Ever wanted to travel to Mars, or snoop around your ex-boyfriend’s new lover’s apartment?
Well now you can, apparently.
If you indulged in the madness that was Netflix’s psychological thriller Behind Her Eyes, you will have been introduced to the world of lucid dreaming and astral projection.
Lucid dreaming is when a person is conscious during a dream and is often able to control the dream sequence. The phenomenon has been documented by science and is widely accepted in the community.
On the other hand, astral projection (or astral travel) is the term used to describe an OBE – aka an out-of-body experience – that is planned.
The idea infers that the soul is separate from our physical bodies and so is able to travel outside of its universe.
Astral projection isn’t as scientifically sound as lucid dreaming and in actuality, lots of out-of-body experiences are a bit of a mystery.
Unplanned OBEs are often described as feeling like you are floating outside of your body or looking down at yourself from above. They don’t last very long but can leave people confused.
And there is a significant difference between the planned and unplanned types.
‘The difference is that normal OBEs are involuntary and can be caused by epilepsy, or a dissociative episode,’ says Lyni Sargent, a trainee art psychotherapist.
‘Dissociative episodes are caused by unresolved traumas which are then triggered by things around us. As they are very painful, they cause the brain to protect itself by shutting down. They are very much involuntary as triggers come without any warning.
‘In contrast, astral projections are intentional like a form of meditation. People who practice astral projections go into a super calm state, where their heart rate slows down and they report a sense of separation from their body.
‘Rather than being medical like OBEs, they are considered more spiritual.’
But is astral travelling even real?
While the medical world at least accepts the sensation of unintentional OBEs, it remains on the fence about its intentional counterpart. Yet, it seems there are many individuals who do believe in the ability to soul travel.
One of those is people is Sydney Wilson. Known as @sj.wilson on TikTok, the user has been uploading various videos on the topic of astral projection in recent months.
Sydney explains that her first astral projection happened involuntarily. While falling asleep one night she randomly thought that she wanted to astral project.
‘As soon as I said that my entire body locked up,’ she says.
She goes on to say that everything went black and she started to hear voices.
‘I started to have my visions,’ she explains. ‘I could start to see my wall and I knew if I kept going I would’ve been completely out of my body.’
Sydney got to grips with her capabilities and is now showing others how they can do it too.
‘Anyone can do it, you just have to get yourself into a really relaxed state of mind and basically think about wanting to astral project,’ she says.
She explains that your soul can travel anywhere it wants.
‘When I say anywhere, I mean absolutely anywhere,’ she adds. ‘You just think about where you wanna go, and you’re instantly taken there. You can literally go to Mars.’
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To astral project, Sydney advises to find a time where you will not be disturbed or interrupted. You must eat lightly in the 24 hours before projecting. Avoid fatty and high protein foods and stick to vegetables and fruit instead.
For your first time, Sydney says a couch or reclining chair is best to use so that you don’t fall asleep. Right before projection, perform a psychic ritual (for example, going into a bath with some salt) to protect your body and refrain from crossing your arms and legs.
This ‘progressive relaxation’ means your soul will begin to leave the physical body but you need to keep telling yourself you will project. Once you start to feel some sensations, Sydney says to allow it to happen and experiment only with the room your physical body lays.
To return to the body, she explains you simply have to visualise yourself returning and you will instantly return.
She warns people to take a break of 24 hours between each travel period to let your body rest. When you become more advanced at projection, you will be able to leave your body several times a day.
So, are Sydney’s experiences legit?
Intuitive guidance coach Tiffany Wardle says she has had many clients over the years who have successfully soul travelled.
‘A client went to visit her son who was staying with her ex-partner,’ she explains.
‘When she “dreamt” she could see her son happily playing at her ex’s new house it really helped her. This gave her a sense of calm as she knew her son was happy and safe. Her son then came home and told her about his stay with his father, it was exactly what she had seen with her own eyes.’
However, Tiffany cautions that it is a practice not to be taken lightly.
‘It is not for the faint-hearted whatsoever’ she says. ‘This should not be practiced without full training and an expert.’
‘One should know exactly what they are doing and also how to return to the body safely. You should always protect the body and soul when practicing. This is so that the soul returns in good health.’
Nevertheless, Tiffany believes astral projection is a very powerful healing tool and can help people find answers to their problems.
‘There are positives to be taken from astral projections,’ she says. ‘I have had numerous experiences with this personally and professionally. Whatever someone believes to be true is up to them. However, I would say it’s best not to dismiss what one hasn’t tried.
‘I have had many clients who have stated that it gave them a sense of peace. Others said they now have evidence or facts that they would never have known, thanks to astral projection.’
Yet despite the experience of Tiffany and to others, astral projection must be met with some skepticism.
Currently, there is no scientific evidence to support it.
In 2014, two University of Ottawa professors, Dr Andra. M Smith and Dr Claude Messier, carried out a study on voluntary out-of-body experiences.
The research focused on a student who had been experiencing OBEs her entire life. The subject said she could trigger them deliberately and by concept this is similar to astral projection.
However, the outcome of the study balanced on whether she was telling the truth about her ability.
Subsequently, in an interview with Oprah Daily this year, Dr Messier and psychologist Dr Susan Blackmore noted that out-of-body experiences are much different to how they are portrayed on screen or in books. And that their source comes from uncontrollable neurological activation rather than movement of the soul.
So really, the jury is still very much out on the legitimacy of astral projection and astral travel – so pinging your soul over for a quick trip to the moon might not actually be on the cards.
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