Terminology and Theory

The author maintains that experiences of all types in which a) consciousness is present and b) sensory information from the physical body is completely lacking but is replaced by realistic sensations from the phantom body are forms of one and the same phenomenon. That is to say, both consciousness while dreaming and experiencing an exit from the body are in this case one and the same, i.e. "out-of-body experience" or "phase state". This view is based on the author’s personal practice, having trained thousands of people, and a number of academic publications on the probable commonality of such phenomena.

Outside of the School of Out-of-Body Travel, a freely-practicing instructor is entitled to use whichever term he wishes to refer to the phenomenon of out-of-body experiences and lucid dreaming in his work. However, it should be kept in mind that propensity to use one term over another can betray the instructor’s point of view on the phenomenon, which might not coincide with the beliefs of his students, which would inevitably have an effect on both the size and composition of the group. It is therefore worth discussing the connotations of each term.

Lucid Dreaming In most cases, this is a pragmatic term that describes the phenomenon as a certain state that the brain enters. This is the term used for the phenomenon in science and academia. However, in certain mystical circles it can also be code for entering parallel worlds and dimensions. In some practices it is also believed that the "dream body" can travel throughout the physical world. This term does little to arouse the average person’s interest due to its unfortunate associations with ordinary dreaming.

Out-of-Body Experience This term usually means the exit of some essence or another (the soul, for example) from the confines of the body into either the physical world or a parallel one. Due to the fact that one’s sensory perception of the phenomenon often seems identical to the sensation of leaving the body, this term is also appropriate from a pragmatic perspective, whatever the real nature of the phenomenon may be.

Astral Projection This term most often implies the ability of some essence (e.g. the soul or astral body) to not only separate from the body and enter the astral plane, but also to enter the physical world or the world of dreams. This term, being the most mystical one, easily attracts people of corresponding views while repelling pragmatists.

out-of-body experience or Phase State This is the term that unites all other names for the phenomenon. This term does not imply a priori support for any theory regarding the phenomenon besides the fact that all of the terms it encompasses refer to one and the same phenomenon, which many people might not agree with, i.e. out-of-body experience = lucid dreaming = out-of-body travel = astral projection. Although out-of-body experience is the ideal term to use when giving lessons, it is ill-suited for advertising since only seasoned practitioners are familiar with it. It also lacks intuitiveness.

Besides being free to come up with his own name for the phenomenon, a freely-practicing instructor is also entitled to create his own terminology regarding all other facets of it. However, he should be aware that using idiosyncratic terminology could cause serious difficulties for his students in their individual practices. Meanwhile, the instructions in this book only use terms that are intuitively clear and non-idiosyncratic.

An instructor is entitled to subscribe to any point-of-view regarding theories on the nature of out-of-body experience phenomenon. Experience shows that such views are best kept to oneself when teaching. The right thing to do is to give people practical experience while leaving it up to them to decide what the true nature of the phenomenon is: a state the brain enters, an exit to a parallel dimension, or something else. Although the final decision is up to you, keep in mind that theorizing during training sessions distracts from real practical experience and constitutes imposition of your own worldview – a worldview which may turn out to be erroneous.

Being neutral when it comes to theories on the nature of out-of-body experience is not only the right approach to take when teaching, but it also allows you to have more students, as you can bring in both mystics and pragmatists. It also allows you to sidestep numerous misunderstandings, disputes, and bad feelings. Following this rule is especially important for those wishing to make it onto the School of Out-of-Body Travel’s list of instructors.

Neutrality regarding theory is especially important when your work is focused solely on this phenomenon. If you are only teaching this practice to supplement your group’s pursuit of other practices, then you might adhere to theories appropriate for those practices.

