Phase (lucid dreaming and out-of-body experience) maintenance or ”maintaining” refers to techniques that allow a practitioner to remain in the phase for the maximum amount of time possible. Without knowledge of ”maintaining” techniques, the duration of the phase will be several times shorter than it could otherwise be. The shortest phases last just a few seconds. Beginning practitioners usually fear not being able to exit a phase; this shouldn’t ever be a concern because the real challenge is being able to maintain the phase state, which is easily lost unless phase maintenance techniques are used.
Phase maintenance consists of three primary principles: resisting a return to the wakeful state (known as a foul), resisting falling asleep, and resisting a false exit from the phase. As a rule, the first two problems (return to a wakeful state, or falling asleep) are often encountered by beginners, but the third difficulty (false exit) manifests at later stages of practice.
Resistance to returning to the body is self-explanatory, whereas resistance to falling asleep is unclear to many. Not everyone knows that almost half of phase experiences usually end in a quite trivial way – falling asleep. A person usually looses attentiveness, his or her awareness dissipates, and everything around gradually looses clarity and turns into what is for all intents and purposes a usual dream.
Resisting a false exit from the phase is a lot more surprising and dramatic. Sometimes a practitioner detects an impending exit from the phase, subsequent deepening techniques fail to work, resulting in what seems to be a return to the body and physical reality. Sure that the phase has ended, a practitioner may stand up and the fall asleep after perceiving a few steps. In such cases, falling asleep most often happens without any movement, but while still lying in bed. The problem is that the difference between the phase and reality can be so subtle that in terms of internal or external indicators, the phase practically can’t be distinguished from reality. Therefore, one must know the necessary actions to take in the event that the phase ceases, since the end of a phase could actually be a trick and purely imagined.
There are specific solutions for the three problems described in addition to general rules that apply to any phase experience. Studying these rules should be given just as high a priority as studying the specific solutions, since only some of them, when applied separately, may help one to remain in the phase several times longer than usual.
In some cases, techniques for maintaining are not applicable. However, knowledge of how to maintain is useful for the majority of experiences. Also, there might be situations when someone need only resist a foul, while someone else may need to resist falling asleep. All of this is very specific to each case and can be determined only in practice.
With perfect knowledge of all the techniques for maintaining, a phase may last two to four minutes, which doesn’t sound like an extended duration, but really is. A particularity of the phase space is that achieving something and moving around in it takes a minimum amount of time, mere seconds. Thus, so much can be done during 3 minutes in the phase that one literally needs a list, so as not to waste any time.
There are theories that have neither been proven nor disproven claiming that time in the phase contracts and expands relative to real time. Thus, one minute of real time while in the phase may feel much longer in terms of phase time.
Perception of time varies from practitioner to practitioner. Novices especially perceive a real minute as more like five to 10 minutes in the phase. This is determined by the particularities of individual psychology, state of mind, and the type of events that occur in the phase.
In order to understand how long a phase really lasted, one does not need to try using a stopwatch in the real world. It is better to count how many actions took place in it and how much time each of them could have taken. The result will differ from one’s first rough estimate several times over.
The maximum duration the phase varies depends heavily on the ability to apply phase maintenance techniques. Some practitioners have difficulty breaking the two-minute barrier while some find it easy to remain in the phase for 10 minutes or longer. It is physically impossible to remain in the phase forever because even a 20-minute phase is unheard of.
TECHNIQUES AND RULES AGAINST
RETURNING TO THE BODY
Of the following techniques, constant sensory amplification and as-needed sensory amplification are applied the most often while performing phase maintenance. However, as opposed to other technical elements of phase exploration, other secondary techniques of maintaining often become mainstream and the most appropriate for certain individuals. Thus, all the techniques should be studied, but the first two should be considered very carefully.
Constant Sensory Amplification
The same sensory amplification described in the chapter on deepening (Chapter 6) also applies to ”maintaining”. In essence, having achieved the necessary depth of phase, one should not stop to actively agitate his or her perception but should keep on doing this all the while, albeit not as actively as during deepening.
The idea is that during the entire duration of the phase, all action should be focused on experiencing the maximum possible amount of tactile-kinesthetic and visual perceptions. This entails constantly touching and examining everything in minute detail. For example, if passing by a bookcase, touch and examine some of the books in it, including their pages and corners. Tactile observation should be performed on every encountered object.
Palpation may be applied separately as a background sensation. This is done in order not to overload the sense of sight. The hands should be touching something all the time, or better still, rubbing each other.
As-Needed Sensory Amplification
Applying the as-needed sensory amplification technique is no different than constant sensory amplification. It is used only when a foul (a return to a wakeful state) is imminent or when phase vision starts to blur and fade. For example, while traveling in the phase everything may start to blur, signaling a weakening of the phase. At this moment, the practitioner should touch every available object; observe everything in fine detail. As soon as returns to a clear and realistic state, actions may be continued without needing to perform amplification.
Constant Vibration
This technique is used to maintain constant, strong vibrations in the phase. As previously noted, vibrations are generated by straining the brain or tensing the body without using muscles. Maintaining strong vibrations will have a positive effect on the length of the phase.
Strengthening Vibrations as Needed
In this case, vibrations are created and strengthened only if signs of a foul become apparent. Examples of foul indicators include duality of perception or blurred vision. Strengthening vibrations will help to deepen the phase, allowing a practitioner to stay and continue within the phase.
Diving Headfirst
This technique is the same as the deepening technique of the same name. If a phase is about to dissolve, diving headfirst with the eyes shut and a desire to dive as quickly and deeply as possible. As soon as phase depth returns, translocation techniques may be used to keep from arriving at a dead end.
Forced Falling Asleep
As soon as indicators of a foul appear, immediately lie down on the floor and attempt forced falling asleep; the same as the phase entry technique. After successfully performing the technique (3-10sec.) , a practitioner may get up and continue to travel through the phase since the perception of reality and its depth will most likely be restored. Resist actually fall asleep.
Rotation
If indicators of a foul appear, the practitioner should start rotating around the head-to-feet axis. Unlike the phase entry technique of the same name, the movement does not have to be imagined. This is an absolutely real rotation in the phase. After several revolutions, depth will be restored and actions may be continued. If indicators of a foul persist, rotation should continue until proper depth is achieved.
Counting
During the entire phase, count to as large a number possible – not just for the sake of counting, but with a strong desire to reach the highest number possible. Counting may be performed silently or out loud.
This technique works by creating a strong determination to remain in the phase by providing a goal that requires action in the phase.
Listening in
If there are any background sounds similar to those heard while entering the phase – rumbling, whistling, ringing, buzzing, or sizzling - these sounds may be used to prolong duration of the phase by aggressive attempts at listening in, hearing the entire range of internal sounds. The forced listening in technique may also be used for phase maintenance.
Hooking onto the phase
Another interesting method of ”maintaining” is hooking onto the phase. In the event of an impending foul, grab onto an object in the phase actively palpate or squeeze it. Even if a return to the body occurs during this technique, the hands will continue to hold the phase object and the physical hands will not be perceived. Beginning with these phantom feelings in the hands, separation from the body is possible. Any nearby object may be hooked: the leg of a chair, a drinking glass, a doorknob, a stone, or a stick. If there is nothing to grab hold of, clasp the hands together or bite down on a lip or the tongue.
Two rules apply to using the techniques that help to resist a phase exit. First of all, never think that the phase might end and result in a return to the body; thoughts like this are like programming that immediately send the practitioner to a wakened physical state. Secondly, do not think about the physical body. Doing will also instantly return the practitioner to the body, every time.
TECHNIQUES AND RULES
for resisting FALLING ASLEEP
Constant Understanding of the Possibility of Falling Asleep
Most of the time, falling asleep while in the phase can be overcome by a constant awareness that sleep is possible and detrimental to a continued phase. A practitioner must always consider the probability of falling asleep and actions must be carefully analyzed to ensure that they are based on real desires and not on paradoxical notions, which are common to dreams.
Periodic Analysis of Awareness
Periodically asking the question, ”Am I dreaming?” while in the phase helps appraise situations and the quality of the actions being performed at any moment. If everything meets the standards of full phase awareness, actions may be continued. Asked on a regular basis, this question becomes habit, automatically used while transitioning to the phase state. If you keep asking this question regularly, sooner or later it will arise automatically at the moment when you are actually transitioning into a dream. This will then help one to wake up, after which it is possible to continue to remain in a full-fledged phase..
The frequency of the question should be based on a practitioner’s ability to consistently remain in the phase. If a phase usually lasts five to 10 minutes or more, it is not necessary to ask the question more than once every 2 minutes; otherwise, this question has to be asked frequently, literally once a minute, or just a little less often.
There is another important rule related to resisting falling asleep: no practitioner should engage or participate in spontaneous events occurring in the phase. Events that are not planned or deliberate lead to a high probability of being immersed in the side action, which results in a loss of concentrated awareness.
Techniques against an unrecognized phase (lucid dreaming and out-of-body experience)
Since the techniques of testing the realness of the end of the phase are a little absurd and demand additional attention to actions, they should only be used in those cases when they are indeed required. Until then, one should simply bear them in mind and use them only in moments of doubt. The same methods may be used to safely determine whether or not the practitioner is in the phase when using techniques for entering it.
Hyper-concentration
Since the cessation of the phase experience may be simulated and no different in terms of perception from a real exit, differences between the physical world and the phase world must be actively discerned. In other words, a practitioner must know how to determine whether a genuine phase exit has occurred.
At present, only one experiment is known to guarantee an accurate result. The phase space cannot withstand prolonged close visual attention to the minute details of objects. Within several seconds of acute examination, shapes begin to distort, objects change color, produce smoke, melt, or morph in other ways.
After exiting the phase, look at a small object from a distance of four to six inches, and remain focused on it for 10 seconds. If the object does not change, a practitioner can be assured that the surroundings are reality. If an object is somehow distorted or askew, a practitioner knows that the phase is intact. The simplest option is to look at the tip of the finger since it is always close at hand. It is also possible to take a book and examine its text. Text in the phase will either blur or appear as alphabetical gibberish, or full of incomprehensible symbols.
Auxiliary techniques
There are a variety of other procedures to test the occurrence of a foul. However, since any situation, any property, or any function can be simulated in the phase, these procedures are not always applicable. For example, some suggest that it is sufficient to attempt doing something that is realistically impossible, and, if a practitioner is in the phase, the impossible action will be possible. The problem with this suggestion is that the laws of the physical world may be simulated in the phase, so flying, passing through walls or telekinesis may not be possible, even in the deepest phase. It has also been suggested that looking at a clock twice in a row may help a practitioner determine whether or not the phase is intact; allegedly, the clock will display a different time each time it is observed. Here again, the clock’s display may not change in the phase.
Of all the auxiliary procedures, one deserves mention and works in the majority of cases: searching for differences from reality in the surroundings. Although the usual surroundings of a practitioner may be 100% accurately simulated in the phase, it is very rare. Therefore, it is possible to figure out whether a phase is intact by carefully examining the room where everything is taking place. In the phase, there will be something extra or something will be missing; the time of day or even the season will be different from reality, and so on. For example, when verifying whether a foul occurred, a room may be missing the table supporting a television set, or the table may be there, but be a different color.
