningless in composition; gibberish. This problem is solved by turning over the pages, looking for a readable message. It is also possible to find another copy or create it anew using the object-finding techniques. The same applies to cases where the text is seen as a set of incomprehensible symbols or signs.
While reading in the phase, the practitioner should not forget about performing “maintaining” techniques to prevent a foul by becoming too relaxed.
VIBRATIONS
The phase is often accompanied by an unforgettably unusual sensation that may be used successfully to enter, deepen or maintain the phase. It is difficult to describe it better than the sensation of a heavy current passing through the entire body without causing any pain. It may also feel like the whole body is contracting, or a tingling sensation similar to numbness. Most often, the sensations are similar to high-frequency vibrations of the body, which explains the origin of the term “vibration”.
If the practitioner is not sure whether or not he experienced vibrations, then there is a good method to solve his problem: if he really did, he will not have any doubts about it. In all other cases, when there are doubts and uncertainty, the practitioner is definitely not dealing with vibrations, or is dealing with another form thereof.
If you have experienced vibrations at least once, the recollection of these sensations helps greatly during the simultaneous application of indirect techniques. They are created, supported and strengthened by straining the brain or tensing the body without using the muscles. For vibrations to appear, it often suffices merely to think about them. During the first experience, one should experiment with them for a while by rolling them around the body and its parts, as well as strengthening and weakening them.
However, one should not think that the presence of vibrations is a necessary condition for being in the phase. Many novices often strive not for the phase but for vibrations, after which the former must supposedly follow. That should not be the case. There are indeed specific techniques that make it possible to get into the phase by creating vibrations, but in all other cases they are not necessary and some practitioners may never have them at all.
TECHNIQUES FOR TRANSLOCATING THROUGH OBJECTS
In a deep phase, the properties of the surrounding environment become very similar to the physical world. However, it may sometimes be necessary to pass through a wall or translocate to avoid a physical barrier in the phase. There are two basic options for passing through barriers like walls. Usually, mastering these requires several attempts.
Interesting fact!
If a practitioner concentrates on the physical sensations associated with passing through a wall, it is possible to get stuck. A practitioner may even experience the feeling of obstructed breathing when this happens. At such a time it is necessary to return to the body.
Rapid Defocused Penetration
Run or jump at a wall with a burning desire to penetrate it. Don’t focus on the wall; instead concentrate on the immediate surroundings. Do not try to take anything from the current location since this may impede a successful passage through the wall.
The Closed Eyes Technique
When approaching a wall, the practitioner must close his eyes and completely focus on a desire to pass through it while imagining that the wall does not exist, or that it is transparent and penetrable. Surface resistance should be pressed through, continuing on with the aggressive desire and concentration.
FLIGHT
Taking flight in the phase is a simple matter of remembering past dreams of flight. Nothing needs to be tensed, no word need to be said. Attempting flight with closed eyes produces a high rate of success, but presents an increased probability of inadvertent translocation.
If a flight attempt is unsuccessful, a practitioner may try jumping from a high elevation or from a window. The natural instinct of dream flight takes over and the fall becomes a controlled flight. However, jumping from windows or other elevations is advisable only to practitioners with experience, since novices may not always be able to determine whether they are in the phase or in reality.
Another way to fly is to try to suspend oneself in the air when jumping up.
SUPER-ABILITIES
The realism of the phase space does not impose limits on the ability to perform actions that cannot be performed in the physical world. It is important to remember that only a practitioner’s apprehension places limits on what may be done in the phase.
For example, if a practitioner needs to get to a location – even very far away – it may be reached by teleportation. If an object needs to be moved from one side of the room to the other, it may be moved by telekinesis. One of the major benefits of the phase experience is unencumbered freedom of action.
To master unusual abilities, only a few phases need to be spent in concentrated development of the methods.
Telekinesis
In order to learn telekinesis (moving object by thought), the practitioner concentrate on an object while experiencing a deepened phase, and attempt to move the object by thinking about the movement. The only required action is aggressive visualization of the object’s movement. No specific external actions are required. Telekinetic ability is inherent to every human being. If attempts are unsuccessful at first, press on. Before too long, the full effect of the practitioner’s will yield results. Using this ability helps to encourage a good phase experience by providing a tool for carrying out planned tasks.
