Some problems I'm having

[travilanche]

So I've been attempting the phasing method for several months now and there are some road blocks that I have noticed, that I have no idea how to get around, and thought I would ask you guys to help.

1.) No shapes appear-Sometimes I can lay in bed and stare for 45 minutes and nothing appears.  Some nights when I try shapes are immediate and pretty solid.  The most common thing I see is a sort of jagged vibrating circle that starts in the entirety of my vision and dwindles then disappears in the center of my vision.  This repeats over and over again and is usually either a whitish/yellowish color, or a sort of bluish color.  But sometimes I just can't get anything to appear no matter how long I concentrate and stare.  This makes it VERY hard to stay focused and I get bored and lose my concentration. 

2.) As soon as I lay in bed my mind starts to race like crazy.  This is a problem I have always had ever since I was very young.  Sleeping has always been a problem for me.  I used to take cannabis to help me sleep, but that's not an option at the moment, so I instead take antihistamines.  Most usually benadryl.  I usually make my phasing attempts before it kicks in though, because after they do sometimes it gets very hard to focus and I just say "screw it" and go to sleep.  I know people say that getting rid of dialogue in your head is absolutely essential to success, so to combat this I usually play instrumental music in my head.  This is sometimes pretty successful at keeping the dialogue to a minimum and sometimes makes it non-existent, but sometimes it still creeps in and when it does it usually takes over.  The music I play over in my head is usually something that is short and repetitive so that I can loop it over and over again.  My most used is "Farewell to Cheyenne" from Once Upon A Time in the West.  How good of an idea is this?  It seems like the same idea as a mantra to me, but I could be very wrong about this.

3.) My third and biggest problem by far.....random body itches.  I've always been a physically uncomfortable, twitchy, itchy guy.  I'm pretty short and skinny.  So when I lay in bed, and lie still I always get random itches somewhere on my body that builds to a point where I can't ignore it anymore and have to scratch it.  And when there is one, then others always follow.  I have found this problem to most likely be my biggest roadblock

This isn't to say that I haven't had some success.  Whenever i am able to lie still, not talk to myself in my head, and stare at shapes behind my eyes, I usually get strange physical sensations.  Most notably for a few seconds I will feel like my body is swirling, or like I am floating on top of some water, if that makes sense to anyone.  Also I will eventually feel heavier, and my body will tingle pretty strongly.  I guess I can feel what people refer too as their "astral body".  Sometimes I become very aware of it.  But I can always still move my body.

Also about 2 weeks ago, during an attempt I think I actually did have a projection.  I remember once I was laying in bed but couldn't move.  I then had the overwhelming sense that someone was standing next to me, just staring at me while I layed there.  It was sort of uncomfortable actually.  Then I seemingly woke up and could move again.  I instantly made another another attempt.  I remember getting out of bed, walking through my bedroom door and into the bathroom.  Then I found it very strange that I couldn't turn on any light switches.  After about 30 seconds of this I woke up in bed.  I'm not entirely sure if it was a projection or not because it all felt very dreamy and if it was I clearly fell asleep during it and so the memory of it was hazier I guess.

So does anyone have these problems too, and have any advice?  I would greatly appreciate it.  Sorry about the length of the post.  I tried not to make a wall of text though.  Thanks in advance.

[Xanth]

1.) No shapes appear-Sometimes I can lay in bed and stare for 45 minutes and nothing appears.  Some nights when I try shapes are immediate and pretty solid.  The most common thing I see is a sort of jagged vibrating circle that starts in the entirety of my vision and dwindles then disappears in the center of my vision.  This repeats over and over again and is usually either a whitish/yellowish color, or a sort of bluish color.  But sometimes I just can't get anything to appear no matter how long I concentrate and stare.  This makes it VERY hard to stay focused and I get bored and lose my concentration. 

So are DO see something. 
Focus more intently towards it.  Bring your being into what you're seeing.  You're doing fine.

