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The Journeys Trilogy #1
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The definitive work on the extraordinary phenomenon of out-of-body experiences, by the founder of the internationally known Monroe Institute. Robert Monroe, a Virginia businessman, began to have experiences that drastically altered his life. Unpredictably, and without his willing it, Monroe found himself leaving his physical body to travel via a "second body" to locales far removed from the physical and spiritual realities of his life. He was inhabiting a place unbound by time or death.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1971
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About the author
Robert A. Monroe
31 books353 followersRobert Allan Monroe has had wide career experience in communications, having written for newspapers and magazines, and worked in television and electronics.
Since the 1950s, Monroe researched the effects of various sound patterns on human consciousness, including the feasibility of learning during sleep. He often used himself as a test subject for this research and in 1958 he began experiencing a state of consciousness separate and apart from the physical body. He described the state as an “out of body experience”. This led to much more research into human consciousness. He chronicled his early explorations in the book, Journeys Out of the Body (1971).
Monroe's research led to the development of an audio-guidance technology called hemispheric synchronization or Hemi-Sync®.
In 1974, his research expanded to become The Monroe Institute which continued exploring expanded states of human consciousness and how to enhance human potential.
In 1985 he wrote a second book, "Far Journeys", which expanded upon his personal investigations of nonphysical reality.
In 1994 his third book, "Ultimate Journey" was released, exploring basic truths about the meaning and purpose of life and what lies beyond the limits of our physical world.
The Monroes lived on a farm near the Blue Ridge in Virginia, America. This is also the site of a Mind Research Institute opened by Monroe in 1971.
Since the 1950s, Monroe researched the effects of various sound patterns on human consciousness, including the feasibility of learning during sleep. He often used himself as a test subject for this research and in 1958 he began experiencing a state of consciousness separate and apart from the physical body. He described the state as an “out of body experience”. This led to much more research into human consciousness. He chronicled his early explorations in the book, Journeys Out of the Body (1971).
Monroe's research led to the development of an audio-guidance technology called hemispheric synchronization or Hemi-Sync®.
In 1974, his research expanded to become The Monroe Institute which continued exploring expanded states of human consciousness and how to enhance human potential.
In 1985 he wrote a second book, "Far Journeys", which expanded upon his personal investigations of nonphysical reality.
In 1994 his third book, "Ultimate Journey" was released, exploring basic truths about the meaning and purpose of life and what lies beyond the limits of our physical world.
The Monroes lived on a farm near the Blue Ridge in Virginia, America. This is also the site of a Mind Research Institute opened by Monroe in 1971.
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August 3, 2015
This is one of my favorite books.
Robert Monroe was a very successful businessman who had no real religious background and no interest in anything mystical or esoteric. When he found himself spontaneously going out of his body, he had no way of understanding what was happening to him and his first assumption was that there was something wrong with his brain.
After being assured by his physician that he was in perfect health and not suffering from a brain tumor, he went to see a psychiatrist, because surely he must be losing his mind. The psychiatrist also gave him a clean bill of health and advised him to look into Eastern religions to see what he might find.
There was very little written about the subject at the time Robert began having these experiences and the phrase "out-of-body experience" didn't even exist yet. Being the logical, scientific person that he was, Robert set out to document what was occurring when it seemed he was exiting his body with the hope of coming to understand as much as he could about this phenomenon.
Over time he wrote three books on his experiences and along the way he invented an audio technology to assist others who wish to have the same experience.
If you have any curiosity about OBEs or astral travel and would like to take a look at the subject matter in a non-new-age way, this is definitely the book to do it with. Robert is clear-headed, logical and reasonable. He makes no claims or assumptions. He does not get flowery and abstract and talk about saving the planet. He's just a regular guy who stumbled into something that few before him had left any information about, so he took it upon himself to research and document and explore. And in the end, he did what he could to help others who were either experiencing the same thing - or wished to.
Robert Monroe was a very successful businessman who had no real religious background and no interest in anything mystical or esoteric. When he found himself spontaneously going out of his body, he had no way of understanding what was happening to him and his first assumption was that there was something wrong with his brain.
After being assured by his physician that he was in perfect health and not suffering from a brain tumor, he went to see a psychiatrist, because surely he must be losing his mind. The psychiatrist also gave him a clean bill of health and advised him to look into Eastern religions to see what he might find.
There was very little written about the subject at the time Robert began having these experiences and the phrase "out-of-body experience" didn't even exist yet. Being the logical, scientific person that he was, Robert set out to document what was occurring when it seemed he was exiting his body with the hope of coming to understand as much as he could about this phenomenon.
Over time he wrote three books on his experiences and along the way he invented an audio technology to assist others who wish to have the same experience.
If you have any curiosity about OBEs or astral travel and would like to take a look at the subject matter in a non-new-age way, this is definitely the book to do it with. Robert is clear-headed, logical and reasonable. He makes no claims or assumptions. He does not get flowery and abstract and talk about saving the planet. He's just a regular guy who stumbled into something that few before him had left any information about, so he took it upon himself to research and document and explore. And in the end, he did what he could to help others who were either experiencing the same thing - or wished to.
January 15, 2015
A spectacular read. For anyone who has wondered about the realm of spirituality, not in terms of god-belief or religious conviction, but in terms of one's own nature as a being, not a body, this book will fracture some or much of the contemporary delusions about the nature of who we are. What makes Monroe's presentation so compelling is that he documented his out-of-body experiences over a period of some 14 years and he holds back no punches on those details. And even as one's own mind fights back against what he says, with incredulity and disbelief, one comes to realize that this is precisely what the mind was designed to do - to protect us, to help us to survive on the physical plane, and its job is and always has been to translate the world around us, into understandable terms on the level of the physical world. This book also brilliantly provides a workable technique for leaving and returning to one's body. I have tried it, not yet extensively, but it works - and I was VERY excited to see that it did. In my own case, I have experienced numerous out-of-body experiences throughout my life and Robert Monroe's explanation helped to clarify those experiences in so many lucid ways that I was simply captivated by the book, page after page. If you believe you are not just a body and a mind, and that your existence trandscends just the physical, this book will be very revelatory and helpful. If you harbor some doubts about the nature of who you really are, it will help. And even if you are a dyed in the wool believer of contemporary mediocrity and science, that our existence is explained by Darwinianism, DNA threads, or solely at the hands of some all-powerful god - then this book is going to challenge you and quite likely offend your senses. But that's ok, because if we, as humanity are to rise to the next higher level of awareness and zeitgeist as a collective, it is high-time that some of the myths are laid to rest and we come to grips about the true nature of our existence.
January 11, 2014
I found this to be an extremely informative and enjoyable book which greatly exceeded my expectations.
Monroe was apparently the first to investigate out-of-body experiences in depth and publish his research.
Monroe defines an OOBE, as he calls it, or OBE, as we now call it, as follows:
“An event where the experiencer 1) seems to perceive some portion of some environment which could not possibly be perceived from where his physical body is known to be at the time and 2) knows at the time that he is not dreaming or fantasizing.”
It is a universal human experience and generally a once-in-a-lifetime experience, seemingly experienced by accident. It is sometimes brought about by serious illnesses or emotional stress, and sometimes happens during sleep without our knowing what might have caused it. Very rarely is it brought about by a deliberate attempt.
