Hi Quaero,

Welcome to the board.  Congrats on your accomplished abilities!  It really sounds like what you are describing is along the lines of OBEs?

I can try to answer one or two of your questions.  The "snap-back" you describe is perfectly normal, in my opinion.  I wouldn't worry about it.  During the first Retrieval I did, I got what you call the snap-back too.  I think it just will take practice and experience, but I wouldn't worry about the why's of it.  Don't pour all your focus on what you're doing wrong...just concentrate on what you're doing right!  And it really sounds like you have made some amazing progress. 

As for the snap-back, when it happens all you have to do is think and remember what you were just doing.  Just place your thoughts and intention right back to it and on being there again.  That is what I did during my first retrieval, and I was instantly back to the nonphysical location I was before.  It was utterly amazing.  One moment I was in the nonphysical scene, then later it would go blank.  I thought, "Darn!  I am not done yet!  I want to go back there" and then instantly the nonphysical scene popped back into view. 

Also what may be the same as your "snap-back" is when I have been in an OBE and have been "forcibly removed" from the out-of-body state and propelled against my will back to the physical.  One notable occasion of this was due to my diabetes, as once I woke up physically I realized my blood-sugar level was very low.  There are reasons for things that are beyond our control but for our own good. 

Next, don't feel guilty for jumping the gun and getting too quickly ahead of yourself during nonphysical encounters.  If something moves you along that quickly, I say just go for it and enjoy it.  I'm happy hearing your success with your contact of your loved one. 

Good job!

Vicky

Thanks for your replies, Vicky and Betson.

They helped ease my mind a little.

I did not mention that after the "snap-backs", on further explorations, I later experienced what I think was a "click-out" -- twice.  It started as things going very dim and then a brownout, and then blackness.  I awoke in my bed, those times.  I was with my loved one, and after the first one, I tried to go back to explain to her what happened -- I guess I probably disappeared in front of her.  I could see only the dimmest of images of her, but "felt" it was her.  These rapidly disappeared in brown fog and then I blacked out again and was in my bed once more.

It was several days before I could do this again, and I was incredibly tired -- could hardly stay awake in the daytime hours in Physical.

I'm sorry if I used confusing terminology -- I'm new at this -- but I did not have on OBE, I don't think.

I still had the awareness of my physical body while "out there", but was focused strongly away from it and did not really notice it except occasionally.

I am very lucky though, that my "visions" are 3D, full-color, and holographic.

There is also a sense of touch/feel.  For example, when I kiss her, her lips feel warm and soft, but not as strongly as in Physical, by any means.

Sometimes I see fairly clearly -- other times it has a dreamlike or fuzzy quality.  Surroundings of what I was focused on started out as blackness -- but now I often see dim things in the background, not bright enough to make out detail.  I see my loved one best of anything else.

However, it is not like seeing in your physical body -- as an OBE is, I'm told.  I am seeing images in my head -- but not like a movie screen -- as I said, they are 3D and have depth to them.

I really don't know what I am doing, or how to evaluate it in terms of what others see.

But it is something, anyway -- and I am able to be with my Love to some extent  That is worth a lot to me.

I'm going nuts trying to figure out how to improve the experience.  As you said, Love is a motivator like no other.

Thank you for your friendly advice and assistance.

It is appreciated very much.

Quaero

Thank you, Romain, for the welcome.

I hear what you're saying.

I agree with you, that as we travel our path, we should help others in need that we encounter along the way.  As best we can.

As a matter of fact, I have already done two Retrieval assists.

That started when I realized that the ease with which I found my loved one, and kept traveling to see her was something beyond luck -- and certainly beyond my current abilities, in my opinion.

I then spoke into the Blackness and said, "Whomever has been helping me, you have my greatest gratitude and appreciation.  I will repay you somehow."

A strong male voice answered from the Blackness -- I could see nothing, "You don't owe me anything, Bud.  I'm happy to help."

I then said, "Nevertheless, I would like to do something for you in return.  Do I have enough ability yet to perhaps assist you in a Retrieval or something?"

An image suddenly faded into view in front of me.  He looked like an ex-Marine.  Very stocky and muscular, short haircut, and square jaw.  Not somebody you would want to mess with, if you saw him in the Physical World.

He said to me, "You know, I might have something.  But not today.  You don't look so good, Pal.  You better get your butt back to Physical for a couple of days."

He continued, "When you come back, call out for 'Tom'.  You can call me 'Tom'.  I'll see you then."

He disappeared.

After that, I helped Tom with two retrievals.  One was a very old man that I worked with alone -- except for Tom, of course.  His name was Fred.  That was successful, though it took a little convincing to get him to come with me to Tom.

The other was a young child.  I asked Tom if I could bring my loved one along with this one.  He thought it would be great -- a married couple approaching the child would be less frightening than a lone male.  He told me my loved one's vibration was higher than mine (though lower than his) and the child, though deceased, might not be able to see her yet.

Tom said, just to be sure, to touch her or keep my hand on her while I was near the child to be sure he would see her -- until we could touch the child himself (Timmy).

That was the easiest instruction I have ever been given.

My loved one and I went to the child, loved and comforted him -- she is super with children, anyway -- then we, together, led him to Tom for transport.  As we approached Tom, I saw he no longer looked like the ex-Marine -- he looked like someone I didn't recognize.  I guess a member of Timmy's family or something.  Timmy really lit up when "Tom" took his hand.

Tom thanked us and they both flew away together, vanishing from sight quickly.

So both Retrievals went O.K.  I think Tom probably gave us the easiest ones he had.  Timmy had been dead only a few days.  Fred had passed over several weeks before.  I would imagine that the longer they have been "stuck", the harder it is to convince them to do anything.

There is more detail to these stories -- I wrote everything in my journal.  Perhaps one day I might post more of it.

I plan to keep helping Tom with Retrievals -- he is always there when I need him, so I must repay his friendship.  Besides, it is something that needs to be done and it is a way I can contribute something back to those Someone's who help us without expecting anything in return.

I have been going to be with my loved one every day for at least one or two hours -- in addition to my other exercises and practices.  It is rather tiring, but I find myself unable to not see her for more than 24 hours right now.  I feel a lot worse than tired if I don't see her often.

So, I plan to mix in Retrievals with those trips as often as I can.  These first two Retrievals didn't last long, but I imagine the difficult ones can take much longer.

I am astounded by all this.  I, like Bruce, am an engineer -- thus rather "left-brained".  However, in our defense, engineers do use the right brain quite a bit in original design work and such.  The left brain and mathematics come in later, where the conceptual parts have to fit precisely -- dimensioning and tolerancing, etc., etc.

Thus, even though I have the plodding engineer's mentality and demand for verification of everything, I have not tried to verify any of this yet.  Perhaps I will one day, but not now.

I am happy to take the word of Bruce and many of you other folks here for now.

And, most of all, the explosion of love that has occured in my heart is my verification.  Surpisingly, for me, I think I trust that more than any brain-led verification.

Whatever has occured to me, it is GOOD!  I'm going for it with all the determination I can muster.

Love to All,

Quaero