General rules for maintaining
The rules for maintaining the phase deal with resisting all or most of the problems which cause a phase to end. Some of these rules are capable of increasing the length of stay in the phase by many times and must be followed.
The practitioner should not look into the distance. If faraway objects are observed for a long period of time, a foul may occur, or one may be translocated towards these objects. In order to look at distant objects without problems, a practitioner has to employ techniques for maintaining. For example, from time to time the practitioner should look at his hands, rub them against each other, or maintain strong vibrations.
Constant activity. Under no circumstances should a practitioner remain passive and calm in the phase. The more actions performed, the longer the phase is. The fewer actions - the shorter the phase. It is enough to pause for thought, and everything stops.
Plan of action. There should be a clear plan of action consisting of at least 5 tasks to be carried out in the phase at the earliest opportunity. This is necessary for several important reasons. First, the practitioner must not pause in the phase to think about ”what to do next”, which frequently results in a foul. Second, having a plan, the practitioner will subconsciously perform all of the actions necessary for staying in and maintaining the phase to carry out all the tasks that have been planned. Third, intelligent and pre-planned actions permit focused advancement of purposeful actions versus wasting phase experiences on whatever comes to mind at a given moment. Fourth, a plan of action creates necessary motivation and, consequently, pronounced intent to perform the techniques to enter the phase.
Stopping the ID. The less Internal Dialogue (ID) and reflection that occurs in the phase, the longer it lasts. All thinking must be concentrated on what is being achieved and perceived. Talking to oneself is completely prohibited. The reason for this is that many thoughts may act as programming in the phase and even announcing them internally may introduce alterations, including negative ones. For example, thinking about the body cause a return to it. The practitioner may also get lost in thought, which will lead to a foul. Also, sporadic thoughts usually and quite easily cause the practitioner to simply fall asleep.
A practitioner must try to re-enter the phase after experiencing a foul. Always remember that a typical phase experience consists of several repeated entries and exits. Essentially, in most cases it is possible to re-enter the phase through the use of separation or phase state creation techniques immediately after returning to the body. If the practitioner has just left the phase, the brain is still close to it and appropriate techniques may be applied in order to continue the journey.
Deepening refers to techniques that induce realistic perception and awareness in the phase state(OOBE, astral projection and lucid dreaming).
The phase is not an exact, fixed state where a practitioner is present or not. It is a realm of states characterized by a transition from the usual perception of the physical body to a complete alienation from it, while maintaining consciousness and reality of perception, albeit in a different frame of space. The transition begins with perception of the natural, physical body followed by a moment of ambiguity where a clear experience of body is intermingled with a sense of the perceived body. Afterward, the perceived body enters the phase space, while the physical body becomes a memory. At this point, the perceived senses may be quite dull; for example, vision may be blurred or completely absent. Deepening techniques solve the problem of diminished or absent sensory perception in the phase.
Sensory experiences within a fully realized phase experience are as realistic as those in everyday reality. In almost one-half of all cases, practitioners observe that reality-based surroundings pale in comparison to vibrant detail and color of the phase space. To this end, after entering the phase, a practitioner must perform deepening techniques to enhance and solidify the degree and quality of phase reality.
Full spatial perception in the phase only occurs after deepening techniques have been applied. There would be no point to remaining in the phase without deepening. For example, what is the point in finding a person in phase, if it is not even possible to discern his or her eyes there?
In a considerable number of cases, deepening is not necessary, since the phase experience is completely realistic, if not hyper-realistic. In cases like these, deepening may be bypassed.
Deepening is also related to the length of time a practitioner may remain in the phase. If an action is taken without a deep, realistic phase, the experience will always be several times shorter in duration than a phase where deepening techniques had been applied. The properties of the phase space very much depend on its depth. When surroundings are blurry and unclear, the stability of objects is very weak.
There is a direct correlation between the realism of a phase and a practitioner’s level of awareness, so it is extremely important to ensure a deep phase in order to promote maximum awareness.
Deepening should only be performed following complete separation from the body. If initiated before separation, the phase may end prematurely. If complete separation does not occur, primary deepening should be used. As regards the deepening techniques themselves, there is one main one and there are several subsidiary ones. The main technique, which does not present any difficulties, is sufficient for having a successful practice.
PRIMARY DEEPENING TECHNIQUES
The goal of primary deepening is to achieve complete separation from the body, allowing further actions within the phase. Primary deepening entails achieving two principal objectives: complete separation from the physical body and anchoring the perceived body within the phase space.
When separation from the body occurs through the use of a separation technique, a posture must be assumed that completely different from the posture of the real, physical body. The greater the degree of postural similarity between the physical and perceived bodies, the more shallow and brief the phase will be. For example, in the case of horizontal levitation, a 180′ turn must immediately performed, arms and legs spread, adopting a vertical posture. Under no circumstances should a practitioner in the phase remain in a posture identical to that of the physical body.
If a practitioner is pulled back toward the body after separation, anchoring should be initiated that facilitates standing or sitting in the phase. Resisting the gravity of the physical body is paramount to remaining in the phase. The result of willful resistance is directly proportional to the degree of applied effort. It will help to grab hold of surrounding objects and hold on to them; any means of anchoring the perceived body within the phase are appropriate. It is possible to start rotating around an axis; not simply imagining the rotation, but performing it with the perceived body as well.
DEEPENING THROUGH SENSORY AMPLIFICATION
The more a phase is experienced by the sensory faculties, the deeper and longer the phase will be. Sensory amplification in the phase is the most effective deepening technique precisely because it allows the activation of primary internal sensations during the transition from reality to the phase. There are several ways to perform sensory amplification.
Palpation is the first deepening technique that should be recalled when entering the phase.
Vision may be absent at the beginning of a phase experience, but the sensation of occupying a defined space is almost always present. In the case of a completely absent sense of sight, only tactile-kinesthetic perception is possible. That is, movement throughout a space and the touching objects there is the only option when vision is absent. The sense of touch plays a key role in the perception of everyday reality. Accordingly, if the sense of touch is actively used in the phase space, it is only natural that the phase will deepen and reach its maximum potential.
Palpation is performed by fleetingly touching anything that may be found in the immediate surroundings. This should be done by quickly but carefully perceiving the feel of surfaces and shapes. Hands should not remain on a particular place for more than one second, remaining constantly in motion to locate new objects. The goal of palpation is to touch and also to learn something about encountered objects or shapes. For example, if one feels a mug, one may touch it not only from the outside, but also from the inside. Once a practitioner has rolled out of the body, the bed may be touched; the physical body lying in bed may be touched, as well as the floor, the carpet, nearby walls, or a bedside table.
Another palpation technique is performed by rubbing the palms against each other as if trying to warm them on a cold day. Blowing on the palms also produces sensations that will help deepen the phase. Since tactile perception of the world is not limited to the palms, the hands should be moved over the entire body while in the phase to excite and fully activate the sense of touch.
As soon as palpation begins, the feeling that the phase is deepening and becoming fixed soon follows. Usually, it takes five to 10 seconds of palpation exercises to reach the maximum level of deepening. After performing this technique, the pseudo-physical sensations will be indistinguishable from those of everyday reality. If vision is absent on phase entry, it quickly emerges during palpation.
Peering is the primary technical variation of sensory amplification. However, it is not always initially accessible since it requires vision, which may begin as absent in the phase. Once vision appears or has been created using special techniques (see Chapter 8), peering may begin. The effectiveness of this technique originates in the fact that vision is the human’s primary instrument of perception. Therefore, by exciting vision to its maximum potential within the phase, it is possible to attain a fully immersive phase state that is completely apart from normal reality.
Peering should be done at a distance of four to six inches from objects within the phase. A practitioner should glance over the minute details of objects and surfaces to bring definition to the phase space while increasing the quality of vision. When looking at hands, the lines of the palm or the fingernail and cuticles should be examined. If observing a wall, study the texture of its wallpaper. When looking at a mug, one should look carefully at its handle, the curve of its rim, or any inscriptions. Attention should not remain on one area of an object for more than half a second. Active observation should constantly move to new objects and their minute details, approaching objects or picking them up to draw them nearer. It’s best when objects near one another; otherwise, too much time is spent moving around.
Peering brings quick and clear results. Usually, if vision is blurry and there is a yearning to return into the physical body, with just 3-10 seconds of peering all of this will be gone without a trace. After peering, vision adjusts as quickly and clearly as if a camera lens was correctly installed in front of the eyes, capturing the image in the sharpest of focus.
Simultaneous peering and palpation provide the maximum possible deepening effect in the phase. This method of sensory amplification engages the two most important perceptive, thus the effect is twice greater than when the two actions are separately performed. If vision is present in the phase, simultaneous peering and palpation is an absolute necessity because it facilitates good phase depth in the quickest and simplest manner.
The combination of palpation and peering must not only be performed simultaneously, but also upon the same objects. For example, while a practitioner may look at the hands and simultaneously rub them against each other; or while looking at a coffee mug, all of its parts may be observed and touched at the same. It is necessary to maintain dynamism of action, remembering that feelings should be experienced not half-heartedly, remembering that full concentration on sensory amplification is an excellent means to a deep, quality phase.
SECONDARY DEEPENING TECHNIQUES
Diving Headfirst
Diving headfirst is used if sensory amplification techniques do not work, or when the practitioner in the phase is located in an undefined space where there is nothing to touch or look at. This technique works thanks to the unusual vestibular sensations that it causes, which help to enhance perception. This technique is performed with the eyes shut if vision is available and the practitioner literally dives headfirst into the floor or space at the feet. A feeling of movement away from the physical body will immediately arise during the flight down, and the dive itself will be experienced as if it is really happening. Simultaneously, the surrounding space may darken and become colder. Agitation or fear may also appear. After five to 15 seconds of flight, the practitioner is either arrives in an undetermined place in the phase or hits a dead end, like a wall. In the case of a dead end, a translocation technique should be used. Translocation may also be attempted if deepening does not occur during the flight, if sense perception stops improving, or if a good degree of realism has already been achieved. An alternative to the translocation technique: hold the hands about four to six inches in front of the face and try to observe them without opening the eyes; this will move the practitioner to another random location.
When falling headfirst, do not think about the floor; assume that it will be penetrated. This very effective if the phase has not reached a fullness of depth.
A desire to not simply fall down observing one’s perceptions, but instead race swiftly downward while trying to move away from the body is extremely important. In case of failure to do so, instead of deepening, such a fall may lead to a return to the state of being awake, i.e. to a foul.
Vibration
Like falling headfirst, the vibration technique should be used if sensory amplification techniques do not work, or when the practitioner in the phase is located in an undefined space where there is nothing to touch or look at. This technique works thanks to the unusual vestibular sensations that it causes, which help to enhance perception.