The experience of an OBE is usually one of the most profound experiences of a person’s life, and radically alters his beliefs. The person then knows that he will survive death.
The OBE is generally “extremely joyful” to those who have it.
In some instances the description of what was happening at a distant place proves to be correct and more accurate than we would expect by coincidence.
Monroe terms the OBE state as “Second State”, and the body we use when experiencing OBEs as “Second Body”. He identified three Second State environments.
Locale 1 is the Here-Now, which consists of people and places that actually do exist in the material, well-known world at the very moment of the experiment. Visits to Locale 1 generally do not contain strange beings, events, or places.
Locale II is a non-material environment with “laws of motion and matter only remotely related to the physical world”. “It is an immensity whose bounds are unknown …, and has depth and dimension incomprehensible to the finite conscious mind. In this vastness lie all of the aspects we attribute to heaven and hell.” Time is non-existent and past and future seem to exist “coterminously” with “now”. Locale II is a state of being where what we label thought “is the wellspring of existence”. “As you think, so you are”.
In this environment there are no cars, boats or other means of transportation. You think movement, and it occurs. No telephones, radio or other communication aids exist, communication being instantaneous. There are no farms, gardens, etc, since no food energy needs are indicated. Thought is the force that supplies any need or desire. Like attracts like.
Monroe states that Locale II is the natural environment of the Second Body. Locale II “seems to interpenetrate our physical world, yet spans limitless reaches beyond comprehension”. In Locale II reality is composed of “deepest desires” and “frantic fears”. Raw emotion is unleashed in full force. For Monroe, fear was the dominant theme – fear of the unknown, of strange (non-physical) beings, of “death”, of God, etc.
The areas of Locale II “nearest” the physical world are peopled mostly with insane or near-insane, emotionally driven beings. This near area is not a pleasant place to be, since you meet here all sorts of “disjointed personalities” and animate beings.
There is also Locale III. It is a physical-matter world almost identical to our own, the natural environment being the same. There are trees, houses, cities, etc. There are homes, families, businesses, etc. There are roads travelled by vehicles, and trains. But “the scientific development is inconsistent.” There are no electrical devices whatsoever. There is no petrol or oil but mechanical power is used.
Another strange source of power stored in large vat-like containers is used. The streets and roads are different, mainly in size. Their cars are much larger, even the smallest having a single bench seat that will hold 5-6 people abreast. Habits and customs differ from ours.
The people in Locale III were not aware of Monroe’s presence and on several occasions he automatically “took over” someone’s body.
Locale III and Locale I are not the same. Locale III is not more advanced, perhaps less so. There is no time in our known history where science was at the Locale III stage.
Regarding life after death, Monroe managed to visit younger versions of a few “deceased” persons. Otherwise he has a chapter about prayer, the Bible and the afterlife. On one occasion when speeding back to his body he rammed into a solid wall of impenetrable material and in panic screamed, sobbed and prayed without effect. Eventually, however, he turned back and this led him back to his body. So maybe the prayer had worked all the same.
He writes at the beginning of the chapter that he had found nothing to substantiate the “biblical notions” of God and afterlife in a place called Heaven. If they existed, they must be somewhere in Locale II. The part closest to Here-Now contained beings resembling demons and devils and he felt that this area could be the borders of Hell. At times when visiting Locale II a distant Signal occurred, almost like heraldic trumpets. Everyone stops whatever he is doing. It is the Signal that He is coming through His Kingdom. At the Signal each living being lies down on its back, body arched to expose the abdomen, with head turned to one side so that one does not see Him as He passes. The people form a living road on which He can travel. Occasionally He will select someone from this living bridge, and this person is never seen or heard from again. As He passes, there is “a roaring, musical sound and a feeling of radiant, irresistible living force of ultimate power”. Monroe wonders “Is this God? Or God’s son?” Three times he went to a place of pure peace, yet exquisite emotion. “The warmth is not merely around you, it is of you and through you. Your perception is dazzled and overwhelmed by the Perfect Environment.”
Thus the author contradicts himself, since what he describes does sound like it could be God, God’s realm, Heaven. He also states “This is Home” and refers to “choirs of human-sounding voices” echoing in wordless song. I think that the author’s description is his version of the wonderful, ecstatic, love experience Anita Moorjani and others describe from their NDEs.
Monroe provides extremely detailed accounts of many of his OBEs. The book contains much, much more valuable information on the subject than I have touched on, including preliminary exercises and advice on how best to exit the body.
I found this book to be the most interesting, informative, exhaustive and enjoyable work on the subject I’ve read so far (though Greg Doyle’s book “Awakening the Giant within” is also excellent). Monroe is wonderfully articulate. Few people in this day and age write so well. I highly recommend that you read the book. Have a great read!
Monroe was apparently the first to investigate out-of-body experiences in depth and publish his research.
Monroe defines an OOBE, as he calls it, or OBE, as we now call it, as follows:
“An event where the experiencer 1) seems to perceive some portion of some environment which could not possibly be perceived from where his physical body is known to be at the time and 2) knows at the time that he is not dreaming or fantasizing.”
It is a universal human experience and generally a once-in-a-lifetime experience, seemingly experienced by accident. It is sometimes brought about by serious illnesses or emotional stress, and sometimes happens during sleep without our knowing what might have caused it. Very rarely is it brought about by a deliberate attempt.
The experience of an OBE is usually one of the most profound experiences of a person’s life, and radically alters his beliefs. The person then knows that he will survive death.
The OBE is generally “extremely joyful” to those who have it.
In some instances the description of what was happening at a distant place proves to be correct and more accurate than we would expect by coincidence.
Monroe terms the OBE state as “Second State”, and the body we use when experiencing OBEs as “Second Body”. He identified three Second State environments.
Locale 1 is the Here-Now, which consists of people and places that actually do exist in the material, well-known world at the very moment of the experiment. Visits to Locale 1 generally do not contain strange beings, events, or places.
Locale II is a non-material environment with “laws of motion and matter only remotely related to the physical world”. “It is an immensity whose bounds are unknown …, and has depth and dimension incomprehensible to the finite conscious mind. In this vastness lie all of the aspects we attribute to heaven and hell.” Time is non-existent and past and future seem to exist “coterminously” with “now”. Locale II is a state of being where what we label thought “is the wellspring of existence”. “As you think, so you are”.
In this environment there are no cars, boats or other means of transportation. You think movement, and it occurs. No telephones, radio or other communication aids exist, communication being instantaneous. There are no farms, gardens, etc, since no food energy needs are indicated. Thought is the force that supplies any need or desire. Like attracts like.
Monroe states that Locale II is the natural environment of the Second Body. Locale II “seems to interpenetrate our physical world, yet spans limitless reaches beyond comprehension”. In Locale II reality is composed of “deepest desires” and “frantic fears”. Raw emotion is unleashed in full force. For Monroe, fear was the dominant theme – fear of the unknown, of strange (non-physical) beings, of “death”, of God, etc.
The areas of Locale II “nearest” the physical world are peopled mostly with insane or near-insane, emotionally driven beings. This near area is not a pleasant place to be, since you meet here all sorts of “disjointed personalities” and animate beings.