Pyrokinesis
Igniting an object in the phase just by staring at it requires a strong desire to heat up and set fire to the object. Performed successfully, an object will smoke, distort, darken and then burst into flames.
Telepathy
To develop telepathy in the phase, it is necessary to peer at animate objects while listening surrounding external and internal sounds with the intention of hearing thoughts expressed by thought. Even experienced practitioners encounter difficulty while developing telepathy, but when successful, contact with people in the phase is substantially simplified. Using telepathy, discerning the thoughts of people, animals, and objects is possible. However, this should not be taken too seriously, since it is merely the nature of the phase to simulate what is expected.
Transmutation
Transforming an object’s form requires the technique of transmutation (refer to Chapter 9). It should also be noted that if the goal is not to convert something but rather to transform oneself, then it is necessary to use the translocation techniques (also described in Chapter 9), whereby attention has to be concentrated not on the desired place but on the desired form. Here again there are no limitations apart from individual courage and fantasy. It is possible to become a butterfly or a dinosaur. It is possible to become a bird or a worm. It’s even possible to become a child or a person of the opposite sex. These are not simply external changes, but real transmutations, within and without. If a practitioner becomes a butterfly, it accompanies the sensation of having wings, many legs, and an unusual body. The practitioner will intuitively know how to control each part of this new body. This is a superficial description of the transmutation experience, which obviously defies a customary understanding of reality.
THE IMPORTANCE OF CONFIDENCE
A crucial factor in developing phase abilities is self-confidence in the ability to use the skills. Initially, these abilities are absent because the human brain, tuned in to ordinariness, blocks confidence in the ability to do anything unusual. As soon as strong confidence is reached in the performance of phase abilities, all others become easy to achieve.
Although confidence in phase abilities may grow strong, practitioners should remain soundly aware that abilities in the phase are limited to the phase. Attempting telekinesis, pyrokinesis, or transmutation in the real world is a waste of time and energy.
CONTROLLING PAIN
Along with all the positive experiences and sensations that may be enjoy in the phase, painful experiences nature may also manifest. Punching a wall in a deep phase state will cause the same pain as if a wall had been struck in physical reality.
Some actions in the phase may unavoidably cause unpleasant feelings of pain; therefore, it is necessary to know how to avoid painful actions. Focusing on an internal confidence that pain will not result from an action will alleviate the problem. A practitioner may experiment with this type of focus by pummeling a wall while resolving that there is no pain. If the experiment succeeds, then obtaining the same result will never again require the same level of effort; thinking that the phase is painless will suffice.
MORAL STANDARDS IN THE PHASE
From the very beginning, it should be understood that the moral compass of phase space has nothing in common with the properties and laws in the physical world that promulgate reality. The phase space seemingly imitates the physical world with all its properties and functions only because we are used to perceiving it and are not expecting anything else. Moral principles and rules apply only to the place where these have been. It does not make sense to follow the same rules while in the phase.
The practitioner should not refrain from certain actions in the phase because some would be unacceptable, improper, or bad in the real world. These are merely behavioral patterns that are unfounded in the world of the phase, where everything operates on the basis of entirely different laws.
The only moral rules that might exist in the phase are those that the practitioner establishes. If desired, complete, unhindered freedom may be experienced.
STUDYING POSSIBILITIES AND SENSATIONS
Novice practitioners should not immediately rush towards a single specific goal if long-term practice is desired. It is better to extensively investigate the phase and its surroundings before focusing on accomplishment. This will build intimacy with the experience and allow unhindered entry and interaction with the phase.
As in reality, learning whatever first reveals itself is the key to increasing and specializing knowledge. A beginning practitioner should at first enjoy the simple fact of actually being in the phase, then lean its details and functions. Once inside the phase, a practitioner should explore it, examining and interacting with everything encountered.