After separating from the body, it is normally quite easy to create vibrations by thinking about them, by straining the brain, or by straining the body without using muscles. The occurrence of vibrations provides a significant opportunity to deepen the phase. An advantage of this technique is that it does not require any preliminary actions and thus may be practiced at any moment.
The brain is strained to the maximum extent possible, which cause vibrations that may be intensified and managed through spasmodic or prolonged straining.
If this technique does not produce deepening after five to 10 seconds, the technique has to be changed or action should be taken at the practitioner’s current depth in the phase.
Aggressive Action
This technique may be used as an alternative to any other deepening technique since it can be used at any moment. Practicing this technique only requires aggressive action of the perceived body. A practitioner may run, roll on the floor, perform gymnastics, or move the arms and legs. Maximum activity and aggression are paramount to the successful use of this technique.
If the practitioner is stuck in a dark space, waving the arms and legs from side to side is appropriate. If the practitioner is in water, swimming with determined, powerful strokes would be suitable recourse. The type of action very much depends on the specific situation along with an aggressive desire on the part of the practitioner.
As a rule, the effect of such movements and relocations comes quite quickly, especially if attention is focused on all the accompanying sensations.
Imagining reality
This interesting technique should be used by experienced practitioners, or if all other deepening techniques fail.
A practitioner aggressively imagines being located in the physical world, experiencing its intrinsic reality of perception, and not in the phase. This should be done while in a state of separation from the body with a sense of vision present. If successful, the surrounding phase space will immediately brighten and sensory perception of the phase will exceed the normal experience of reality.
If this technique produces no clear results after a few seconds, another technique should be used.
GENERAL ACTIVITY
All deepening techniques should be practiced with a high level of aggression, with no pauses, only continuous, deliberate action. If techniques are practiced in a calm, relaxed manner, then deepening attempts will most often result in falling asleep or returning to the body.
(the phase = out-of-body travel + astral plan + lucid dreams)
The techniques for phase entrance via becoming conscious while dreaming(Lucid Dreaming) are based on reaching consciousness and self-awareness during a dream, which, regardless of dream quality, can be transitioned into a fully realized phase experience. Contrary to popular opinion, having an out-of-body experience through dreaming differs little from other techniques; the primary results of which may be persistently categorized as dissociative experiences: being fully conscious while removed from the perception of a physical body.
The realism of a phase induced through becoming conscious in a dream does not differ from phases entered using other techniques, and, when deepened, the phase offers more vivid and lucid experiences than those of everyday life.
If a practitioner becomes aware of a dream while in it (usually accompanied by a clear realization that it is, ”just a dream”), then the phase is experienced from that moment forward.
Beginners often confuse the notion of becoming conscious while dreaming with induced dreaming. An induced dream is the dream of a specific topic, provoked on demand; this does not presuppose consciousness. Moreover, not all practitioners clearly understand what it means to be fully conscious while dreaming. Consciousness while dreaming is always present to some extent, but it is necessary to be as conscious as one would be in a wakeful state. Awareness is not possible as long as the plot of the dream continues. When full understanding occurs that everything around is just a dream, a person drops the dream and starts doing only what he wants to do at that very moment. And after awakening, he should not think that what happened was absurd or unexplainable.
During the process of becoming conscious in a dream, a practitioner�s actions must be completely subordinated to the desire to experience a quality phase. This is why, upon becoming conscious in a dream, proceeding to techniques related to deepening and maintaining is crucial.
Techniques for becoming conscious in a dream differ very much in nature from other techniques, and there are good reasons why these methods are differentiated from other practices, like so-called astral projection or out-of-body experience (OBE). However, their characteristics differ very little in terms of results.
The technique-related peculiarities rest in the fact that specific actions are not required to produce immediate, concrete results. All technique-related elements are performed outside of when consciousness while dreaming occurs. This is because it is impossible to take some action if you are not conscious and do not realize that you are dreaming. All efforts are directed at making that very realization somehow occur.
Many strive to achieve consciousness during each dream over the course of an entire night; however, this is rarely possible due to physiological barriers. There is a good reason that sleep and dreams are an important part of a human life. There is an important need to switch off not only body, but also consciousness, so that it may unconsciously sift and process the vast volume of information obtained in everyday life.
The timeframe for achieving conscious dreaming is very difficult to estimate due to the nature of required actions. Intensity and intention definitely exert heavy influence. A practitioner may become conscious in a dream when first lapsing into sleep, regardless of when it occurs. Or, with regular attempts, this could happen in two weeks to a month. Nevertheless, these techniques promise a much higher likelihood of success than direct methods, and can be compared with indirect techniques – inferior to the latter only in terms of the speed at which results are achieved and the amount of effort required. While indirect techniques yield maximum results in light of a full night’s rest, the amount of time spent in bed is not a significant factor to achieving dream consciousness. Therefore, this technique is sure to guarantee entry into the phase, especially if difficulty has been encountered while practicing other techniques.
Techniques used to attain dream consciousness should not be combined with other types of techniques. It is better to focus on one thing at a time. Interestingly, when a technique is practiced on a regular basis, there is nearly a 100% guarantee that dream consciousness will spontaneously occur. A practitioner must know how to react when this happens.
TECHNIQUES FOR BECOMING CONSCIOUS IN a dream(lucid dreaming)
It is possible to simultaneously practice several techniques for becoming conscious in a dream since every technique is directly compatible and complementary to another.
Remembering Dreams
There is a well known and widespread of fallacy that supposes that dreams do not occur for some people. Everyone dreams, but not everyone remembers their dreams. Even those who actively dream remember only a small fraction of these nightly excursions. Hence, one should not think that it is impossible for someone who does not remember dreams to become conscious in one. Such a person should simply try to use the techniques.
At the same time, there is a direct correlation between the number of dreams remembered and the probability of becoming conscious while dreaming. That is why developing the ability to remember dreams is crucial. In essence, the ability to achieve dream consciousness rests with the conscious mind, which is very much interconnected with memory-related processes.
Consciousness is naturally inherent in dreams, but it lacks rapid, operative memory. Dreamers may know who they are, their names, how to walk, and how to talk, but may not know how surrounding events are related, or the nature of their significance.
By increasing the frequency of remembered dreams, short-term dream memory becomes more developed, which enables more realistic dream experiences followed by a higher probability of dream consciousness.
There are three techniques dedicated to increasing the number of remembered dreams.
The first is to simply recall the details of dreams upon awakening. Within the first few minutes of waking up, try to remember as many dreams from the night before as possible. This should be done with a great amount of attention and diligence because this exercise strengthens the memory. If possible, during the day, or, better yet, before going to sleep at night, recalling the previous night’s dreams once again is highly beneficial.
Writing dreams down in a special dream journal is much more effective than simple recall. Record dreams in the morning while memories are still fresh. The more details recalled when recording the dream, the better the ultimate results. This is a very attentive approach that demands a higher awareness than simple recollection. Writing dreams in a journal significantly increases awareness of actions and aspirations.
Another way of remembering dreams is to create a map of the dream world. This is called dream cartography and is similar to keeping a journal, though an enhanced level of awareness is developed by connecting dream episodes on a map.
First, record one dream, describing locations and events, which are plotted on the map. This cartographic process is repeated with each subsequent dream, and after several dreams an episode will occur that is somehow related to the location of a dream that has already been recorded. The two dreams that took place near each other are plotted next to each other on the map. Over time, more and more interrelated dreams will occur and the map will become increasingly concentrated rather than disconnected. As a result, the frequency and realistic quality of remembered dreams will increase, and the dreamer will increase the ability to achieve consciousness while dreaming.
It is best to set remembered dreams to memory after temporary awakenings versus waiting until morning. To accomplish this, it helps to have a pen and a piece of paper nearby so that a practitioner may quickly jot down a phase or several key words from the plot of the dream before falling back asleep. Using this information, the majority of dreams are quickly and completely recalled.
The initial result from exercising these techniques is a rapid increase in the number of remembered dreams. When this number becomes significant (anywhere between five and 10 per night), lucid dreams follows on a regular basis.
Intention
Intention is crucial to the success of any technique. With regard to dream consciousness, its significance is multiplied. The creation of intention is inextricably linked to the creation of internal aspiration, which has reverberations in both conscious and unconscious states. In reality, an elevated degree of intention operates as a powerful method of mental programming.
This technique is performed before falling asleep by affirming a strong desire to become conscious while dreaming. For best results, alongside a strong, clearly defined intention, think through what actions will be taken when dream consciousness is achieved.
Creating an Anchor
Since dream consciousness is not linked to specific actions that take place within a dream and sensory perception continues to operate in the dream state, it is possible to develop and use an artificially conditioned reflex to achieve consciousness. The essence of this technique is to train the consciousness to uniformly react to certain stimuli that occur while being awake and when dreaming, establishing a habit of specific response every time a certain situation occurs.
For example, while awake, a practitioner may ask, ”Am I dreaming?” every time they see an anchor. An anchor is any object that is often encountered while awake and while dreaming. Examples of anchors include a practitioner’s own hands, red objects, or running water. When first using this technique, a practitioner will be unable to question whether a dream is in progress every time a pre-established anchor is encountered. However, with training and a strong desire this technique quickly produces results. Over time, subconscious questioning of the practitioner’s state becomes habit, happening while awake and dreaming. The end result is dream consciousness.
It is important to note that one needs not only to simply ask this question, but that it is also important to answer it mindfully, trying to isolate oneself from surrounding events in order to be able to answer it in an as objective and unpredetermined way as possible. Failing to answer objectively will always result in a negative response (no), and dream consciousness will not be achieved.
Natural Anchors
In addition to creating deliberate anchors that induce conscious dreaming, natural anchors should be given focused attention. These are objects and actions that regularly cause dream consciousness, even when consciousness is not desired. Being aware of the existence of natural anchors actually doubles the chances of their appearance.
The following experiences are common natural anchors that are present in dreams: death, sharp pain, intense fear, stress, flying, electric shock, sexual sensations, and dreaming about phase entrance or the phase environment. When attempting dream consciousness, identifying natural anchors produces results nearly 100% of the time.
One may try to start flying each time that one answers the question. This is of course pointless when in waking reality. However, when dreaming, this will most likely lead to flight and once again prove that everything around is just a dream.
Self-Analysis
Consistent analysis of dreams helps to ascertain reasons for an absence of conscious awareness: these analyses are significant to attaining dream consciousness. Over the course of a lifetime, the mind grows accustomed to the paradoxical nature of dreams and pays less attention to them. This becomes apparent while trying to understand that a red crocodile is unable to talk, cannot be red, nor can it rent an apartment. While dreaming, these impossibilities are never called into question. The essence of self-analysis is remembering dreams and thinking hard about why their paradoxical features had not been adequately recognized in the dream state.
With experience, the everyday analysis of the correspondence of dreams to reality begins to have an effect on a practitioner’s reasoning within the dream state. For example, that red crocodile’s presence in a rented apartment could cause doubts that give pause for reflection, which could in turn lead to the understanding that everything happening is just a dream.