There is also Locale III. It is a physical-matter world almost identical to our own, the natural environment being the same. There are trees, houses, cities, etc. There are homes, families, businesses, etc. There are roads travelled by vehicles, and trains. But “the scientific development is inconsistent.” There are no electrical devices whatsoever. There is no petrol or oil but mechanical power is used.
Another strange source of power stored in large vat-like containers is used. The streets and roads are different, mainly in size. Their cars are much larger, even the smallest having a single bench seat that will hold 5-6 people abreast. Habits and customs differ from ours.
The people in Locale III were not aware of Monroe’s presence and on several occasions he automatically “took over” someone’s body.
Locale III and Locale I are not the same. Locale III is not more advanced, perhaps less so. There is no time in our known history where science was at the Locale III stage.
Regarding life after death, Monroe managed to visit younger versions of a few “deceased” persons. Otherwise he has a chapter about prayer, the Bible and the afterlife. On one occasion when speeding back to his body he rammed into a solid wall of impenetrable material and in panic screamed, sobbed and prayed without effect. Eventually, however, he turned back and this led him back to his body. So maybe the prayer had worked all the same.
He writes at the beginning of the chapter that he had found nothing to substantiate the “biblical notions” of God and afterlife in a place called Heaven. If they existed, they must be somewhere in Locale II. The part closest to Here-Now contained beings resembling demons and devils and he felt that this area could be the borders of Hell. At times when visiting Locale II a distant Signal occurred, almost like heraldic trumpets. Everyone stops whatever he is doing. It is the Signal that He is coming through His Kingdom. At the Signal each living being lies down on its back, body arched to expose the abdomen, with head turned to one side so that one does not see Him as He passes. The people form a living road on which He can travel. Occasionally He will select someone from this living bridge, and this person is never seen or heard from again. As He passes, there is “a roaring, musical sound and a feeling of radiant, irresistible living force of ultimate power”. Monroe wonders “Is this God? Or God’s son?” Three times he went to a place of pure peace, yet exquisite emotion. “The warmth is not merely around you, it is of you and through you. Your perception is dazzled and overwhelmed by the Perfect Environment.”
Thus the author contradicts himself, since what he describes does sound like it could be God, God’s realm, Heaven. He also states “This is Home” and refers to “choirs of human-sounding voices” echoing in wordless song. I think that the author’s description is his version of the wonderful, ecstatic, love experience Anita Moorjani and others describe from their NDEs.
Monroe provides extremely detailed accounts of many of his OBEs. The book contains much, much more valuable information on the subject than I have touched on, including preliminary exercises and advice on how best to exit the body.
I found this book to be the most interesting, informative, exhaustive and enjoyable work on the subject I’ve read so far (though Greg Doyle’s book “Awakening the Giant within” is also excellent). Monroe is wonderfully articulate. Few people in this day and age write so well. I highly recommend that you read the book. Have a great read!
August 8, 2018
I think I discovered this book from a Goodreads ad on my homepage. It wasn't what I was expecting, but in a good way. The author's journal entries (or what he calls "notes") are written as curious, humble and relatable first-hand accounts. He does not present himself as a spiritual guru or sensationalize the stories in any way, but rather describes his experiences as if observing them for a scientific study. I recognize similarities in his accounts and the experiences of Emanuel Swedenborg. I'm not sure I can go back into the book and easily find a story that I want to read again, because it's not really organized into categories. Sometimes it was not chronological either which was a little confusing. Still, I don't know what other book has so much information on this topic presented in a relatable way. I recommend this book for readers who want to know more about the OBE phenomenon and prefer a factual approach without religious interpretation.
July 9, 2017
A ground breaking work into the mystery that is the out-of-body experience by a leading researcher in the field. Ultimately, Journeys Out of the Body left me with more questions than answers, but, for the most part, I enjoyed the ride.
Charles Tart’s introduction is excellent: “… OOBE’s are a universal human experience, not in the sense that they happen to large numbers of people, but in that they have happened all through recorded history, and there are marked similarities in the experience among people who are otherwise extremely different in terms of cultural background. One can find reports of OOBEs by housewives in Kansas which closely resemble accounts of OOBEs from ancient Egyptian or oriental sources.” pg 8.
That statement reminded me of the near death experiences described in Wisdom of Near Death Experiences: How Understanding NDEs Can Help Us Live More Fully. OOBEs, like NDEs, are a human experience rather than a cultural one.
Munroe points out a curious habit of society that I’ve noticed:“Many (in spiritual and occult circles) have deep professional jealousy for each other, and often are inclined to be suspicious of techniques and theories propounded outside their particular activity. They may even subtly deride or look with tolerant, superior amusement at results unrelated to their specialty." pg 37.
Why can’t we all just get along? I bet we’d learn more that way.
Munroe’s thoughts on the “natural” home for what he calls the “second body”, astral body, or body of light: “The Second Body is basically not of this physical world. To apply it to visits to George’s house or other physical destinations is like asking a diver to swim down to the ocean bed without scuba gear or pressure suit. He can do it, but not for long, and not too many times.” pg 75-76.
That was why Munroe believes that out of body experiences are so hard to substantiate. When explorers are looking for evidence from the physical world, it isn’t the natural place for that consciousness to be.
Munroe talks about going to an alternate dimension in his explorations. He quotes a college professor about the possibility of this: “Dr. Leon M. Lederman, professor of physics at Columbia University, has stated: “Basic physics is completely consistent with the cosmological conception of a literal antiworld of stars and planets composed of atoms of antimatter, which is to say negative nuclei surrounded by positive electrons. We can now entertain the intriguing idea that these antiworlds are populated by antipeople, who antiscientists are perhaps even now excited by the discovery of matter.” pg 100
I think that would make a great science fiction novel. Has anybody written anything like that?
I had imagined that learning about out of body experiences would be empowering and uplifting but parts of Munroe’s account didn’t really leave me feeling that way.
Take this journal entry in which he describes aliens and the loss of his belief system: “Then they seemed to soar up into the sky, while I called after them, pleading… By this time, it was getting light, and I sat down and cried, great deep sobs as I have never cried before, because then I knew without any qualification or future hope of change that the God of my childhood, of the churches, of religion throughout the world was not as we worshiped him to be- that for the rest of my life, I would “suffer” the loss of this illusion. Are we, then, just leftover laboratory animals? Or perhaps the experiment is still “in process.” pg 262.
Very, very bleak and, it just didn’t feel right to me. However, Munroe believes this is true and I felt very sad for him.
If you are interested in more information about OBEs, you may want to read Soul Traveler: A Guide to Out-of-Body Experiences and the Wonders Beyond or Multidimensional Man.
If you want more first-hand experiences with aliens, try The Key: A True Encounter. Readers beware: this is also a disturbing account.
Charles Tart’s introduction is excellent: “… OOBE’s are a universal human experience, not in the sense that they happen to large numbers of people, but in that they have happened all through recorded history, and there are marked similarities in the experience among people who are otherwise extremely different in terms of cultural background. One can find reports of OOBEs by housewives in Kansas which closely resemble accounts of OOBEs from ancient Egyptian or oriental sources.” pg 8.
