Astral projection (or astral travel) is a spiritual interpretation of the out of body experience. It supposes we each possess a spirit that can roam freely from the body while we are in a semi-sleep or trance state.

For scientists, astral travel is a controversial notion because of the lack of direct physical evidence. For lucid dreamers, it bears striking resemblances with internally generated wake induced lucid dreams (WILDs).

So, as a scientist and a lucid dreamer you can imagine where I stand.

But it hasn't always been this way. For years I believed astral projection was a real, obtainable goal. I did everything in my power to achieve it.

Here's what happened when I did.

The Astral Confusion

As a teenager I was set on having out of body experiences.

Through meditation practices, I'd already had some tantalizing experiences of passing through the "vibrational state"; a harsh buzzing sensation which marks the onset of conscious sleep.

Around the same time I began having lucid dreams, which I more often initiated from within the dream state. It's a very different proposition.

But soon, I'd managed to separate my awareness from my body in bed, and float away into my bedroom. Sometimes I'd be floating in a dream bedroom; other times I felt it was for real (even if it was difficult to see much).

My beliefs at the time suggested I was genuinely traveling out of my body. I became too scared to travel very far out.

But over time, I had more WILDs, in which I entered my dreams, consciously, from a waking state. If I didn't imagine a dream scene, I'd start dreaming of my bedroom, and then I'd float out my body and out the window to begin my adventure. It was as tangible as any astral projection experience.

And so it soon made sense to me that the most likely explanation of all was that these slightly different exit methods were all internally generated dream states.

When I looked at it that way, the jigsaw pieces fell into place.

The Common Links Between Astral Projection and Lucid Dreams

Interestingly, the core experience of astral projection, out of body experiences, sleep paralysis and wake induced lucid dreams are very similar.

It begins when you are half-asleep in bed. You may feel paralyzed. You are aware of lying in bed, yet there are some funny sensations going on.

As you dissociate from your body, you begin to feel as if you're floating. Your mind shuts off awareness from your physical body. As long as you are awake, and your body falls asleep, you will naturally transfer your awareness to a more flexible replica body; a dream body.

You could describe this as a spirit or astral body. Or you could call it your lucid dream body. It's all about perspective.

To carry the perception that you are still paralyzed, or somehow stuck in your body in bed, will almost certainly create a frustrating experience. It may even become scary - especially if you start to dream that evil entities or astral spirits have entered the room. No-one likes a night time intruder.

Those bold enough to separate fully can explore the room, pass through walls and windows and even fly out into the night. It's no wonder that this incredibly realistic experience is interpreted as a spiritual one.

But wait a moment... I have still achieved all of this in lucid dreams. Considering the most likely explanation, I'm going with lucid dreaming. We can even call it astral dreaming. To my rational brain, I see no reason to invoke a stranger explanations.