ACTIONS to be done when becoming lucid dreaming
To ensure that dream consciousness leads to a fully developed phase experience, one of three specific actions must be taken.
The best is the technique is deepening, which should be immediately applied once dream consciousness occurs. Deepening must be performed within the dream episode before all other techniques. Doing so virtually guarantees entrance to the phase. The choice of actions that follow deepening is dependent upon a practitioner’s predetermined course of plan in the phase.
When becoming conscious while dreaming, it is quite dangerous to try to return to one’s body in order to roll out of it right away unless one has deepened beforehand. This could result in a situation where, after having easily returned to one’s body, one would not be able to separate from it, as the phase becomes significantly weaker when physical sensations coincide with the position of a real body. If one is to employ such an option, then in order to return to one’s body one should simply think about it, which is often sufficient to make the transition occur almost immediately.
Another option is the use of translocation techniques to arrive at a desired place within the phase world. It is also dangerous to employ this variation without first deepening; translocating in a shallow phase makes a return to the wakeful state very likely. Translocation is often accompanied by a substantial decrease in the depth of the phase state.
Direct techniques for entering into an out-of-body experience(lucid dreaming) are used without the prerequisite of sleep; by performing specific actions while lying down with the eyes closed. The advantage of direct techniques is that, in theory, they can be performed at any moment. However, a large drawback exists in the length of time it takes to master the techniques. Only 50% of practitioners achieve success after making daily attempts over a period of 3 to 6 weeks. For some, an entire year may pass before results are realized. The difficulty in achieving results with direct techniques is not a problem of inaccessibility, but the natural psychological characteristics of the individual. Not everyone is able to clearly understand the specific nuances involved, which is why some will continually make mistakes.
Many practitioners strive to master direct techniques right away because they appear to be the most convenient, straightforward, and concrete techniques. However, it is a grave mistake to begin attempting and mastering phase entrance from this level. In 90% of cases where novices begin their training with direct techniques, failure is guaranteed. Moreover, a vast amount of time, effort, and emotion will be wasted. As a result, complete disillusionment with the entire subject of phase experiences is possible.
Direct techniques should only be practiced after mastery of the easiest indirect techniques or how to become conscious when dreaming. In any case, difficulties will not wear one down afterwards, as it will be exceedingly clear from one’s own experience that the phase is not a figment of the imagination. Also, an advanced knowledge of indirect techniques will make it considerably easier to achieve direct entry into the phase.
Quality of the phase experience is not dependent upon the chosen entrance technique. Direct techniques do not necessarily provide a deeper, more lasting phase over indirect techniques.
Direct techniques are better suited for some practitioners and not others, but this ban only be said for a minority of the practicing population. Meanwhile, indirect techniques are accessible to absolutely everyone all of the time.
If a practitioner has decides to begin practice with direct techniques or has gained the necessary experience with indirect techniques, the underlying principles of the techniques must still be learned. Without these, nothing will occur, except coincidentally and in rare cases. The key to the successful use of direct techniques rests in achieving a free-floating state of consciousness. However, we will first examine a large variety of very useful aspects and factors that make direct entry into the phase much easier.
First, we will examine when it is best to perform the techniques and how intensively to exercise their practice. Then, we will examine the very important factor of body position, and the no less crucial issue of how long the techniques should be performed. Then, we will briefly investigate the issue of relaxation, and then we will immediately move on to the actual direct techniques. Only after covering all of the above are we able to delve into the issue of what a free-floating state of consciousness is and how to achieve it.
THE BEST TIME TO PRACTICE OUT-OF-BODY EXPERIENCE
The issue of time is not important with indirect techniques since the major prerequisite is that they are performed immediately after awakening occurs. In the case of direct techniques, the issue of timing is much more critical.
Naturally, the best method for finding the right time to perform direct techniques is the same as indirect techniques - the deferred method. However, there are some serious differences here. First of all, one may interrupt one’s sleep at practically anytime of the night or early morning. Second, after having woken up (5-15 min.), one should not fall back asleep, but should immediately proceed to the techniques.
Direct techniques are many times more effective with the deferred method than at any other time. This is due to the fact that with the deferred method, the mind does not have time to become 100% alert, and it is easy to fall into the altered state of consciousness that will allow results.
When it comes to specific steps, one should awaken in the middle of the night either on one’s own or with the help of an alarm clock. Then, one should get up and do something for 3 to 10 minutes, and then lie down again in bed and perform the techniques. If it is probable that the practitioner will wake up in too alert a state, and thus not even be sleepy, then the interval between awakening and performing the direct technique should be shortened, and fewer things should be done during that period of time. It should be noted that with this setup, a free-floating state of mind plays a far lesser role that with other procedures.
The second most effective window of time is before falling asleep at night, when the practitioner goes to bed. During this period of time, the brain needs to shut down the body and mind in order to renew its strength, which has been expended over the course of the day. This natural process can be taken advantage of by introducing certain adjustments to it.
Attempts at performing direct techniques during the day are less effective. However, if fatigue has already had a chance to build up by this time, this can be taken advantage of because the body will try to fall into sleep. This is especially suited for those who are accustomed to napping during the day.
Generally, other windows of time produce a substantially worse result, which is why one should start with performing direct techniques in the middle of the night, or before a night’s sleep. Only after such techniques have been mastered will it be possible to experiment with daytime attempts.
Intensity of attempts
The degree of enthusiasm that is devoted to any pursuit is directly related to successfully reaching a goal. However, it is very important to know when to ease up, especially with the delicate matter of phase entry. One attempt per day using a direct technique is sufficient. If more attempts are made, the quality of each attempt will suffer considerably.
A lot of practitioners believe that dozens of attempts over the course of a day will yield the phase. This is not the path to success and will quickly lead to disillusionment with the practice. Even if after a week or a month no results are seen, direct techniques should be attempted only once daily. Persistent, analytical, and sensible, stubborn resolve to practice properly will produce the desired effect.
Duration of an attempt
It is useless to attempt entering the phase using a direct technique by lying in bed and resolving neither to sleep nor get up until the phase occurs. Such coarseness in handling delicate nature of the mind will produce nothing besides rapid emotional exhaustion.
Rigid timeframes apply while performing direct techniques before a sleep or in the middle of the night. Direct techniques attempts should only last 10 to 20 minutes. Longer durations inhibit sleepiness because the mind will concentrate too long on the techniques, and the desire to fall asleep will dissipate, resulting in insomnia that often lasts several hours. Overdone efforts negatively affect natural enthusiasm due lost sleep and being tired the following day, which is compounded by the reality of a growing number of failed attempts.
If direct techniques produce no effect over the course of 10 to 20 minutes before sleep or in the middle of the night, then it is better to go to sleep with the thought that everything will work out another time. This is the positive outlook a practitioner ought to always maintain.
Body position
With indirect techniques body position isn’t important since conscious awakening regardless of body position is the goal. However, the position of the body is crucial while practicing direct techniques.
There is not an exact body position that each practitioner should assume since, once again, individual characteristics and instincts differ widely. There are specific rules that allow one to select the right position, based on indirect indicators.
Many hold a belief that the correct pose is that of a corpse - lying on the back without a pillow, legs and arms straightened. This notion has probably been borrowed from other practices claiming that it helps achieve an altered state of mind. However, this position seriously impairs the efforts of the majority of practitioners. The corpse pose should only be used when it is probable that a practitioner will quickly fall asleep while performing techniques in this pose, even though it generally prevents sleep.
If a practitioner experiences difficulty falling asleep and is constantly awake while performing direct techniques, then the most comfortable position for the individual should be used.
If sleep comes quite easily to a practitioner, a less natural position should be taken. If a practitioner experiences fewer gaps in consciousness when the techniques are performed and has a harder time falling asleep, a more comfortable a position should be used. Depending on the situation, there are many possible positions: lying down on the back, on the stomach, on the side, or even in a half-reclined position. It is possible that a practitioner will have to change positions from one attempt to another, introducing adjustments related to a free-floating state of mind.
RELAXATION
By nature, one should clearly understand that direct techniques are in and of themselves relaxation methods, inasmuch as no phase can occur without one being relaxed. Accordingly, one can go immediately into the phase without any prior relaxation.
Since the most effective window of time for using direct techniques occurs before sleep and at night, and lasts only 10 to 20 minutes in any case, additional time should not be wasted on trying to relax, nor should time for relaxation be subtracted from the requisite 10 to 20 minutes.
Correct and quality relaxation is a difficult pursuit and many go about it individually, producing an opposition to natural relaxation. For example, many endeavor to relax their bodies to such a degree that in the end the mind is as active as it would be while trying to solve a difficult mathematical equation. In this type of situation, entering the phase is impossible.
The body automatically relaxes when the mind is relaxed. The body, in turn, will never relax if the mind is active. Therefore, it is better for beginners refrain from the trouble of the nuances of relaxation and save their energies for more elementary matters.
Instead of forcing a technical relaxation, a practitioner should simply lie down for several minutes and this will provide the best relaxation. Lying down activates natural relaxation processes; the most powerful kind.
Complete, peaceful relaxation may only be coerced by those with specialized, in-depth experience. Generally, these are people who have spent a great amount of time and effort mastering trance and meditative states. Relaxation in these cases should take no more than 1 to 3 minutes and no longer as because when a practitioner is expert at relaxation it is sufficient to just think about it, and it occurs.
All quality relaxation techniques may well serve as direct techniques, if a free-floating state of mind occurs while they are exercised. After gaining the necessary experience with trance and meditation, a practitioner of these mental arts may proceed to mastering the phase.
Variations of using
Techniques used to gain direct entrance to the phase are exactly the same as those used during indirect attempts. The only difference is in the method of implementation. The techniques are described in detail in Chapter 2. However, since direct techniques mostly require passivity, not all techniques work equally well for both direct and indirect entries into the phase. For example, active techniques like straining the brain cannot be used to gain a smooth entrance into the phase.
Direct techniques differ from indirect techniques in their implementation because of the slow, halting production of results that occurs from the beginning of a direct attempt through the end of it. If upon awakening something happens to work, then this can practically always lead to entrance into the phase. For example, the same phantom wiggling before sleep can begin quickly enough, but range of movement will not be easy to increase, and the entire implementation of the technique will rely on protracted, rhythmic movement. Results take much longer: ten minutes instead of ten seconds. These differences also apply to every technique described in this guidebook.
Like the practice of indirect techniques, to begin the practice of direct techniques, a practitioner should choose 3 or 4 of the most suitable techniques from those that prove most effective to the individual. In order to assist the practitioner, a table has been provided, detailing the documented effectiveness of the direct techniques:
The Most Effective Direct Techniques at Seminars of the School of Out-of-Body Travel
Phantom Wiggling
15%
Rotation
15%
Listening in
15%
Vibrations (occurring amid the use of other techniques)
15%
Observing Images
10%
Mixture of Techniques
10%
Simple separation (usually mixed in with other techniques)
10%
Other Techniques
10%
The primary difference in working with direct techniques is the time that it takes to exercise each. If testing a specific indirect technique takes only 3 to 5 seconds, then in this case several minutes will be spent. Duration varies depending on certain factors.
