Introduction and Definitions
Those who have experienced these phenomena distinguish astral travel from autoscopy.

In autoscopy, the person sees their double from their physical body, outside of themselves, whereas in astral travel, the person has the sensation of seeing their physical body from outside of it.
Descriptions of these sensations are found in occultism, magic, and shamanism.
They are known in esoteric circles, within the hippie movement (drugs can induce the sensation), and studied by metapsychics and parapsychology.
They were initially known as "bilocation," "translation," and later as "out-of-body experience" or "dissociation."
They are studied by several communities and associations.
Medical research in the early 2000s offered a neurological explanation for this sensation. According to a 2005 study, approximately 10% of the population has experienced such an out-of-body experience at some point in their lives.

History A passage from the Dao De Jing (The Way of Harmony) is sometimes cited as a description of astral travel (or shamanic ecstasy).

The Christian West of the Middle Ages was more interested in bilocation, a form of astral travel in which an individual was allegedly seen simultaneously in different places.

Historians cite the following names: Anthony of Padua (1195-1231), Francis Xavier (1506-1552), Philip Neri (1515-1595), John of the Cross (1542-1591), Joseph of Cupertino (1603-1663), Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787), and Padre Pio (1887-1968). Alphonsus Liguori claimed to have gone to Rome to attend Pope Clement XIV on his deathbed (1774), while in fact he remained at the episcopal palace. Hélène Renard notes a difference between bilocation and out-of-body experiences: in bilocation, witnesses report having touched, heard, and conversed with the astral being, whereas in an out-of-body experience, the astral being is neither seen nor heard, does not communicate, and cannot act or move objects. The externalization of sensitivity and out-of-body experiences were studied during the era of animal magnetism by Pelletier, Hector Durville, Dr. Sicard, and Dr. Luys, among others.

These experiences were confirmed by Gurney, Myers of the Psychic Research Society (London), Charles Lancelin, and Camille Flammarion, who collected over a thousand observations tending to confirm these sensations, notably the famous case of Émilie Sagée.

Ernest Hemingway, wounded by shrapnel during the Second World War, had the sensation of leaving his body: “My soul, or something that came out of my body like when you pull a silk handkerchief from your pocket, my soul, then, spread out around me, and then came back and re-entered my body, but I was not dead.”

The first scientifically controlled astral projection experiment was conducted by Charles Tart of the University of California. Ms. Z. was instructed to read what was written on a piece of paper and the time displayed on a clock, objects she could not reach while experiencing an astral projection. The experiment was successful, as evidenced by the fact that the electroencephalogram recorded various anomalies at the time Ms. Z. saw.
Robert Monroe claims to have found very ancient accounts of this phenomenon in Christianity: Ecclesiastes 12:6-7: the silver cord; Ezekiel 3:14: "The Spirit lifted me up and took me"; 2 Corinthians 12:2-4: "The man was caught up to the third heaven"; Revelation 1:10: "I fell into a trance." Most importantly, Robert Monroe, who claims to have performed over 600 astral projections, has provided various techniques for achieving them. One method involves relaxing, then inhibiting the senses, then focusing on the location of the third eye (between the eyebrows), then projecting two beams of light upwards from the eyes to meet at a point thirty centimeters away, and finally imagining the visualized point as if it were being pressured and thrown backwards until it falls to the ground. Jeanne Guesné left numerous accounts of her voluntary out-of-body experiences.

Voluntary or involuntary experience? Astral travel can occur involuntarily, often following significant events such as intense emotional or physical shock. Accounts from people who have had near-death experiences sometimes describe this sensation of "leaving the body."
In voluntary cases, the phenomenon can be induced by specific techniques such as deep meditation, hypnosis, or the use of substances that influence the state of consciousness. These methods allow the mind to consciously free itself, facilitating astral exploration.

The Course of an Astral Journey
Out-of-body experiences often begin with a feeling of paralysis or a trance-like state induced by intense relaxation.
This mental and physical letting go allows the mind to detach from the physical body.
Once freed, it can travel through familiar or unfamiliar environments, access spiritual dimensions, or interact with non-physical entities.

