A lifetime of projection experience, exploration, and research leads me to believe that mind-split effects are the largest contributing factor to OBE memory failure. This problem is complicated by many subtle factors, many of which can be overcome fairly easily with a little understanding and preparation, plus a few tricks.
I call memories gained during any kind of out-of-body experience shadow memories. They exist for some time after reintegration, in energetic form, waiting to be triggered through mental associations into living memories. While in the shadow state, memories are extremely delicate and are easily lost, behaving much as dream memories do.
If shadow memories are not downloaded into accessible levels of consciousness during the reintegration of the projected double with its physical counterpart, they cease to exist; it is as if the experiences that caused them never happened. Remembering an OBE is the most fickle part of any successful projection.
To reiterate: When the mind-split occurs, a full copy of consciousness and memory stays resident inside the physical/etheric body at all times. This, the original master copy, is fully capable of independent thinking if it has the energy and training to hold itself awake. But it normally becomes semiconscious and falls asleep soon after the mind-split occurs.
The copy of consciousness that was reflected into the projected double is completely independent. It is energetically generated, projected, and maintained, exterior from the physical/
etheric body. Once the mind-split occurs, it records its experiences separately.
But even though the real-time double has successfully projected and is awake and aware, the physical body is left lying there, also fully aware, but usually unaware of its successful projection out of body. The projector just lies there, disappointed and heavy with trance, often partially paralyzed and pondering another seemingly failed projection attempt, maybe even going on with projection attempts that all too soon give way to sleep.
The short time spent pondering a seemingly failed projection attempt is enough to form a solid memory in the physical brain for that time period. This memory thus becomes the strongest resident memory for that time period. During reintegration, shadow memories for that same time period will have a hard time overwriting these. The resident memories may be very short, dull, and boring, perhaps only a couple of minutes' worth, but these will easily replace hours of exciting shadow memories. The physical/etheric body's memories have a much stronger and more immediate connection with the physical brain. Its memories are automatically recorded as they happen and thus make more of an impression upon it.
When the dream mind becomes active, it tends to weaken the integrity and coherence of the projected double. The etheric body then has to energetically support another functioning copy of consciousness, its physical body's dream mind. This causes a general weakening of all exterior copies of consciousness and all energetically recorded shadow memories. This can have a pronounced effect on the shadow memories of the real-time and astral doubles, which seem to be last on the list during reintegration. Dream memories can be very strong and immediate, and will often overwrite or mix with real-time and astral memories. Because of this, shadow memories for most people are usually remembered only as disconnected bits and pieces floating in a sea of unrelated dream fragments.
Fully conscious out-of-body projection requires the physical/etheric body to be in a light-to-normal sleep state, or in the trance equivalent. Successful reentry and reintegration requires the physical/etheric body to at least partially awaken, or the projected double becomes effectively locked out of its physical body until its physical body wakes, which may take all night.
During the several hours or so that a projected double can be locked out of its physical body during a normal night's sleep, it too will eventually fall asleep, as its higher-dimensional aspects are projected or become active. These higher aspects operate at much higher levels of consciousness than the physical mind or its real-time double does, and these higher aspects may only be vaguely aware they even have a physical body to return to. The thought of returning to the physical body in an attempt to salvage high-level shadow memories may be an extremely low priority to these higher aspects.
As I said in the beginning of this book, I believe that the key that allows for reliable, planned, and repeatable projections out of body lies in the relationship between OBE and physical memory storage at the base level of consciousness.
My research points to the key factor for successful shadow memory downloading being a small and previously unrecognized element of the trance state, something that happens naturally in those hazy few moments between the sleeping and waking states. This element is a simple flickering of consciousness. This flickering happens when the projector's almost-awakening consciousness briefly flickers between the sleeping and waking states before waking completely.
This flickering can allow shadow memories to successfully download into accessible levels of memory during reintegration. While consciousness is flickering between these two states, the physical brain's memory storage vaults lie wide open, waiting but not recording. This provides a brief window through which the physical brain can receive a full shadow memory download. Miss this window and — chances are — no shadow memories at all will be downloaded into accessible levels of the physical brain. The projector then has to rely on something triggering the shadow memories before they vanish completely.
Some people seem to have a natural inborn OBE memory key and can download a higher-than-average percentage of their shadow memories with very few problems. These lucky people, however, are few and far between and cannot tell us how they do it. Neither can they tell us why others fail when they diligently copy what appears to be the very same process.
A well-controlled and stable trance state is not the key. The nature of physical memory storage in the human brain is to record only one set of memories for any single time period. An active mind, even during a controlled trance state, will block the shadow memory download from the projected double during reintegration.
