The life story of Robert Monroe, consciousness pioneer, bestselling author, self-made millionaire, and out-of-body traveler. Robert Monroe was a towering figure in twentieth-century consciousness research, yet his story is mostly unknown. The boy who loved adventure and exploration, fast cars and rickety aircraft, became a millionaire through writing and producing radio shows in New York City. And then, at age forty-two, he found himself traveling out of body, having no idea what was happening to him. Journeys of Robert Monroe chronicles how Monroe became an iconoclast with his work in the consciousness world—making out-of-body experience (OBE) and astral travel household expressions. Monroe not only helped others understand this state of being, but through his research on binaural beats and his development of the technology known as Hemi-Sync, he made the OBE accessible through programs at the Monroe Institute. Attended by thousands of people each year, his institute used technology to create frequencies that helped people with everything from meditation and learning to curing insomnia, quitting smoking, and pain control. Journeys of Robert Monroe reveals his contribution to the understanding of human consciousness. Yet his legacies, as UC Davis psychology professor emeritus Charles Tart once said, “are not just a great gift to knowledge, but a real service to people who are plagued by doubts and unfulfilled spiritual longings.” His was a true hero’s journey.
