I took some time off from trying to learn AP (I've been a fairweather attempter for the past few years) when I went to my first year of college.

A few days ago, I got interested again. I read Astral Pulse before going to bed, then woke around 4:30 am. I didn't move, and attempted to imagine myself APing. I got the vibrations, felt scared, and cut it short. But it felt too convenient, too easy, and I didn't feel like I was in that special a mental state. It felt different from being fully awake, but I could still think in words ("maybe i'll envision being downstairs now...), just not as clearly (right word?) as when I'm awake.

Strange.

Happened 2-3 times since, so it's either a recurring dream (maybe I could go lucid? who knows) or some kind of pre-AP phenomenon?

I've read through all the posts and have a pretty good grasp of the theories and techniques, so now i'm trying to make something out of it all

i have a few questions

first, would you recommend NEW or should I pass?

second, should I begin by aiming to AP or should I just learn typical meditation and let AP occur when I've mastered concentration?
or maybe I should both meditate and practice AP at the same time?

third, often when i meditate i drift into dreams that are more vivid than normal. I usually have some part of me that's still awake during them, so could I phase into the dream and turn it into a lucid one?

thanks for the help

How exactly do you meditate in a sitting position? all my attempts have led to my head falling forward or back as i got into a deep state

how exactly do i sit? whenever i try, i have a problem with my head falling down (the dosing-off effect).

I think what the problem is is that I just can't get into the trance state. I try really hard to get into it, but stuff just seems to happen
like i either drift into sleep, or can't silence my internal dialog, and this timer goes off in my head at 20 minutes (almost always 20 minutes, i think something subconcious is going on) that forces me out of bed

maybe i should meditate during the day or early morning?

i also can't fully relax myself
should i stretch or not before trying to relax?

I've been trying to AP since last June (I worked hard at it throughout summer, but when school started i've been sleep deprived) and i've had no results since maybe september, when i felt vibes and almost got out

but NO RESULTS SINCE THEN!

AHH! is there something i'm doing wrong? should i give up? do you guys have any helpful literature? I have astral dynamics, but i can't seem to find the file library of astral pulse

My meditative form:

-I follow Robert Bruce's physical relaxation guidelines (stretching, deep breaths, etc.), then i just sit there,  settle down, and try to quiet my inner mind, and I've been able to hold this for about 20 minutes. My weaknesses are inner voice monolog (which i'm working on stopping), and I'm thinking the length is a touch too short. If i plan on APing, what should i do differently? How can I deepen my trance state? Should i just sit there and be totally passive?

First off, I'm still a novice AP-er, and the highest I've hit is what I'm guessing to be the vibes (buzzing sound + strong feelings everywhere), but when I hit that state, it happened when i 'woke up' from a dream, but didn't move, and managed to skip all the relaxation and earlier steps and go straight to the buzzing. But whenever I try to get there manually, i get a strong feeling of pressure on my head, and tingly feelings (like vibes, but weaker). The pressure on my head always bugs me into ending the process right there. Does anyone else get that strong pressure? I read somewhere that it's supposed to reduce my awareness to a small area, it might be that....[?]

Are there any 10 minute interval mp3's? I'm out of CDs, and my computer's quite a distance away from my room, and I have no digital timers. If anyone has a 10 minute interval timer (like the ones used in Cube's methods, and other OBE techniques), I'd really appreciate it, thanks ahead of time! I checked the file lib, but came up dry [V]

Is there any way I can induce the vibes to come when I'm deeply relaxed? I can get relaxed, but I'm having poor luck with vibrations. Any exercise pertaining to this would be helpful, thanks!

I'm just getting into OBEs and AP, and i've been wondering what an effective way to fully relax my body AND stay awake is. I can get relaxed, but by then I drift off to sleep [!]. Any help would be nice. [?] Basically, what's a good relaxation exercise or routine?

Like someone else said, according to astral dynamics, astral wildlife like to create auditory and tactile hallucinations to creep you out. Ignore all auditory noises, I hear that sometimes the astral wildlife use voices of people we know. So when trying to AP, if you hear someone trying to break your house down or your mom yelling fire, remember that the odds of this happening in reality at this very moment RIGHT when you're on the border of APing are VERY slim, so just relax and try to ignore it.

[][][][]
I'll give it a try tomorrow morning!

but one quick question; how exactly do I focus bodily awareness outside the body?

It's helpful with getting to sleep paralysis, but does anyone have any help for the head pressure?

Thanks!