There are three primary ways of performing the techniques: classical, sequencing, and cycling – similar to the cycling used with indirect techniques. To understand which variant should be used, consider the following table:
Variations of Using the Techniques
When to Use It
Classical (passive) variation:One attempt of 1 technique. The technique may be alternated after each attempt.
- when learning direct techniques;- when a practitioner generally sleeps poorly;- if attempts lead to waking up;- if attempts with other variations occur without lapses in consciousness;- if the body and consciousness are in a relaxed state;
Sequencing (middle):One attempt with 2 to 3 techniques for 1 to 5 minutes. Techniques are alternated infrequently. Aggression fluctuates with the length of time that the techniques are performed.
- used if falling asleep occurs while using the classical variation, or if cycling results in becoming wide awake;- when a practitioner generally falls asleep quickly;
Cycling (active):Algorithm of cycling 3 techniques like with indirect entry to the phase, but performing each technique for 10 seconds to 1 minute, and not 3 to 5 seconds.
- if the classical and sequencing variations put one asleep;- when one generally falls asleep very quickly;- can also be employed when exhausted or sleep deprived;
A practitioner should always begin with the classical variation, i.e. using one technique over an entire attempt. Due to the unusual nature of the efforts involved, a beginner�s enthusiasm may sustain a completely alert state. Later, however, strong, prolonged lapses of consciousness into sleep may occur. Here, it may be necessary to increase the level of activity by transitioning to the sequencing variation.
Sequencing is the primary variation used for direct techniques because of its elasticity in application. It can be passive if over the course of 15 minutes when a practitioner alternates two techniques for five minutes. It may also be aggressive if used sequencing three techniques for one minute. Everything between these two extremes allows proper practice of the techniques and selection of the best variation to achieve a free-floating state of mind.
If falling off to sleep stubbornly occurs even with the active form of sequencing, then one should start cycling through indirect techniques, but performing each technique from 10 seconds to 1 minute.
As long work with the techniques is implied, one should not torment oneself if one does not want to do something, otherwise one may quickly tire out. Everything should be a pleasure to do and not cause any excessive emotional tension.
The free-floating state of mind
There are almost infinite descriptions of direct entry techniques offered in literature, stories, on the Internet, and at seminars. Sometimes, one description fundamentally differs from another. In the majority of cases, however, common threads exist that unite almost every description of a particular technique: short lapses in consciousness, memory gaps, and drifting in and out of sleep, all of which are hallmarks of the free-floating state of mind. After any of these phenomena occur, all manner of unusual pre-phase or phase sensations arise.
Lapses in consciousness may last for seconds, several minutes, or more than an hour. They may range from a simple loss of consciousness to entrance into a full-fledged dream. They may be singular and rare, or may occur several times over the course of a minute. Whatever a lapse entails, the mind attains a mode of operating that is ideal for phase experimentation, provided the practitioner is able to refrain from deep sleep and quickly return to a conscious, waking state.
Not every lapse of consciousness leads to the phase. The lapse must have sufficient depth to be effective. Thus, with every unsuccessful lapse, another deeper lapse should be incurred.
The primary practical drawback of the free-floating state of mind is the possibility of falling completely asleep during lapses instead of only temporarily dipping into sleep. Techniques are definitely necessary to ensure the desired result. Such techniques more or less fulfill an auxiliary function, and thus one need not be strict about them.
When performing the variations of the techniques, a practitioner can begin to vacillate between full alertness and complete asleep, coming to, and then nodding off again.
To avoid falling asleep requires a strong desire to return to wakefulness. This is accomplished by a strong resolve on the part of the practitioner, even if, while performing a direct technique, drifting in and out of sleep occurs. The practitioner must firmly assert that at the moment consciousness tapers off, awakening will immediately occur.
On the other hand, if lapses do not occur, and are replaced by complete alertness, the following tricks of the trade may help: full concentration on mental actions or, conversely, musing and daydreaming in parallel with the technique being used. It should be noted that these are only effective at the initial stages of working with direct techniques since such techniques have a strong sleep-inducing effect.
If direct techniques do not lead to light sleep or singular lapses after a long period of regular practice, then it must be assumed that the practitioner is dealing with some appreciable error in technique or in the length of performance.
Regulating the number of lapses that occur may be modified by body position during practice or by changing the variation used while performing techniques.
Entering the phase(lucid, obe, astral plane) with a free-floating state of mind most often occurs as the result of three key factors. First, one technique or another may begin to work well during a lapse. Second, nearness to the phase may unexpectedly manifest itself through sounds or vibration after a lapse. During this, transitioning to techniques that correspond to the above symptoms (listening in, straining the brain) may be applied. Third, when exiting a lapse, it is sometimes easy to separate or quickly find a working technique by paying attention to initial indicators.
Lapses in consciousness are not bound to occur in 100% of cases. However, striving to achieve lapses plays a very important role since they are not always perceivable, and a lapse occurrence is not always obvious. They can be very short in duration or shallow. Or, they may not occur at all. Nonetheless, properly applied techniques to produce lapses may give entrance to the phase.
Genuine practice of phase(lucide, obe) entrance is best begun with the easiest, most accessible methods: indirect techniques, which are conscious actions performed upon awakening from sleep. Some critics incorrectly assume that indirect techniques are not ideal, and prefer to start with direct techniques. However, doing so provides no guarantee for success and results in a large amount of wasted time and effort. Starting practice with indirect techniques guarantees entrance into the phase(lucid dreaming, out-of-body experience, atral projection).
A specific universal technique that suits every practitioner is a myth since individuals differ widely in personality, psychology, and learning speed. However, there is a relatively easy universal algorithm, or procedure, that accounts for the characteristics of each person and allows for the most rational, effective way to attain the initial phase entrances. This algorithm encompasses cyclic practicing of the indirect techniques covered in this chapter. Without exception, these techniques – despite their varying degrees of difficulty – are suitable for every practitioner who wishes to experience the phase.
Results can be expected immediately following the first few attempts; however, to achieve measurable results, an average of five daily, conscious attempts must be made. Making more than five attempts over the course of a day is fine, too. There is nothing difficult to understand about performing the techniques since they are clearly laid out and based on real internal processes. Remarkably, due to correctly practiced indirect techniques, more than half of students at the live school attain phase entrance after only two days.
In order to ensure that one’s efforts are most fruitful and productive, we are going to individually examine each step and principle behind the actions in great detail. Let us start from a description of the techniques themselves, which will actually apply practically just as much to direct techniques as to indirect techniques; as they only differ in character and length of application.
There are plenty of techniques, so after practicing all of the indirect techniques presented in this chapter, a practitioner should be able to choose three or four of the most straightforward, individually effective methods.
Separation techniques will be examined later. They are completely different from usual techniques, which only bring one into the phase, but do not necessarily themselves lead to separation from the body. It is often also necessary to know how to stop perceiving one’s physical body after employing these techniques.
It is necessary to understand when to employ these techniques, and the importance of waking from sleep without opening the eyes or moving the body. Attempting to enter the phase immediately upon awakening must be learned and practiced to mastery since it constitutes the main barrier to successful practice.
After examining the peripheral information surrounding indirect techniques, the cycles of indirect techniques will be examined, including what there are, how they work, and how they are best used. Successful phase entrance is the direct result of performing these cycles. However, there are exceptions, and it is not completely necessary to proceed with these cycles if one’s own mind somehow hints what exactly one should start from, which we will also examine separately.
Primary INDIRECT techniques
Nota Bene! The techniques described below are the simple components of indirect technique cycles. Implementing each technique’s description is far from effective. Of the list given below, it behooves the individual practitioner to choose the most comprehensible and interesting techniques, then actively study and apply the instructions for use.
OBSERVING IMAGES
Testing Individual Effectiveness
Immediately after waking from sleep, remain motionless, eyes closed. Observe the blank space behind the eyes for 3 to 5 seconds and try to locate recognizable pictures, images, or symbols. If nothing appears during this exercise, the technique should be substituted. If something appears, continue to passively observe the images. Meanwhile, the images will become increasingly realistic, literally enveloping the practitioner. Do not aggressively examine the details of the image, or it will vanish or change. The image should be experienced as a panorama, taking everything in. Observe the images as long as the quality and realism increases. Doing so yields two possible results: the practitioner becomes part of the surroundings, and has achieved the phase, or the image becomes borderline or absolutely realistic, and separation from the physical body is possible.
Training
To train the use of this technique, lie down in the dark, eyes closed, and observe the blackness for several minutes, identifying any specific images that may arise from simple spots or floaters, and then gradually transition to whole pictures, scenes, or scenarios. With practice, this technique is very easy and straightforward. A common mistake made during practice of this technique is when the practitioner aggressively attempts to conjure images versus passively observing what is naturally presented.
PHANTOM WIGGLING (MOVEMENT)
Testing Individual Effectiveness
Immediately after waking from sleep, remain motionless, eyes closed. Try to wiggle a part of the body for 3 to 5 seconds, but without using any muscles. If nothing moves during the attempt, try a different technique. If a sensation of wiggling occurs, even in the slightest, continue to employ the technique, striving to increase the range of movement as much as possible. This technique should be performed very aggressively, not passively. As soon as the range of movement nears or exceeds four inches – which may take just several seconds – the following situations may arise: one momentarily finds oneself somehow in the phase, or the wiggled part of the body begins to move freely. The occurrence of movement during practice of this technique allows the practitioner to transition to a separation technique and attempt to leave the body.
While practicing phantom wiggling, strong vibrations may occur, amid which separation may be attempted. Sounds also often arise, allowing the opportunity to practice listening in, which can lead to phase entrance.
The phantom wiggling technique is not meant to produce an imagined movement by a phantom body. The point of the technique is to attempt the movement of a physical body part without using muscular action. That is, the focus should rest upon an internal intention of movement without physical action. When the sensation occurs, it differs little from its real counterpart and is often accompanied by heaviness and resistance. Generally, there is very little range of movement at first, but with concentrated effort the range of movement noticeably increases.
It does not matter which part of the body is used to exercise phantom movement. It may be the whole body or just one finger. Neither is the speed of the movement important. Increased range of perceived movement is the aim of the technique.
Training
To train the technique of phantom wiggling, relax a hand for several minutes while lying down, eyes closed. Then, aggressively envision the following hand movements, without moving any muscles, for two to three minutes each: rotating, up-down, left-right, extending the fingers and drawing the fingers together, clenching and unclenching a fist. No sensations will occur at first. Gradually, the sensation of muscular action will become so apparent that the perceived movement will be indistinguishable from real movement. During the first training attempts, practitioners are often tempted to open their eyes to see if actual movement is occurring – that’s how real the sensation feels.