That statement reminded me of the near death experiences described in Wisdom of Near Death Experiences: How Understanding NDEs Can Help Us Live More Fully. OOBEs, like NDEs, are a human experience rather than a cultural one.
Munroe points out a curious habit of society that I’ve noticed:“Many (in spiritual and occult circles) have deep professional jealousy for each other, and often are inclined to be suspicious of techniques and theories propounded outside their particular activity. They may even subtly deride or look with tolerant, superior amusement at results unrelated to their specialty." pg 37.
Why can’t we all just get along? I bet we’d learn more that way.
Munroe’s thoughts on the “natural” home for what he calls the “second body”, astral body, or body of light: “The Second Body is basically not of this physical world. To apply it to visits to George’s house or other physical destinations is like asking a diver to swim down to the ocean bed without scuba gear or pressure suit. He can do it, but not for long, and not too many times.” pg 75-76.
That was why Munroe believes that out of body experiences are so hard to substantiate. When explorers are looking for evidence from the physical world, it isn’t the natural place for that consciousness to be.
Munroe talks about going to an alternate dimension in his explorations. He quotes a college professor about the possibility of this: “Dr. Leon M. Lederman, professor of physics at Columbia University, has stated: “Basic physics is completely consistent with the cosmological conception of a literal antiworld of stars and planets composed of atoms of antimatter, which is to say negative nuclei surrounded by positive electrons. We can now entertain the intriguing idea that these antiworlds are populated by antipeople, who antiscientists are perhaps even now excited by the discovery of matter.” pg 100
I think that would make a great science fiction novel. Has anybody written anything like that?
I had imagined that learning about out of body experiences would be empowering and uplifting but parts of Munroe’s account didn’t really leave me feeling that way.
Take this journal entry in which he describes aliens and the loss of his belief system: “Then they seemed to soar up into the sky, while I called after them, pleading… By this time, it was getting light, and I sat down and cried, great deep sobs as I have never cried before, because then I knew without any qualification or future hope of change that the God of my childhood, of the churches, of religion throughout the world was not as we worshiped him to be- that for the rest of my life, I would “suffer” the loss of this illusion. Are we, then, just leftover laboratory animals? Or perhaps the experiment is still “in process.” pg 262.
Very, very bleak and, it just didn’t feel right to me. However, Munroe believes this is true and I felt very sad for him.
If you are interested in more information about OBEs, you may want to read Soul Traveler: A Guide to Out-of-Body Experiences and the Wonders Beyond or Multidimensional Man.
If you want more first-hand experiences with aliens, try The Key: A True Encounter. Readers beware: this is also a disturbing account.
November 13, 2012
I love the fools that scorn through this site
I read this book many years ago and it captivated me from start to finish
Have since tracked down the rest of his books
RIP Mr Monroe
I read this book many years ago and it captivated me from start to finish
Have since tracked down the rest of his books
RIP Mr Monroe
February 7, 2017
Out of Body Experiences? More like Out of Marriage Experiences! I believe the vow is "until death do we part" not "until I gain the ability to leave my body and travel to Locale Two."
That being said, this book is interesting. I like how he touched upon people being controlled through the manipulation of fear and sexuality. Where's that book?
Some of his voyages to me suggested another plane where we're all unconsciously conversing with one another. I really like that.
Five stars for the part about Kennedy's psychic body guard.
Seriously though, what is Locale Three? I want to know more about that place.
That being said, this book is interesting. I like how he touched upon people being controlled through the manipulation of fear and sexuality. Where's that book?
Some of his voyages to me suggested another plane where we're all unconsciously conversing with one another. I really like that.
Five stars for the part about Kennedy's psychic body guard.
Seriously though, what is Locale Three? I want to know more about that place.
November 5, 2021
SÚPER INTERESANTE aunque un tanto retorcido de leer, en el sentido de que está all over the place y que es un tanto complicadete. Aún así eso me gusta, porque me hace sentir que es un testimonio sincero y que entonces está cerca de la realidad, que también es retorcida y compleja. Otra cosa que me gusta es que el autor, Robert Monroe, hoy en día conocido como el gurú de los viajes astrales y con centro de especialización propio, empezó su camino místico casualmente un día cualquiera, desdoblándose sin querer. Era un hombre de negocios sin interés especial por investigar el tema, cuarentón, casado, un american man cualquiera de las series antiguas... y le pasó todo lo que le pasó. Eso también me hace creer que es cierto, porque muy inesperado. no es como algo que estuviera buscando.
Luego hay varias cosillas que cuenta al respecto en los pre de los viajes astrales, y reconozco que muchos me han pasado a mí. Yo he tenido experiencias místicas también pero, con una sola excepción, no me he desdoblado jamás que me diera cuenta, básicamente porque me da miedo. Ahora con este libro se me ha hinchado todavía más la curiosidad y es posible que lo intenté, eheheh.
Lo único que no me gustó, y es algo súper humano y cobardón, es que hay cosas que cuenta que me dieron miedo. No estoy preparada todavía para concebir que el universo sea de la manera que él dice, si es que fuera así. Parece menos ordenado y más casual de lo que yo habría querido, y me hace sentir más sola. Además hay alusión a aliens y otros seres que igual seguro que existen pero... que también me dieron un poco de julepe. O sea, no digo que lo hagan exactamente de la manera en que él lo dice, pero... el universo es tan amplio y además supuestamente eterno. Pensar que estamos solos en él es ingenuo, por decir lo menos.
Y luego todos esos niveles que hay en el espacio-tiempo y el concepto mismo del espacio-tiempo... ah, es demasiado. Me abruma tanto como me abrumó en la universidad ese ramo de astronomía que tomé, donde cada nueva clase el universo parecía más y más ancho e insondable y una más perdida y pequeña en él. Aunque parece que el universo entero existe también dentro de cada uno de nosotros, muy loco y más que loco otra vez MUCHO MUY AMPLIO.
Por eso digo, la mentalidad humana, jajaja. Espiritualmente todavía soy como las guaguas que, después de nacer, necesitan estar en brazos o con esa mantita que las aprieta, para tener límites tangibles y sentirse seguros.
De todos modos, el libro muy interesante. Recomendado a todos los que tienen intereses místicos. Al resto, mejor volar con viento fresco, jajaja.
Luego hay varias cosillas que cuenta al respecto en los pre de los viajes astrales, y reconozco que muchos me han pasado a mí. Yo he tenido experiencias místicas también pero, con una sola excepción, no me he desdoblado jamás que me diera cuenta, básicamente porque me da miedo. Ahora con este libro se me ha hinchado todavía más la curiosidad y es posible que lo intenté, eheheh.
Lo único que no me gustó, y es algo súper humano y cobardón, es que hay cosas que cuenta que me dieron miedo. No estoy preparada todavía para concebir que el universo sea de la manera que él dice, si es que fuera así. Parece menos ordenado y más casual de lo que yo habría querido, y me hace sentir más sola. Además hay alusión a aliens y otros seres que igual seguro que existen pero... que también me dieron un poco de julepe. O sea, no digo que lo hagan exactamente de la manera en que él lo dice, pero... el universo es tan amplio y además supuestamente eterno. Pensar que estamos solos en él es ingenuo, por decir lo menos.
