People

Robert Monroe

Robert Monroe was an American businessman who conducted a systematic investigation of out-of-body experiences, founded The Monroe Institute, and wrote the book Journeys Out of the Body.

The Monroe Institute · Journeys Out of the Body · Businessman and out-of-body experience researcher

Robert Monroe was an American businessman who conducted a systematic investigation of out-of-body travel¹, later founding The Monroe Institute². He wrote the book Journeys Out of the Body³, which argues that a person is more than their physical self⁴. By the time of writing, his research spanned hundreds of experiments carried out over twelve years and was still continuing⁵.

Monroe found no physiological cause for the condition⁶ and began experimenting with it, keeping notes of each event⁷ — what the record frames as the beginning stage of his out-of-body research. Wary that discussing the phenomenon with his psychologist and psychiatrist friends would see him classified as their patient⁸, his only outlet, through occasional meetings, was Foster Bradshaw⁹, who lived with Mrs. Bradshaw about eight kilometres from Monroe’s office¹⁰ and who suggested that what Monroe was experiencing was astral projection¹¹; Monroe’s wife, for her part, accepted his condition reluctantly, having no other real choice¹². Monroe said he preferred the terms Second Body and Second State to “astral”, because he did not know what the word meant¹³. Within the Second State he distinguished Locale I — people and places that actually exist in the material world at the moment of the experiment¹⁴ — from Locale II, which he held was the natural environment of the Second Body¹⁵. He held that The Barrier was the same mechanism that blots out the memory of a dream, or of a Locale II visit, on waking¹⁶.

In what the record frames as the middle stage of his research, Monroe pursued experiments intended to produce evidence verifiable by ordinary means. In an early instance, the 1959-05-05 three-way device experience, he floated up, rolled in the air, and dove through the floor to find himself standing in an unfinished house overlooking a valley¹⁷. He considered the only results provable by standard confirmation to come from travel via the Second Body in Locale I¹⁸, and found that a theory that he was merely fantasising these visits, drawing on knowledge he already held of the person concerned, was undermined when several of his reported conversations produced information known only to the other party¹⁹. During an out-of-body visit to Agnew Bahnson on 1959-03-05, he reported seeing a boy tossing a baseball, a man loading an awkward device into a car, and people at a table dealing large white cards²⁰. Monroe recorded that Bahnson’s son later confirmed he had been tossing a baseball on his way to school at that time²¹, that Bahnson confirmed he had been loading a Van de Graaff generator into his car²², and that Mrs. Bahnson confirmed that, for the first time in two years, she had handed out large white envelopes with the morning mail²³. During the out-of-body visit to R.W. dated 1960-10-10, Monroe pinched her side to test whether she would recall the contact²⁴; she cried out at the time²⁵, and when questioned days later showed bruises at exactly the spot he had pinched²⁶, prompting Monroe to apologise for pinching so hard²⁷. Monroe himself assessed six details of the episode — the indoor location, the number of people present, their description, their actions, the acknowledgement of the pinch, and the physical marks — as matching between his impression and the confirmed facts²⁸, though he categorised the episode overall as an indeterminate case involving precognition or autosuggestion, noting that some prior knowledge of R.W.’s general whereabouts had been present²⁹.

Jacques Vallée, describing Monroe as a psychic experimenter, wrote that he reported a beam-of-light phenomenon during his investigations of out-of-body consciousness³⁰. Monroe recorded that on 1960-09-09, while lying on his bed, he felt bathed in and transfixed by a powerful beam seeming to come from the north, about 30 degrees above the horizon³¹, leaving him feeling completely powerless, as though in the personal presence of a very strong force³², and perceiving that the force carried an intelligence beyond his comprehension that searched every memory in his mind³³. He reported the same probing beam recurring from the same angle on 1960-09-16³⁴, and on 1960-09-30 experienced the same pattern again, this time perceiving beings that seemed to soar up into the sky as he pleaded after them³⁵. Monroe concluded that the intelligence behind the beam was impersonal and cold, and speculated that such visits could be the basis for humanity’s religious beliefs³⁶; he wrote that he cried afterwards and concluded that the God of his childhood and of organised religion was not as he had been taught to worship³⁷.