Upon awakening without movement, I decided to separate. However, as soon as I felt that I was still tucked into my covers, I figured that it would not work (unwarranted inference). I then remembered that it was possible that the covers were just phantom ones. It eventually took me only a second to roll out of bed. Still wrapped in the blankets, I stood up and looked at the bed (unwarranted inference, lack of deepening, and lack of a plan of action)…

I couldn’t believe that I had been able to get into out-of-body experience so easily on the first try (unwarranted inference). I turned around on the spot and immediately woke up. You can imagine my delight once I found myself back in my bed (lack of secondary separation from the body).

Description

Regular lessons are a training-session format that implies a long-term relationship between the instructor and his students. It’s theoretically the most effective training format, as it involves repeated meetings with students, the opportunity to go into great detail with them, and allows them an unlimited number of attempts.

Lessons can be held from one to three times a week. They can take place any day of the week and at any time convenient for working people. There’s no point in having the lessons themselves last more than 3 hours (including the break), so as not to wear out the audience. Now freed from the need to have students urgently make attempts immediately after the session, you are at liberty to set any schedule you see fit. Students will usually have up to a week to make attempts, and they can make them only when conditions are conducive.

Such groups can also be open enrollment. A new student coming to the lessons for the first time will be grouped together with more experienced practitioners and will gradually catch up with them. It’s common to have from 20 to 30 regular students. This format can be combined with one-time lectures and three-day seminars if such events are considered to be the first stage of instruction and regular lessons the second, more advanced one.

You can also plan special lessons for advanced practitioners and those who are already well-versed in general theory. Such special lessons can be held every few weeks or even months. However, the instructor should be extremely experienced if he is to competently conduct such lessons and field questions from the more demanding audience. These instructions do not reflect the lesson format at so high a level, and so the instructor himself will have to take the initiative and use all the knowledge at his disposal.

I woke up to an alarm that went off in my dream, and began my exit right then and there… Wait a minute! It was not even a separation, but rather a tearing out of the body, as though it were just a piece of paper… I became scared that something unusual was going on (unwarranted inference), and decided to return to my body to try doing the known techniques (unwarranted action)… However, I soon realized that I was doing so in vain, as I did not come back into my body because I was already in out-of-body experience, and was only wasting my time by trying different techniques. After that, I got out of my body: I simply crawled out. After remembering to deepen, I began to palpate everything. But deepening apparently did not work, because I immediately fell asleep as soon as I went out into the hall (lack of maintaining).

The organizer himself should determine what the price or suggested donation for his products or services should be. Find out what amounts are realistic and commonplace from the competition or other people who work in similar fields. Pricing also greatly depends on the training format. For example, admission to a large-scale event with several hundred participants might run from 3 to 10% the average local monthly income, while one-on-one lessons (especially for an entire course) might cost anywhere from one-third to one-hundred times the average monthly salary. The affluent might pay whatever amount asked for your opening the door to life in two worlds, which is indeed what the practice of out-of-body experience is. You can come to a separate agreement with each VIP client.

Since pricing falls squarely on the business side of things, you need to approach it like you’re running a business. For example, you might offer a discount to people who do group-buys of tickets, as well as use other well-known pricing and event-promotion incentives.

Considering the nature and uniqueness of the methods on offer and the fact that this is indeed to the only attainable "superpower", the organizer should feel free to play with the pricing until he finds the ideal solution. The price or suggested donation should be sufficiently elastic. For example, sometimes doubling the price doesn’t cut attendance in half, but instead has a negligible impact on turnout.

Perhaps paradoxically, advertising low prices does not necessarily lead to people being more willing to buy tickets to seminars. Low prices might put them on guard, especially if similar kinds of training sessions in other fields cost substantially more. There is also the paradox of perceived value, which means that high prices often don’t put people off, but attract them instead. Explanations for this phenomenon include people attributing increased importance to the event due to the increased expense, thinking, "It’s expensive – that means it must work and that everybody needs it. I am going to carefully follow all the instructions."

Meanwhile, don’t forget that you’re putting your own money at risk when fiddling with the pricing: you’ll still have to pay for the auditorium, advertising, and the work of the instructor if you’re only performing the role of the organizer.