Y luego todos esos niveles que hay en el espacio-tiempo y el concepto mismo del espacio-tiempo... ah, es demasiado. Me abruma tanto como me abrumó en la universidad ese ramo de astronomía que tomé, donde cada nueva clase el universo parecía más y más ancho e insondable y una más perdida y pequeña en él. Aunque parece que el universo entero existe también dentro de cada uno de nosotros, muy loco y más que loco otra vez MUCHO MUY AMPLIO.
Por eso digo, la mentalidad humana, jajaja. Espiritualmente todavía soy como las guaguas que, después de nacer, necesitan estar en brazos o con esa mantita que las aprieta, para tener límites tangibles y sentirse seguros.
De todos modos, el libro muy interesante. Recomendado a todos los que tienen intereses místicos. Al resto, mejor volar con viento fresco, jajaja.
March 20, 2012
Fans of the Simpsons might recall an earlier character named Dr. Monroe.
The Simpsons' Dr. Monroe is loosely -very loosely- based on Dr. Robert Allan Monroe, author of 'Journeys out of the Body', and inventor of 'Binaural Beats'. In the book he lifts the veil on one of the tantalizing abilities of the human mind, namely to exist outside of the human. Whether this is merely a highly powerful form of the state we all know as 'dreaming', a life after death, or some uncanny, of yet under-explored ability to consciously induce a state wherein we explore a non-physical world using our purported non-physical bodies, is up to the reader to discover. Or better yet, the experimenter. Because that is what the book aims to help you do. In any case, read it with an open mind. It might just change your life -however you wish to define it.
The Simpsons' Dr. Monroe is loosely -very loosely- based on Dr. Robert Allan Monroe, author of 'Journeys out of the Body', and inventor of 'Binaural Beats'. In the book he lifts the veil on one of the tantalizing abilities of the human mind, namely to exist outside of the human. Whether this is merely a highly powerful form of the state we all know as 'dreaming', a life after death, or some uncanny, of yet under-explored ability to consciously induce a state wherein we explore a non-physical world using our purported non-physical bodies, is up to the reader to discover. Or better yet, the experimenter. Because that is what the book aims to help you do. In any case, read it with an open mind. It might just change your life -however you wish to define it.
August 23, 2024
This is a very unique book about the OBE phenomenon, known as Astral Projection, written by Robert Monroe, a very normal businessman, who, in his early forties, began to have unusual experiences, in which he would find himself disassociated from his physical body into what he calls the Second Body.
Despite what modern science tells us, a phenomenon of going out of a physical body was known for many centuries to those who were interested. The Buddha himself taught his followers that there was such a thing. It is found in Christian and Hindu traditions. It is also mentioned in the ancient writings of Egyptians, Chinese and Amazonian cultures.
Today, as far as I'm aware, we don't have many books such as this one, because, what Robert Monroe did was very unique. He documented his 20 years of experiences in the astral realms and carefully studied them. His approach was scientific. He wanted to explore the possibilities of his unusual journeys. His no-bullshit and detailed reports make you question many things. What if he is right? The ramifications of that will be huge.
His work is also very important for people like him, who have spontaneous OBEs and don't know what to do. I think that this book makes a great guide for them.
So, in the end, there's only one way to find out whether astral realms, such as Locale I, II and III, as Monroe calls them, really exist or not. And that is by putting our money where our mouth is. There is no point in criticizing him because that won't solve anything.
To me, this guy seems to be telling the truth. The possibilities and experiences that he talks about excites me and makes reality more mystical and unknown. Somehow that feels better than telling to myself that he is full of shit, just because some scientists said that OBEs are not possible.
What if they are?
Despite what modern science tells us, a phenomenon of going out of a physical body was known for many centuries to those who were interested. The Buddha himself taught his followers that there was such a thing. It is found in Christian and Hindu traditions. It is also mentioned in the ancient writings of Egyptians, Chinese and Amazonian cultures.
Today, as far as I'm aware, we don't have many books such as this one, because, what Robert Monroe did was very unique. He documented his 20 years of experiences in the astral realms and carefully studied them. His approach was scientific. He wanted to explore the possibilities of his unusual journeys. His no-bullshit and detailed reports make you question many things. What if he is right? The ramifications of that will be huge.
His work is also very important for people like him, who have spontaneous OBEs and don't know what to do. I think that this book makes a great guide for them.
So, in the end, there's only one way to find out whether astral realms, such as Locale I, II and III, as Monroe calls them, really exist or not. And that is by putting our money where our mouth is. There is no point in criticizing him because that won't solve anything.
To me, this guy seems to be telling the truth. The possibilities and experiences that he talks about excites me and makes reality more mystical and unknown. Somehow that feels better than telling to myself that he is full of shit, just because some scientists said that OBEs are not possible.
What if they are?
March 19, 2015
I enjoyed this early account of Robert Monroe's "discovery" of astral projection=remote viewing=out-of-the-body phenomena and his description of his own experiences, but I wouldn't confidently recommend it to anyone not already committed to and seriously interested in the phenomenology of such things. The book is seriously flawed insofar as it intends to provide any sort of proof, it being constituted primarily by a bunch of personal anecdotes and stories. Like a good first person ghost story, one can suspend disbelief and go for the ride as I did, but, on reflection, it boils down to how willing you are to believe the storyteller.
I've read several books now on these kinds of matters and, having paid years of close attention to my own dreams and hallucinations and those of some others, am quite ready to believe that people honestly experience what could, variously, be interpreted as OBEs, NDEs, astral projection, remote viewing or even alien abduction. I have yet, however, to see any objective verification of these experiences as being more than vivid imaginings. Monroe's claiming that he projected hundreds of miles to invisibly pinch and bruise a friends is not convincing on his mere say-so.
I've read several books now on these kinds of matters and, having paid years of close attention to my own dreams and hallucinations and those of some others, am quite ready to believe that people honestly experience what could, variously, be interpreted as OBEs, NDEs, astral projection, remote viewing or even alien abduction. I have yet, however, to see any objective verification of these experiences as being more than vivid imaginings. Monroe's claiming that he projected hundreds of miles to invisibly pinch and bruise a friends is not convincing on his mere say-so.
June 10, 2013
Robert Allan Monroe pioneered Hemispheric Synchronization technology that facilitates alternative states of consciousness in general and specifically the out of body experience. His books are not just his personal opinion, instead they are a guide to we fearless few who dare to travel the highways and byways of inner self development. Self development is the most difficult pursuit any human can imagine because each seeker must come to grips with the negativity of friends, family, loved ones, and the cadre of those who believe that reality is limited to what the human five senses can register. Furthermore, the seeker must wrestle with the dweller on the threshold to true spirituality - the fear of Death. Robert Monroe afford those who dare the training wheels that act like wings for those few who desire to dive headlong into the abyss of spirituality and along the way he furnished a map of attainable states of awareness and various levels of existence.
April 8, 2018
Robert Monroe's books should be REQUIRED READING. imagine if astral projection was common knowledge in the west. people would finally understand that death is an illusion, that we are eternal beings, and that we create and manifest our own reality through the power of thought. in a way, dreams are proof of this, as we leave our bodies each night during sleep. these are the answers to the universe and the nature of consciousness + existence that i've been searching for my entire life. we are so much more. reviewing this more in depth later on. starting "far journeys" today :)
January 24, 2023
The first thing to know about the author of "Journeys Out of the Body" is about methodical exploration. Not only the courage it took for Monroe to pursue these journeys, and not merely the care that he took with documenting his work, but the clear-and-cogent language of a map-making explorer.