In what the record frames as the later stage of his research, Monroe undertook a psycho-physiological experiment at Topeka VA Hospital, driving approximately 110 kilometres from Richmond, Virginia, to arrive at an electroencephalography laboratory at 9:00 p.m. on 1966-07-19, for the session logged as EEG Experiment #EEG-5³⁸. A technician attached electrodes while he reclined on a cot in a semi-darkened room³⁹; after roughly forty-five minutes, a fractional relaxation technique had failed to bring full relaxation, so he broke to smoke a cigarette before trying again⁴⁰, then attempted a “roll-out” separation, felt himself rolling off the cot, and braced for a fall to the floor that never came⁴¹, before floating down and feeling himself pass through the EEG wires⁴². During the experience he reported seeing the technician together with an unidentified curly-haired man; afterwards she confirmed the man was her husband⁴³, whose presence Monroe had not known about beforehand and which he considered the only supporting evidence beyond whatever might appear on the EEG recording itself⁴⁴. According to Journeys Out of the Body, the technician confirmed that Monroe had not known her husband was present and had not met him previously⁴⁵.

Monroe also corresponded directly with others seeking the technique, writing to Richard Gordon to describe his out-of-body experiences and his method for leaving the physical body — a letter Mrs. Gordon read to Gordon repeatedly, at his own request, while he was in hospital⁴⁶. His influence extended into US government-linked remote-viewing research: the remote viewer Joseph McMoneagle came to regard Monroe as the one person he trusted who could control out-of-body experiences⁴⁷, and after attending a Gateway Voyage seminar at The Monroe Institute in Virginia in the autumn of 1983⁴⁸, worked in Monroe’s laboratory for close to fourteen months, eventually gaining a measure of control over his own experiences, though not as well as Monroe himself⁴⁹, which he found brought a substantial increase in control over his separate remote-viewing ability⁵⁰. Ed Dames later used Monroe’s programme on altered states and out-of-body experiences to evaluate potential recruits for Project Stargate⁵¹. The author Whitley Strieber never met Monroe himself but attended a Gateway programme at the institute⁵².

References (52)

