I don't necessarily believe that personal testimony is worthless. I take individual accounts and see what evidence they are based off of then form a conclusion of whether I believe them, don't believe them or wouldn't doubt it one way or another.
In terms of astral projection, spirit guides, the third eye, I have my own theory of belief on it. If you've ever met someone who's had an out of body experience or has projected before, they are 100% convinced of it. I don't think they are making it up. I do, however, believe there's an scientific answer for it even though we may not understand it fully.
I believe out of body experiences are not truly out of body experiences, but rather brain chemical reactions produced during sleep that causes very real, vivid and concious dreaming in an alter state. I think it's tied in closely with the phenomenon of sleep paralysis. Those who can project at will are able to control this.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis
I think there are many different levels of sleep paralysis and some experience it very differently than others. I had my first episode of sleep paralysis right before I went on my mission. I had no idea what it was or what happened at the time.
Basically, I went to bed and locked my door with a cabin hook latch I had on the door. I don't remember dreaming at all that night. When I woke up I remember feeling pressure on my covers, like something was on me. As I begin to wake up, I suddenly realized there was something all over my bed. My dresser, which was right next to my bed, had each drawer's content emptied on top of my covers and the drawers were placed on the ground all around my bed. I thought it was a prank by my brother's or my step mom was pissed at me for something (I don't hold anything past her,) but again, my door was locked and there was no way for someone to enter my room.
My family gave me **** for it, but thought it was creepy. I had never slept walked in my life and was convinced I hadn't done it. It was something I didn't like to think about and gave me the creeps. At the time, I was religious and believed in demons and the adversary. Now, I'm convinced it was me and it was my first brush in with sleep paralysis.
My second incident with sleep paralysis was when I got home from my mission. I remember waking up in the morning, but I was completely frozen to my bed and I couldn't move. My bed began to heat up like an oven and began to violently shake. I don't know how long I experienced this for, but it scared me so bad I never told anyone for a year because I thought they would think I'm crazy.
A few years later, I started having sleep paralysis all the time, but nothing any more scary than being awake but not being able to move. I learned about sleep paralysis and was relieved there was a scientific answer for these crazy dreams or experiences I had all the time.
A lot of people who get sleep paralysis experience some crazy ****. Many think someone is sitting on their chest or someone is standing above them or in their room. I think people who think they were possessed by the devil or have been abducted by aliens are just experiencing sleep paralysis. I think people who say they astral project experience the same thing and are convinced because the experience is so unbelievably real.
I've learned how to handle sleep paralysis and have probably experienced it 50 times or so in my life. Sometimes, it much more intense than other times. I've learned not to fight it or try and move - that turns very scary real quick. If I'm by myself, I try and relax and fall back asleep. There is one thing I can physically control during an episode and it is my breathing. I can breathe really quick through my teeth and make a weird noise. I've taught my girlfriend to physically shake me and wake my *** up if she hears me doing this while sleeping which she has, many times now. It still freaks her out. Lol
Even though I know what's going on, it still is scary almost every single time for me. Last year, I had my scariest experience of all during an episode of sleep paralysis while on a business trip to Prescott, AZ. Thinking of it still makes my hair on my neck stand.
Probably too long and too much to share. I'm waiting to board a plane in PHX. Anyone else have experiences with sleep paralysis?