The man who brought the world "Out of Body" (OOB) Experiences was remarkably down-to-earth.
Also important to me: This book doesn't represent any kind of "branding" for his Monroe Institute but, rather, an advancement of humanity's collective learning, part of our Big History.
The man who brought the world "Out of Body" (OOB) Experiences was remarkably down-to-earth.
Also important to me: This book doesn't represent any kind of "branding" for his Monroe Institute but, rather, an advancement of humanity's collective learning, part of our Big History.
September 28, 2017
A persuasive and thought-provoking account of one man's experiences and experiments with traveling outside his own body.
My earliest memory of hearing about out-of-body experiences (OOBEs) was, I think, in the early 1970s, about the same time this book was published. A young woman who was the friend of a neighbor did psychic readings and talked about "astral travel"--the term current up to then for OOBEs. I don't know whether I believed in it or not, but I remember thinking that it sounded like a plausible explanation for the experience one sometimes has of feeling that one is falling off a cliff, just as one is dropping off to sleep. The young woman explained this as the astral body dropping from the "zone of quietude" just above the physical body back into that body, creating the frightening feeling of a fall.
Some years later I was surprised and intrigued to see an article in Scientific American magazine discussing OOBEs in connection with the use of mescalin. If it's in Scientific American, I thought, it must be something real. But I don't think I read that article.
Still later, in 1986, I read a book called Life After Life by Raymond Moody, about a particular class of OOBEs: near-death experiences or NDEs. Moody made a groundbreaking examination of the experiences of people who had undergone clinical death and come back to life. He found that their experiences had certain broad similarities with each other. One of these similarities was the sense of floating away from the physical body and witnessing events going on around and near their corpse. For those who were in the "dead" state long enough, the experience sometimes went considerably beyond that, to meeting others and undergoing profound shifts in their outlook, such that, when they were revived, their beliefs and priorities were transformed. (The author Betty J. Eadie had a prolonged NDE which she recounts in her bestselling book Embraced by the Light, published in 1992.)
For me, Moody's book was a convincer. As I read the accounts of people who had died and then revived, and the profound emotional effect it had on them, notably in changing their values to be much more concerned with the welfare of others, I felt sure that their experiences were authentic, and I wanted to let their experience change my life as it had changed theirs. It was a major motivator in my decision to seek out training in the Buddhist teachings, which I did soon after reading Moody's book.
For different reasons now, related to my creative work, I wanted to learn more about OOBEs, and, discovering that Robert A. Monroe's book is considered a major work in this line, I got myself a copy. I found it quite fascinating, even though it is much different from Moody's and Eadie's books, in that it is not concerned so much with death and the spiritual aspects of OOBEs. Rather, Monroe, an American businessman who had had a successful career in radio, discovered in the late 1950s that he could exit his physical body, and decided to develop his own experimental program to learn about this strange state. His book is an account of his findings, expressed in language that seeks to remain factual, neutral, and scientific.
He presents many accounts of specific "trips" he made from his body, taken directly from the notes he made right afterwards each time. I don't want to say too much about what he found, in case I spoil the experience of reading this book for yourself, but I was intrigued with certain aspects of his experience. One aspect was that while he was in his "Second Body," in the disembodied state, his emotions were especially powerful and hard to control, and his conscious mind was relatively weak and ineffective. Another aspect was that his experience out of the body appeared to be divided between 3 separate realms or, as he terms them, "locales." Locale 1 is the physical world that we know, which the disembodied person can move through at will (with some interesting exceptions). Locale 2 is a vast, nonphysical realm that appears to be the usual habitat of the disembodied person; it is filled with all kinds of other beings in all kinds of situations. Monroe suggests that it is in this locale that we might find the "places" we call heaven and hell. Such places are defined not by location, but by the emotional state of those who are in them. Locale 3 is a separate realm that is much like Locale 1, except that its geography, technology, and societies are different from the ones we know: they're like "alternative history" versions of our world.
In Monroe's opinion, the experience we call death is the permanent detachment of our Second Body from our First Body, but he believes that we all leave our physical bodies routinely when we sleep. He thinks that we all--or nearly all--are out-of-body travelers. He writes of interactions out of body with people he knows, that later, when he meets them again in body, they have no memory of. We may all be having double or triple lives without knowing it. And why do all living things seem to have such a powerful need for sleep? In order to keep in touch with things going on in Locale 2?
I don't know the answers to these things, but to me Monroe does not come across as a crazy or a crackpot. If anything, he goes out of his way to be skeptical of his experiences, for he wants them to have validity for science. To the extent possible, he tries to be a scientific observer of the phenomena he experiences. As a result, his actual prose is "scientific" sounding: detached, neutral, and with a fair amount written in the passive voice. His writing is workmanlike and factual rather than vivid. But what he's writing about is hair-raising. Some parts I found to be gripping and scary, other parts merely puzzling or even comical.
But if Monroe's journeys were real, then there are huge implications for us all. For a start, the popular materialist view of the world is wrong. The spiritual dimension of life is the one that endures and that we should be focusing on. Monroe admits that traveling out of body is very frightening, especially at first. It is a death experience. He gives detailed instructions how to do it, but most of us will never have the desire or the courage. But Monroe had the courage, and he has provided us with a detailed report of his expeditions. So we can learn from him, if we want, something of that wider universe of which we are a part.
My earliest memory of hearing about out-of-body experiences (OOBEs) was, I think, in the early 1970s, about the same time this book was published. A young woman who was the friend of a neighbor did psychic readings and talked about "astral travel"--the term current up to then for OOBEs. I don't know whether I believed in it or not, but I remember thinking that it sounded like a plausible explanation for the experience one sometimes has of feeling that one is falling off a cliff, just as one is dropping off to sleep. The young woman explained this as the astral body dropping from the "zone of quietude" just above the physical body back into that body, creating the frightening feeling of a fall.
Some years later I was surprised and intrigued to see an article in Scientific American magazine discussing OOBEs in connection with the use of mescalin. If it's in Scientific American, I thought, it must be something real. But I don't think I read that article.
Still later, in 1986, I read a book called Life After Life by Raymond Moody, about a particular class of OOBEs: near-death experiences or NDEs. Moody made a groundbreaking examination of the experiences of people who had undergone clinical death and come back to life. He found that their experiences had certain broad similarities with each other. One of these similarities was the sense of floating away from the physical body and witnessing events going on around and near their corpse. For those who were in the "dead" state long enough, the experience sometimes went considerably beyond that, to meeting others and undergoing profound shifts in their outlook, such that, when they were revived, their beliefs and priorities were transformed. (The author Betty J. Eadie had a prolonged NDE which she recounts in her bestselling book Embraced by the Light, published in 1992.)
