Gibberish!December 24, 2008 I purchased this book based upon the strong reviews posted here. Unfortunately the book is 300 pages of gibberish. It is possible that this is an excellent book... if you have read Monroe's previous works. The book is like a flow of ideas and experiences with little structure and loaded with jargon that Monroe likely coined himself. The instructional value for anyone beginning is nil.
I would instead recommend "Adventures Beyond the Body" by William Buhlman for something that is easy to read and understand. It contains personal stories as well as mental exercises and instructions for attempting your first OBE.
The Last & Most ReadableNovember 24, 2007 2 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is the third and final book by Robert Monroe. It is the most readable of the three. I like Robert Monroe, but I don't like his books. They just always leave me feeling that an OBE is the last thing in the world I would want to experience! Try William Buhlman's books if Monroe is not your cup of tea.
Far reaching account of an important themeApril 9, 2007 3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I read this book in the early 90s shortly after it came out. I had read the other 2 books of the same author before and this tops them all - and with a bang! I still measure all OBE literature against this classic and most fall short. - absolutely recommended reading even for the OBE illiterate.
Not sure how real it all is...March 30, 2007 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I have now read all three of the late Dr. Monroe's books and in the correct sequence, but I'm still not totally convinced of the reality of his 'journeys'. My readings in Buddhism and other spiritual systems tend to support his experiences, at least to some degree, but much of what I've read in the many NDE (near death experiences) accounts and studies that I've read (cf. Ring, Valarino, et al) don't quite match up. Where is the tunnel of light? etc. Nothing much about Karma either. But reincarnation is neatly confirmed and then some.
In his favor, I don't see any reason why he would invent this material. He was already independently wealthy when he started writing and didn't seem to have any need or want for public attention. More importantly, he set up his Institute which has been functional for several decades now and enjoined the cooperation of many leading scientists etc. and it has produced numerous useful papers and books.
Also his work in hemi-sync research is much respected by other scholars, even utilized by the US Army and elsewhere, and the hemi-sync is the fundamental tool he had used to facilitate others entering into the states of altered consciousness which have led to their own parallel experiences which sort of confirm his.
Above all, he tries to present all this in a calm and fairly objective, almost scientific manner, without the usual touchy-feely trendy 'New Age' kinds of wishful thinking that so often pollute these kinds of subjects.
Still... In his earlier 'Far Journeys' and in this volume, there is a certain amount of flippant or pseudo-humorous, near-comical material, e.g. with respect to 'KT-95' and its denizens and their activities and interests, and the conversations he has with entities from there, as well as the conversations he has with the INSPECs (i.e. himself, as it turns out!). All of that seems to me to be almost silly rather than reflective of any reality he encountered.
He does gradually bring all the material into a kind of all-inclusive theory or presentation of the purpose of life, our origins, etc., and (mostly) what happens to the 'soul' or 'essence' of us when we depart, and it all rounds in as something pleasant, happy, and optimistic - in other words exactly what the average reader wants to hear. And he may have been right about it all, but it could also be just a little too good to be true.
I think that his first book 'Journeys out of the Body' was far and away the most interesting and best-written. As for this one, oh well, even if what he writes isn't really true after all, if nothing else it is at least quite entertaining.
IncredibleFebruary 10, 2007 5 out of 5 found this review helpful
It may get a confusing if you haven't read the previous books, but this is an amazing and thought-provoking read.
