In this episode of In & Through, Dr. Simon Ruffell is joined by Jade Shaw, teacher, researcher, and guide in out-of-body experiences (OBEs), astral projection, and the dream state, for a conversation spanning neuroscience, Tibetan Buddhism, shamanism, ADHD, why out-of-body experiences are not the same thing as lucid dreams (Jade’s had well over 300), and what is technically involved in teaching people how to navigate the further reaches of human consciousness.
“We tailor techniques to the way you perceive reality. So if you're more visual, are you more audio? Do you feel like you sense energy? And so there are techniques that would specifically work more best for you if you're a more visual person. If you can't visualize it all, then maybe more of the logical techniques and tools might help.”
Opening what becomes a generously technical discussion, Jade shares how childhood OBEs and a chance encounter with Robert Monroe's classic book Journeys Out of the Body led her to abandon a dance career and return to university to study transpersonal psychology. She explains the key differences between lucid dreaming and OBEs, and what five years in a Tibetan Buddhist temple taught her about consciousness transference, an advanced practice used to prepare for death, help stuck souls move on, and, in the Dalai Lama's case, consciously choose whether to reincarnate.
Host Dr Simon Ruffell draws on his own training with the Shipibo in the Amazon rainforest to spotlight the prejudicial limitations that Westernised research all too often places on extraordinary experiences and entity encounters when it calls into question their veridicality, which leads to a wider discussion of ways that Western researchers have been known to go about getting to grips with the realness of spirit contact. Jade and Simon then reflect in particular on the experiences of Harvard psychiatrist John Mack's research into alien abduction, with Jade sharing follow-up insights gleaned at a private Esalen gathering of ex-government officials exploring non-human intelligence through astral projection.
Jade and Simon also cover intention, mindfulness, neurodiversity, harm reduction, and the moving stories of students whose OBEs changed the course of their lives. The episode concludes with a walkthrough of Jade’s current six-month study at the Institute of Noetic Sciences, which tracks the transformative effects of OBE practice in 200 participants.
Thought-provoking and satisfyingly precise, this conversation is an excellent opportunity to engage directly with practicing OBE exploration. For the OBE-curious, Jade has developed an introductory three-step guide.
Links
Jade’s website
Instagram: @jadeshawofficial
