So I saw a thread on Christian Forums about this today and looked up what it was.
When I was around 4 years old I had an experience like this where it felt like I was pulled out of my body and was looking down at myself. Is this astral projection?
It is one of those things that sometimes has me doubt what memories are true and what not. I do not think about things anymore, because I have forgiven and moved on, but I think it did sort of trigger this for me. It is something I have often thought about over the years, bit always thought it is what you call dissociation. Is that the same thing as astral projection?
Some use this thinking it brings them closer to God, but reading about it, sounds demonic. In my instance, I am unsure what that was.
Since I had no idea where this fit, it is here.
DON'T MESS WITH IT. IT IS NOT WHAT YOU THINK.
What "astral projection" is about is revealed in its name. It is an attempt to 'project' one's spirit body out of their flesh body, ON PURPOSE. It is a practice taught to Occultists. You can find all sorts of New Age books about it in a New Age bookstore. It is taught to them as a practice, an intentional practice.
The Rosicrucian Order (AMORC) in their Rosicrucian Manual for their students (which I saw in a college library) mentioned one of their higher degrees teaching astral projection so that their students can meet on the astral plane, and receive higher teachings from the so-called 'hidden masters' of the Great White Brotherhood.
In reality, it is to meet up with the spirits of demons and Satan's host in that other dimension of the heavenly.
Is it real? Yes.
But a NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE (NDE), that is different.
As per Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12, he said he knew one who was "caught up" to the 3rd heaven, and whether in the body, or out of the body, he didn't know, but God knew. Paul was once stoned and left for dead, so he was most likely being modest and was speaking of his own experience. What Paul was describing was an NDE.
Per 2 Corinthians 5, Paul revealed that if our flesh body were dissolved, we still have a body not made with hands (i.e., non-material), from God, eternal in the heavens. He was pointing to our spirit body we also have, which in Hebrews 4:12 is just mentioned as our "spirit" part. God created us with a "spirit", and a "soul", and "bones and marrow" meaning a flesh body. Our spirit and soul parts are linked together and were made of Spirit from the heavenly dimension. But our flesh is simply of this earthly dimension.
Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 15 that as we have borne the "image of the earthy" we shall also bear the "image of the heavenly", and that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. He was teaching about our "spiritual body" that we each already have living inside our flesh body, and is linked to our flesh via an invisible "silver cord" of Ecclesiastes 12:5-7. When that "silver cord" is severed, flesh death happens. An out of body experience means the "silver cord" was not severed.
It is because of our 'spirit' with 'soul' living inside our flesh body is how God communicates with us, hears our prayers, and how He causes His servants to have visions via their spirit body that's in their flesh body. The prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 6 saw God upon His Throne and immediately went to ground, thinking he had died. By God touching Apostle John, being in the Spirit, that is how God gave John the visions he was told to write down.
So the main difference is what Satan's children do with this, vs. how God works via our 'spirit', is that only God makes it happen with His servants for His Purposes, while Satan's host try to use it as a tool to steal into the heavenly dimension around God's back door. Thing is, God isn't going to allow those occultists to actually understand what they are doing with being tricked by Satan with their practice of astral projection.
He was right there with you. 