For me, Moody's book was a convincer. As I read the accounts of people who had died and then revived, and the profound emotional effect it had on them, notably in changing their values to be much more concerned with the welfare of others, I felt sure that their experiences were authentic, and I wanted to let their experience change my life as it had changed theirs. It was a major motivator in my decision to seek out training in the Buddhist teachings, which I did soon after reading Moody's book.
For different reasons now, related to my creative work, I wanted to learn more about OOBEs, and, discovering that Robert A. Monroe's book is considered a major work in this line, I got myself a copy. I found it quite fascinating, even though it is much different from Moody's and Eadie's books, in that it is not concerned so much with death and the spiritual aspects of OOBEs. Rather, Monroe, an American businessman who had had a successful career in radio, discovered in the late 1950s that he could exit his physical body, and decided to develop his own experimental program to learn about this strange state. His book is an account of his findings, expressed in language that seeks to remain factual, neutral, and scientific.
He presents many accounts of specific "trips" he made from his body, taken directly from the notes he made right afterwards each time. I don't want to say too much about what he found, in case I spoil the experience of reading this book for yourself, but I was intrigued with certain aspects of his experience. One aspect was that while he was in his "Second Body," in the disembodied state, his emotions were especially powerful and hard to control, and his conscious mind was relatively weak and ineffective. Another aspect was that his experience out of the body appeared to be divided between 3 separate realms or, as he terms them, "locales." Locale 1 is the physical world that we know, which the disembodied person can move through at will (with some interesting exceptions). Locale 2 is a vast, nonphysical realm that appears to be the usual habitat of the disembodied person; it is filled with all kinds of other beings in all kinds of situations. Monroe suggests that it is in this locale that we might find the "places" we call heaven and hell. Such places are defined not by location, but by the emotional state of those who are in them. Locale 3 is a separate realm that is much like Locale 1, except that its geography, technology, and societies are different from the ones we know: they're like "alternative history" versions of our world.
In Monroe's opinion, the experience we call death is the permanent detachment of our Second Body from our First Body, but he believes that we all leave our physical bodies routinely when we sleep. He thinks that we all--or nearly all--are out-of-body travelers. He writes of interactions out of body with people he knows, that later, when he meets them again in body, they have no memory of. We may all be having double or triple lives without knowing it. And why do all living things seem to have such a powerful need for sleep? In order to keep in touch with things going on in Locale 2?
I don't know the answers to these things, but to me Monroe does not come across as a crazy or a crackpot. If anything, he goes out of his way to be skeptical of his experiences, for he wants them to have validity for science. To the extent possible, he tries to be a scientific observer of the phenomena he experiences. As a result, his actual prose is "scientific" sounding: detached, neutral, and with a fair amount written in the passive voice. His writing is workmanlike and factual rather than vivid. But what he's writing about is hair-raising. Some parts I found to be gripping and scary, other parts merely puzzling or even comical.
But if Monroe's journeys were real, then there are huge implications for us all. For a start, the popular materialist view of the world is wrong. The spiritual dimension of life is the one that endures and that we should be focusing on. Monroe admits that traveling out of body is very frightening, especially at first. It is a death experience. He gives detailed instructions how to do it, but most of us will never have the desire or the courage. But Monroe had the courage, and he has provided us with a detailed report of his expeditions. So we can learn from him, if we want, something of that wider universe of which we are a part.
December 28, 2017
Currently my all time favorite book.
The book is somewhat like a lab report for the various astral projection experiments while still maintaining a personal tone.
Robert Monroe did the best job keeping his observations informative and objective. Multiple variables were kept track of for each astral projection experience, including the method of separation, the position of physical during separation, elapsed time of journey, and etc.
Every experience was written in his detailed journal no matter how absurd they were. He made sure to even include journeys that didn't make sense at the moment, assuming their interpretation might be easier later on.
At the end of the book, Robert explains procedures to conduct your own astral projection experience. He then provides statistics showing which techniques worked best, the circumstances in which experiments succeeded, which senses were existent in the second body, and etc.
If you are interested in astral projection, there isn't a better book to start your research on than with Robert Monroe's Journeys Out of the Body.
The book is somewhat like a lab report for the various astral projection experiments while still maintaining a personal tone.
Robert Monroe did the best job keeping his observations informative and objective. Multiple variables were kept track of for each astral projection experience, including the method of separation, the position of physical during separation, elapsed time of journey, and etc.
Every experience was written in his detailed journal no matter how absurd they were. He made sure to even include journeys that didn't make sense at the moment, assuming their interpretation might be easier later on.
At the end of the book, Robert explains procedures to conduct your own astral projection experience. He then provides statistics showing which techniques worked best, the circumstances in which experiments succeeded, which senses were existent in the second body, and etc.
If you are interested in astral projection, there isn't a better book to start your research on than with Robert Monroe's Journeys Out of the Body.
February 17, 2010
Anyone, with appropriate learning, can leave their physical body at will.I learned that we are not our bodies. What remains after physical death is the essence of what we are.
August 17, 2025
Amazing book.
March 30, 2024
A wildly entertaining and strange book, which I read as if it was a novel looking to dissect, critique, and connect all known paths of earthly science, religion, and dream/hallucination. In short, what’s up with your life on waking earth and your life as a sleeper, dreamer, potential astral plane traveler (being your own ghost/shadow)? Anyways. I’m not here to doubt. I’m just saying the writing is vivid and odd, and I haven’t read a book of fiction or non-fiction quite like it. Looking forward to reading Far Journeys soon, and doing next to no research on Robert A. Monroe or his connections with the CIA—rather I enjoyed reading this book as if it was a Don DeLillo novel and the narrator was just another whacky American on some beguiling quest to whisper in your ear the facts of his impossible life.
August 2, 2011
I picked up this book on a whim, curious as to what the approach would be - mainly a fantastical re-telling or an interesting personal account? I found that Monroe found the sweet spot in between in which through meticulous research and experimentation as well as documentation he was able to present bizarre or dreamlike experiences in a way that were both palatable and believable. It very much reminded me of some of the writings of Cayce in which he talked about his abilities and experiences in a very matter of fact way. Much of this can probably be attributed to his background and upbringing which makes it even more believable as he was a middle class, average joe persona. I found myself captivated from cover to cover and with an intense growing desire to conduct similar experiments myself. I would recommend this book if you are either interested in out of body experiences or like to read step by step inquiries into new fields of scientific research. One thing that has stumped me since finishing the book which hopefully will be answered in the second two in the series is, why did this not catch and take off as Monroe laid out a very definitive course of study? Second, I wonder if it has and is unknown to the average person. And last, why did we shift from out of body experiences to remote viewing? Making this switch has taken us from being active participants to watchers.
January 11, 2018
Whoa. And I mean whoa.
So you think you're just gonna open your third eye and go flying around the universe? Sounds a bit like you'd need some training.
OBE's are something that I've instinctively been interested in since a young age as I used to think about think about them a lot and I also used to get myself into 'tingly' states as a child. Perhaps I'm the reincarnated Monroe?
I bought the book because it sounded mega interesting and I read it captivated with my face locked into an open-mouthed emoji for the duration. It's not scientific, per se, but how could it be when this field (literally) is totally subjective? It cannot be verified by independent materialists (no offence).
I'm not saying I'm fully behind it because I'm not. I haven't experienced it myself (despite all prior attempts), but parts of the book resonated with me (literally) so why not dive in and see if it resonates with you too?