LISTENING IN
Testing Individual Effectiveness
Immediately after waking from sleep, remain motionless, eyes closed. Try to listen to noise in your head. Do this for 3 to 5 seconds without moving and without opening the eyes. If nothing happens during this period of time, switch to another technique. If any sounds like buzzing, humming, raving, hissing, whistling, tinkling, or melodies occur, listen attentively. With results, the sound will increase in volume. Listen in as long as there is some dynamism in the volume of the sound. When the sound stops, or the noise becomes loud enough, a separation technique may be attempted. Sometimes, the noise itself throws one into the phase while listening. �At a certain stage, sounds may be extremely loud and have even been described as comparable to the roar of a jet-engine.
The action of listening in consists of actively and attentively exploring a sound, the whole of its tonality and range, and how it reacts to the listener.
There is an optional technique known as forced listening in, where it is simply necessary to strongly want to hear noise, and meanwhile make intuitive internal efforts, which, as a rule, are correct. Performed correctly, forced sounds will intensify the same way as those perceived with the standard listening in technique.
Training
In order to practice listening in, lie down in a silent place, eyes closed, and listen for sounds originating in the head. These attempts are usually crowned with success within several minutes of trying, and one starts to hear that noise that absolutely everyone has within. One simply has to know how to tune in to it.
ROTATION
Testing Individual Effectiveness
Immediately after waking from sleep, remain motionless, eyes closed. Imagine the physical body is rotating along an axis for 5 to 10 seconds. If no unusual sensations occur, try another technique. If vibrations occur during rotation or the movement suddenly feels realistic, then continue the rotation technique as long as there is progress in the sensation�s development. There are several possible outcomes when rotation is practiced. The imagined rotation is replaced by a very real sensation of rotating along an imagined axis. When this occurs, a practitioner may easily leave the body. The other outcome is the sudden presence of strong vibrations or loud sounds, amid which separation from the body is possible. During rotation, separation has been known to spontaneously occur and the practitioner enters the phase.
Training
To practice rotation, imagine revolving around the head-to-foot axis for several minutes while lying down, eyes closed. It is not necessary to focus on the visual effects of rotation or minute sensations in the body. The key factor is the vestibular sensation that arises from internal rotation. As a rule, many practitioners experience difficulty performing full rotation. One person may be limited to 90 degrees of movement where another experiences 180 degrees. With consistent, correct practice, full 360 degree rotation will occur.
FORCED FALLING ASLEEP
Testing Individual Effectiveness
Immediately after waking from sleep, remain motionless, eyes closed. Picture a swift, compulsory fall into sleep for 5 to 10 seconds, and then return to wakefulness, followed by an aggressive attempt at separating from the physical body. Generally, after performing this technique, the practitioner’s state of mind quickly transitions between different states of brain. Strong vibrations often occur when emerging from this ”pseudo-sleep”, where the likelihood of separation from the body is increased, accompanied the opportunity to practice other techniques. Resist actually falling asleep during this exercise.
In essence, forced falling asleep is a trick on the mind designed to take advantage of the brain’s reflexive responses to actions that immediately induce semi-conscious states that allow easy entrance into the phase. Employing it is especially effective upon an extremely alert awakening, or after a movement is unintentionally made upon awakening.
Forced sleep is quite simple. It requires a cessation of internal dialogue, shifting mental focus away from external stimuli, and a strong desire for a quick reentrance to the sleeping state followed by renewed wakefulness after several seconds. In order to understand how this is done, it is sufficient to recall how one had urgently made oneself fall asleep before, or how one had fallen asleep after having been exhausted, or after a long period of sleep deprivation.
A common mistake in practice occurs when people fall asleep after attempting the technique, forgetting the necessary desire to quickly return to consciousness.
Secondary INDIRECT techniques
STRAINING THE BRAIN
Testing Individual Effectiveness
Immediately after waking from sleep, remain motionless, eyes closed. Make 2 to 3 squeezes straining the brain. This is known as straining the brain. If nothing happens, try another technique. If vibrations occur during this exercise, try to move the vibrations around the body and amplify them by continuing to strain the brain. The stronger the vibrations, the higher the probability that a separation technique may be applied. Spontaneous separation may occur. While straining the brain, a practitioner may experience the sounds necessary for transitioning to a listening in technique.
The vibrations that arise from straining the brain are very striking. If there is any doubt as to whether the vibrations happened, then most likely a practitioner did not experience them. The vibrations may be described as an intense, painless electrical current moving through or gripping the body. At times, the sensation of a total numbing of the body is experienced.
Training
To practice straining the brain, lie down, eyes closed, and attempt to strain the brain. Do not think about the fact that actually squeezing the brain is impossible. The imagined straining should be spasmodic, rhythmic. Practitioners may strain the entire brain or specific parts of it. During the process, a sensation of pressure or even real strain arises in the brain. With 95% of practitioners, this strain usually occurs within the first few minutes of exercise. This technique should be committed to memory when training so that it may be instantly recalled and practiced upon awakening from sleep.
Practitioners often make the mistake of unintentionally straining their facial and neck muscles instead of straining the interior of their heads. This error should be avoided at all costs, lest it become a habit that frustrates genuine practice.
STRAINING THE BODY WITHOUT USING MUSCLES
Testing Individual Effectiveness
This technique involves straining the whole body and differs little from straining the brain. When awakening from sleep, make one to three attempts at straining the whole body, refraining from actually flexing any physical muscle. If nothing happens, try another technique. Vibrations may occur as a result, and amplifying these by straining the body without using muscles can induce a spontaneous separation from the body. When the vibrations become strong enough, attempt a separation technique. Sounds often arise during the vibration which allow for listening in and a subsequent entrance to the phase.
Training
To practice: while lying down, eyes closed, try to strain the entire body without using physical muscles for several minutes. Tingling, internal pressure, and a strain on the brain often occur during this exercise. Remember to avoid straining any real muscles. If physical strain occurs, results may be forfeited in the critical moment of fruition.
VISUALIZATION
Immediately after waking from sleep, remain motionless, eyes closed. For three to five seconds, conjure an intense desire to see and literally create a specific object. The object should be envisioned at rest, about four to eight inches from the practitioner. Limit the visualization to simple, familiar objects, like an apple, flower, sphere, or hand. Sometimes it is useful to imagine an object floating just above the eyebrows instead of directly in front. If nothing appears during this period of time, a different technique should be used.
If an object appears, one should keep looking hard at it, and at a certain moment one will realize that one is already standing next to it somewhere in the world of the phase. When the object becomes realistic, one can also try to separate from one’s body on one’s own.
SENSORY-MOTOR VISUALIZATION
Immediately after waking from sleep, remain motionless, eyes closed. Imagine active, physical movement for 10 to 15 seconds while touching an actual object and simultaneously examining the imagined details of the room. If nothing appears during this period of time, a different technique should be used. If real and imagined sensations become mixed, then continue the practice until the imagined sensations overcome the primary senses.
IMAGINED MOVEMENT
Immediately after waking from sleep, remain motionless, eyes closed. For 5 to 10 seconds, concentrate on visualizing any of the following actions: wiggling, walking, running, somersaulting, pulling a rope, or swimming. Try to imagine the movement as a realistic and active event during the practice period. If nothing happens, a different technique should be employed. If results occur in the form of the sensation of mobility, the imagined movement should be continued until it becomes the dominant sensation. When the movement achieves primacy, it is accompanied by translocation to the phase. If such a translocation does not automatically occur, a separation technique is recommended.
IMAGINED SENSATIONS
Immediately after waking from sleep, remain motionless, eyes closed. For three to five seconds, envision that a specific object is being held in the hand. If nothing happens, a different technique should be practiced. If the impression of shape and weight become apparent, concentrate harder on the sensation, trying to compound the experience. Once the object’s presence in the hand achieves a realistic quality, separation is possible. However, it is preferable to continue handling the object. A practitioner is free to imagine any type of object that fits in the hand. Examples include a telephone, a drinking glass, a remote control, a ball, a pen, or a box.
EYE MOVEMENT
Immediately after waking from sleep, remain motionless, eyes closed. Perform two to five sharp left-right or up-down eye movements. If nothing happens, the technique should be exchanged for another. If vibrations occur, separation may be attempted after efforts to intensify the vibrations.
DOT ON THE FOREHEAD
Immediately after waking from sleep, remain motionless, eyes closed. For three to five seconds, visualize a point in the middle of the forehead. If nothing happens, a different technique should be used. If vibrations occur, they may be intensified by using this technique or by straining the brain, facilitating separation from the body. Also, sounds may arise that allow the practice of listening in.
FEAR METHOD
Immediately after waking from sleep, remain motionless, eyes closed. For three to five seconds, imagine something horrific and graveyard-related staying nearby, something graphic, macabre, out of the worst nightmare imaginable. If nothing happens, a different technique should be employed. However, acute fear may occur, most likely forcing the practitioner into the phase where a separation technique may be applied. Alternatively, vibrations or noise may arise and allow the use of other indirect techniques. A common problem with the use of this technique is that fear often makes the practitioner so uncomfortable in the phase that he desires nothing else than to return to wakefulness.
RECALLING THE PHASE STATE
Immediately after waking from sleep, remain motionless, eyes closed. For three to five seconds, recall the sensations that accompanied a previous phase experience. (This only works if the practitioner has achieved phase entrance in the past.) Either nothing will happen and a different technique should be used or these sensations will be recalled and separating from the body may be tried – if it doesn’t occur spontaneously. Vibrations or noise may also arise during this technique, in which case listening in or straining the brain may be practiced.
BREATHING CONCENTRATION
Immediately after waking from sleep, remain motionless, eyes closed. For three to five seconds, focus on breathing; the rise and fall of the rib cage, the inflation and deflation of the lungs, the intake and escape of air. If no results occur, a different technique should be used. If vibrations, noise, or spontaneous separation occur, the practice of this technique should be intensified and used to its full advantage.
Selecting the right TECHNIQUES
The next step to mastering indirect techniques is choosing the right techniques that suit individual predispositions. There is no point in going for one technique or another only because they look interesting and because someone wrote a lot or spoke a lot about them. The choice should be based strictly upon what suits an individual practitioner.
Out of all of the enumerated primary indirect techniques, practically only straining the brain works easily and quickly for 95% of practitioners. All other techniques work immediately for only about 25% to 50% of practitioners during initial training. However, after several training sessions, each technique yields results for 75% of engaged practitioners.
One way or another, every practitioner should identify a certain set of techniques that works best. A set should consist of no less than three techniques; four or five is even better to allow more options and practical combinations. Non-working techniques should not be discarded wholesale by the individual because they afford an opportunity to achieve success through new, previously unresponsive experiences.
To ensure the correct selection of techniques, each should be separately practiced over a period of at least three days. To this end, one should experiment with each of the primary techniques for 2 to 10 minutes before falling asleep, or even during the day. It is good to choose at least one secondary technique practice. This regimen allows a precise determination of the techniques that will yield the best results for the practitioner. During the process of selecting personalized techniques, a practitioner learns and retains the techniques in an intimate, personal way, which positively affects how techniques are used during critical moments.
