History Main / AstralProjection

* ''Series/WandaVision'': In TheStinger of the series finale, [[spoiler:Wanda is seen performing an astral projection while studying the Darkhold.]] Notably, unlike Doctor Strange, [[spoiler:she can project herself while fully awake, as her physical body can be seen getting up to make tea.]]

** The ''astral projection'' spell, naturally. It's higher-level magic than ''plane shift'', which instantly teleports the caster and any fellow travelers to a given plane, but ''astral projection'' works a bit differently. The subjects' bodies go into suspended animation as they send their astral forms, which are identical to their physical bodies save for a a silvery cord of infinite length extending behind them, to the [[VoidBetweenTheWorlds Astral Plane]], where they can search for a color pool linking to another plane of existence. Once on that plane, a duplicate body is created for the subject, and should it be "killed" or the caster decide to end the spell prematurely, everyone's souls get retracted along their silver cords back to their ''real'' bodies, which are unaffected (save for occasional complaints of a headache). So long as any planar travelers' original bodies are well-protected, ''astral projection'' is thus a safe way to explore the cosmos... with the big caveat that should they run into the rare threat capable of severing the silver cord of their astral forms - such as the bite of an [[{{Kaiju}} astral dreadnought]] or a [[SpacePirate githyanki]]'s silver sword - the victim's soul is separated from their body, instantly killing them.

* ''Series/{{Charmed|1998}}''
** Prue develops this as a power in the second season although it's treated more like [[SelfDuplication cloning]].
** A warlock in Season One displays a more traditional verison of the power; he is invisible to others (meaning he can spy on the girls) and he is able to influence people by whispering into their ear. He uses this to [[spoiler:simultaneously make Prue steal a tiara from the auction house and make her believe she's just locking up like normal, leading to her arrest]].
** The power returns in Season 7 when [[spoiler:the girls are taught the power by Leo (who learnt it from Prue) offscreen and use it to distract Zankou and trick the authorities into believing they'd died in the explosion that killed the Nexus]].
* Weird Al did this once on ''Series/TheWeirdAlShow''. Once he achieved it, all he did was go watch TV for a while before returning to his body.

* "The Walk" from ''Series/TheXFiles'': Rappo, the MonsterOfTheWeek and an EvilCripple, can detach his phantom soul from his body. He uses this power for RevengeByProxy, killing off families of military men.
* In ''Series/ThePowersOfMatthewStar'' Matthew has astral projection as one of his powers. Unlike most astrals, his is solid and can interact with objects & people freely. He just needs to get back to his body within a certain amount of time.
* In one episode of ''{{Series/Supernatural}}'', Sam and Dean are taught how to astral project so they can communicate with the spirits and reapers in a town and find out why no one has been dying.

* ''{{Series/Beyond}}'': What happened to Holden and Charlie due to their comas, and what the machines Arthur and Frost built allow others to do. It also seems to be a separate ability Holden has generated or retained after he woke up from his coma.

* ''Series/TheFortyFourHundred'': In "Audrey Parker's Come and Gone", the title character, an elderly free spirit, gains the power of astral projection after taking promicin. When she separates her consciousness from her body, she sees herself as the young woman that she was in the 1950s. Audrey uses her ability to travel throughout UsefulNotes/{{Seattle}} and observe the lives of its residents. After she is murdered while outside of her body, Audrey's consciousness survives. She discovers that her presence causes interference in electronic devices and NTAC determines what has happened as a result. Marco compares Audrey's disembodied consciousness to a signal which is disrupting the electrical fields of various machines. Audrey is able to alert NTAC that she was murdered and they are able to track down her killer before her consciousness fades away entirely.
* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'': In "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS5E133RingADingGirl Ring-A-Ding Girl]]", Bunny Blake is seemingly able to astrally project herself to Howardsville while her physical body is on a plane. She does so in order to save as many townspeople as possible when the plane crashes during the Founders Day's picnic.

