Thread: Difference between OBE and lucid dream?

Hello community,

This is actually my second post, but I thought that could introduce myself briefly.
I've been exploring spirituality and esotericism for about 8 years; during this time I have also experimented with lucid dreaming which I have achieved a few times, maybe 20 or so (EDIT: Actually, after actually counting noted DJ entries since 2005, it amounts to 42). My interest in lucid dreaming comes from the point of view of self knowledge and the interest in exploring higher realities. This interest has recently been sparked again, for which reason I stumbled upon this forum. I hope to be able to learn something from you all (which I already have by reading various forum posts and dream journals) and maybe also to share something of my own.

So, now to the question:

I have noticed in reading about lucid dreaming that it's often described as being something different than an OBE. My knowledge and experience suggest they are essentially the same thing.
My take on it is that dreams take place in the astral world/plane, which sets the laws that apply for dreams. Laws such as being able to control matter with your mind, go through walls, levitate, etc. To me the difference between an OBE and a lucid dream is simply that the latter is filled with dream elements or subconscious projections, while the former is devoid of such elements, allowing one to perceive the astral as it really is. With the notion that dreaming only takes place within the body, shared dreaming doesn't make sense.

What do your experiences suggest regarding this? I'm not interested in theories that are not based on experience.

Yeah I believe that an obe is just a lucid dream. Its basically the same as wake induced lucid dream where you go from waking state to a dream state. So during that time many people might float out of there body, but I just think its a lucid dream.

Does anyone else have thoughts around this?

I just read this excerpt from Lucid Dreaming: Gateway to the Inner Self by Robert Waggoner (excellent book by the way):

Invariably, discussions with lucid dreamers yield clear differences between OBEs and lucid dreams. As I see it, there are six clear distinctions between the two phenomena.
[...]
In short, those experiencing OBEs normally recognize their state from the start; they often report unique vibratory and energy sensations preceding their experience; they seem to accept and not change their environment; they seem to recall easily the details of their experience; and OBE reports contain more reference to "returning to the body".

I must agree with the writer in that the two phenomena have certain differences in how they are perceived, so clearly there is some difference between them. But what exactly? My thoughts is that an OBE is the experience of (for example) the astral world in an objective way so to speak, without the subjective imagery of the dreaming subconscious interfering with the experience. That is, a lucid dreamer is "trapped" inside his inner world, his subconscious, projected as an image on the screen of the astral. I also suppose that this means that the subject's consciousness is in a different state. But I'm not sure about this, I would need more experience with both in order to come to a more certain conclusion.
Interesting stuff though

Well the vibrations sound a lot like what happens when you go into sleep paralysis before a WILD and then you enter the lucid

I just replied to a similar question somewhere else. Here is my take:

The best way to discriminate between the two is to compare it with your physical life. In physical life you rarely have an action sequence like in a film. In real life even dramatic events unfold in an unscripted fashion. In a lucid dream the inner story teller comes to the fore and presents you with a sequence of events with some kind of plot or drama element. Your subconscious acts out your emotions and unresolved issues employing archetypes as the dream characters like in a movie. This is all material brought out from your own subconscious and although you may be fully lucid and appear to be awake and it feels totally real it is still a dream, though a lucid dream. Nobody will be able to share it with you because it is played out on your own individual dream frequency. A thick plot with lots of drama is a dead giveaway that you are in a lucid dream. To make things even more complicated, you may actually act out your lucid dream in a consensus environment akin to some sort of sleep walker (dreams also take place while out of the body by the way).

In an OBE you decide the action and the events take place in a consensus environment rather than in a subjective dream field. It is much more akin to real life. In an OBE you call the shots, although you may still be subject to the action of other people it very rarely has the plot line or drama characteristics of a dream. I am going to devote a new article on this on my website: http://www.multidimensionalman.com. Watch the space.

Originally Posted by MDM

I just replied to a similar question somewhere else. Here is my take:

The best way to discriminate between the two is to compare it with your physical life. In physical life you rarely have an action sequence like in a film. In real life even dramatic events unfold in an unscripted fashion. In a lucid dream the inner story teller comes to the fore and presents you with a sequence of events with some kind of plot or drama element. Your subconscious acts out your emotions and unresolved issues employing archetypes as the dream characters like in a movie. This is all material brought out from your own subconscious and although you may be fully lucid and appear to be awake and it feels totally real it is still a dream, though a lucid dream. Nobody will be able to share it with you because it is played out on your own individual dream frequency. A thick plot with lots of drama is a dead giveaway that you are in a lucid dream. To make things even more complicated, you may actually act out your lucid dream in a consensus environment akin to some sort of sleep walker (dreams also take place while out of the body by the way).

In an OBE you decide the action and the events take place in a consensus environment rather than in a subjective dream field. It is much more akin to real life. In an OBE you call the shots, although you may still be subject to the action of other people it very rarely has the plot line or drama characteristics of a dream. I am going to devote a new article on this on my website: http://www.multidimensionalman.com. Watch the space.

I don't know about this. In most of my lucid dreams I'm just wandering around, doing random stuff. A few unexpected things happen, but there's no plot or drama. They're basically just like waking life, but with dream elements and goals.

I don't think there is a real difference between an OBE and a lucid dream. There's just a large variety of dream types.

Originally Posted by insideout

I don't know about this. In most of my lucid dreams I'm just wandering around, doing random stuff. A few unexpected things happen, but there's no plot or drama. They're basically just like waking life, but with dream elements and goals.

I don't think there is a real difference between an OBE and a lucid dream. There's just a large variety of dream types.

May be your lucid dreams are all OBEs?

Originally Posted by MDM

May be your lucid dreams are all OBEs?

I don't think so. Most of my lucid dreams start in the middle of a regular dream when I realize I'm dreaming. Then I go on to do whatever, in my dream body, exploring and manipulating the dream world. In a way, all dreams are OBEs, because they are not in your physical body, and all OBEs are lucid dreams, because they are created the same way.

Originally Posted by MDM

May be your lucid dreams are all OBEs?

most peoples WILDs start in the room they fell a sleep in.