It is worth noting that the final selection of techniques should be varied. For example, choosing both straining the brain and straining the body without using muscles is pointless because they are practically one and the same. More often than not, they will both either work or not work. This is why techniques should involve various types of sensory perception: visual, audio, kinesthetic, vestibular, imaginary sense perception, and internal strain. Remember that priorities and goals change with time, and that a technique that fell flat during initial attempts may unexpectedly prove valuable later on. Be flexible. No set of techniques should be carved in stone. In fact, the set may change several times over the first few weeks as the practitioner discovers what produces the best individual results.
To close this section, a list has been provided, detailing the most effective indirect techniques. This list was compiled with classroom data from the School of Out-of-Body Travel and may prove helpful in determining an effective set of indirect techniques.
The Most Effective Indirect Techniques at School of Out-of-Body Travel Seminars
Observing Images
15%
Phantom Wiggling
15%
Listening in
15%
Rotation
10%
Straining the Brain
5%
Straining the Body Without Using Muscles
5%
Forced Falling Asleep
5%
Mixture of Techniques
10%
Other Techniques
20%
SEPARATION techniques
Let us begin with a totally shocking fact: during one-third of successful indirect entries into the phase, it is not necessary to perform any specific phase entry techniques, as separation techniques are immediately successful� This has been statistically proven at School of Out-of-Body Travel seminars and in the analyses of other sources. Conversely, an incorrect understanding of separation techniques may lead to undesirable consequences. It is possible for a practitioner to enter the phase state and be unable to separate from the body. Therefore, it is very important to understand how separation techniques work since they are often a key to success.
At times a practitioner may only need to think about separation and it happens. This is a rarity, which explains the existence of a whole series of auxiliary techniques. The most important separation techniques are rolling out, getting up, climbing out, and levitation.
ROLLING OUT
While awakening, attempt to roll over to the edge of the bed or the wall without using any muscles. Don’t worry about falling out of bed, hitting the wall, or be concerned with the details of how this technique should feel. Just roll.
GETTING UP
Upon awakening, attempt to get out of bed without physical exertion. This should be performed in a way that is most comfortable for the practitioner.
CLIMBING OUT
While awakening, try to climb out of the body without using any muscles. This technique generally comes to mind when a partial separation has been achieved through the use of other techniques, or one part of the body has completely separated.
LEVITATION
Upon awakening, attempt to levitate upward, parallel to the bed. While attempting to levitate, do not wonder how it should be accomplished; everyone intuitively knows how to levitate from their experiences in dreams.
FALLING OUT
Practically the same as levitation: upon awakening, try to sink down through the bed.
PULLING OUT
Here, upon awakening, try to exit the body through the head, as if escaping from a lidded cocoon.
BACKWARDS ROLL
After awakening, try to perform a backwards somersault over the head without using any physical muscles.
BULGE THE EYES:
Upon awakening, bulge out or widen the eyes without opening them. Frontal movement toward separation may result.
Separation techniques are united by a singular idea: nothing should be imagined, movement should be attempted without the use of physical muscles. The techniques produce the same sensations of movement felt in real life. If nothing happens immediately after trying, then the technique is not going to work, though it may deliver results at a later time. A practitioner will instantly be able to recognize if the technique has worked. However, people are often unprepared for the realness of the sensations and think that they are making a physical movement instead of realizing that a part or all of the body has separated. After this unfortunate failure, careful analysis helps to understand what happened and plan for a successful retry.
If separation was incomplete or took place with some difficulty, this is a signal that the technique is being performed correctly. Strength and aggressive effort are required from this point to achieve complete separation. For example, if some movement began and then stopped after having made some progress, then one should go back and move even harder once again in the same direction.
In order to practice separation techniques, lie down with the eyes closed and attempt all of them over the course of several minutes. Separation has likely been accomplished if no muscles twitch or strain and a sensation of movement occurs. There will be a strong, almost physically palpable internal effort to perform a movement. Naturally, no physical movement actually occurs and the practitioner remains prone and immobile; however, at the right moment, these actions will lead to an easy entrance into the phase.
The best time to practice
The key to practice is the quantity and quality of attempts made that hone a practitioner’s skills. There are several windows of time best suited for employing indirect techniques.
To begin, it should be stated that sleep follows a cyclical pattern. We awaken every hour-and-a-half and then quickly fall asleep again, which gives rise to sleep cycles. Furthermore, we experience two primary stages of sleep: rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. NREM sleep includes many internal stages. The more we sleep, the less the body needs deep NREM sleep, and the more time we spend in REM sleep. Phase entrance is most likely to occur during REM sleep.
The best way to implement indirect techniques is by the deferred method. The aim of the method is to interrupt a sleep cycle during its final stage and then disrupt it again after falling back to sleep, which makes sleep light during the rest of the sleep cycle. Sleep accompanied by frequent interruptions can be put to productive uses.
For example, if a practitioner (let’s call him Jack) goes to sleep at midnight, then Jack should set an alarm for 6 o’clock in the morning. Upon awakening, Jack should engage in some sort of physical activity, like going to the bathroom, getting a drink of water, or reading a few pages of this book. Afterward, Jack should go back to bed thinking about how, within the next two to four hours, he will wake up multiple times and make an attempt to enter the phase during each awakening.
If Jack goes to bed earlier, then his alarm clock should be set back by that amount of time, since six hours of initial sleep is the optimal length of time. If Jack sleeps less than six hours, then the second half of his night’s sleep will be too deep. If Jack sleeps longer than six hours, then there will be little time remaining for attempts, or Jack may not even be able to fall asleep.
If a practitioner naturally wakes up in a forceful manner, it will be difficult to regain sleep. Thus, it will not be necessary for the practitioner to get out of bed with the aid of an alarm. The practitioner should attempt to go right back to sleep.
Naturally, the deferred method is most applicable in cases where it is possible to sleep as long as a practitioner desires, without having to wake up early. Not everyone enjoys such luxury on a daily basis, but nearly everyone has days off when time may be set aside to practice the deferred method. It is in large measure due to the deferred method that classroom courses at the School of Out-of-Body Travel allow up to half of class participants to enter the phase in the course of a single weekend!
The second most effective window of time for entering the phase is ordinary morning awakening. This generally occurs during light slumber following a full night’s sleep.
Another effective time to practice indirect techniques is after awakening from a daytime nap. Once again, this type of sleep will be light and short, which provides the body needed rest while allowing memory and intention to be kept intact through the moment of awakening. Again, not everyone has the luxury of taking daytime naps, but if such a chance arises, then it would be very beneficial to take advantage of the opportunity.
Nighttime awakenings are the least effective times for phase experimentation because the brain still requires a lot of deep sleep at this time. Awakening at night, the mind is quite weak and hardly capable of any effort. Even if some results are observed, awakening often ends with quickly falling back asleep. This is not to say that normal practice of the phase cannot occur at night; it just won’t be as effective as at other times. The nighttime option is best for those who lack an opportunity to use other windows of time for practicing the phase.
Understand that we awaken at night every 90 minutes, which is why a minimum of four awakenings is almost guaranteed when sleeping, even for just six hours. When the practitioner knows about this and strives to seize those moments, with time he will actually seize them and take advantage of them.
Conscious awakening
Conscious awakening is waking up with a particular thought in mind; ideally, a thought about indirect techniques. In order to start using indirect techniques upon awakening, it is not sufficient to have a cursory knowledge of the techniques to be used when waking. Due to the peculiarities of the human mind and its habits, it is not always easy when waking to recall any particular motive or idea. The goal of conscious awakening is to practice instant action without being idle after waking up.
This is not difficult at all for approximately 25% of the population. However, for the other three-quarters of the population, this is an difficult barrier to entry that can even seem insurmountable. If such thoughts arise, one should simply understand that this cannot be so, and that persistent attempts and training are the key solution.
The reasons why people are unable to remember practicing the phase upon awakening are: not being in the habit of immediately doing anything upon awakening, a desire to sleep longer, a desire to go to the bathroom, being thirsty, a desire to suddenly start solving day-to-day problems, and so on.
Conscious awakening with the intent of attempting an indirect technique should be a practitioner’s primary goal, which should be pursued at every cost. The speed at which the phase is learned and experienced depends on this.
There are several effective tricks to learning conscious awakening:
Intention upon falling asleep: This is the very important to successfully achieving conscious awakening. A very clear scientific fact has been proven by somnologists (scientists who study sleep): upon awakening, people usually think about what they had been thinking about before falling asleep. This phenomenon is easy to observe if the sleeper is experience a serious life problem; they fall asleep with the problem and wake with it. So, in a case like this, if difficulties at the front of the mind are replaced with a desire to practice the phase, this will produce the desired effect. It is not necessary to think solely about conscious awakening while falling asleep. It is sufficient to simply affirm the intention clearly and distinctly, even state the intention out loud. Practicing these types of conscious actions while entering sleep will do much to promote the success of indirect techniques upon awakening.
General intent: The more clearly a practitioner concentrates on the importance and necessity of waking up and immediately remembering to practice the techniques, the more solid the intent will become, and the more likely the process will fulfill its role and actually lead to results.
Affirming desires: Sometimes an internal intention is simply not enough for some people, or they are unable to properly affirm one by virtue of individual characteristics. In this case, an affirmation of desires should be introduced at the physical level. This could be in the form of a note with a description of a goal placed next to the bed, under one’s pillow, or hung on the wall. It could be a conversation with friends or family about the particular desire, or by repeatedly vocalizing the actions that need to be performed upon awakening. It could even be an entry in a diary, blog, or texting on a mobile phone.
Analyzing unsuccessful awakenings. Analyzing unsuccessful attempts at conscious awakening is extremely important. When remembering the failed attempt after several minutes, several hours, or even later in the day, focus on it and resolve to succeed during the next attempt. Deep exploration of the failure is highly effective and practical since the practitioner is learning what works, what doesn�t work, and making healthy resolutions toward success.
Creating motivation: The greater the desire to enter into the phase to accomplish a goal there, the quicker successful conscious awakening is achieved. Motivation is be created by a great desire to do or experience something in the phase. In general, previous visits to the phase are great motivation, but an uninitiated person does not know it and will need something to which they can relate. For some, this could be a childhood dream of flying to Mars, for others it could be the opportunity to see a loved one who has passed away, for another it could be the chance to obtain specific information, or influence the course of a physical illness, and so forth.
Aside from natural methods to achieve conscious awaking, there are various devices and tools that facilitate a measure of success. These will be covered in Chapter 5 in the section describing non-autonomous ways of entering the phase.
The best moment for conscious awakening is while exiting a dream. This is the most effective and productive time to attempt separation or performing the techniques. At this moment, physical awareness of the body is at a minimum. Awareness at the very end of a dream often occurs after nightmares, painful experiences in the dream, falling dreams � any dream that causes a sudden awakening.
With time, one should develop a reflex that enables one to perform planned actions at the moment of awakening, but when consciousness itself has not yet had time to return. This type of reflex is highly beneficial to seizing the most fruitful of opportunities to enter the phase.