Tantalizing clues to solving the OBE memory download problem can be found when it is considered that deliberate reentry into the physical body can be extremely difficult, if not downright impossible, once the physical/etheric mind falls into the deep-sleep state, or enters the trance equivalent of it: the deep-trance state.
The key to unlocking and using mis briefly open memory-download window lies in knowing exactly how long it will be before a projector's waking consciousness starts to flicker. Reentry and reintegration should be timed to coincide with this hazy flickering moment. Shadow memory loss can be minimized by creating this flickering state deliberately, by causing consciousness to flicker at regular intervals during the course of a projection. This provides brief windows through which potential shadow memory downloading can occur.
It is quite difficult for the average person to re-create this flickering state without losing control and falling asleep. Synchronized timing is the best way to overcome this difficulty, done from both within and without the physical body. The projected double and its physical/etheric counterpart must work together. An attempt can then be made to coordinate reentry and reintegration at times when this window is known to be open, with the mind being artificially caused to flicker at prearranged times. The bottom line here is that the key to a successful and reliable OBE is for you to develop the ability to work with your projected double during planned projections, rather than leaving shadow memory recall to the fickle winds of chance.
Working around the Mind-Split
You can do several things to work around the mind-split and minimize OBE shadow memory loss. All tricks aside for the moment, improving and exercising the ability to recall dream and OBE memories is an important step in this learning process. The physical brain is capable of recalling significantly more shadow memories if it has some practice at doing this. The more often shadow memories are recalled, the easier recalling them becomes.
Shadow Memory Trigger Phrases
Recalling dream memories trains the mind to recapture shadow memories. Doing this is quite easy and takes only minimal time and effort. Each morning, as soon as you wake up, spend your first couple of minutes pulling back the previous night's shadow memories. Sit up on the side of your bed with your feet on the floor, or sit in the bathroom, and reach out for shadow memories and
pull them back. Set your mind in search mode, as you would for some small fact you have temporarily forgotten. Keep searching and trying to pull them back, even if your mind feels a total blank. The memories are there, they just have to be triggered and dug out. Use the trigger phrases given below, over and over.
• I felt these awesome vibrations and then...?
• I buzzed out of my body and then...?
• I floated across the room and then...?
• I passed through the wall and then...?
• I looked at my hands and they...?
• I was just about to...?
• I was inside...?
• I was talking to...?
• There were lots of...?
• I was flying over...?
• I was with...?
• I saw a...?
You can make up many more phrases yourself. These must be related to something you are likely to be doing while dreaming or projecting. After a planned projection, use trigger phrases related to primary mission goals. You may think you failed the OBE mission, but there is a good chance that you succeeded and just lost the memory during reintegration.
Push the trigger phrases with your mind. Reach out and feel for shadow memory fragments in your memory as you say them to yourself. With each trigger phrase, imagine yourself doing what the trigger suggests. Adopt the attitude of having forgotten something you know well and are scanning and searching your memory for. Confidently expect it to pop into your mind at any moment.
Try to imagine what it would be like to come out of your body while still awake. Imagine the vibrations, the rapid heartbeat, the falling sensation, then floating up and out as you buzz out of your body. Put some effort into this, and re-create it in your mind's eye as if it had really happened, because chances are it did. Say the trigger phrases out loud if you like, as this can help with the recall process.
Once you can lock onto a single fragment of shadow memory, you have the key to finding and unlocking many more. This fragment may be of a projection, a lucid dream, or a dream. All are valuable, and any type of shadow memory recall makes for good practice. Concentrate on these fragments. With a little effort, your mind will start finding more and more shadow memories associated with them. Soon, the memories will start flooding back into your mind. They might be garbled and disjointed, but now they are real memories. You can sort them out and deal with them later. Some shadow memories are always accessible! You just have to trigger them, lock onto them, and drag them back, sometimes kicking and screaming. If you practice daily, your shadow memory will become progressively stronger and its memories will become easier to recall.
After the initial recall attempt, for the next few hours keep a small part of your mind searching in the background as you go about your affairs. Real-life events, words, and thoughts will often provide mental associations that will cause shadow memories to surface. When a shadow memory fragment is triggered, write it down, then spend a few moments pondering and strengthening it, trying to expand upon it and find other shadow memories related to it. Keep a small notebook and pen handy. If you do not write them down or pay attention to them immediately, shadow memories usually vanish again fairly quickly.
Persevere, be patient, and work at this over the long term for a few minutes each day. This is especially helpful if you seem to be continually missing the exit, with projection sensations just fading away at the last moment.
Recording Keywords
It is important to record keywords and phrases as soon as possible after locating shadow memory fragments. Recalled shadow memories can feel vivid and substantial and you may think,
"Wow, I'll never forget this!" but most likely you will, a few moments later. Shadow memories are transient by nature and are very easily lost.
