Have you ever been lying awake on your bed at night, looking at the ceiling, considering leaving your body and going anywhere without getting out of bed? You’re certainly not alone in having had thoughts about doing that. The fascination of astral projection has captivated people for centuries. It’s time to look into this fascinating, somewhat mysterious area of study—astral projection. Could astral projection simply be a wild fantasy, an overly analyzed lucid dream, or could there be something truly authentic about it?

Astral projection is often referred to as an out-of-body experience (OBE). An OBE is the sensation of being conscious and of experiencing your soul while your physical body is in a different location. People describe themselves as floating above their bodies as they sleep, going to far away places, or even finding themselves in the midst of completely unexplainable worlds. While accounts of OBEs have existed for thousands of years, they exist across many different cultural and religious backgrounds and are part of various forms of spiritual practice. Are these accounts merely fabrications, or are they merely the outcome of the brain deceiving itself?

As far as scientists are concerned, astral projections are still considered a debatable concept. Many neuroscientists and psychologists consider OBEs to be nothing more than vivid hallucinations resulting from being in a particular stage of sleep, a lack of stimulation, or an abnormality in the brain. Imaging techniques have shown that the brain areas that process body awareness can be disrupted, making the “self” seem to be elsewhere.

However, as many people who practice astral projection will tell you, OBEs are not simply a random occurrence of the brain’s trickery. Practitioners of astral projection report consistently powerful experiences and report learning things about themselves that they never knew before as well as experiences that seem as vivid as anything experienced in the physical world. For example, many practitioners claim that OBEs provide them with new perspectives on their lives, provide them with new insights, and sometimes even provide them with life-changing experiences. Some practitioners also learn specific techniques such as meditation, deep breathing, and repeating mantras to achieve this intentional out-of-body experience.

Whether you are a skeptic or an open-minded person, the fact that the idea of astral projection challenges the way in which we view consciousness and reality makes it a compelling subject to explore.

While there are many skeptics of astral projection, there is also a small, yet vibrant community of people exploring and practicing the technique. Many of these communities share methods and experiences of astral projection online, and many agree that relaxation and patience are essential keys to achieving an out-of-body experience. If you are interested in trying astral projection, begin by writing down any dreamlike, floating sensations you recall upon waking. Those sensations may be the doorway to an astral journey. Just remember, whether you are exploring inward or outward, always remain grounded with both your feet and your thoughts.