What can trigger an astral journey?
An intense physical or emotional shock (accidents, acute pain).
The use of psychotropic substances such as hallucinogens.
A near-death experience (cardiac arrest followed by resuscitation).
Intentional practices such as meditation, hypnosis, or visualization.

Precautions before attempting any experience:
If you wish to explore astral travel, it is essential to be well-informed about its positive and negative aspects.
Be accompanied by an experienced person to ensure a safe experience. Although some involuntary experiences can happen to anyone, the conscious practice of astral travel is generally reserved for initiates.

This discipline requires extensive preparation, mastery of relaxation techniques, and a strong open mind.
Those who are overly rational or entrenched in strictly materialistic beliefs may find it difficult to undertake this experience.
Despite its appeal, astral travel carries risks:

– Psychological disturbances: A lack of preparation or experience can lead to mental imbalances, or even episodes of confusion or madness.

– Habit: The heightened state of elation experienced can lead to excessive repetition of the experience.

– Physical risks: Prolonged bodily inertia during the journey could cause undesirable effects, such as fatigue or muscle problems.

Explanation of the Phenomenon
Esoteric Approach
According to Taoism, Buddhism, Theosophy, Egyptian philosophy, and even Plato, several bodies exist, the best known being the etheric body and the astral body, which can detach from the physical body. The bioenergetic energy/etheric body is said to be constantly linked to the physical body, on which it is entirely dependent.
The organs of the energy body are known, in the yogic tradition, as "chakras." During relaxation, trance, or sleep, the energy/etheric body expands in order to energize itself.

Under normal circumstances, it remains contracted.
Its expansion seems necessary for an out-of-body experience to occur, which explains the use of trance and relaxation techniques.

The astral plane is a term used by occultists (Helena Blavatsky, Papus, Rudolf Steiner) to refer to non-physical planes of consciousness, but also to one of the subtle bodies of humankind.
Movements like Theosophy divide the astral plane into seven levels, while some Buddhists refer to them as...?
Most authors distinguish numerous planes and sub-planes, such as the lower astral, middle astral, and upper astral.
These notions are unscientific and reflect the subjectivity of those experiencing them.
The higher the plane of consciousness, the less "dense" and the more "luminous" it is considered to be.
Furthermore, it seems that the experiencer finds themselves in the environment that best suits them, sometimes even guided by entities.
The entities that the main authors on projection claim to encounter are of very diverse natures. According to more esoteric authors (in Wicca, for example), there exists an "astral fauna," composed of numerous organisms of varying forms, which feed on energy, as Carlos Castadena also suggests. There are also "negs" (negative entities), more or less intelligent, which attempt to feed on the energy of the spirit.
According to some beliefs, the danger is greater once the astral body is detached from the physical body.
It is said that one can encounter other entities resembling us in other worlds, and sometimes more evolved or protective entities, as recounted in near-death experiences.

This information is provided by authors on projection, while the majority of scientists consider these phenomena to be hallucinatory or dreamlike.

Parapsychological Approach The theory defended by esoteric circles is based on the belief in the spirit. When we sleep, the mind or soul is said to leave the physical body and enter the astral plane. Dreams are the creation of a world of thought-forms where the soul visits an astral plane, whether it has conceived it or not. A certain state of mind and relaxation (meditation) allows consciousness to remain awake and thus leave the physical body during REM sleep. This is called a trance. Thus, the astral body could wander as he sees fit until he returns, voluntarily or involuntarily, to the physical body. According to Hélène Renard’s "Afterlife," or other more esoteric authors like Silver Raven Wolf, out-of-body experiences can occur under various conditions; for example, during surgery, during intense emotion or stress, or during specific altered states of consciousness (shamanic trances or whirling dervish trances, for example).

Different levels of consciousness can be observed:

– A level of consciousness as high as or higher than that of a normal state of consciousness (wakefulness).

This is the case during projections voluntarily induced from a trance (without any interruption of consciousness), or during certain NDEs.

