Those seeking intentional Out-of-Body Experience (OBE) or Astral Projection sometimes report a rapid heartbeat, which can interrupt the process of natural and temporary separation from the body.
In OBE the individual remains awake and conscious while in two places at once, with a portion of the self resting physically but the main identity located in a diaphanous, airborne astral body separate from, but connected to the physical. There is no evidence that OBEs are merely lucid dreams or perceptual distortions. (Also see Elements of out-of-body experience on this site.)
Most OBEs are unintentional. They tend to happen during periods of sleep disruption, traumatic incidents or medical procedures, where the person hovers over the accident scene or operating room and observes from a vantage point outside the physical body. Many OBEs occur during Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) which research has well established are not hallucinations or illusions.
In contrast to accidents and NDEs, conscious, intentional OBE is a spiritual practice that can elicit intense experiences of freedom and realization. As researcher Stuart Twemlow, M.D. wrote,
The subject usually notes that he or she has a “new body” in a form similar to the physical body. The experience is vivid in quality, is more real than a dream, and has a profound influence on the individual's subsequent life according to self-report.
Frequently, the subject may view the experience as spiritual in nature, and may be more likely to believe in life after death as a result. The individual has a fascination with the experience and would like to try it again, often describing it as one of the greatest events of his or her life.
Unconscious OBEs likely occur during sleep where the individual engages in myriad activities with little or no memory remaining after awakening. As Seth wrote in Seth Speaks by Jane Roberts:
At a very simple level, for example, your consciousness leaves your body often in the sleep state. You communicate with people in other levels of reality that you have known, but far beyond this, you creatively maintain and revitalize your physical image.
The heart normally beats 60-100 times per minute at rest. Heartbeat faster than this for no obvious reason may frighten the person into abandoning any attempt at OBE. The person may be unaware that this fast heartbeat is a feature of their nightly sleep.
In OBE, the person remains conscious while the body enters deep relaxation. Muscle tone naturally reduces. This reduction in tension can, in susceptible individuals, cause a cascade of effects:
OSA is the most common cause of sleep disordered breathing, induced by relaxation of the throat and tongue. This condition can be extremely destructive to health and is estimated to affect as many as one billion people worldwide.
OBE does not impair breathing or cause any medical problem. If a person is susceptible to breathing disorders, however, and enters the profoundly relaxed state necessary for the astral body to separate, they might experience an apneic event, leading quickly to a heart rate increase.
OSA is measured during an overnight sleep study in a sleep clinic, monitored by a credentialed sleep technologist. Data from the study is examined by a physician qualified in sleep medicine. Cheaper home tests do not monitor sleep via EEG and can misdiagnose the condition.
The usual treatment for apnea is Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), a bedside device that supplies filtered, pressurized (and optionally, humidified) room air through a nose or nose-and-mouth mask. CPAP is normally available only by prescription.
Pressurized air limits or prevents airway collapse and enables the sleeper to breathe normally. Invented in the 1980s by Australian scientist Colin Sullivan, CPAP is considered one of the greatest advances in medical technology.
An OBE explorer with CPAP should use it as prescribed. An alternative daytime therapy device may be effective for some OSA cases. Here are some additional options.