-You should read more about meditation and astral projection especially, even if you think it's bullshit. It is a way to connect with the deep inner parts of your consciousness, which 'takes your consciousness out of the bounds of your physical body.' People in this state will often see certain common things, such as a silver cord from their neck, or the landscape being glittery, or flying. - It is much like a very lucid dream, and is often said to be in the same category (a dream is your consciousness 'separating' in the same way, without your awareness) - And certain drugs induce this same dissociative effect, where you are completely within your nonphysical consciousness, whatever the hell it really is. - And again, all of it dips into this common pool of evolutionary knowledge, so perhaps that is what she means by an afterlife. Your are connected to the rest of the world throughout history by this deeply innate knowledge that is almost like its own consciousness (like a shared-consciousness packet programmed by evolution! ), but you also contain your little individual qualities formed by the energies of your individual brain and its experiences, which in whatever way can 'separate' your perception of reality from your body's reality (examples of which discussed above) - And who knows, maybe after your death, your greater consciousness remains, while all the little individual qualities peter out. Indeed, a lot of people report while tripping and whatnot their experiences with feeling like part of eternity, welcomed into a whole, with their individual self no longer existing (ego death! ) - And then add the crazy time dilation that occurs in this perception (people can report feeling like they've lived through lifetimes on certain psychedelics! ) - so insofar as your girlfriend's assertion that your beliefs do not contradict each other's, it is because of this. Whether you take a substance or meditate, you're tapping into a network that is really just your mind and its connection to other minds - who knows, maybe even connected to others by some kind of web of energy. People have even reported astral traveling with others. It is all centered around energy, and energy is certainly constantly flowing and recycling itself. -Just because it is illegal does not make it unworth exploring. Nor is it untrue just because currently science immediately identifies terms related to this stuff as supernatural and not worth even considering (it would be so so easy to test the limits of this stuff). There are some studies actually, but I haven't read them yet (referenced on this page http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=60199), But I think the amount of descriptive data from people who experienced these things is enough to make some connections and draw some conclusions. - yoga is super good for and connective to and healing for your body! Of course it's connected to all this stuff, which revolves around the intimate connection to self. It amplifies the significance of your bodily self even as it removes you from it. - meditation.. connection to the inner mind and a portal to astral projection. The two are like yin and yang, the body taking care of the mind's existence in the physical world, and the mind taking care of the body's health and relaxation. -Maybe you should read more about this stuff and consider trying it with her. It doesn't matter if you're atheist, agnostic, or religious. It's about connecting you to both your inner self and existence in general. You guys must BOTH be comfortable and enthusiastic, of course, taking the journey together. But many people find it a very positive experience to do with a trusted partner.