– Projection in semi-consciousness.
This can be induced during sleep (from a lucid dream, for example), and it presents interruptions of consciousness at the time of the out-of-body experience or re-entry. Semi-conscious projections are the most frequent. When the level of consciousness is very low, the experiencer only remembers, upon waking, that they left their body, but without any further details. With practice, the level of consciousness during projections can be considerably increased.

These sensations, linked to a state conducive to astral projection, are the most frequently noted "symptoms" of an altered state of consciousness favorable to astral travel, as described in several books on the subject. William Buhlman’s book, *Journeys Out of the Body*, or Robert A. Monroe’s *Journey’s Out of the Body*, describes the following:
– Buzzing or roaring sensations,

Unusual sensations of tingling or energy radiating from the back of the neck or gradually spreading throughout the body,
– Hearing voices, laughter, or calls,
– A feeling of weightlessness or lightness,
– Any internal vibration that is out of the ordinary,
– A sensation of energy similar to an electric current,
– Swaying, spinning, or a feeling of slight dizziness,
– Arms or legs that seem to rise,
– A sudden surge of energy through the body,
– Any unusual noise: wind, engine, music, bells, etc.,
– The sensation of missing a step when falling asleep or waking up (a sign of a phase shift and a sudden return of the astral body to the physical body). This strong jolt is called "hypnic." It is often associated with a sensation of falling into a hole,

– The impression that the heart rate accelerates considerably when this is not actually the case.

These symptoms are said to be a sign of a state conducive to out-of-body experiences. The subject would then have the possibility of having an astral projection, more or less conscious.
Authors and practitioners have developed numerous methods to induce astral projection.
First, an altered state of consciousness is required, achieved through meditation, called Condition A (relaxation), followed by a light trance in which one might perceive strange sounds and visions. Next, a deep trance would occur where one loses the use of their entire body while remaining conscious.

Finally, a more or less intense vibrational state would appear.

A mental action (strong desire, will to leave one’s body...), after overcoming one’s fear-based limitations (fear of the unknown, fear of dying, fear of possession, fear of not being able to return to one’s body, etc.), and which generally revolves around these elements:
All these elements are very similar to the steps involved in inducing a lucid dream through conscious sleep, the existence of which, unlike astral projection, is scientifically proven.

– Visualization
Example: visualizing one’s double and shifting one’s consciousness there, or visualizing a place, a location, a person, and shifting one’s consciousness there. Targeting techniques.

– Autosuggestion
Example: repeating to oneself during the day and before falling asleep that one is going to leave one’s body.

– Induction from a lucid dream
Example: becoming lucid in a dream and throwing oneself onto one’s stomach, which stops the dream and induces an out-of-body experience. Inducing an out-of-body experience from a lucid dream is a very good technique for beginners.

– Using Vibrations
The vibratory phenomenon can be amplified to facilitate an out-of-body experience. Then, direct pressure can be applied to the astral body.

– Using Brainwave Programs
Developed by the Monroe Institute, Brainwaves allows for the modification of brainwaves.
Brainwaves can promote the phenomenon of out-of-body experiences. The process balances brain activity and centers brain force in the middle, with both hemispheres contributing equally.

Furthermore, this is how D.J. Conway explains it: When the brainwaves of the right hemisphere oscillate between the alpha and theta levels, altered states of consciousness generally occur.

Web Links on Astral Travel

ABC Talk TV: This digital channel offers content that aims to teach the "techniques and secrets" of out-of-body experiences.

France Culture - "The Astral Traveler’s Guide": This radio program offers an introduction to out-of-body experiences. through the accounts of novice and experienced travelers.

Gaiam Meditation: Website of Romain Clément offering online training on astral travel, lucid dreaming, out-of-body experiences, workshops, and webinars.

Group of Consciousness Experiencers (GEC) : A site that offers information on out-of-body experiences and related phenomena, including news, interviews with researchers, and testimonials from experiencers.

The Rosy Cross Bistro: A blog that deals with topics related to spirituality and Consciousness (inspired by Rosicrucian thought).

Astral Travel: A website offering out-of-body experiences and guided meditation workshops in various locations in France.

Phosphenism: A website presenting testimonials of astral journeys achieved through the practice of phosphenism, a method developed by Dr. Lefebure.