---
title: "Is Astral Projection Real? What Science Knows About OBEs"
description: "Out-of-body experiences are real experiences, and brain stimulation in one 2002 case produced them on demand. No study shows anyone actually leaving the body."
url: https://shimmr.app/learn/astral-projection/
---

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# Is astral projection real? What science knows about out-of-body experiences

Out-of-body experiences are real experiences, and brain stimulation in one 2002 case produced them on demand. No study shows anyone actually leaving the body.

The Shimmr team

Published Oct 31, 2026

4 min read

- **What it is:** astral projection is the belief that your mind or “astral body” can leave your physical body and travel; science studies the feeling itself under the name out-of-body experience, or OBE.
- **Is it real:** the experience is real and well described, but no study has shown that anyone actually leaves the body or brings back information they could not have known.
- **The brain:** in a 2002 case reported in Nature, electrical stimulation of one spot in the brain, the right angular gyrus, repeatedly produced out-of-body experiences in one patient.
- **When it happens:** out-of-body feelings often come at the edge of sleep, and research on sleep paralysis ties them to sensations of floating, spinning and moving.
- **Is it dangerous:** trying it is not harmful in itself, but it can be frightening; if you have a history of dissociation or psychosis, talk to a clinician first.

Hear it

## What is astral projection?

Astral projection is the belief that your consciousness can leave your physical body and travel, in a second, lighter “astral” body. People who search “is astral projection real” usually want to know two things: whether the experience happens, and whether anything really leaves. The first answer is yes. The second, as far as science can tell, is no.

Scientists study the experience under a more neutral name: the out-of-body experience, or OBE. It is a short feeling that your sense of self has moved outside your body, often with a view of the room from above. The term became popular through Robert Monroe’s 1971 book “Journeys Out of the Body”. Monroe later made the [Gateway tapes](https://shimmr.app/learn/gateway-tapes/), a guided audio course that brought astral projection to a new audience on TikTok in 2021.

## Is astral projection real?

The out-of-body experience is real, in the sense that people genuinely have it and can describe it in detail. It happens to healthy people, often when they are drifting into sleep or waking up, and it can feel more vivid than a dream.

What has not been shown is the astral part: that the mind actually separates from the body. No study has reliably shown a person bringing back information they could not have known, such as a number hidden on a high shelf. That is the test that would settle it, and it has not been passed.

So it helps to separate the two ideas:

| Idea | What the evidence says |
| --- | --- |
| People feel they leave their body | Real and well documented |
| The brain can produce that feeling | Shown in lab and case studies |
| The mind truly travels outside the body | No reliable evidence |

Many faiths and traditions have their own views on the soul. Those are questions of belief, and science does not answer them either way. What science can describe is how the feeling is made.

## What happens in the brain during an out-of-body experience?

During an out-of-body experience, the brain seems to lose track of where the body is. Your sense of “here” is built from many signals at once: touch, the position of your limbs, and balance from your inner ear. When those signals stop lining up, the feeling of being inside your body can slip.

The clearest evidence comes from a [2002 case report in Nature](https://doi.org/10.1038/419269a). Doctors were mapping the brain of one patient being assessed for epilepsy surgery. Each time they gently stimulated a spot called the right angular gyrus, the patient had an out-of-body experience, and her arms and legs seemed to change shape or shift. The authors suggested OBEs may come from a failure to combine body sense and balance information.

A [2014 brain scan study](https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2014.00070) looked at one woman who said she could produce the feeling at will. The scans showed activity mostly on the left side, including areas near the temporoparietal junction, a region linked to OBEs. The researchers read it as an unusual kind of movement imagery: her brain was simulating movement very vividly.

## Why do out-of-body experiences happen near sleep?

Out-of-body experiences often happen at the edge of sleep because the brain’s body map loosens there. As you drift off, you pass through the [hypnagogic state](https://shimmr.app/learn/hypnagogic-state/), a light stage where images and sensations arrive while you are still partly aware.