Due to various psychological and physiological factors, it is not possible for every person to achieve conscious awakening after every sleep cycle. Thus, there is no point in becoming upset if conscious awakening does not occur every time. Experiencing only 2 to 3 awakenings per day is normal; this is sufficient enough to attempt phase entrance 2 to 5 times per week when practiced daily.
It is not worth getting carried away with an excessive number of attempts. During the School’s courses, it has been noted that doing 10 conscious awakenings or more (some students try 20 or even 30) over the course of one night and morning rarely yields results. This is due to the fact that if one sets oneself a goal that is desired so much that its realization breaks the natural rhythms of the body, one deprives oneself of the intermediate, transitional states that make the phase effective. A practitioner may also quickly become emotionally exhausted from the large number of attempts and be unable to push limits in the right direction. The upside is that one will simply tire out. If that starts to happen, it is better to calm down and try to approach the matter in a more relaxed manner, evenly and gradually.
Awakening without moving
Alongside remembering the phase immediately upon waking, another important requirement is awakening without moving, which is difficult since many people wake up and move. Upon awakening, scratching, stretching, opening the eyes, and listening to real sounds should be avoided. Any real movement or perception will very quickly disintegrate the intermediate state and introduce reality, the activation of the mind and its connection to the sensory organs.
At first, awakening without moving seems difficult or even impossible. However, it has been proven that this is remedied for through active attempts and the desire to achieve set goals. People often claim that they cannot awaken without moving, that it’s an impossible experience. However, after several attempts, it will happen, and it will occur more and more frequently with practice.
Thus, if there is difficulty in awakening without movement, do not despair, just keep trying. Sooner or later, the body will yield to the practice, and everything will happen smoothly.
Awakening without moving is very important because, for the majority of people, experiments with the phase are not possible except in the first waking moments where waking without moving sets the stage for successful indirect technique cycles. Often, a practitioner will make 10 unsuccessful attempts and move while awakening. Once the practitioner learns to consistently wake calmly and gradually, success quickly follows.
However, if an awakening is conscious, but with movement, that does not mean that the practitioner cannot immediately make an attempt to fall into the phase. Such attempts, although they will be about 5 times less effective than usual, should nevertheless be made Any opportunity to practice while waking should not be wasted. It must only be kept in mind that one must first neutralize the effects of the movement in order to once again fall into an intermediate state. In the case of movement, it is extremely helpful to begin practice with forced falling asleep. Listening in also works well, as does observing images and phantom wiggling, each performed passively for 5-15 seconds, instead of the standard duration of 3 to 5 seconds. After performing these, cycling may begin.
Awakening without movement, despite all its importance, is not a goal in and of itself, and also not worth suffering over. When awakening, if there is great discomfort, something itches, a need to swallow arises, or any manner of natural reflex, it is better to deal with it and then act according to practices recommended when movement upon awakening happens.
Not all movements upon awakening are real and, if only for this reason alone, when movement occurs, indirect techniques should follow.
False sensations occur in widely diverse ways. People often do not understand what is going on with them without having experienced the phase. For example, a person may think they are scratching their ear with their physical hand when they are really using a phantom hand. A person may hear pseudo-sounds in the room, on the street, or at the neighbor’s without noting anything unusual. Or, a person may look around the room without knowing that their eyes are actually closed. If a practitioner recognizes such moments for what they are, they may immediately try to separate from the body.
Cycles of indirect techniques
Thus far, indirect techniques used for phase entrance and techniques for separation in the phase have been covered. Conscious awakening and the best times to practice it have also been examined. Now, a specific algorithm of action for indirect techniques will be presented. Following this algorithm promises quick and practical results.
Algorithm of Action upon Awakening:
1. Testing Separation Techniques within 5 Seconds
Like the previous observation of separation techniques, a third of successful attempts with indirect techniques yield immediate success upon the attempt of a separation technique due to the fact that the first seconds after waking up are the most useful for entering the phase. The less time that has elapsed after awakening, the better. Conversely, if one lies down expecting something to happen, chances quickly dissipate.
Thus, upon awakening, preferably without first moving, a practitioner should immediately try various separation techniques, like rolling out, getting up, or levitation. If a technique suddenly started to yield results for approximately for 5 seconds, then separation from the body should be attempted. Sometimes inertia, difficulty, or a barrier will arise during a separation attempt. No attention should be given to these problems. Instead, resolve to separate – decidedly and aggressively climb out of the body.
Keep in mind that trying to immediately separate upon awakening is a skill of the utmost importance; one that is worth honing from the very beginning, never forgotten.
2. The Cycle of Indirect Techniques to Use if One is Unable to Separate
If separation does not occur after several seconds, it most likely means that separation will not occur, regardless of elapsed time in effort. This is where the practitioner must resort to other techniques.
The practitioner should already have chosen a minimum of three primary or secondary techniques that suit a practical repertoire. Here is where the techniques are put into action.
Nota Bene! In order to give a specific example, we will examine the use of three specific techniques, which should be replaced with a tested and chosen set of techniques. The following operational techniques have been used as examples: observing images (a), phantom wiggling (b), and listening in (c).
After an unsuccessful attempt at separating, the practitioner immediately starts observing the void behind the eyes. If images begin to appear within 3 to 5 seconds, observation should continue without scrutinizing the images in detail, or the image will evaporate. As a result of this action, the image will quickly become more and more realistic and colorful, engulfing the practitioner. If everything comes together correctly, a sudden translocation into the picture will occur, or, when the picture becomes very realistic, attempt to separate from the body. If nothing happens after 3 to 5 seconds, then the practitioner should transition to the technique of phantom wiggling.
For 3 to 5 seconds, the practitioner quickly searches the entire body for a part that can be wiggled. Or, the entire period of time is spent in an attempt to wiggle a specific body part: a finger, hand, or leg. If the desired effect occurs, then the practitioner should continue with the technique and achieve the maximum possible range of movement. During this process, a number of things can happen, including spontaneous separation, a successful separation attempt, free movement of the wiggled part, or the presence of sound or vibrations. All of these events are of great advantage. If nothing wiggles over the course of 3 to 5 seconds, then the practitioner should move on to listening in.
The practitioner should try to detect an internal sound. If the sound is there, listen and try to amplify it. As a result, the noise may grow into a roar and spontaneous separation will occur, separating through the use of a technique will be possible, or vibrations will occur. If no noise occurs over the course of 3 to 5 seconds, then the entire cycle should be repeated.
It is beneficial to examine the reason behind the use of a set of three indirect techniques. This is motivated by the fact that the body often reacts to techniques in very peculiar ways. With one person, a technique may work one day and not work on another day, which is why if only one technique is used, even a very good technique that works often, a practitioner can miss out on a lot of different experience through the lack of variety in practice. Thus, a practical repertoire should consist of several techniques.�
3. Repeating the Cycle of Indirect Techniques
If the first cycle of 3 techniques does not yield any clear results, this does not mean that all is lost. Even if the techniques do not work, they still draw the practitioner closer to the phase state and it is simply necessary to continue using the techniques by again observing pictures, phantom wiggling, and listening in and repeating this process at least three times.
Having performed one cycle of techniques, one can easily go on to doing a second cycle, a third one, a fourth one, and so on. It is quite probable that during one of these cycles, a technique will suddenly prove itself, even though it had not been working at all just a few seconds beforehand.
A serious practitioner should commit to a minimum of 4 cycles. The problem lies in the fact that it is psychologically difficult to do something that has shown itself not to work, and one may give up taking further action, even though one could be at the cusp of falling into the phase. Keep trying, and then try again, and again! There have been cases where it took twenty cycles to produce results. A monumental effort, yes, but one worth the outcome.
4. Falling Asleep with the Possibility of Trying Again.
If a practitioner is unable to enter the phase after performing cycles and attempts to separate, or even if everything worked out, it is still better to go back to sleep to facilitate subsequent attempts. Again, it is very important to go to sleep with a clearly defined intention of actually performing the cycles upon awakening. Such intention vastly increases the probability that the next attempt will occur soon. That is, one should not fall asleep with an empty head and the desire to simply get a good night’s sleep. If using the deferred method, then clear intention is mandatory, as several attempts are possible over the course of a sleep cycle.
Even if only a few attempts are made accompanied by decided and concentrated effort, then the four steps described in the algorithm will undoubtedly produce entrance into the phase.
In order to more effectively use the system of indirect cycles, it is necessary to discuss what to do if one technique works and progress ceases during the cycle and phase entry does not occur.
First, understand that if a technique has begun to work, only lack of experience and skill will prevent the phase.
Second, barriers are overcome by temporarily switching to other techniques. Let us suppose that noise arising when listening in grows louder and louder and then peaks in volume. It would surely be beneficial to switch to forced falling asleep or observing images for several seconds, and then return to listening in. The sound may then become much louder and provide an opportunity to proceed with the technique. Sometimes, it makes sense to break off several times into various techniques and then return to the primary technique that yielded some results.
It is often possible to simultaneously perform two or even three techniques and experience no negative effect to results. It is also normal and natural to skip around from technique to technique, deviating from a specific plan of action. For example, sounds often arise during phantom wiggling. In this case, a practitioner may just simply switch over to listening in. Other oft-encountered results pairings are: images from sound, sound from rotation, sound from straining the brain, a strain on the brain from listening in, vibrations from rotation, vibrations from phantom wiggling, and so forth.
During initial attempts at using cycles of indirect techniques, the problem of confusion during a critical moment may arise, when a novice practitioner suddenly forgets exactly what to do and how to do it. This is normal, and the solution is to immediately do whatever comes to mind. Results can be achieved in this manner. When a practitioner is more relaxed about the practice, such problems will no longer occur.
Hints from the mind
Varied cycles of indirect techniques is an almost mandatory precondition for getting the best result. There are some exceptions. Sometimes, through indirect indicators, a practitioner may be inclined to begin with certain techniques, regardless of what had been planned. These are a sort of hint from the body and the ability to use such cues plays an extremely important role in the use of indirect techniques because they enable a practitioner to substantially increase the effectiveness of practice.
Hint No. 1: Images
If the practitioner becomes aware upon awakening that some images, pictures, or remnants from dreams are before him, then he should immediately proceed to the technique of observing images, with all of the results that arise from it. If this does not lead to anything, then cycling with a set of techniques should begin.
Hint No. 2: Noises
If the practitioner realizes upon awakening that he hears an internal noise, roaring, ringing, whistling, and so forth, then he should immediately begin from the technique of listening in. If this has no effect, then cycles of indirect techniques ought to commence.
Hint No. 3: Vibrations
If a practitioner feels vibrations throughout the body while awakening, they should be amplified through the use of straining the brain or straining the body without using muscles. When the vibrations reach their peak, the practitioner can try to separate. If nothing happens after several attempts, indirect technique cycles should start.
Hint No. 4: Numbness
If a practitioner wakes to numbness in a body part, phantom wiggling of that part should be attempted. If no result is achieved after several attempts, cycling should be tried. Of course, it is better to refrain from techniques if the numbness is very intense and causes substantial discomfort.
(the phase = lucid dreaming, out-of-body experience, astral projection)