American businessman who systematically investigates out-of-the-body travel.
“There is a curious parallel to this case in the experiences of Robert Monroe, an American businessman who systematically investigates out-of-the-body travel (see Chapter Six).”
THE INVISIBLE COLLEGE: What a Group of Scientists Has Discovered About UFO Influences on the Human Race ch13:24585-24755
Robert Monroe is the founder of The Monroe Institute.
“Bob Munro is the founder of the Munro Institute”
Whitley Strieber Reveals What 40 Years of Encounters Taught Him | Reality Check Rewind 00:24:54.1-00:24:57.2
Bob Monroe wrote the book Journeys Out of Body.
“Bob Monroe wrote the book Journeys Out of Body”
How The CIA Spent Millions On Psychic Spies - PROJECT: STARGATE (Documentary 1 of 3) 00:37:57.0-00:38:00.2
The book argues a person is more than their physical self.
“specifically trying to convince people that you're more, quote, you're more than your physical self”
How The CIA Spent Millions On Psychic Spies - PROJECT: STARGATE (Documentary 1 of 3) 00:38:01.8-00:38:07.0
Research spanned hundreds of experiments over twelve years and was still continuing.
“Hundreds of experiments spread over twelve years, and still continuing, have brought forth conclusions that seem inescapable yet alien to my environmental conditioning.”
Journeys Out of the Body ch10:24543-24698
No physiological cause found for the condition.
“Even after I had determined that there was no physiological cause, and that I was no more insane than most of my fellow men, the fears persisted.”
Journeys Out of the Body ch10:2204-2339
Began experimenting, keeping notes of each event.
“Finally, I began to experiment with this strange aberration, keeping notes of each event.”
Journeys Out of the Body ch10:2769-2852
Feared being classified as a patient by psychologist/psychiatrist friends.
“I was afraid that I would then be classified as their “patients,” and lose the closeness that equality (normalcy) brings.”
Journeys Out of the Body ch10:834-948
Foster Bradshaw was his only outlet to discuss the condition.
“There was no one to talk to about the problem, other than an occasional meeting with Dr. Bradshaw.”
Journeys Out of the Body ch10:2433-2522
The Bradshaws lived about eight kilometres from Monroe's office.
“Dr. and Mrs. Bradshaw live in a house some five miles from my office, up a hill”
Journeys Out of the Body ch11:2230-2305
Bradshaw suggested the experience was astral projection.
“Dr. Bradshaw had given me the clue, although he himself had heard about such things only remotely.”
Journeys Out of the Body ch10:16982-17071
Wife accepted the condition reluctantly.
“She accepted it reluctantly because there was no other real choice, and thus she became a worried witness to incidents and events much in contradiction to her religious training.”
Journeys Out of the Body ch10:1342-1511
Monroe preferred Second Body/Second State to 'astral'.
“As no attempt was made to delve deeply into this area, I still don’t know what the word “astral” means. Thus I prefer to stick to the terms “Second Body” and “Second State.””
Journeys Out of the Body ch10:17824-17990
Locale I defined as real people/places in the material world.
“It consists of people and places that actually do exist in the material, well-known world at the very moment of the experiment.”
Journeys Out of the Body ch12:464-580
Locale II held to be the natural environment of the Second Body.
“Locale II is the natural environment of the Second Body. The principles involved in its action, composition, perception, and control all correspond to those in Locale II.”
Journeys Out of the Body ch13:5087-5256
The Barrier blots out memory of dreams/Locale II visits.
“This is the same screen that lowers when you awaken from sleep, blotting out your last dream—or the memory of your visit to Locale II.”
Journeys Out of the Body ch13:23927-24058
1959-05-05 three-way device experience: floated, dove through the floor into an unfinished house.
“I mentally “wanted” upward, and I floated up... I was standing in an unfinished house, with no windows installed as yet, and materials and scraps lying around on the rough floor.”
Journeys Out of the Body 26
Only provable evidential results came from Locale I travel.
“Thus it is that the only evidential results provable by standard methods of confirmation have taken place while moving about via the Second Body in Locale I.”
Journeys Out of the Body ch12:900-1055
Fantasy theory undermined by data known only to the other party.
“At first, it was suggested that I was fantasizing these communications... This theory received a setback when a number of such communications brought out data known only to the second party.”
Journeys Out of the Body 62
1959-03-05 Bahnson visit: boy with baseball, man loading device, people dealing cards.