Sleep paralysis is a common setting. It is a brief moment when you wake while your body is still in the stillness of dreaming sleep. A [study of online surveys of sleep paralysis](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2007.05.002) found that out-of-body feelings were tied to floating, spinning and moving sensations, the kind your balance system produces. Our guide to [sleep paralysis](https://shimmr.app/learn/sleep-paralysis/) explains why it happens and why it is harmless.

Lucid dreaming is a close cousin. In a lucid dream you know you are dreaming, and the world around you is a dream world. In an OBE you seem to be awake in your real room. Both start in the same drowsy borderland.

## Is astral projection dangerous?

Trying astral projection is not dangerous in itself. Most methods ask you to lie still, relax deeply and stay aware as you fall asleep, which is a form of rest. You cannot get “stuck” outside your body, because nothing has left it.

It can be frightening, though. The edge of sleep can bring a buzzing feeling, a sense of a presence in the room, or a moment where you cannot move. These are normal features of sleep onset, and they pass in seconds or minutes.

Two cautions. If you have a history of dissociation (feeling detached from yourself) or psychosis, talk to a clinician before you practise, since blurring the line between body and self may not be good for you. And if you get frequent sleep paralysis or strong daytime sleepiness, mention it to your doctor.

## Can binaural beats help you astral project?

Binaural beats do not cause out-of-body experiences, and no study shows they do. A binaural beat is the slow pulse your brain hears when each ear gets a slightly different tone. The Gateway tapes use them, but what the course actually asks of you is to lie still with a wakeful mind at the edge of sleep. Its first step, [Focus 10](https://shimmr.app/learn/focus-10/), is described as “mind awake, body asleep”.

That state is something you can practise without any one recording. A slow beat in the theta range, 4 to 8 Hz, can give your attention something to rest on as you drift. Shimmr is not affiliated with the Monroe Institute and has no Gateway content; it is simply a way to try binaural beats. The Tense → At Ease Shift glides from Beta to Theta over 15 minutes on headphones, and isochronic theta sessions work on speakers. Whether you notice anything unusual or simply rest deeply, both are normal outcomes.

- [Astral projection app Looking for an astral projection app? Here is what an app can honestly do.](https://shimmr.app/astral-projection-app/)

In the app

Tense → At Ease · 15 min

A binaural Shift that glides from Beta to Theta, the slow rhythm of drowsiness, while you lie still with headphones on.

## Common questions

**Is astral projection real?**

The out-of-body experience is real: many people have it, and neuroscientists can even trigger it in the lab. What has never been shown is that the mind really leaves the body or gathers information from somewhere else.

**What is the difference between astral projection and lucid dreaming?**

In a lucid dream you know you are dreaming and the dream world feels separate from your bedroom. In an out-of-body experience you seem to be awake and looking at your real surroundings from outside your body. Both often start near sleep, and some researchers see them as close relatives.

**What happens in the brain during an out-of-body experience?**

Studies point to the temporoparietal junction, an area that combines touch, body position and balance into one sense of where you are. When that combining fails, you can feel that you are somewhere other than your body.

**Is astral projection dangerous?**

Lying still and trying it is not dangerous in itself, though the sensations near sleep can be frightening. If you have a history of dissociation, psychosis or frequent sleep paralysis, talk to a clinician before you practise.

**Can binaural beats help you astral project?**

No study shows that binaural beats cause out-of-body experiences. A slow beat can help you lie still and drift toward the edge of sleep, which is the state most astral projection methods ask for.

Keep reading

- [Meditation The Gateway tapes: what they are, what the CIA report says and the binaural beats inside](https://shimmr.app/learn/gateway-tapes/)

- [Sleep The hypnagogic state: what happens at the edge of sleep and how to stay there](https://shimmr.app/learn/hypnagogic-state/)

- [Sleep Sleep paralysis: causes, the figure you see, how to stop it](https://shimmr.app/learn/sleep-paralysis/)

This article is for general information and is not medical advice. Binaural beats are not a treatment for insomnia or any other condition.