As science conquers the physical world there leaves only the quantum, or 'spiritual' realms left to explore, and until we advance in sufficiently our 'tangible technologies' it may only be studied by the 'psychonauts' brave enough to go there.
Well-written, compelling, made me want to buy the sequel (but I probably won't) and deserves the credit for helping to trailblaze an entire niche genre of fiction and area of metaphysical study.
Sceptics look away now, I'm giving this full marks.
5/5
So you think you're just gonna open your third eye and go flying around the universe? Sounds a bit like you'd need some training.
OBE's are something that I've instinctively been interested in since a young age as I used to think about think about them a lot and I also used to get myself into 'tingly' states as a child. Perhaps I'm the reincarnated Monroe?
I bought the book because it sounded mega interesting and I read it captivated with my face locked into an open-mouthed emoji for the duration. It's not scientific, per se, but how could it be when this field (literally) is totally subjective? It cannot be verified by independent materialists (no offence).
I'm not saying I'm fully behind it because I'm not. I haven't experienced it myself (despite all prior attempts), but parts of the book resonated with me (literally) so why not dive in and see if it resonates with you too?
As science conquers the physical world there leaves only the quantum, or 'spiritual' realms left to explore, and until we advance in sufficiently our 'tangible technologies' it may only be studied by the 'psychonauts' brave enough to go there.
Well-written, compelling, made me want to buy the sequel (but I probably won't) and deserves the credit for helping to trailblaze an entire niche genre of fiction and area of metaphysical study.
Sceptics look away now, I'm giving this full marks.
5/5
December 1, 2019
This book is about Astral Projection, aka OOBE. Robert Monroe documented every out-of-body experience as scientifically as possible. He spent 10 years or so working on this extraordinary phenomenon.
Before his very first experience, he was rational, not so open-minded businessman, when one night he accidentally experienced OOBE and everything changed. He freaked out! Astral Projection wasn't so popular back then and he had no idea what was occurring. After several tries, he managed to come up with some techniques and made the event more "controllable".
Basically, Journeys Out of the Body is full of scientifically documented notes by Robert, with some techniques of how to trigger OOBE. Unfortunately, I've not experienced even a glimpse of Astral Projection. I tried several times, with different techniques, like The rope technique(most popular), The Monroe Technique, rotating by 180 degrees and etc with no luck so far. This is the only reason for 4/5. But, I am not going to stop here, I will come back with 5 stars after reaching the triumph!
Before his very first experience, he was rational, not so open-minded businessman, when one night he accidentally experienced OOBE and everything changed. He freaked out! Astral Projection wasn't so popular back then and he had no idea what was occurring. After several tries, he managed to come up with some techniques and made the event more "controllable".
Basically, Journeys Out of the Body is full of scientifically documented notes by Robert, with some techniques of how to trigger OOBE. Unfortunately, I've not experienced even a glimpse of Astral Projection. I tried several times, with different techniques, like The rope technique(most popular), The Monroe Technique, rotating by 180 degrees and etc with no luck so far. This is the only reason for 4/5. But, I am not going to stop here, I will come back with 5 stars after reaching the triumph!
November 19, 2009
get out of your body NOW!
October 19, 2023
The first half of the book is super interesting but then it gets a bit heavier to read and go through the repeated recollections of the experiences and his analysis, Rob tends to repeat himself quite a lot
October 14, 2024
Yea, an alright read!
At first I was fascinated by what was going on, the extent of out-of-body experiences and what one can experience in "sleep". The storytelling in Robert's experiences were great and provided an amazing journey.
And I certainly agree with Robert challenging how people generally dismiss dreams without a second thought - when actually they're a key part of our being and existence and can be more important than what we do in our physical body in a lucid state...
But then the book got a bit boring - there's no overall story or development, no focus on anyone other than Robert, and once over the initial shock of out of body experiences the fascinating stories and adventures feel repeated and became mundane.
There were some very good moments, but the majority of the last 60% or so of the book didn't offer much to me. I'm sure it would be useful for those who want to study out of body experiences at an academic level - but I was just looking for an interesting read.
At first I was fascinated by what was going on, the extent of out-of-body experiences and what one can experience in "sleep". The storytelling in Robert's experiences were great and provided an amazing journey.
And I certainly agree with Robert challenging how people generally dismiss dreams without a second thought - when actually they're a key part of our being and existence and can be more important than what we do in our physical body in a lucid state...
But then the book got a bit boring - there's no overall story or development, no focus on anyone other than Robert, and once over the initial shock of out of body experiences the fascinating stories and adventures feel repeated and became mundane.
There were some very good moments, but the majority of the last 60% or so of the book didn't offer much to me. I'm sure it would be useful for those who want to study out of body experiences at an academic level - but I was just looking for an interesting read.
October 26, 2025
I usually love reading about fringe and “strange” ideas. I love using the gateway tapes and I still want to go to the Monroe Institute one day but this book… I’m surprised more people rated it highly to be honest. Some sections seemed exaggerated, including many of Monroe’s “sexual experiences during astral travel” that seemed really to be a product of his imagination. Made sections hard to accept as true. He was trying to pass off various anecdotes as scientifically true when clearly he was just reading from his dream journal.
July 1, 2018
Its really hard how to know how to react to this book. I nearly bailed while I was listening to it. But I did end up getting to the end. I think someone recommended it to me because I wanted to have an out of body experience. Robert does indeed give quite detailed instructions towards the end of the book as to how go about doing that and even how to conduct your own research in the process. It seems Robert really tried to make this a rational, credible (even 'scientific') work but it's just filled with so many 'facts' that cannot be substantiated in a scientific way. And yet, as he was reporting his experiences and appeared to have kept detailed records of them, it was difficult to dismiss out of hand. So I remain intrigued, bemused and unsure. Some of his ideas have woven their way into my dreams.
Funnily enough, after reading this, I'm not so keen to rush into having such experiences. Many of them did not seem very pleasant.
Funnily enough, after reading this, I'm not so keen to rush into having such experiences. Many of them did not seem very pleasant.
January 1, 2024
I’ve gained the encouragement to read this book since I’ve experienced astral projection myself a few years ago and have had sleep paralysis many times. The book wasn’t what I expected, two thirds of the book are just journals describing different stories which doesn’t really tell me anything. My excitement to read the book completely vanished from there on. The scientific theories i wanted that sort of come out almost in the end are also things I’m already aware of from past personal experiences or other books. I had to force myself to finish reading this book just for the sake of finishing it this year.
June 6, 2016
This book is a first hand recording of the Out Of Body Experiences (OOBE) that businessman Robert Monroe encountered for the first few times. Robert Monroe wrote about his experiences in great detail, while also following scientific experiment style recording of information. His book is a great guide for those who are looking for answers to their questions about OOBE's. This book is a gateway to many others written in the field of OOBE's, but still provides an explanation for more advanced readers and anyone interested in researching the topic.
February 25, 2021
Meh. I found this neither particularly informative nor convincing. Parapsychology apologetics. The fact that this was groundbreaking in mainstreaming such topics and continues to inspire so many reader is interesting, but seems more a testament to Monroe’s having been an excellent business man than anything else.
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