* As the title might suggest, astral projection features prominently in ''The True Story of the Bridgewater Astral League,'' a concept album by Music/TheWorldInfernoFriendshipSociety. The narrative (such as it is) follows the rise and fall of a group of teenagers in suburban [[{{Joisey}} New Jersey]] who use astral travel to commit a series of poetic crimes with impunity, until their leader is attacked by their astral guide for his arrogance. And it all really happened. [[UnreliableNarrator Maybe.]]

* The song "Kite" by Music/KateBush on her debut album "The Kick Inside" is about this.

* In ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'', when players die, they control their characters' spirits until they're revived.
* In the video game ''VideoGame/Prey2006'', Tommy's spirit can be projected from his body. Players can use the ability to pass through forcefields, dangerous obstacles, and attack enemies.
** Also, when the player dies, they can shoot down spirits and regain health in the SpiritWorld to return.

* One of the psychic toys from ''VideoGame/SamAndMaxTheDevilsPlayhouse'' is the "Astral Projector", a reel projector that allows the titular duo to spiritually enter the bodies of their respective [[IdenticalGrandfather Grandparents]]. [[spoiler:As well as allowing Sam to possess any cloned body.]]
* Naturally, Comicbook/DoctorStrange uses this at the beginning of his Level 3 super in ''[[VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3 Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3]]''.
* In the UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum games ''Avalon'' and ''Dragontorc'', the protagonist is an astral projection (originally so that the author could show him hovering in a lotus position, rather than having to animate legs).
* In ''VideoGame/TheNightOfTheRabbit'' the old magician A. Molena uses Astral Projection to help the hero. In this game it is called "active sleep", but it is the same thing.

* ''VideoGame/SecondSight'' has this a power, which can be used to remotely operate switches and with a later upgrade, possess people.
* Used in ''VideoGame/PsiOpsTheMindgateConspiracy'' to look around, check enemy movement and make the player motion sick.

* ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'': The Witch Doctor's Spirit Walk ability is supposedly this. In practice, it's two seconds of legal invincible wallhacking, and can be modified in five different ways.
* ''VideoGame/AmberJourneysBeyond'': The titular AMBER device allows the wearer to do this, in this case to project one's mind into that of a ghost's. Prior to the events of the game, however, its inventor, Roxy, [[NiceJobBreakingItHero used a flawed prototype]], leaving her projections stuck among the ghosts. Your objective is to [[UnfinishedBusiness help the ghosts pass on]] so that her mind can be reintegrated using the various machines in her house.
* Sadhus in ''VideoGame/TreeOfSavior'' can perform a short-ranged version of this with the Out of Body skill. Punching things with their soul, in fact, is their signature ability.
* The ghastly looking King of TheWildHunt you [[OptionalBoss can fight]] in ''VideoGame/TheWitcher'' is actually just the astral projection of the real deal, whom you fight in ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt.'' Doubles with FightingAShadow.
* In ''Super VideoGame/StreetFighterIV'', this is one of [[HotGypsyWoman Rose's]] many PsychicPowers. [[spoiler: She uses it in T. Hawk's ending, to tell him that his girlfriend Julia is still alive but has become an EmptyShell.]]
* VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}} can do this through her power as an Umbra Witch, which primarily sees use whenever she has to protect Cereza from the angels she fights.

* In ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' series, this is one of the many powers possessed by the [[MagicalSociety Psijic]] [[TheOrder Order]] thanks to their [[SufficientlyAdvancedMagic thousands of years in the study of magic]]. The can project to speak with and be visible to only the individuals they want, even across the continent.
* ''VideoGame/TheWolfAndTheWaves'': Eating a blue mushroom will give you an out-of-body experience that lets you fly around the island. Just make sure to immediately cancel it if your health starts going down, because that means zombies are attacking your left-behind body.

* ''WebComic/MagickChicks'': This is just one, [[SuperpowerLottery among many]], of Faith's abilities as an esper. First seen, [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/magick-chicks/this-kind-of-power when she attempts to helps Melissa,]] while the latter was unconscious, due to [[spoiler: the wand's powers being out of control]]. The second instance takes place in chapter 15, when [[spoiler: "fade-out girl" makes an unexpected appearance [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/magick-chicks/not-a-person in Faith's subconsciousness]]]].

