Negative aspects of Astral Travels and Near-Death Experience:

How to avoid the Negatives

Introduction

Establishing and recognizing the existence of the spiritual realm has given various reasons for believing in Out-of-body experiences. These experiences show that it is possible for the soul to be detached from the body through various means. Most of these experiences are not consciously activated but with the right practice, it has also become possible to activate them consciously for the sake of increasing spiritual knowledge and experience. Considering the seeming mystical nature of these activities, there are not many people who have the mastery of these acts. This implies that there will be a whole lot of trials and errors for those who are just starting out. In this scenario, negative aspects are borne to be present and the good thing is knowing how to handle these negatives properly when they come up.

As much as the out-of-body experiences (OBEs) may not be as delicate or dangerous as they are proclaimed, there are still possible negative outcomes that can arise as a result of a lack of knowledge and proper preparation when embarking on any of these activities. On the other hand, the out-of-body experiences should not be considered as something meant for a particular group of people who are spiritually inclined. Anyone can have an out-of-body experience at any time too because each person has a spiritual aspect. Sometimes the spiritual aspect is considered the true man and the body is simply seen as a vessel containing the real man which is the spirit. While this may not be totally so, it draws attention to the spiritual dimension which opens up for every man. For an effective discussion on the negative aspects of out-of-body experiences, it is important to understand what astral travel and near-death experiences mean.

What is Astral Travel?

This is also called astral projection. It is a temporary detachment of the astral form from one’s body. Man is believed to have an astral body which is different from the spiritual body and the physical body. The astral body is connected to the physical body through a silver cord that cannot be broken. This silver cord can be stretched as far as possible but it cannot be severed. This means that it is not possible to die off while having an astral projection. Sometimes dreams are examples of the happenings in the astral realm. The experience is very real as the astral world is a replica of the physical world except you are able to go to places by thought and to do some other things that you cannot ordinarily do in the physical world.

What is a Near-death Experience?

This is a face-to-face encounter with death and an experience of the afterlife which is cut short by an eventual return to the physical world. Those who have near-death experiences are believed to have come back as a second chance given to them to correct their wrongdoings. Usually, the stories of near-death experiences stress an encounter with the realities of the world beyond, a foretaste of the processes of the afterlife.

Negative Aspects of Astral Travels and Near-death Experiences

#1 Identity Crisis

When astral travel is undertaken without gaining full knowledge of the things involved, then there is a possibility of entering into a crisis of identity. In this situation, you are unsure of who you really are. Whether it is the physical body left behind or the astral body you travel with or neither. The crisis becomes real and consistently disturbing especially when you are intrigued by the discovery of the astral world which gives you access to a world of several possibilities. You begin to doubt the reality of the life you have been living and question if it is even a life at all.

In a near-death experience, the same identity crisis comes up. it is easy to lose a sense of who you are truly and who you are not. Most near-death experiences open up people’s past to them and they begin to see their lives in a wholly new way. This new perspective can be in contrast to the already conceived identity of the self. Thus, there is an identity crisis and one’s personality becomes shaken.

#2 Abrupt change of beliefs

A near-death experience can bring about an instant change of belief system as one gets exposed to a new world that was hitherto closed out. This can come as a result of anti-spiritual belief systems that did not make any sense to the individual before the encounter with a near-death experience. All those things which were conveyed in theory suddenly begin to play out and wipe out all the misconceptions which held sway before the experience. This abrupt change can actually change a lot of things on the return to the physical world.

Surely, the lifestyle will be different after having had a close encounter with death. Friends and family may become distant as you have transcended their level of thinking and conception. You will begin to see people and activities differently. Things that made sense to you in the past may no longer be meaningful to you anymore. Your priorities change and even though you know the reasons for this, others may not understand and can only see your attitude as abnormal.

In astral travel, the same is obtainable. When you are able to travel to places you like in the astral world and experience different realities, you begin to see life differently from when you had no such experience. You begin to enjoy talking about spirituality and investigating it. At this point you have the knowledge that most people do not have – the ability to leave the body and experience with your astral self – as such, people will find the things that you are saying new and abstract as they are unable to relate with them.

