This morning, a strange experience

[shaandar]

This morning, I came home from class and, exhausted, fell asleep on my bed.

A minute or so later, I became aware of myself having a telepathic conversation with another person. I don't remember what we were talking about. But I do remember this very vividly- as I was talking with the other person, I could hear the sound of my own, deep breathing. I could not feel myself breathing and I was not conscious of the effort I made to breathe in and out, it seemed to be happening rhythmically on its own, separate from my 'dream' consciousnesses. It was as if I had somehow mentally stepped out, become separate from myself, and was observing ( hearing) my own breathing.

This has to be the first time in my life I've been able to listen to the sound of my own breath-clearly-while in a deep sleep. I felt separated from it.

[Steve]

Too bad you don't remember the conversation.

I would ask about any other experiences you might have had prior to this. There is quite a range of experiences one can have in the hypogogic state ( between the worlds,as I prefer to call it). OOBEs have a wide range of definitions, as opposed to the old term 'astral projection' which is more concisely defined. What you have described is different than a lucid dream and can probably be called an out of body experience while still in the body. In other words, the sense of consciousness is free from the physical body but hasn't left it. This is not that unusual.

To whom you had the conversation with is also of interest. There is also a wide variety of energies or entities who can be met in this 'dimension', including other earthly folks as well as the more exotic. Some (not me) would also say that in this space the 'higher' and 'lower' self can communicate.

Anyway, what should be taken from this experience is that consciousness isn't neccessarily localized to the body and that 'you' are more than the physical body.

s.

[shaandar]

Thanks Steve, that was very helpful.

[Blake]

Hi Shaandar,

Thanks for sharing your experience.

Because most dreams are experienced from the perspective of being in a body and going about in the dream experience without knowledge that one is dreaming, it is not as usual to have a dream in which one is not connected with a body. If consciousness is calm enough during these sorts of dreams it is possible to note just as you did the breathing of the physical body.

I have noted experiences similar to what you have described here, while I was awake and in a meditative state of consciousness. It is possible to focus the mind into and become aware of streams of thought within the mental spheres. It is kind of like tuning into a mental radio station. If you think in a focused way into a specific thought - you will begin to become aware of other related thoughts. This field of related thoughts can be quite large and you will come to realize after some examination that these are not actually your own thoughts, but are thought forms that have been created by others and that have gathered together with the other thoughts of the same vibrational content.

Much of what is experienced in these streams are old thought forms, but it is also possible to connect with current thought forms - some even may be "live feeds" in the thought stream.

Best wishes,

Blake