Hi Stacy, I don't do the obes but view them as like an initiation to your greater self, your greater being, or your higher self, if you want to call it that, a more all knowing self. but obes were like just the first stage of getting some sea legs so to speak.

so I can't help any to make that exit for you, as I too, always woke up in the body after each attempt. so I just concluded to relax, not be fearful and see if anything at all would happen. usually I'd just go off to sleep.
it has been noted we go out of body each night anyway and just need to start trying to remember through dreams, where we have been; this would explain a feeling of waking up and not knowing how you got to that location within dreamscape.

you probably have a guide or two, maybe you will be one of the few who can do this successfully and consciously in time. however, there are other techniques to get to the same place.

if I had any advice, I know how much fun it is, I know you think something must be wrong that you don't lift out. just relax, Idon't think there is something wrong, I think you are just beginning.

some obers will say to imagine a rope to pull yourself with. you could try that if you want and see what happens.

another technique to be lucid is to be consciously aware every moment of the day, like very observant of each room you are in, it impresses upon you the feelings of conscious waking state versus conscious lucid obe state.

you could try different things, like imagination of walking into the kitchen in your dream body. its all experiment right now. wishing you the best, it is fun!

love, alysia

I think I've told all my stories here  but Stacy one time I was trying to exit my body by pushing my energy body out through the top of my crown chakra, right, and next thing I know I was so tiny, an entity, and got stuck in my mouth and was wondering who's giant teeth I was looking at!

so u can see why I don't much advocate the obe unless I was a dentist maybe.

you can practice looking at a chart of the 7 major chakras, and decide in your imagination which chakra you would like to emerge from.

my favorite by default is the one between the eyes.
and like Spooky, sometimes the whole point of an obe is to press your hand through something..its always a good high feeling to walk thru walls and such.

love, alysia