2.) As soon as I lay in bed my mind starts to race like crazy.  This is a problem I have always had ever since I was very young.  Sleeping has always been a problem for me.  I used to take cannabis to help me sleep, but that's not an option at the moment, so I instead take antihistamines.  Most usually benadryl.  I usually make my phasing attempts before it kicks in though, because after they do sometimes it gets very hard to focus and I just say "screw it" and go to sleep.  I know people say that getting rid of dialogue in your head is absolutely essential to success, so to combat this I usually play instrumental music in my head.  This is sometimes pretty successful at keeping the dialogue to a minimum and sometimes makes it non-existent, but sometimes it still creeps in and when it does it usually takes over.  The music I play over in my head is usually something that is short and repetitive so that I can loop it over and over again.  My most used is "Farewell to Cheyenne" from Once Upon A Time in the West.  How good of an idea is this?  It seems like the same idea as a mantra to me, but I could be very wrong about this.

It sounds like you haven't learned to quiet the mind chatter then.  This should be your first step.

Learn to meditate.

http://unlimitedboundaries.ca/2011/08/16/how-to-meditate-tom-campbell/
http://unlimitedboundaries.ca/2011/08/22/another-meditation-gem-from-the-mind-of-tom-campbell/

Learn to quiet the mind... then learn to hold that quietness for an extended period of time.

3.) My third and biggest problem by far.....random body itches.  I've always been a physically uncomfortable, twitchy, itchy guy.  I'm pretty short and skinny.  So when I lay in bed, and lie still I always get random itches somewhere on my body that builds to a point where I can't ignore it anymore and have to scratch it.  And when there is one, then others always follow.  I have found this problem to most likely be my biggest roadblock

Deal with them like you would when you're trying to fall asleep at night.  If you get an itch, scratch it... but do so calmly so you don't break your focus. 
Get yourself as comfortable as you can before you begin too. 

This isn't to say that I haven't had some success.  Whenever i am able to lie still, not talk to myself in my head, and stare at shapes behind my eyes, I usually get strange physical sensations.  Most notably for a few seconds I will feel like my body is swirling, or like I am floating on top of some water, if that makes sense to anyone.  Also I will eventually feel heavier, and my body will tingle pretty strongly.  I guess I can feel what people refer too as their "astral body".  Sometimes I become very aware of it.  But I can always still move my body.

And then you "notice" the sensations, at which point they go away, right? 
Take note of them, but don't pay attention to them. 

Also about 2 weeks ago, during an attempt I think I actually did have a projection.  I remember once I was laying in bed but couldn't move.  I then had the overwhelming sense that someone was standing next to me, just staring at me while I layed there.  It was sort of uncomfortable actually.  Then I seemingly woke up and could move again.  I instantly made another another attempt.  I remember getting out of bed, walking through my bedroom door and into the bathroom.  Then I found it very strange that I couldn't turn on any light switches.  After about 30 seconds of this I woke up in bed.  I'm not entirely sure if it was a projection or not because it all felt very dreamy and if it was I clearly fell asleep during it and so the memory of it was hazier I guess.

Sounds like a Sleep Paralysis experience.  Do some research on that term. 

[Szaxx]

Hi,
To help with the itching you could try an exfoliating wash. This does wonders if you are naturally energetic during the daytime. My job gave me thicker skin in patches and  itching was a problem at night.
The lightswitch thing is a test to see if you are out of body especially when false awakenings happen. Next time you notice this rub you hands together looking at them very closely, this may bring you out of the dreamy state and your awareness will become clear.
Safe travels.

[travilanche]

I'm not sure if the exfoliating wash will help with the itching but I will give it a try.  The itching comes more from being uncomfortable sitting still for too long.  I read where someone else had said that they have a problem with their joints getting uncomfortable after sitting still for too long.  It's sort of like that.  My joints get uncomfortable too.  That's good advice about rubbing the hands together during the next experience.  If I am cognizant enough to remember it, that is what I will do.  

