[11Woxsepmoomo]

I thought that individuals who had by now some experience with OBE might consider the ways in which, for them, it may not be an end in itself; I am taking this to mean that we have found use for OBE other than the experience itself, so I will answer accordingly.
The beginning of the first question is the second question:
consider the ways in which they were led to them, and why they might be occurring them. My first recognizable OBE was when I was very young, and it was spontaneous. It has been documented in various 'validation' threads here and in other forums, so I'll skip the details.
I've been having these experiences since very young, and they happened all the time, especially when I couldn't go outside. When I was in my teen years the experiences changed a bit, and other things were added to the smorgasbord; and when I became a young adult they became more 'organized'- I would have an OBE two or three times a year, and my husband and I would have shared dreams and other types of experiences like that- I would also dream about things that happened to people I knew. This was an ongoing thing, that happened in clusters, and sometimes was facilitated by the environment I was in.
In one instance, I experienced a friend of mine being raped; of course at the time she and I were not good friends, and a conversation like this would not have been possible at the time of my experience (plus I thought I was having an unpleasant dream, I had no idea that this was actually happening to another person). But I can see how this, if it could be tapped, could be useful to help someone who is being victimized in some way.
I also had glorious mystical experiences that are very difficult to put into words; the type that can only be experienced to be understood, and such.
I kept most of this to myself (only my husband and my mother knew about my experiences). Since the experiences were compartmentalized, they didn't get in the way of regular everyday life; I was accomplished in school, and successful at work; happily married, and my spititual needs were met by church and books.
Because, as life went by, the experiences decreased and rarely happened, I was taken by surprise by the events that happened in 1998. I had my baby in '97 and was now a 'stay-at home' mom, and things were settling down, when a series of frightening experiences started to happen, which amounted to apparent abductions. They would happen for three or four nights in a row, were very scary (movie scary, if you know what I mean) and then would stop. At first I thought I was having some kind of psychosis, since my life had changed. But it would stop for months and I'd begin to forget about it or think it had been a dream, and then it would start again. The experiences at first were sketchy, because I'd lose consciousness in the middle of them, but as they escalated, I would experience more and more of them before my psyche couldn't take it and I would lose consciousness.
I went as far as to have the type of graphic experiences you read about in UFO sites, and when I was seriously thinking of getting professional help, they would stop again. I went as far once as six months without an experience, and then it would start again.
Now this is getting long- but in 2003 or 4 I decided to do some research. I knew I wasn't abducted by aliens, because when the experiences were over (sometimes I'd fall through the roof and land in my bed, and then I'd check myself and my flesh was unmarked and I was dressed the same) I knew this was some sort of thing that happened in my sleep.

Now, even though I had projections before and knew what they were, I never associated my 'events' with anything projection related, because I had no real knowledge of how to induce them or information about the nature of projection- things like 'astral' and 'etheric' had different meanings than the ones used in the field, because I had never investigated them further.
So in my investigations on UFO related stuff I came across the phrase "astral abduction", in an interview that Whitley Strieber was giving Robert Bruce. When I heard the description and definition of the phrase, bells went off, and I then ordered Robert's books in the hope of getting information on how to make these stop.
From reading his books I found his forums, and I've been here ever since.

Now, what is the value of this ability for me?
First, I can put myself in someone else's shoes, because I have, and can understand and empathize with others' pain, and I can also see someone else's point even if I don't like them, something that I consider to be a good thing, even if it's sometimes uncomfortable.
It has helped me deal with loss in so many ways, because I have had communication with my loved ones who have passed. Sure, it doesn't take away the loss, but it sure has made it easier.
I think that eventually anyone who successfully projects becomes more aware of their connection to others, and even though it will not make everyone more loving, it will help point them in that path.
It does have its dangers and disadvantages, but so does getting in a car and driving it anywhere.