He should also try to fully sharpen all the possible feelings in the phase in order to fully understand how unusual the phase is in its realism. A practitioner must experience movement: walking, running, jumping, flying, falling, swimming. Test the sensations of pain by striking a wall with a fist. The simplest way to experience taste sensations is to get to the refrigerator and try to eat everything that you find there, at the same time not forgetting to smell each item. Walk through the walls, translocate, create and handle objects. Explore. All these actions are very interesting in and of themselves. The possibilities really are infinite. However, only when they are well understood and thoroughly explored can it be said that the practitioner really knows what the phase is about.
TYPICAL MISTAKES WITH PRIMARY SKILLS
- When trying to discern whether or not a phase is intact, a judgment is based on a similarity to the departed physical environment. In the phase, physical attributes are simulations.
- Hyper-concentrating on an object for too short a time while trying to determine whether the surroundings are in the phase or in the physical world.
- Deliberately attempting to end the phase prematurely when the entire natural length of the phase should be taken advantage of.
- Panic in case of paralysis instead of calm, relaxed action.
- Refusal to practice the phase because of fear, though this problem is temporary and resolvable.
- Opening the eyes at the initial stages of the phase since this frequently leads to a foul.
- Premature attempts to create vision in the phase, whereas separating from the body and deepening should occur.
- Excessive haste while creating vision although in the majority of cases vision appears naturally.
- While concentrating on the hands to create vision, doing so at an excessive distance versus the recommended four to six inches.
- Forgetting about the techniques for “maintaining” while in contact with living objects.
- Forgetting to shut the eyes or defocusing vision when translocating through walls or other solid objects.
- Desiring to do something superhuman in the phase without the required internal desire and confidence.
- Fear of experiencing pain in the phase instead of learning to control it.
- Observing moral standards in the phase when they do not apply.
- A tendency to immediately use the phase for something practical instead of first thoroughly exploring and interacting with the surroundings.
Exercises for Chapter 8
Questions
- Are there skills in the phase that must first be mastered before the phase may be used to its full extent?
- Is it possible to understand whether a phase is intact by attempting to fly?
- Has a practitioner most likely gotten up in the phase or in reality if there are doubts about this?
- Is it sufficient to think about the body in order to return to it, and is it only required to return into the body in order to control it?
- Which arm should be actively and aggressively moved to overcome sleep paralysis?
- Is it possible to tell jokes to oneself to overcome sleep paralysis?
- Is it possible to move the physical eyes while in the phase?
- What should be done if sleep paralysis cannot be overcome?
- Can sleep paralysis occur without practicing the phase?
- What if fear is not addressed and conquered?
- Is it possible to gradually master the phase in order to overcome fear?
- Is there cause for fear of anything in the phase?
- At what point can vision be created in the phase by opening the eyelids and not through the use of special techniques?
- What would happen with an attempt to open the eyes after sitting up in bed, i.e., before becoming completely separated from the phase?
- Why may contact with living objects in the phase cause a return to the body?
- What problems might occur if a practitioner studies the mouth of a talking object?
- In the phase, how quickly can small text be read?
- Which is easier to read in the phase: text in a newspaper or text on a large billboard?
- Is it possible to see hieroglyphs instead of text while reading in the phase?
- Is it possible to burst through a wall after running up to it with the eyes shut?
- Which muscles of the body must be tensed to start flying in the phase?
- Are there any extrasensory abilities that are inaccessible in the phase?
- Can a practitioner transform into a ball while in the phase?
- How does pain in the phase differ from pain in the physical world?
- Should a practitioner give up a seat to an elderly person while in the phase?
- Due to moral considerations, what is prohibited in the phase?
Tasks
- During your next phase session, walk around your home investigating the rooms, kitchen, and bathroom in detail.
- Learn to pass through walls. Completely dedicate one long phase experience to perfecting this skill.
- Learn to fly in the phase.
- While in a deep phase, learn to control pain by hitting a wall with your fist.
- While in the phase, learn telekinesis (the ability to move objects by thought) and pyrokinesis (setting objects on fire, also performed by thought).
- Dedicate a lengthy phase experience to an experiment with vision: create it if it is not already available, and then shut your eyes and recreate vision. Do this at least ten times over the course of a single phase
- Get objects in the phase to start talking.
- Dedicate a long phase to searching for different kinds of texts in order to experiment with reading various size fonts.
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