#3 Mental Health

It is possible to have issues with mental health when you approach astral travel or have a near-death encounter without proper knowledge. This is because there is a need for mental preparation in order to contain the shocks that will come from these life experiences. The psyche may be affected when spiritual realities are abruptly encountered without a mental preparation for them. It could be a form of depression that may lead further into more devastating mental health situations.

Practising astral travel on its own will ordinarily make you live a separate life of being alone in your own space because you will need to have quiet moments in order to effectively get positive results in your efforts. In the same manner, having a near-death experience will push you into deep personal reflection because you will keep thinking about the experiences that you just had and how your life could have ended if you did not return to your physical body. All these will lead you to enjoy the company of yourself alone drowned in thoughts.

On the other hand, it is possible for your mental health to be affected when you begin to get contrasting views from people. When people do not agree with the things you tell them. You begin to think that it is possible that you are imagining things or that you are going crazy. You begin to question your sanity as you are having feelings that people’s opinions may be right but at the same time, you are convinced of your astral experience or near-death experience.

#4 Loss of interest in the physical world

There is a tendency to despise existing in the physical world when you approach astral travel without proper preparation. A good understanding of astral projection and the place it has in the world is important in order to approach with the right mindset. If not, there is a tendency to desire permanent existence in the astral plane because you begin to detest what you see in the physical world and only desire more of what you see in the astral world.

In the same manner, when you have a near-death experience, you may not take life seriously when you return to the physical world because you have lost interest in the world and all your interests are now in the world beyond. This will be noticed even by those around you because all you talk about will be things concerning the afterlife and you will enjoy your own company more than anything else. All things that constitute pleasure in the physical world will lose their taste before you. While this may have a positive undertone, it can be negative especially when it begins to push you to suicidal thoughts. It is important to understand the importance of your physical body in relation to other worlds so that you can appreciate it and not detest it upon discovering other dimensions.

#5 Extrasensory perception and spiritual gifts

If you begin astral travel, you will discover that there are several things that you are able to do in the astral realm which you cannot do in the physical world. With constant interaction with the astral world, some of your spiritual abilities may be unlocked in the physical world and if you are not prepared to handle these, then, the spiritual abilities unlocked will be a disadvantage to your underdeveloped mind. There are people who are well known because of their ability to manifest from the astral realm into the physical realm. There is usually a mental and spiritual preparation required in order to wield such abilities that are not conventional.

People who have near-death experiences are usually opened up to the realities of the spirit. They understand that there is no joke about what constitutes the spiritual realm and they witness extrasensory realities from a first-person perspective. It is possible to gain access to any of their spiritual gifts through this encounter and if they are not prepared, these gifts will be a disadvantage rather than an advantage.

How to Avoid the Negatives of Astral Travel and Near-death Experience

In the description of the negatives above, the solution has also been mentioned often and on. The negatives can be avoided through proper knowledge and preparation.

#1 Proper Knowledge

It is not surprising that so many people joke about spiritual discussions related to astral travel and near-death experiences. They do not take them seriously and that is why encountering them without the proper knowledge will be harmful to them. It is important to know what astral travel and near-death experience are all about and be disposed towards them. Reading books on the theme and asking relevant questions to spiritual gurus will be of immense help in acquiring the required knowledge of these out-of-body experiences. Also, having a guru as a guide will also help you to face the negatives that may come up as a result of a lack of knowledge. With proper knowledge, when you have a near-death experience, you do not remain in shock for long because you already have the knowledge of such a thing and know how to handle your way through.

# Proper preparation:

This entails getting yourself ready to have any of these out-of-body experiences. Some people do not think that they have anything to do with these spiritual experiences and they take them for granted. This makes them less prepared for such experiences and when they are suddenly confronted by them, they fall into the negatives. Proper preparation can help you to cancel out a lot of the negatives involved in dealing with out-of-body experiences that may come without you planning them.

In conclusion, this article has opened up some of the negative aspects of astral travels and near-death experiences that may which should be noted by everyone and not just those who intend to undertake any of these experiences. Proper preparation and proper knowledge have also been identified as solutions to the many negative aspects that come up in these out-of-body experiences. Mentioning the negatives of astral travels and near-death experiences in this article does not make these activities all negative. Indeed, they are treasures that should actually be desired as they open up new dimensions of experience that will help in overall spiritual growth. The negatives have been mentioned to increase the awareness of these negatives so that you can avoid them and have a smooth ride in your encounters