The life and times of Robert Monroe, the man who made the 'out of body experience' a familiar phrase. In 1971 Doubleday published a book called Journeys Out of the Body a Virginia businessman's memoir of his weird and wonderful adventures on other planes of reality. That book which has sold more than a million copies and that man Robert Monroe helped cement the concept of astral travel into the American psyche and made the 'out-of-body experience' a familiar phrase. 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 programmes at The Monroe Institute which is attended by thousands of people each year. However Monroe made consciousness research more than an esoteric thrill ride. He put his technology to practical use by creating frequencies that has helped people with everything from meditation and learning to insomnia giving up smoking and pain control.