“3/5/59 Morning / In a motel in Winston-Salem... the first thing I saw was a boy walking along and tossing a baseball in the air and catching it. A quick shift, and I saw a man trying to put something into the back seat of a car... One person was dealing what looked like large white playing cards around to the others at the table.”
Journeys Out of the Body ch11:6527-6943
Bahnson's son confirmed tossing a baseball at that time.
“He said he was going to school. When asked more specifically what he was doing as he went, he said he was tossing his baseball in the air and catching it.”
Journeys Out of the Body ch11:8218-8369
Bahnson confirmed loading a Van de Graaff generator.
“Exactly at that time, he told me, he was loading a Van DeGraff generator into the back seat of his car. The generator was a large, awkward device with wheels, an electric motor, and a platform.”
Journeys Out of the Body ch11:8579-8763
Mrs. Bahnson confirmed handing out white envelopes.
“It seems that for the first time in two years, because they had all arisen late, she had brought the morning mail to the breakfast table and had passed out the letters to them as she sorted the mail. Large white playing cards!”
Journeys Out of the Body ch11:8979-9199
Monroe pinched R.W. during the 1960-10-10 out-of-body visit.
“I said I had to be sure, so I reached over and tried to pinch her, gently, I thought. I pinched her in the side, just above the hips and below the rib cage.”
Journeys Out of the Body ch11:20697-20848
R.W. cried out when pinched.
“She let out a good loud “Ow,” and I backed up, because I was somewhat surprised. I really hadn’t expected to be able actually to pinch her.”
Journeys Out of the Body ch11:20854-20989
R.W. showed marks matching the pinch location.
“There were two brown and blue marks at exactly the spot where I had pinched her.”
Journeys Out of the Body ch11:22619-22695
Monroe apologised for pinching hard.
“I apologized for pinching so hard, and she obtained from me a promise that if I tried any such thing again, I would try something other than a pinch that hard.”
Journeys Out of the Body ch11:22995-23149
Monroe listed six matching details of the episode.
“Identical reports with conditions of actual events: (1) Location (inside rather than outside). (2) Number of people present. (3) Description of girls. (4) Actions of people present. (5) The acknowledgment of pinching. (6) Physical marks from pinching.”
Journeys Out of the Body ch11:23366-23614
Monroe categorised the episode as indeterminate autosuggestion with preknowledge.
“In this episode, the time coincides with the actual events. Autosuggestion hallucination, indeterminate, as willful desire was suggested, and preknowledge was present of general location of R.W. at that time.”
Journeys Out of the Body ch11:23157-23360
Vallée: Monroe described a beam-of-light phenomenon.
“Another psychic experimenter, Mr. Robert Monroe, has described a similar phenomenon in his own investigations of out-of-the-body consciousness.”
THE INVISIBLE COLLEGE: What a Group of Scientists Has Discovered About UFO Influences on the Human Race ch14:20752-20881
1960-09-09: bathed in a powerful beam from the north.
“On the night of September 9, 1960... I suddenly felt bathed in and transfixed by a very powerful beam that seemed to come from the North, about 30° above the horizon.”
THE INVISIBLE COLLEGE: What a Group of Scientists Has Discovered About UFO Influences on the Human Race ch14:20897-21085
Felt completely powerless during the beam experience.
“I was completely powerless, with no will of my own, and I felt as if I were in the presence of a very strong force, in personal contact with it.”
THE INVISIBLE COLLEGE: What a Group of Scientists Has Discovered About UFO Influences on the Human Race ch14:21108-21249
Perceived the beam's force as intelligent, searching his memory.
“It had intelligence of a form beyond my comprehension, and it came directly (down the beam?) into my head, and seemed to be searching every memory in my mind.”
THE INVISIBLE COLLEGE: What a Group of Scientists Has Discovered About UFO Influences on the Human Race ch14:21254-21407
The same beam recurred on 1960-09-16.
“On September 16, at night, again from the verbatim notes of Robert Monroe: The same impersonal probing, the same power, from the same angle.”
THE INVISIBLE COLLEGE: What a Group of Scientists Has Discovered About UFO Influences on the Human Race ch14:21498-21633
1960-09-30: beings seemed to soar into the sky.
“On September 30, the same pattern: They seemed to soar up into the sky, while I called after them, pleading.”
THE INVISIBLE COLLEGE: What a Group of Scientists Has Discovered About UFO Influences on the Human Race ch14:22090-22190
Monroe concluded the intelligence was impersonal and cold.
“It is an impersonal, cold intelligence, with none of the emotions of love or compassion which we respect so much, yet this may be the omnipotence we call God. Visits such as these in mankind's past could well have been the basis for all of our religious beliefs.”
