Desperate for a Peak Experience

[Leary Herring]

Do

[dotster]

Well Leary, here is how I see it:

We are not all raving lunatics, that come here to this (and other) forums to discuss our experiences out of body. We don't all just make it up; they are all real experiences to us. We are all connected, in that we have had an OBE, or we are trying to have one, and so we come together and share our experiments, and we share our knowledge to try to help others to achieve an OBE as well. No one here asks for money, they do it from their own spare time, of their own accord. No one here is forcing you to believe in OBE's, or the experiences that we have, and will continue, to share. It's an awesome experience to have, and as much as you say you yearn for it, I believe the thing most likely holding you back is yourself, with your doubtfulness.

There are people here that have been at it for a lot longer than 2 years, and some of them we're in the exact boat that you are in. Some people take longer than others, I couldn't tell you why that is, but that is the truth. It took me almost 2 1/2 years to consciously project. You just need to realize that if you are saying that you are "at the end of your rope" you are not holding the right rope. You need the other rope, the one that does not have an end; the one that just keeps going forever. You will never stop learing, because you will never stop experiencing. So my advice to you is to pick up the other rope, the one that leads to success, and not the rope that simply comes to an unravelling end.

[Blazewind]

I very much agree with what dotster said.  It seems that some people take a longer time than others to get anywhere with this.  I have come to realize that the important thing is to not give up.  I have felt the way you do many times.  I practiced many years ago, put a good year into it, got nowhere, and made the mistake of giving up.  I found myself getting interested again a year or so ago,and began to practice again, yet still I have not been able to really get far.  There have been several times that I have asked myself, after another somewhat failed attempt at projecting, "Is it possible that some people just cannot do this?"  I have come to find though that by thinking of all the little steps toward progress, as success then I still have something to be happy about, and thus more motivation to keep on trying.

      I still desire it more than anything else but I'm getting to the end of my rope, and I don'tdon’t want to continue hurting myself hoping for something that might just not don't   I don’t want to quit. Please, somebody help

You won't hurt yourself by hoping for something that may never be.  The way I see it, hoping for something, is more motivation for it to happen for you one day.  And you say you don't want to quit.  To that I simply say... so, don't. 

[atraveler]

Hi Leary,

I totally understand where you're coming from.  Let me assure you that the people here are not lying, nor engaging in some fantasy.  All this LD/OBE stuff is NOT BS.  In fact, the only part of these phenomena that are really uncertain (as far as I'm concerned) is whether or not the "soul" exists and actually leaves the body, or if the experiences are just very vivid dreams or states of consciousness.  I've been practicing this for about six months now, and I've had about 6 or so OBEs, and numerous lucid dreams.  The difference between normal dreams, lucid dreams, and OBEs isn't merely semantic.  I remember some dreams every night.  The other night I recorded eight dreams in my journal! (last night only one)  Lucid dreams are completely different and easily distinguishable from regular dreams.  They are very cool and can be quite profound.  OBEs are even more distinguishable from regular dreams and LDs and are absolutely fascinating!   You really do experience an "exit" complete with sensations and everything.  This stuff is REAL!!!  (Exactly what it is is uncertain.) I'm a busy professional and family man and I don't have time to banter with silly people about wishful speculation.  The people here on this site are not lying or fooling ourselves.  We're all trying to figure out the best way to consistently achieve these states of consciousness.  Each of us has a vested interest in the others of us experiencing this to its fullest extent.

Currently I'm in a one-month long slump with most of these experiences, and it's becoming somewhat frustrating.  I'm no expert - in fact, I'm one of the newbies here, but here are some tips.  I'm positive that at least one of them will work:

