Capturing out-of-body experiences (OBEs) is quite challenging. If this field of knowledge is to be advanced, a reliable method will be needed to consistently induce OBEs. Researcher Peter Hollier proposed an original technique, suggesting that sleep paralysis (SP) can act as a “gateway” or “launching pad” for OBEs. Thus, he proposes working with SP.
If it is true that SP is a necessary condition for OBEs, then conventional methods for inducing OBEs (such as visualization, suggestion, and dream-based techniques) are useless without SP. The author considers the activation of SP as a more logical—and, actually, the only—way to induce OBEs. In comparison, SP is much more studied and better understood.
Typically, when a healthy person falls asleep, they enter non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, during which consciousness is turned off. However, in rare cases, the person enters rapid eye movement (REM) sleep instead of NREM sleep. This often occurs due to sleep disturbances or neurological disorders (such as narcolepsy), resulting in SP.
During an experiment, Japanese researchers induced SP by interrupting people’s sleep, which disrupts the normal sleep cycle and “tricks” the body into falling asleep during the REM phase. Hollier later developed a method to induce OBEs based on this experiment. However, to the disappointment of enthusiasts, this method is only available in a laboratory setting under the supervision of an operator. Participants are informed about what to expect during SP and how to approach it. They are also trained in techniques to transform SP into an OBE. Then, the sleep cycle is interrupted—the later it occurs, the higher the probability of success.
Do you often find that one phase state (SP, OBE, lucid dreaming, etc.) transitions into another?
The article was published in May 2023 in the Journal of Scientific Exploration.
Get all the latest news about lucid dreams via our channels on Telegram, Facebook, Twitter
