[Astral] Why do people first go astral?

Many reasons, but the literature seems to suggest they break down into 2 categories: Escape and Exploration.

People escape from combat experiences such as being under fire or taking injuries. There's also torture, illness, childbirth, or intense pain and emotional trauma. Examples of these include: being physically attacked; fear and mental stress; physical stress; severe depression and grief.

Reasons to explore include:

Spiritual need and innocent exploration of dreams and fantasy worlds as a child. In fact, the literature suggests that going astral is common in children, with the first reported journey occurred at average age of four to 12.

There's also (apparently) a connection between astral travel and near-death and after-death experiences as well as with extraterrestrial contact and abduction experiences.

Prisoners report going astral, either to escape or for personal transformation.