Immediately record shadow memories as soon as they surface. It is not necessary to write a complete account, as this may take too long and cause you to forget more than you record. The first thing to do when you locate shadow memories is to vocalize the experience immediately, mentally or out loud. This will help hold them long enough for you to write them down. Keep talking until you get the keywords down. Just jot down a few words and phrases to cover the memories. Once this is done you can relax and flesh them out later, using these fragments to trigger more associated memories.
The more often you work at recalling and recording shadow memories, the better you will get at it. Eventually it becomes second nature. I advise you to make this a lifelong daily habit. I have been doing mis for more than twenty-five years. When I wake each morning I can now skim through most of the OBEs, dreams, and visions I've had during the night, and choose any important and interesting ones for recording.
Apart from the incalculable spiritual life path value I have gleaned by monitoring my dreamtime, I frequently dream innovative solutions to current real-life problems. I have learned to depend on this for guidance and inspiration. I also occasionally dream movie-length sagas. Apart from being thoroughly enjoyable (better than the movies), I have recorded some of the more interesting ones and plan to write novels based on them one day.
Reentry Trigger Words and Phrases
It is a great help if the projected double holds the memory of its out-of-body experience strongly in mind during reentry. To help with this, use a trigger phrase or a keyword that represents the projection experience. Pick a couple of the most memorable and interesting events from the projection and make up a short phrase to encapsulate the experience. Hold this trigger phrase firmly in mind and shout it during the reentry into your physical body.
For example, during a short projection you watched your hands melt before passing through a wall, saw its inside structure, then flew over your house in the rain and came back through your roof and reentered your physical body. This can be represented by the keywords wall, rain, fly ing, roof, or by easier-to-remember theme trigger phrases like melting hands, flying in the rain, through the wall, or over the roof. Holding a single trigger phrase strongly in mind and literally shouting this during reentry will greatly facilitate the downloading of shadow memories into accessible levels of memory.
Position and Comfort
The position and comfort of the physical body during a projection directly affects the ease of staying awake and aware, and of sleeping only lightly if sleep does come. Sitting in an armchair or being propped up in a bed with several pillows, you will find, does not encourage deep sleep, or will at least slow down its onset. Being very slightly uncomfortable helps to hold the mind more alert during projection attempts. This also helps lengthen the in-between sleeping and waking state, creating a flickering semiwaking state for slightly longer than usual, which is invaluable for early, ultrashort, conscious-exit projections.
Trance State Familiarity
It is important to develop the ability to hold a comfortable level of trance and to be able to function within it. This must be done without falling asleep too often or too deeply, and without falling into too deep a level of trance. The longer you can hold your physical/etheric mind awake in the trance state after a successful projection (which may seem like a failure at the time) the longer your projected double can stay out of your body. This also makes the projected double stronger during this time, making for stronger and more vivid experiences and shadow memories. This alone increases the chances for successful shadow memory downloading during reintegration.
If you tend to fall asleep quickly after a projection attempt (which can be quite lengthy and exhausting during early attempts) you will usually fall into a deep sleep fairly quickly. Your chances of remembering a projection are then sharply reduced. If you can hold yourself semiawake, flickering for just a few minutes longer, you can use this time with good effect. If, when you get out
of body, you discipline yourself to return and reenter your physical body fairly quickly, knowing roughly how long you. are able to hold yourself semiawake, and both you and your projected double work along with this, you will have more chance of a successful reentry and a full shadow memory download for that experience. Even a brief conscious-exit projection lasting ten seconds is an extremely valuable accomplishment. It provides firsthand experience and makes projection real!
The length of subsequent projections can be gradually increased, but the first successful, deliberate, conscious-exit projection and reentry is the most important one of all. This is the one that gives you something real to build on.
Astral Sight Exercise
Experimenting with astral sight is very interesting and valuable. Apart from its developmental value, it helps keep you awake and aware in the physical/etheric body for an extended period of time after the exit. Some degree of real-time or astral sight (seeing through closed eyelids) usually manifests just before or during a successful projection exit. If the physical/etheric body perseveres after a projection attempt, even if it seems to have failed, it also often gains this ability.
The resulting point of view can be moved to observe the entire room without any corresponding physical movement. This is not only a fascinating exercise of the etheric body, but it also enables the use of another shadow memory reclamation technique: using astral feedback to download shadow memories directly into the physical brain. Concentrating on observing the room around you through closed eyelids and on improving your control over this ability helps keep you occupied and
The resulting point of view can be moved to observe the entire room without any corresponding physical movement. This is not only a fascinating exercise of the etheric body, but it also enables the use of another shadow memory reclamation technique: using astral feedback to download shadow memories directly into the physical brain. Concentrating on observing the room around you through closed eyelids and on improving your control over this ability helps keep you occupied and