Astral projection didn't emerge from academia or mainstream science. It was mapped by individual explorers — people who had spontaneous OBEs, became obsessed with understanding them, and spent decades documenting, analyzing, and teaching others how to replicate the experience. Some were researchers, some were mystics, and some built bridges between the two camps. Here are the figures who laid the foundation for everything we know about OBEs today.
Robert Monroe (1915–1995)
The single most influential figure in modern OBE studies. Monroe was a successful radio broadcasting executive who began having spontaneous OBEs in 1958. Unlike many before him, he approached the experiences with systematic, scientific curiosity — documenting every detail, experimenting with controls, and eventually founding the Monroe Institute in Virginia, where thousands of people have explored altered states under laboratory conditions.
His three books — Journeys Out of the Body (1971), Far Journeys (1985), and Ultimate Journey (1994) — are foundational texts. The first remains the single most important OBE book ever written, combining detailed case reports with a developing map of the non-physical environment Monroe called "Focus levels." His work is unique in its combination of rigorous documentation, practical technique development (he pioneered the use of Hemi-Sync audio technology), and willingness to revise his models as his experience grew.
Monroe's model of the astral — with Focus 1 (physical reality), Focus 2 (the dream/idle state), Focus 3 (the OBE state), and higher Focus levels reaching toward non-dual awareness — remains the most useful map available to projectors today. His research is required reading for anyone serious about the field.
Sylvan Muldoon (1903–1969)
Muldoon had his first spontaneous OBE at age 12 and spent the rest of his life studying and documenting the phenomenon. In 1929, he collaborated with psychic researcher Hereward Carrington to publish The Projection of the Astral Body, which remains one of the most detailed and practical OBE manuals ever written. Many of the experiences Muldoon described — the vibrational state, the sensation of being connected to the body by a "silver cord," the tendency to float upward during sleep — became standard features of OBE literature.
Muldoon's work is notable for its incredible specificity. He describes exact techniques for inducing projection, detailed accounts of the physical sensations involved, and practical advice for overcoming fear during the process. His work directly influenced Monroe and every OBE writer who followed.
Oliver Fox (1885–1949)
Born Hugh George Callaway, Oliver Fox was one of the first Westerners to systematically describe and categorize what he called the "dream of knowledge" — experiences of full consciousness outside the body during sleep. Writing in the 1920s, Fox documented his experiments with projection in Astral Projection: A Record of Out-of-the-Body Experiences (published posthumously). He developed one of the first structured OBE induction methods — the "pineal door" technique, which involves visualizing a door or opening above the physical body and projecting through it.
Fox influenced Muldoon and the early Theosophical writers. His work is less read today but historically important as one of the first Western attempts to treat OBEs as a trainable skill rather than a mystical gift.
Robert Bruce (contemporary)
Robert Bruce is the most influential living OBE teacher. His book Astral Dynamics (1999) is the most comprehensive practical guide to astral projection ever written — far more detailed than Monroe's work on the "how-to" level. Bruce developed the "New Energy Ways" system of energy body development, which provides structured exercises for developing the subtle body awareness that makes projection easier.
Bruce's major contributions include: the detailed mapping of the vibrational state and its role in projection, the concept of "blockages" in the energy body and how to clear them, and the "Rope Technique" — one of the most widely used OBE induction methods in the modern community. His later collaboration with Brian Mercer, Treatise on Astral Projection (a free online resource), extended his system further.
Bruce is also notable for taking a pragmatic, no-nonsense approach. He minimizes esoteric language, focuses on what works, and openly acknowledges the limitations of his own models. This has made him the go-to resource for the current generation of online OBE practitioners.
William Buhlman (contemporary)
Buhlman is a modern OBE researcher and author of Adventures Beyond the Body (1996), The Secret of the Soul (2001), and Higher Insight (2020). His contribution is a practical, non-dogmatic approach that emphasizes direct experience over belief. Buhlman's "targeting" technique — setting specific destinations or objectives before projection — is a valuable addition to the OBE toolkit.
Buhlman's work is particularly accessible to skeptics and newcomers because he consistently distinguishes between what he knows from direct experience and what he's speculating about. He also writes extensively about how OBE practice transforms everyday life, not just what happens during the experiences themselves.
The Scientific Researchers
Alongside the experiential pioneers, several researchers studied OBEs from the scientific side:
- Charles Tart (contemporary) — a psychologist who conducted some of the first laboratory studies of OBEs, including the famous "Zener card" study with subject "Miss Z" in 1968. His work established that OBEs could be studied scientifically.
- Olaf Blanke — a neuroscientist who demonstrated that OBEs can be induced through electrical stimulation of the temporoparietal junction. His work provides the neurological model of how the brain generates the sense of self-location.
- Michael Persinger — the neuroscientist who developed the "God helmet" that reliably produces OBE-like experiences through magnetic stimulation of the temporal lobes.
The scientific perspective often conflicts with the experiential accounts — neurologists tend to see OBEs as brain-generated illusions, while practitioners see them as real explorations. Both perspectives have value, and the tension between them is one of the most interesting aspects of the field.
The Esoteric Foundations
Before the modern pioneers, the groundwork was laid by esoteric writers:
- Helena Blavatsky (1831–1891) — founder of the Theosophical Society, who wrote extensively about the astral plane, the subtle bodies, and the possibility of conscious projection.
- C.W. Leadbeater (1854–1934) — Theosophist whose book The Astral Plane: Its Scenery, Inhabitants and Phenomena provided one of the first detailed maps of the territory. Dated but historically essential.
- The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn — the Victorian occult order whose practices for "skrying in the spirit vision" and astral travel directly influenced the modern Western OBE tradition.
Where to Start
If you're new to the OBE literature, the best reading order is:
- Monroe's Journeys Out of the Body — for the foundational map and the inspiration
- Bruce's Astral Dynamics — for the practical "how-to" system
- Buhlman's Adventures Beyond the Body — for an accessible, modern perspective
- Muldoon's The Projection of the Astral Body — for historical depth
Each of these books approaches the same phenomenon from a different angle, and together they provide a comprehensive foundation for your own exploration.