* ''Webcomic/ChildrenOfEldair'': How Koe manifests while observing the past. He can walk to different places and watch, but can't interact or communicate with anyone.
* Once in ''Webcomic/PoppyOPossum'' a monk astrally projected and had to reassure some kids he wasn't a ghost. Then a dragon killed his body and he became a ghost.
* ''Webcomic/NeoKosmos'': Seven can astral project out of their body, and in fact spends most of their time out of their body with Tye, Z, and Iris, even though none of the three are aware of Seven. They can see and hear perfectly well while projecting, but no one can see or hear them, and they can't communicate with anyone or make them aware of their presence.

* In ''Anime/GenesisOfAquarion'' and its SequelSeries ''Anime/AquarionEvol'', the [[CoolPlane Vector]] co-pilots in the [[CombiningMecha Aquarion]] can project their souls into the main pilot's cockpit.

* Being the world's most powerful telepath, [[Comicbook/XMen Charles Xavier]] does this frequently.

* As the picture indicates, this is one of the many mystic arts Comicbook/DoctorStrange has mastered. He can also pull someone else's astral form out of his/her body, though the other person usually freaks out and needs constant reassurance that everything is okay. Strange bypasses the whole "physical body left helpless" thing; his body simply can't be harmed while he's not in it. On the other hand, he can't be outside his body for more than twenty-four hours or he dies.
* On the Creator/DCComics side, magic users like ComicBook/DoctorFate, ComicBook/{{Zatanna}}, and ComicBook/{{Raven}} can do this.
* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'' as written by her creator William Marston in ''ComicBook/SensationComics'' and ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'' often involved astral projection. A villain once forced Wonder Woman out of her body with electricity ("What a queer feeling... like ''falling!''"). Other times, characters learned the art of deliberately leaving the body.
* A form of astral projection called hypnokinesis is used on ComicBook/JohanAndPeewit in the story "ComicBook/TheSmurfs and the Magic Flute". The main difference is that their projected forms have physicality, so it's as if they have actually been transported into the Cursed Land (or to the Smurf forest, in the AnimatedAdaptation [[WesternAnimation/TheSmurfsAndTheMagicFlute of the story]]).
* Franchise/{{Superman}} did this one time with the help of Wonder Woman's assistant I Ching in the Bronze Age saga ''ComicBook/KryptoniteNevermore'' where a sand-created duplicate of himself was stealing his powers.
* The villain Scarab in ''ComicBook/{{Manifest}}''. And possibly the protagonist's mentor, the Spectral Wayfarer.
* ''ComicBook/ElfQuest'': Some elves, like Savah and Suntop, have an ability to "go out" of their bodies. In Savah's case this ends up getting her spirit trapped by Winnowill when she detects this.
* One of the Comicbook/MartianManhunter foes Bette Noir had this power. It was in fact the only way she could explore the world since her physical form was an immobile blob of flesh. Her astral self looked like a beautiful pale-skinned woman. Unfortunately, she was also a psychic vampire of sorts, feeding off the psychic energies of others to empower herself.

* In ''ComicStrip/{{Conchy}}'', Oom Paul has been known to meditate so hard that he accidentally detaches his consciousness from his body. HilarityEnsues when she decides to inhabit a rock or a plant.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' x ''Franchise/CthulhuMythos'' fic ''Fanfic/TheGodsAwaken'', Hypnos, the Greek god of sleep, is able to do this in his initial meeting with Luz and the others.

* In Creator/AnneRice's ''Literature/TheVampireChronicles'' and ''Literature/LivesOfTheMayfairWitches'' powerful vampires and some human psychics can do this. David Talbot contends that anyone could do it with the proper training or guidance. In ''The Tale of the Body Thief'' an unscrupulous [[{{Telepathy}} telepath]] guides a catatonic man into doing this so that he can [[BodySurf switch bodies with him]].
* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': Esmeralda Weatherwax can move her consciousness away from her body and share an experience with a target, or several as in ''Literature/LordsAndLadies'' when she possessed a swarm of bees. In ''Literature/AHatFullOfSky'', Tiffany Aching learns a similar trick but remains disembodied.
* Is a central theme in Creator/JamesHerbert's ''Nobody True.''

