does anyone have a fear of leaving their body during a lucid dream and not being able to return
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Welcome to this growing community. I would love to have that experience, to leave my body and know it during a lucid dream or OBE (out of body experience). I think I did that once and I asked myself if I was dead. I wasnāt. If I was, I think I was ready, but who knows? Easy to say. No fear though, maybe too stupid? Have you had those experiences?
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thanks for your reply. difficult to explain. have a fear in the back of my of my mind, because of things ive read, people ive talked toā¦in a dream state do you not leave your body? wondering how lucid dreaming and astral travel are associated. i feel these are old fears, perhaps from another lifetime. that is something i could explore in a lucid dream!
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Have you read any of Andrewās books? He often talks about going āinā rather than going āout.ā Do you have any daytime practices such as meditation or Tai-Chi that focus on mind/body?
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i have looked at his books quite awhile ago. have ordered his new one. i do a daily meditation. am learning a lot from the online awakening series. my intention is to have lucid dreams and feel safe.
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I like your intention! Have you attended any of Andrewās āHangouts?ā Heās been holding these to help folks in some way to stay connected and feel safe during this time of global disconnection and fear. Some of us are more disconnected than others.
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Look into the Tantric concept of the subtle or energetic body. The more comfortable that you get with that aspect during your nocturnal meditations, the more you will realize that it is inseparable from your physical bodyā¦even when there is perceived separation during lucid dreams or in the liminal spaces between them.
ā¦at least this has been my personal experience.
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thank you. i am learning
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havenāt checked into a āhangoutā yetā¦would be a good ideaā¦thanks
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@lily may I ask what you have read that supports that fear?
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ahaā¦yes, iāve read many books through out the years. i suppose i got stuck on coming across a writing about a silver cord that is attached to one as they leave the body and if this was somehow compromised there could be difficulties. thank you so much for asking this! the more i am looking into it, the more i see how this is a belief i have carried and has no real substance!
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In a funny way, we have an OBE every time we leave our body and run into our discursive heads. As James Joyce once wrote, āMr Duffy lived a short distance from his body.ā But more to your point, you āleaveā your gross outer body in every dream and drop into your subtle inner body, that supports the subtle dreaming mind. Literal OBEās in dreams are mostly a form of hyper lucid dream, and very rare. In short, the vast vast majority of people have nothing to worry about. Only those with dissociative tendencies, depersonalization and derealization disorders, may want to consult with a mental heath care professional. While extremely safe ā and only dangerous when not done properly ā lucid dreaming is not for everybody. Personally, I work with fear as way to explore my mind. You might examine, if it feels right, the nature of the fear you feel. What can you learn from it, what does it have to teach you? Then do what feels right. Your question leads to fascinating philosophical issues beyond what I can riff on here: what are you really returning to anyway?
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dāoh, he beat me to it! I couldnāt do the subject justice anyway 
Brand new here. My first post. I hope I have hit Reply in the right place. What I have found so far is that those I know who can easily leave their bodies are the ones who fear it the most. I liken it to the most naturally gifted singers having the worst cases of stage freight. Having an OBE is one of my ultimate goals, one that has eluded me for many years. Conversely, my friend and co-worker has to consciously hold herself back from leaving her body. Sheās petrified of it. It could be that once you get to the point of separation, it really is a frightening experience. I donāt have a clue, since Iāve never reached that stage. The best I can do is speculate about it. What I can say is that fear is useful, but too much can ruin oneās life. The co-worker I mentioned lives in fear of about everything, and it hurts for me to see her that way. Same goes for my powerful executive sister, and it makes no sense a powerful person is afraid of the entire world and everything in it. If you do have a fear of leaving your body, it may be warranted. But perhaps examine if this fear is holding you back from an experience you really want to have.
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Great to have you here. Thanks for recounting your colleagueās experiences and associated fears. There are some OBE āexpertsā that may be worthwhile for her to seek out. Iāve seen Jade Shaw recently and sheās a very good resource person.
What have you done in pursuit of an OBE? For example, have you been working on lucid dreaming as a āstepping stone?ā
The only person Iāve ever met who claimed to OBE experienced was a fellow at one of Andrewās retreats who had been doing it since childhood (Heās now middle aged) and casually spoke of his journeys as very pleasurable and far reaching ("While flying past the rings of Saturn . . . " We all cracked up). Like you, I also want to try it but thus far have settled for flying in space in a lucid dream.
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thank you. yes so true, that last statementā¦it seems the more i talk about this fear, the more i hear what i am talking about and realize its not as concrete as i lead myself to believeā¦ its good to get the feedback. much appreciated.
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thank you. yes, its interesting. what am i holding myself back from? i am loving exploring this dreaming world, awake and asleep. when i stop and look into the fear, it just seems like something from so very long agoā¦something, i guess i feel i have to hold on to for nowā¦but being more aware lessens that feelingā¦i think too, that people have to hold on to what they know, myself included, because it defines them. without something to be, who are youā¦that can cause weirdness!!
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Cāmon 
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Great observation. I can remember many times over the years asking myself āWho am I?ā and answering with what Iāve done, where Iāve been, what opinions I hold. Itās taken years to get past those answers by even questioning them. A fear of finding nothing underneath has gripped me. Thatās why Iām glad Andrew is tackling emptiness in a way that a simple person, such as I, can understand.
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In his writings on āI-makingā, Evan Thompson says that the self is constantly being created.
I think we are perpetually becoming ourselves in the infinite moment.
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