My fellow Nexians,
I've been reading this site for well over 3 months and I appreciate being allowed to become a new member.
Finally getting to see photos in the forum and .pdf attachments, etc. is nice.
Although it did take me 4 days to deal with that questionnaire though - crazy.
I'll try to keep my history short.

Being raised poor gave me a great work ethic and appreciation for those that earn their way to the top.
This is something I too did in my chosen field - stopping short of becoming a business owner.
During the younger years, I seemed to know where to draw the line on partying and drugs while witnessing many others that didn't.
Lots of smoke (as this was just "normal" in my crowd) and light experimenting with THC, speed, hash, coke and even some blotter acid once.
I chose to go lightly on these because first I was concerned that overindulgence would likely inhibit my desire to succeed with a career and next (being raised broke) I didn't feel I could pay for that stuff very often.

Speaking with friends online about 8+ years ago they got me quite interested in OOBE - Out Of Body Experiences.
DMT was mentioned but they also warned me about how many folks just "liked it too much" and thus I decided that I didn't need to mess with it.
My then acquaintances that state they did OOBE frequently also said that using a drug to assist is NOT recommended and so I went along with that.
There have been a few threads here that I could locate that mention this subject also and it seems that a DMT experience is quite similar.
Robert Monroe, founder of The Monroe Institute is a true pioneer in OOBE but a search here yielded nothing and so I thought I would tell you that after reading all 3 of his books on the OOBE subject, I also spent the $ to experience a week in their realm (about 5 years ago).
It was most interesting that our class of 22 had six doctors (psychiatry and psychology) a few high ranking and specialized military folks, couples and 1 guy that I swear is a shaman in training - lol.
Having done so, I did not get to experience a full on OOBE but did get a touch better at Lucid Dreaming (very similar).

Enough time has passed that I no longer am concerned about how drugs would impact my work (retired early) and feel that I must pursue what I learned about the OOBE's and what is on the other side - and if I can't do it naturally then I'll do it with a DMT breakthrough.
Research has turned into something that I really enjoy, which lead me here and I found this site to be a cornucopia of knowledge.
My first extraction yielded .82% which I thought was bad until I read a lot of the old threads.
After more reading, I ran more experiments this morning with my 6 day old soup and I swear I saw crystals forming before it even hit the freezer. We shall see in the morning.
Anyway, since there was little talk of OOBE and possibly nobody here has been to TMI, I thought I could at least offer commentary on that area if asked.
My time so far though has been spent on learning the TEK's and I will now read more of the experiences by you other Nexians.
Thank you again for letting me in.
StratRider

During my teens and early twenties I had quite a few OOBE's without any external assistance, these days I'm too tired generally and don't have the mental energy nor the drive for it anymore - they were interesting experiences but, like DMT, didn't give me what I was really (still) looking for.

You need to be fresh, no sleep debt or fatigue, otherwise it is just too easy to slip into sleep. I always found that the best time was before lunch (digestion takes blood and energy, more liable to sleep).. you're sharp, breakfast is digested.

Lay down, or better if you own a recliner chair! Regular deep breathing for a minute to calm the body and mind, then relax the breathing, and pay close attention to the body as if you were like a hand inside a glove. Don't pay any particular interest to thoughts but don't let your mind wander into fantasy or recede into sleep, stay focused but relaxed. Your body will eventually start to feel heavy, then feel like your attention is receding inwards.. my 'head' always used to feel massive, sounds got muted but expansive like I was inside an empty silent football stadium..

This is now the crossover point and it's easy to slip into sleep and twirl off into a fantasy. Just stay self-aware, the body will fall asleep, and then exert will to move the body (can't, it's asleep).. the mind will then project outwards.

Never really got that far, my attention always waned after about 10 seconds. I would see my room and take in the sensation of it all.. then my attention would slip and it would turn from a projection into a dream.

Once I became convinced of the validity of the mind existing separately from the body I kind of lost interest in it. I mean what is difference between exploring there or exploring the physical world?

Over 20 years ago now I had my first natural OBE. It just happened and was a little freaked out by it but when I educated myself on the subject I took me on a life long journey which has been amazing. The first book I ever read was this one https://archive.org/details/youforever00lobs and helped me greatly at the time. I’ll also add that for me it has always been easier when my body is tired yet mind alert but like anything takes practice as it is very possible to just fall asleep if your mind is being lazy lol. I find the trick is to think about absolutely nothing with your intention still forward. DMT and mushrooms for me have been a wonderful compliment in this area and adds a new dimension. Do not fear the spice, it has many things to teach us.