* In the horror novel ''Literature/{{Jago}}'', there's a sequence where the heroine is pushed out of her body after losing a psychic battle with the villain and spends some time trying to find her way back in.
* Seems to be ''Literature/JohnCarterOfMars'''s primary method of traveling to Barsoom.

* In the ''Literature/ZoeMartinique'' series, this is the eponymous character's main ability as well as a central theme of the story.

** He also used the concept in "Strange Conflict" which actually has battles on the astral plane, and is considered by some an actual proto cyberpunk novel.
* Used as a means of space travel by Michael Ramer in Creator/JRRTolkien's unfinished story ''[[Literature/TheHistoryOfMiddleEarth The Notion Club Papers]]''. The story is partly written as a commentary on and criticism of Tolkien's friend Creator/CSLewis' ''Literature/TheSpaceTrilogy'' novels, and Tolkien - who disliked the idea of spaceships - was using this to suggest an alternative for how such an adventure could take place.

* In the ''Literature/EighthDoctorAdventures'', [[EnsembleDarkhorse Fitz's]] mum can do this, prompting her to mention the times she's seen Fitz in his room doing something [[CaughtWithYourPantsDown too embarrassing to mention]].
* ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'': Entering Shadesmar seems to involve this trope. Since it is the Cognitive Realm, this makes sense. All the Surges touch on the Cognitive Realm to some extent, but [[AlchemyIsMagic Soulcasting]] and [[DimensionalTraveler Elsecalling]] are the ones keyed to it the most. Elsecallers not only have the ability to project their minds through Soulcasting, but also to [[DimensionalTraveler travel there directly with Elsecalling]].

* ''Literature/LammasNight'': Several of the characters in the novel can do this (called "going on the Second Road").
* In ''Literature/TheWhiteRabbitChronicles'', slayers can force their souls out of their bodies when they exhibit faith. This allows them to kill the zombies in the [[SpiritWorld spirit realm]].

* ''Literature/SwordOfTruth'': The Slides can project their souls, plus those of people's whom they capture, into animals to control them or [[AnimalEyeSpy use their eyes and ears]].
* In the first book of ''Literature/TheBartimaeusTrilogy'', Underwood does this and discovers that his apprentice, the book's main character Nathaniel, has been spying on him. Things nearly turn very nasty, until he gets called away.

* ''Literature/GrimmTales'': Sarah uses this ability to run down an ogre with a truck without risking her physical body in the crash.
* ''Literature/TheBelgariad'': Garion does this in ''Queen of Sorcery'' to tell Pol and Barak where he is so that he'll be rescued by them.
* In the Franchise/CthulhuMythos story ''What Brings the Void'' by Will Murray, a government psychic agent does some remote viewing of the parts of the United States where the Old Ones [[AlienInvasion have taken over]]. Some areas are [[PowerOfTheVoid simply black]], other areas he's [[PsychicBlockDefense forced out of]]. So his superior orders him to go look in person as he's the only one likely to survive doing so. He doesn't.
* In the ''Literature/LeftBehind'' book ''The Indwelling'', Tsion Ben-Judah experiences something like this (twice) when he finds himself taken up to heaven to witness Revelation chapter 12 taking place -- the woman clothed with the sun giving birth to the Manchild that would rule the earth from God's throne, and Satan and his angels being cast down from heaven.

* ''TabletopGame/VampireTheRequiem'': Vampires can gain this ability by mastering the Discipline of Auspex, which covers various forms of {{Super|Senses}} and supernatural senses. When projecting, they're [[OutOfClothesExperience naked]], {{intangible|Man}}, and unable to interact with the world around them. There's no time limit, but if their body is destroyed, lost, or somehow unable to be returned to, the projecting vampire suffers FinalDeath within a few days.

* ''Series/WandaVision'': In TheStinger of the series finale, [[spoiler:Wanda is seen performing an astral projection while studying the Darkhold.]] Notably, unlike Doctor Strange, [[spoiler:Wanda can project herself while fully awake, as her physical body can be seen getting up to make a tea.]]

