I was walking to the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park with a friend.  We were walking and talking, side by side, along the shoulder of the road.  As if changing a television channel, I found myself in a completely different and unfamiliar environment: I was walking alone in a beautiful field of very fresh, green grass.  A large tree (oak?) was in full leaf on a hillock to my left.  Enjoying my peaceful surroundings and wondering what and who I would find as I continued to walk, it suddenly occurred to me that I had no idea how I had arrived there and thought to myself, �Wait, I was walking with ** in GG Park!�   

The very moment I completed that thought I was back in GG Park.  Confused, I surreptitiously glanced at my friend and realized that she hadn�t noticed anything unusual about my behavior.  I tried to casually ask her if I had been talking and walking during the last few minutes. (Wasn�t sure how long the experience had lasted, but it didn�t appear that we�d walked very far in the meantime.  Don�t recall trying to verify the actual distance though, so would say it couldn�t have been more than a few paces.)  She seemed a little confused (understandably) by the question, but confirmed that I hadn�t stopped walking and I had been talking with her without interruption.   

I was baffled that my body had continued with its movements and thought processes (carrying on a conversation) while I was �absent� from it.  Perhaps because I was so young, it didn�t occur to me that the experience might indicate a health issue.  (Though there apparently was none?)  There was no fear whatsoever--just bewilderment.  I didn�t mention the experience to my friend and didn�t discuss with anyone for years.

Any associated medications or substances with the potential to affect the experience?     No      

Was the kind of experience difficult to express in words? No      

At the time of this experience, was there an associated life threatening event?          No      

What was your level of consciousness and alertness during the experience?           I was alert and fully conscious.

            Was the experience dream like in any way?   No, it wasn't.

Did you experience a separation of your consciousness from your body?     Yes    

What emotions did you feel during the experience?            I felt peaceful and very content.

Did you hear any unusual sounds or noises?           No, I didn't.

LOCATION DESCRIPTION:  Did you recognize any familiar locations or any locations from familiar religious teachings or encounter any locations inhabited by incredible or amazing creatures?    No           

Did you notice how your 5 senses were working, and if so, how were they different?          Uncertain            Cannot say that my senses were heightened, but colors in the environment were very vivid: Extremely green grass, extremely blue sky, etc.

Did you have any sense of altered space or time?   Uncertain      When in the new environment, my prevalent reality momentarily forgotten, time seemed "normal" but when I returned to this reality it was very confusing because it did feel as though I'd been 'gone' longer.

Were you involved in or aware of a decision regarding your return to the body?       Uncertain            The feeling of concern when I remembered that I had been doing something else seemed to have been the catalyst that returned my consciousness to my physical body.  I didn't have the thought that I wanted to return, per se.

Did you have any psychic, paranormal or other special gifts following the experience that you did not have prior to the experience?         Uncertain      I had a shocking lack of curiosity about the incident that lasted for years until I stumbled upon a book by Robert Monroe approximately 10 years ago.  It seemed we had had similar enough experiences that I was compelled to try to induce an OOB.  It was successful and I've been experimenting with OOB work since then.

Did you have any changes of attitudes or beliefs following the experience?   Uncertain      Am now more interested in breaking down beliefs than creating new ones. ;-)  Cannot deny that this and subsequent experiences (as well as an OOB or NDE when I was about 10 years old--too tired to write about that now) has given me a fair bit to consider regarding what may lie beyond this reality.

How has the experience affected your relationships? Daily life? Religious practices? Career choices?       Oh, hasn't too much.  The ethic of reciprocity is always applicable regardless of where one finds oneself.

Has your life changed specifically as a result of your experience?         Yes     It has been fascinating to experience this unique portion of human consciousness.

Have you shared this experience with others?         Yes     Some folks ask if I had taken hallucinogens before the experience.  (No, I hadn't and, in fact, have never tried them.)  Some folks claim I had a seizure.  (Presume unlikely, since I've repeated the experience many times since.)  Some folks understand.

What emotions did you experience following your experience?  No real emotion following the experience. Nonplussed probably best describes how I felt.

What was the best and worst part of your experience?      The best part was that I *had* the experience.  There was no worst part.

Is there anything else you would like to add concerning the experience?        I use the term "out-of-body" because I've experienced the textbook sensations associated with the definition.  Am not sure exactly what is happening though.  Some claim we travel inward rather than outward.

Following the experience, have you had any other events in your life, medications or substances which reproduced any part of the experience?         No       No medications or substances.  Don't want to cloud my consciousness while I'm (hopefully) expanding it. ;-)  Do not feel the need for ritual in achieving OOB although I understand it is useful for some.  Different methods to the same end, I suppose.

Did the questions asked and information you provided accurately and comprehensively describe your experience?               Yes     Yes, it took longer than I thought it would to complete this survey.

Please offer any suggestions you may have to improve this questionnaire.    No suggestions.