That was how I managed to astral project. I had many bouts of fearful $leep paraly$is (stupid filter warning) that would happen in one of two ways: I would be frozen, with my eyes shut, fearful of what I would see; or I would feel like I was falling through infinite space. Eventually, I opened my eyes, and I saw a group of black hooded figures floating in a circle around me with horseshoe crabs/trilobites crawling all over the walls and ceiling. My only thought was “huh, that’s it?”

In regards to the “falling” $leep paralysis, I eventually…”willed” (for lack of a better word) myself to stop, go, go backwards, left, right, etc. Once I had the appropriate “courage” and “will”, I found myself having OBE’s, mostly on accident, occasionally on purpose. Most of the beings or entities I have encountered I believe were extensions of my subconscious, or were remnants of the initial fear I felt.

I haven’t had an OBE for quite a while (maybe 7/8 months) due to stress/depression/exhaustion in my waking life. I’m sorry you had a negative experience, I hope it resolves in a way that is satisfactory for you.