* The recent AWARE study, led by Sam Parnia, was able to find one verifiable OBE case out of 2000 cardiac arrest patients (as most of them died or were too sick to be interviewed), but it occured in a room without appropriate markers. The experience and description of procedure, doctors, used equipment etc. was very precise, though, which prompted Parnia to continue in studying this phenomenon (AWARE 2).

* ''Fanfic/AncientSins'': as part of her ''NextTierPowerUp'', Sunset gains the ability to project her conscious across the whole of existence.

* In ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', Aang can astral project into the spirit world (or accidentally into the material one). ''The Legend of Korra'' later confirms that non-Avatar people can do this as well.
** Korra does this in ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' so she can fight the Dark Avatar. It also revealed earlier in the series that [[spoiler:at the time of his death, Iroh did this, and his spirit became a permanent resident of the Spirit World.]]

* One of the psychic toys from ''VideoGame/SamAndMaxTheDevilsPlayhouse'' is the "Astral Projector", a reel projector that allows the titular duo to spiritually enter the bodies of their respective [[IdenticalGrandfather Grandparents]]. [[spoiler:As well as allowing Sam to posses any cloned body.]]

** The ''astral projection'' spell, naturally. It's higher-level magic than ''plane shift'', which instantly teleports the caster and any fellow travelers to a given plane, but ''astral projection'' works a bit differently. The subjects' bodies go into suspended animation as they send their astral forms, which are identical to their physical bodies save for a a silvery cord of ininite length extending behind them, to the [[VoidBetweenTheWorlds Astral Plane]], where they can search for a color pool linking to another plane of existence. Once on that plane, a duplicate body is created for the subject, and should it be "killed," or the caster decides to end the spell prematurely, everyone's souls get retracted along their silver cords back to their ''real'' bodies, which are unaffected (save for occasional complaints of a headache). So long as any planar travelers' original bodies are well-protected, ''astral projection'' is thus a safe way to explore the cosmos... with the big caveat that should they run into the rare threat capable of severing the "silver cord" of their astral forms - such as the bite of an [[{{Kaiju}} astral dreadnought]] or a [[SpacePirate githyanki]]'s silver sword - the victim's soul is separated from their body, instantly killing them.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' had spells that allowed Astral Travel, usually with a "silver cord" of infinite length that connected the wandering soul to its body; it made the soul virtually indestructible unless the cord was broken, which only very few beings or objects could do.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'': Astral travel is a standard mage ability, and very useful for scouting since astral security is less common than physical or cyber-security. But you still have to watch out for wards, spirits, dual-natured critters that can perceive and interact with the astral, or even a topiary wall as you can't move through any living being's astral self. Also, it's difficult to find your body if it's been moved while you were projecting, Shedim can possess it as if it was a [[PossessingADeadBody corpse]], and anything that manages to kill your astral self kills you.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Wolfwalkers}}'': The wolfwalkers' spirits leave their bodies and become physical wolves while they sleep. However, any injuries their wolf bodies sustain are mirrored on their human form, and their human bodies can't wake up until their wolf form returns to their side.

* Creator/KEYVisualArts ''love'' this trope. and [[spoiler:Ayu]] in ''VisualNovel/{{Kanon}}'' are actually comatose for a large part of their respective series.

* Production I.G.'s ''Anime/GhostHound'' features a group of teenage boys who each gained the ability to enter the "[[SpiritWorld Unseen World]]" after a traumatizing experience they went through in their own childhood. For the former half of the series, they use it to investigate their own past trauma.
* Mai Taniyama in ''Manga/GhostHunt'' frequently astral projects in her sleep, giving her what seem to be psychic dreams.