THE INVISIBLE COLLEGE: What a Group of Scientists Has Discovered About UFO Influences on the Human Race ch14:22288-22542
Monroe concluded God was not as he'd been taught.
“I sat down and cried, great deep sobs and I have never cried before, because then I knew without any qualification or future hope of change that the God of my childhood, of the churches, of religion throughout the world was not as we worshipped him to be.”
THE INVISIBLE COLLEGE: What a Group of Scientists Has Discovered About UFO Influences on the Human Race ch14:22685-22937
Drove roughly 110km to the EEG lab, arriving 9pm on 1966-07-19.
“July 19th, 1966. Arrived at the hospital EEG lab at 9:00 P.M., after driving seventy miles from Richmond.”
Journeys Out of the Body ch12:17739-17838
Technician attached electrodes.
“By nine-thirty in the evening, all electrodes had been attached by the technician, who was the only person present when I arrived. I reclined on a temporary cot, in a semi-darkened room...”
Journeys Out of the Body ch12:18002-18183
Fractional relaxation technique; cigarette break after 45 minutes.
“I went finally into the fractional relaxation pattern (count up from number one, associating each number with a body part...). After about forty five minutes of this without attaining full relaxation, I decided to take a break, sat up (halfway), and called to the technician.”
Journeys Out of the Body ch12:18564-18782
Attempted the roll-out separation method.
“I decided to try the "roll-out" method (i.e., start to turn over gently...). I started to feel as if I were turning, and at first thought I truly was moving the physical body. I felt myself roll off the edge of the cot, and braced for the fall to the floor. When I didn't hit immediately, I knew that I”
Journeys Out of the Body ch12:19612-19979
Floated through the EEG wires.
“This time, I let myself float to the floor beside the cot. I fell slowly, and could feel myself passing through the various EEG wires on the way down.”
Journeys Out of the Body ch12:20926-21071
Technician confirmed the man seen was her husband.
“I opened my eyes, sat up, and called to the technician. She came in, and I told her that I had made it finally, and that I had seen her, however, with a man. She replied that it was her husband.”
Journeys Out of the Body ch12:22955-23141
Monroe hadn't known of the husband's presence beforehand.
“The only supporting evidence other than what might have appeared on the EEG lies in the presence of the husband, of which I was unaware prior to the experiment.”
Journeys Out of the Body ch12:24188-24337
Technician confirmed Monroe hadn't known/met her husband before.
“She also confirmed that I did not know he was present, and that I had not met him previously.”
Journeys Out of the Body ch12:24566-24648
Letter to Richard Gordon describing his out-of-body technique.
““Why don’t you write him a letter,” she suggested... She read it again and again to Dr. Gordon whenever he was conscious. She told me later that these repeated readings were at his request, not at her suggestion.”
Journeys Out of the Body 60-66
McMoneagle regarded Monroe as the one person he trusted to control OBEs.
“In 1983, there was one man in the world who I felt I could trust who claimed he could control them, and that was Robert Monroe.”
Remote Viewing Secrets ch25:16180-16300
McMoneagle attended a Gateway Voyage seminar at the Monroe Institute in Virginia, 1983.
“So, I attended a Gateway Voyage seminar at the Monroe Institute, Virginia, in the fall of 1983, after which I asked if he could help me.”
Remote Viewing Secrets ch25:16413-16546
McMoneagle worked in Monroe's lab for ~14 months, gaining partial control.
“We worked together in his lab for a period of nearly fourteen months, where I was finally successful in learning to control the ability, albeit, not as well as he.”
Remote Viewing Secrets ch25:16550-16710
OOB training with Monroe increased McMoneagle's remote viewing control.
“I did find that there was substantial increase in control over my remote viewing ability as a result of the experience.”
Remote Viewing Secrets ch25:16938-17046
Ed Dames used Monroe's programme to evaluate Stargate recruits.
“One thing that we did use, and I especially as an operations officer, to evaluate potential recruits for the program was the Bob Monroe's program developing altered states and out-of-bodies.”
How The CIA Spent Millions On Psychic Spies - PROJECT: STARGATE (Documentary 1 of 3) 00:37:42.6-00:37:55.8
Strieber never met Monroe but attended a Gateway programme.
“I wish I could say I met Bob Monroe, Robert Monroe. briefly at the gateway I went to many years ago.”
Whitley Strieber Reveals What 40 Years of Encounters Taught Him | Reality Check Rewind 00:24:42.1-00:24:51.7

Robert Monroe

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