It’s estimated that around 10% of people in the world have had an out of body experience (OBE) of some kind. During an OBE, it’s possible for an individual to see everything that is going on from outside the body, but from a different perspective.
Not to be confused with lucid dreaming, which is when you are aware that you are dreaming, during an OBE, the individual’s consciousness leaves their body temporarily – and don’t worry, it’s perfectly safe.
Through this well-being practice there are many benefits including: finding answers to pressing problems, insights to recurring illnesses, guidance with decision making, healing grief, better sleep hygiene, a greater connection to others and self-empowerment.
Inducing an OBE is an age-old tradition practiced by various lineages including Tibetan Buddhism and by the Mexican Toltecs Nahuatl, and it seems that over the last year or so, the phenomena has been gaining popularity in the mainstream too. Black Mirror, Stranger Things, Sense8, Altered Carbon and the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina were five of the twenty most popular series on Netflix in 2018 that all involved OBEs – also sometimes referred to as astral projections.
International choreographer, Jade Shaw, quit her career as a dancer and her own company, after a powerful Out of Body Experience (OBE) transformed her life in 2014. She’s now an OBE teacher, speaker and researcher of the phenomena, and has recently produced a documentary, Insight Out.
In fact, Jade is also the ‘astral projection consultant’ for Behind her Eyes, a new six part psychological thriller directed by Akaash Meeda and commissioned by Netflix, and due to air summer 2020.
Jade said: ‘I’m predicting that OBEs will be on many “wellbeing bucket lists” for 2020. In the last five years alone there’s been a deep fascination from people from all walks of life in this field. We’re seeing news of OBEs pop up across social media channels, in books and in block busters and many of my workshops and events are often oversubscribed. It’s a very exciting time and feels as though OBEs are very much on the cusp of becoming the next biggest self-growth trend.’
This remarkable experience usually shapes the individual’s life in profound ways. An OBE tends to happen in an altered state of awareness such as during deep relaxation, meditation or on the cusp of sleep in the hypnogogic (falling asleep) and hypnopompic (waking up) states. Triggers can take place during dreams, lucid dreams, sleep paralysis, when undergoing an operation and near death experiences.
Jade Shaw said: ‘OBEs can be learnt by anyone, it’s an empowering technique that can help us improve our well-being on many levels. With increased mental health awareness, developments in neuroscience, the rise of spirituality and the future of artificial intelligence (AI), we are on the cusp of a consciousness era. It’s the last real mystery for the modern world and this topic will soon catapult into the mainstream.’
6 Reasons Why OBEs is the wellness trend for 2020
- It’s Brexit-proof: It doesn’t cost a penny to practice! Once you’ve learnt the basics, you can practise at home.
- It’s economical on time: Unless you’re a master of meditation, the practice is most-commonly done while you sleep.
- All the ‘cool kids’staring on Netflix are doing it.
- It can shape your life in profound ways, giving direction and meaning to your life and/or career.
- It allows you to ‘travel’the world (and beyond) without clocking up air miles.
- Own your own crystal ball: An OBE gives you helpful insights to ongoing problems with health or relationships.
To attend a workshop or class, where you can learn how to have an OBE, click here.
