It might be a crock of shit but there's something in this...
Ok, maybe all in the persons head, but I spent a good year trying this after reading Munroe's book. We're taking 20 years ago. My take on it would be it's lucid dreaming, being able to realize you're asleep when you're in your dream, then being able to take control. The major hurdle is the "not waking up part" when you realize you are asleep, as the OP said, you get quite excited which causes you to wake up. After much practice though, you will stop waking up.

And how do you trigger the thought in your dream so you actually realize you are dreaming. I used a mental trigger, I smoked at the time, and if you smoke there's a high likelihood you smoke in your dreams. So each time a had a cigarette I asked myself "Am I dreaming" - this eventually carried over into my dreams. Pick a trigger, practice, and you will get there.

So what happened when I did this and it worked? Mostly flying, spinning 360s uncontrollably, now and again visiting places and talking to people. I'd say over a year period I had about 10 of these. I never got to the levels that the book talked to, and I slowly stopped as I didn't focus on it/lost interest. There were also a couple of times when I had a huge sense of dread, like something was about to kill me and I was paralyzed and felt I couldn't wake up. They weren't fun.

So, in a nutshell, this can work, but maybe not to the level the books describe it, and I personally think it's just dreams.
(ISignedUpToTalkShit but that was another QOTW, Wed 13 Apr 2011, 14:00, 3 replies)

Self Hypnosis
Look at some of the studies between day dreaming and hypnosis.
( The Mock Turtle ™ --- Thinks you are a cunt, on, Wed 13 Apr 2011, 14:07, closed)

lucid dreaming is not astral projection.
dreams are dreams. astral projection is horseshit promulgated by people who knit their own acid.
( janet aylia y'all motherfuckers need jesus, Wed 13 Apr 2011, 14:10, closed)

Lolz

( The Mock Turtle ™ --- Thinks you are a cunt, on, Wed 13 Apr 2011, 14:34, closed)

Nicely put.

( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Wed 13 Apr 2011, 14:36, closed)

janet (the fucking idiot) for president (of the fucking idiots)!

( Dr. Shambolic je suis charlie, Wed 13 Apr 2011, 15:30, closed)

You're also a fucking idiot.

( Dr. Shambolic je suis charlie, Wed 13 Apr 2011, 15:31, closed)