* Schierke of ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' uses this to communicate with the elemental spirits that power her magic and occasionally [[BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind to go into Guts' mind to snap him out of the influence of his]] SuperpoweredEvilSide.
* In ''Manga/OnePiece'', this is one of the abilities that [[GothGirlsKnowMagic Perona's]] Devil Fruit grants her. She notably uses this to counter Usopp's immunity to her negative hollows.
** During the two-year TimeSkip in ''Manga/OnePiece'', this ability is developed by [[spoiler: Brook]], apparently as an extension of his [[spoiler:Undead Fruit]] powers. [[PowerPerversionPotential Guess what was the first thing he did with it]]?
* In the ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' manga an old man has this ability and uses it to enter and alter Ranma's dreams to date her.
* In the first movie of ''LightNovel/TheGardenOfSinners'', Kirie Fujou, though bedridden, can project a double of herself on top of the Fujou Buildings, which her family used to own.
* The Silver Tribe of ''Anime/HeroicAge'' frequently does this, and are capable of it across the vastness of the galaxy. Dhienalia, the human princess, is also capable of it, and makes use of it for long-distance communication, or guiding the ship through uncharted space. It's apparently pretty well-known, as no one shows the slightest surprise when someone does it.
* Creator/KEYVisualArts ''love'' this trope. Both [[spoiler:Fuko]] in ''VisualNovel/{{Clannad}}'' and [[spoiler:Ayu]] in ''VisualNovel/{{Kanon}}'' are actually comatose for a large part of their respective series.
* In ''Manga/{{Noragami}}'', this happens unintentionally to the main heroine after she was hit by a bus.
* In ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'', once Future Trunks destroys Fused Zamasu's physical form, his astral form appears and merges with the Future Multiverse in order to become justice and order itself. In doing so, Zamasu destroys all life in the Multiverse, gods and mortals, and fulfills his goal: to create a Multiverse with only Zamasu as its sole inhabitant. Fortunately, Future Zen'O erases him before he could spread to other timelines.
* In ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', because proper Shinigami are spirits that live in the afterlife and fight threats which are InvisibleToNormals, human protagonist Ichigo can only access his substitute Shinigami powers by expelling his spirit from his physical body. His first two methods of doing this are rather indignant: the first being a glove that Rukia wears to yank his spirit out of his body (more often than not done by ''punching'' him), and the second being Kon, a rather crude modsoul contained within a candy that Ichigo swallows so Kon can possess his body (kicking out Ichigo's soul in the process). Later in the series, Ichigo acquires a proper TransformationTrinket in the form of a badge that lets him expel his spirit from his body at will (though he still ends up using Kon a lot because Ichigo's body is effectively dead without a soul inside it).
* In ''Manga/FairyTail'', this is "Thought Projection" magic in a nutshell. With enough mastery and using sufficient magical energy, a person can even [[spoiler:make the projection a corporeal, independent entity alongside their original self.]]

* In the first movie of ''LightNovel/KaraNoKyoukai'', Kirie Fujou, though bedridden, can project a double of herself on top of the Fujou Buildings, which her family used to own.

* In ''FanFic/QueenOfShadows'', Jade eventually learns how to do this with tutelage from [[HighPriest Sanshobo]].

[[folder:Fanfiction]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' x ''Franchise/CthulhuMythos'', Hypnos, the Greek god of sleep, is able to do this in his initial meeting with Luz and the others.

* ''Fanfic/AncientSins'': as part of her ''NextTierPowerUp'', Sunset gains the ability to project her conscious across the whole of existance.

* ''Fanfic/WithThisRing'': A number of magic-users are capable of this, though OL notes that the Atlanteans have it down to a science compared to surface occultists.
* In ''FanFic/QueenOfShadows'', Jade eventually learns how to do this with tutelage from [[HighPriest Sanshobo]].

* ''[[https://my.w.tt/BhewpND0VT Astral Journey: It's Complicated]]'', both [[Music/SpiceGirls Emma and Melanie]] obtain this ability thanks to freak accidents at the pitch.

* ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'': Entering Shadesmar seems to involve this trope. Since it is the Cognitive Realm, this makes sense. All the Surges touch on the Cognitive Realm to some extent, but [[AlchemyIsMagic Soulcasting]] and [[{{Teleportation}} Elsecalling]] are the ones keyed to it the most. Elsecallers not only have the ability to project their minds through Soulcasting, but also to [[DimensionalTraveler travel there directly with Elsecalling]].