Robert (Bob) Peterson has been studying and inducing out-of-body experiences and psychic experiences since he graduated from high school in 1979. He graduated from the University of Minnesota Institute of Technology, with a B.S. degree in computer science in 1984, and since college, has had a very successful career in systems level computer programming. While attending the University, he became more proficient at out-of-body exploration, while keeping detailed journals of his experiences. At the same time, he did volunteer work for a student-based organization called the Minnesota Society for Parapsychological Research (MSPR), which gave him experience as a "Ghost Buster" before the movie made the subject popular.
He has compiled his experiences and journals into his first book, Out of Body Experiences: How to have them and what to expect (Hampton Roads Publishing, 1997) which has been available online for free since 1996. His second book, Lessons Out of the Body, was published in 2001.