The Tendency for Magical Thinking

[Summerlander]

This discussion board is mostly scientifically oriented and the website itself is pragmatically poised to experimentation so that we can all yield the best results from the practice of inducing phase states of the mind. When we scan the brain of individuals experiencing what they popularly call 'lucid dreaming'---or, belief-centrically, 'astral projection'---and often reporting having the sensation of being 'out-of-body' (as in OOBEs or OBEs), we find a peculiar hybrid state, in the 40Hz of gamma bandwidth of brainwave activity, which appears to compound waking consciousness and dreaming; a.k.a., the phase state, or simply, 'THE PHASE'.

I do not believe that consciousness exits the physical body to perambulate this world or some spiritual plane of existence. I do think the phase state, with the aid of photographic memory, can emulate the real world during an out-of-body experience. I'm also in no doubt that the dreaming mind can realistically manifest the concept or an idea of what an astral realm looks like. Indeed, the phase can outdo our imagination and virtually bring to life what we think otherworldly phenomena would look like; but, despite its convincing realism, it is nothing but an elaborate illusion.

I began my practice 13 years ago, when I read Mind Games by Michael Powell, whereby I came upon a chapter on how to induce OOBEs as prescribed by Robert Monroe. To my surprise, it worked when I decided to try it. Initially, I was very much open to New Age beliefs and apparently exiting my physical body on lucky nights only seemed to strongly evidence the journeys out of the body and 'spirit-walking' narrative. But a niggling doubt---based on the undeniably illusory power of the human mind, express scientific scepticism, and, in self-honesty, epistemological uncertainty---made me want to refine my practice and explore the phenomenon further. Eventually, and luckily, I found Stephen LaBerge and Michael Raduga. So far, the best and most enlightening literature on this phenomenon that I have come across are is contained in the following books that still sit on my shelf: Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming and School of Out-of-Body Travel. The latter has now been developed and updated further under the title, The Phase: Shattering the Illusion of Reality.

But even today, having come a long way from entertaining esoteric views, my mind occasionally entertains the possibility of my consciousness really exiting my physical body in the phase state, just as the most sceptical of us still have a slight soft spot for superstition, which occasionally comes to the surface when some experience makes an impression. Here is one such example from my journal of lucid dreams:

Date: 10/12/2020
Method of entry: deferred direct method
Bedtime: 8pm
Awakening: 12.05am
Return to bed: 12.15am
Awakening: 5.05am
Attempt: successful
Phase state experience: clapping echo

Between around 12.15am and 12.30am, I attempt a deferred direct method of entering the phase, having failed at an attempt around 8pm, prior to sleep, by completely falling asleep. The period between eight until midnight is characterised by some dreaming involving family members and acquaintances I no longer see in waking life. REM sleep kicks in, some vividness, and a particular dream involves a banquet full of delicious food. My palate is particularly sharp. Despite the obvious signs, dream consciousness does not ensue.

After midnight, having used the loo and checking my Phaser app to remind myself of the essence of the deferred direct method, I make another attempt at phase entrance. I start by relaxing on my back and peering into the void behind my eyelids. It doesn't take long before I see imagery, dreamlets that come and go as I lightly dip into sleep. After a shallow free-floating state of mind period that couldn't have lasted more than a couple of minutes, I become strongly aware of lying in bed in a state of sleep paralysis, my body temperature having apparently dropped as though I am in a mild state of sedation. My left hand rests on the bed and I feel my index finger twitch. I start to wiggle it and eventually raise both phantom arms, which feel unusually light. I am sure I am in the phase state, so I gently sit up and propel myself forwards and float out of the sleeping body.

The environment is a replica of the bedroom displaying an anomalous structure. Next to my sleeping form is my wife, sitting up in bed and examining the luminous screen of her smartphone, apparently oblivious to my floating self. Like a ghost, I pass through a wall and experience some friction. I feel that this pressure or resistance inside the brick wall could increase and I could get stuck. My legs, at this point, are still inside the bedroom, but my head, arms and torso stick out on the other side---which reveals a dark alley that does not exist in the real world. It looks wet, dirty, and feels cold and unappealing, so I do a 'U' turn in order to explore my home interior. This time my bedroom is not there and I walk through an unusually long hallway before reaching the living room. Christmas lights adorn its interior as in reality, but my colourful surroundings are fading. I stomp on the floor as I continue to move forwards, towards where the bedroom should be, hearing thudding accordingly. I rub my hands and start clapping, which sounds muffled at first, so I clap vigorously to amplify the sound whilst also using my will to dial up a notch. It's a clapping sound that would make sense if not for the strange echo that follows it almost immediately.

I reach the bedroom and my wife is still there, checking her smartphone. Suddenly, I am back in my sleeping body. I sit up and ask my wife, who is still checking her mobile phone, if she noticed anything unusual in the air---entertaining the possibility of a real out-of-body experience having occurred, where my consciousness, against scientific reasoning, exited my physical body. She looks up and tells me she didn't notice anything unusual while I was asleep. Subsequently, I wake up for real, realising I had just experienced a false awakening. The room in darker in reality and my wife happens to be asleep. I fall back to sleep and dream about my old house in Portugal which included people from England. It doesn't seem to last long and I get up just after 5am to make some notes about the experience.