OBE/LD Tips
1. Make sure you're sleeping 8+ hours per night, every night.  More sleep = more peak experiences.  Don't skimp on the sleep!  Rearrange whatever you have to in your life, but you must get 8 hours of regular sleep!
2. Stop drinking.  Period.  If you're really serious about this, you'll have to stop drinking completely.  Alcohol messes up your sleeping and dreaming.  I've had these experiences while drinking moderately, but if you're really serious you'll eliminate alcohol completely until you've had a few experiences, then you can add it back.
3. Get moderate exercise 3x per week, and go outside in the sunshine at least 30 minutes per day.  Exposure to sunlight causes your body to produce more melatonin, and will reduce the incidence of nightmares.
4. You MUST keep a dream journal and record at least one dream per night.  This is absolutely essential.  No argument.
5. Every night before bed, read the last three nights' dreams from your journal.  Re-acquaint yourself with recurring themes and learn your personal dream signs so you can recognize them in your dreams.  My dream signs are: being involved with women other than my wife, and anything to do with bathrooms.
6. Pay the $20 and get the saltcube.com videos.  The videos are very useful but what did it for me was the OBE/LD timer.  I created a timer MP3 CD using my computer and filled it with different periods of silence divided by the beeps.  I put the CD in my portable CD player which plays MP3s and I usually turn it on around 5am (I put in only one ear bud speaker) and go back to sleep.  The beeps wake you up enough to become lucid, from which point I can sometimes project out of body.  I had an OBE the very first time I tried this!
7. Experiment with supplements.  I've been researching them recently and I bought and read the book "Advanced Lucid Dreaming: The Power of Supplements" by Thomas Yuschak.  You can get the .pdf version online for $5.  He recommends galantamine with a choline salt (bitartrate) and L-alpha GPC.  You can get these online, but the easiest place to start is to go to the "Brilliant Dreams" website and try their product first, which has the first two ingredients I mentioned plus others in it.  I haven't tried it yet but my order is currently in the mail.  The Brilliant Dreams website says to take one pill before you go to bed.  However, Mr. Yuschak says to go to bed, sleep 4 - 5 hours, and then take the supplements.  I'm going to try Mr. Yuschak's method first, using the Brilliant Dreams supplement.  Mr. Yuschak says to only use these supplements once every four days, whereas the BD site says you can use them daily.

Having these experiences can be very tricky and difficult, but it is possible.  Don't give up!

Cheers,
Atraveler

[Stookie]

You might just need to quit for a while. When it gets frustrating and it almost seems too important, stopping practice is OK. With me, the time I use for practice I use for doing something fun or even lazy. I've found when I do this, it creeps back into my life without me trying. Not necessarily OBE's, but the desire to experience more than the physical - for me, it can't be ignored. I get some of that original excitement and desire to have fun with practice all over again. I think that attitude is integral to successful AP.

If you're not getting anything out of it, what's the point? I think that means it's time to re-asses the situation.

[ka0s]

I agree with Stookie. Maybe it is time you take a break. One of the largest things that is against you is the fact that your beginning to not believe.

[Psan]

Desperate for a Peak Experience

Desperate is not the word which could help here
Patience is the key.

Don't try to swallow it hot and whole. Take little bites. Baby steps. Lowering the expectations may help. Taking a break, as advised above, may help. What you have done is, read each and every book on the subject, got your expectations high and wanted a full blown experience instantly. Never happens. Failure has brought frustration.

Try setting a smaller goal, like quieting your mind and conditioning your body to lie in a semi-comfortable position for hours. Observe the states in quite meditation, rest shall follow on its own.

Btw, I don't recommend drugs at this stage. They will only weaken you and make you dependent. Only experts can touch them, if needed at all.

[french_hustler]

I've went through the same thing before.  Just STOP and forget about it.
Give it a week or 2.  When you come back, you'll have a clearer mind to restart your practice.
Feeling frustrated and wanting for something to happen isn't good.  Your mind should be clear.

[darkness]

if u don't believe them believe me and the experiences i will tell u that i rarely tell any one but i dont want u to go through with what i went through first i will tell u the experience i had i slept one night and the previous day i volunteered for something where there could only be a few people for something i would say but is very embarrassing that night i had a dream that i was dating this one girl that day when i woke up i went to school and me and her won the next day i dreamed that it was canceled i woke up and went to school and i ruined it i got in allot of trouble but it stopped me swimming in a pond i knew and moved me to a bigger one.

[pdtulip]

I've been going for 5 years now (not really seriously though) and I still haven;t completely projected.  It is frustrating, I guess... but then you just try something else.  I took a break for a while, and then came back, and I feel like I'm getting better~ Since I see a little improvement everytime I do it, I feel like I might be able to do it next time...

I suppose, really, I just need to live a healthier lifestyle... by getting more sleep!!

[Harliquin]

You have all put wonderfull advice on here. I was feeling much the same as the topic poster, and have only been trying for a couple of months really. Im at the point where i want one of you to come and pull me out of my bloody body so i can at least get a flash of seperate viewpoint. I am sure i used to do it naturally as a child, and even into my teens.

Thanks to all of you for your support to us newbies, its very much appreciated.

Harliquin