I'm aching for another subtle world experience like the one I described here that took place several months ago.  In that instance, I practiced affirmations about being out of body and having full awareness for 2 weeks before it happened.

So, now, I have my alarm set to every hour to remind me to do these affirmations.  "I am out of body now!!"  "Full awareness now!"  "Clarity Now!".  These are exercises recommended in William Buhlman's book Adventures Beyond the Body -a great reference and guide-book for anyone who wants to get serious about having experiences in the subtle world.  

It is absolutely possible to become 100% consciouss and aware in the dream state.  I'm speaking from that one experience I've had when I say, it's an experience that is just as real and alive as the waking state.  It blew my mind when I found myself there, fully aware.  I'm determined to have more experiences like that one.

I have a question that I am hoping science can answer one day. If scientists are studying our sleep patterns and how to predict whether we can remember dreams, then I would sincerely like to add this to their to-do list. 

You don't have to do much research to find some pretty hair-raising stories about sleepwalking. And this makes the word 'sleepwalking' a sort of misnomer, doesn't it? What I mean is, people do all kinds of things while they are asleep and we tend to use the word 'sleepwalking' to describe all of these activities. Everything from crocheting in a completely dark room to washing dishes to driving to sex - all of these things are called sleepwalking when the person is in that state of consciousness that is akin to sleep. That is, not fully conscious as in a waking state. While some people have even carried on quite lengthy conversations while in this state, in most cases they report having no recollection of their experiences upon waking.

People have done some fairly amazing things while sleeping that they would never attempt while awake. In 2005 a 15 year old girl was rescued from atop a 130 foot crane after she climbed it while sleepwalking. A passerby noticed her sleeping on the couterweight of the crane and called the police. The firemen who came to her aid were afraid to wake her for fear she would get startled and fall to her death. They ended up calling her cell phone so that a familiar sound would get her attention, and once she was aware of her situation she was safely brought down by the firemen.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-354802/Sleepwalker-age-15-curled-crane.html

I have a real question here: scientifically speaking, how do people do it?

Normally, during sleep our bodies become relaxed and our muscles don't do much until we wake up. But the kinds of activities sleepwalkers do are sometimes very intricate tasks that require lots of cognitive ability and fine motor skills. Even a seemingly mundane thing like crocheting takes a lot of concentration and patience - so how did a sleepwalking woman make considerable progress with her crocheting project in complete darkness? One could say something about 'muscle memory' but what about the colors being used? Climbing a 130 foot crane not only takes a certain amount of bravery, but to walk 40 feet horizontally along its arm would take the balance and steeled nerves of an experienced acrobat.

A doctor who studies sleep disorders who was interviewed for the story of the 15 year old girl said, "Anything you can do while awake, you can do while sleepwalking, and of course, without the fear factor."

Why did the doctor say, "of course, without the fear factor"? I believe it's because we are in a totally different state of consciousness that is more aligned with the subtle world. Have you ever had a dream that you were doing something normally considered dangerous in the physical world, and yet you were totally unafraid in the dream? Because in the subtle world, there are all kinds possibilities that simply don't exist in the physical world - and we all innately know this because we spend (on average) 37% of our lives in the subtle world.

I need to take this a step further - hey science, I'm talkin to you!

Those activities that require so much movement and concentration - how do we accomplish them while we are not engaging with full awareness of our surroundings? It seems to me that the ability to control one's body is not only coming from a different state of consciousness, but also a different part of the brain from the one we normally use to accomplish those tasks. Some of these tasks, such as driving, require all of our senses and concentration while awake, and one small lapse of attention can cause a lot of pain and damange. What part of our mind takes over, has no fear, and safely guides the individual through doing these things while asleep? And, noting that most people don't remember their sleepwalking acitivites, why is sleepwalking commonly associated with a type of short-term amnesia?

I wonder what kinds of things might be found to treat things like paralysis, Parkinson's, MS, or even plain old, run-of-the-mill anxiety. Let's get on this please...

I was reading Adventures Beyond the Body (click here for my review of it) a few months ago, at a very busy time in my life.  I did not have any significantly large enough blocks of time to sit down and just read without interruption –you may know what life is like with small children in the house.  However, this didn’t stop me from reminding myself constantly that “I have to read that book!” and picturing in my mind the physical location of the book, wherever it was at the time.

In the three weeks that I was repeating this to myself, I  noticed something very interesting: twice in my dreams, I noticed that in the middle of it, whatever the environment or situation was, I’d suddenly recall that “I have to read that book!” and I’d quickly follow up by asking, “where is it?!” The first time, in my dream, I “remembered” that I had left it on the table that was located about 10 paces behind me.  I turned around, walked over to the table, and sure enough, there it was!  The second time, I was outdoors and I recall thinking very intently, “I need that book now!”, and it materialized right into my left hand.

I described these occurrences to Michael (another member of the SubtleRealm.org team) one day, and in the course of the conversation, an idea arose for a thought-experiment: for the next two weeks, instead of thinking “I need to read that book” repeatedly, I’m actually going to do some of the techniques suggested in that book; I’m going to think intently: “I am now out of my body!”, I'm going to demand “full awareness now!” and “clarity now!”.  I repeated these affirmations several times a day, as often as I could remember, with as much conviction as I could muster.

I kid you not, on the night marking exactly 2 weeks from that conversation, I had the most lucid dream I’ve ever experienced in my life.  And, even though I’m not 100% sure about this (more research and experience required), I may have even had my first out-of-body experience. I remember suddenly realizing that I was 100% present.  I called out for “full awareness now!” and so it was.  “I’m here! I’m here! I'm in the subtle world!” I called out in excitement.  “Hmm… what should I do?”

I posted a description of my experience here.