@Xanth: Yes, when I notice the physical sensations they do usually tend to fade away.  Though not always.  Sometimes they can get pretty strong.  And yeah, I know about sleep paralysis.  I have a friend that experiences it quite frequently.  It was just the first time it happened to me so it was quite strange.  I was certain there was someone standing next to me watching me.  Though I had a strange sense that it was a burglar, because I thought I had heard someone open the door, which I had locked.  But it only lasted what I think was about 30 seconds or so before I woke up.   The same with the other experience where I walked to the bathroom and couldn't figure out how to turn on the lights.  Lasted about 30-45 seconds and then I woke up in bed.  I'll look over that Tom campbell stuff and hopefully that will help out.

What about the going over music in my head to keep the chatter at bay?  Good idea?  Bad idea?  It seems the same as a mantra to me.  But I'm a huge noob at this stuff so I really don't know.  

But I feel like it's important to learn how to do this before the year is over.  It seems important in case something big does happen at some point this year.  Thanks for the help.

[Szaxx]

Hi,
Your determined and that in itself is enough intent. Ok on the wash its more for thicker skin patches, the other alternative is a pure memory foam matress. Mine is 4 inch thick and they're not that cheap.
Your doing well, success will be yours.

[Chris J.]

1.) No shapes appear-Sometimes I can lay in bed and stare for 45 minutes and nothing appears.  Some nights when I try shapes are immediate and pretty solid.  The most common thing I see is a sort of jagged vibrating circle that starts in the entirety of my vision and dwindles then disappears in the center of my vision.  This repeats over and over again and is usually either a whitish/yellowish color, or a sort of bluish color.  But sometimes I just can't get anything to appear no matter how long I concentrate and stare.  This makes it VERY hard to stay focused and I get bored and lose my concentration. 

There is the problem. You're trying to force something that you can't force. You have to simply lay back and observe whatever happens. Don't expect anything to happen, and don't try to force anything to happen.

2.) As soon as I lay in bed my mind starts to race like crazy.  This is a problem I have always had ever since I was very young.  Sleeping has always been a problem for me.  I used to take cannabis to help me sleep, but that's not an option at the moment, so I instead take antihistamines.  Most usually benadryl.  I usually make my phasing attempts before it kicks in though, because after they do sometimes it gets very hard to focus and I just say "screw it" and go to sleep.  I know people say that getting rid of dialogue in your head is absolutely essential to success, so to combat this I usually play instrumental music in my head.  This is sometimes pretty successful at keeping the dialogue to a minimum and sometimes makes it non-existent, but sometimes it still creeps in and when it does it usually takes over.  The music I play over in my head is usually something that is short and repetitive so that I can loop it over and over again.  My most used is "Farewell to Cheyenne" from Once Upon A Time in the West.  How good of an idea is this?  It seems like the same idea as a mantra to me, but I could be very wrong about this.

Whenever you notice your mind beginning to wander, bring it back to noticing. It's difficult, but it is all you can do to get better.

[proyect_outzone]

1.) No shapes appear-Sometimes I can lay in bed and stare for 45 minutes and nothing appears.  Some nights when I try shapes are immediate and pretty solid.  The most common thing I see is a sort of jagged vibrating circle that starts in the entirety of my vision and dwindles then disappears in the center of my vision.  This repeats over and over again and is usually either a whitish/yellowish color, or a sort of bluish color.  But sometimes I just can't get anything to appear no matter how long I concentrate and stare.  This makes it VERY hard to stay focused and I get bored and lose my concentration.

You see just aura colors. These are a side effect and no "requirement".

[travilanche]

Also I gotta ask, for meditation, what is a good mantra for a beginner, or where is a good place to get a beginners mantra?

[Lionheart]

 Travilanche, in this category you are posting in there is a ton of useful info on OBE's/Astral Travel and people's own experiences and techniques of how to achieve this. The info is all there, you just need to read it. After you read the Xanth's Primers, Frank's posts, Contenteo's primer, etc. if you still have any questions we would be happy to answer those. To project you need will, patience, knowledge and a lot of practice.

[travilanche]

Well, I have read xanth's primer, and some of frank's posts, but that was months ago I suppose.  Haven't read Contenteo's primer yet though.  I'll get right on that one.

[Lionheart]

 Good Mantras are "SSHHR Ring" from Tom Campbell, "OHm" and I like the breathing rhythm of "SOH HAM", you say SOH during exhale, HAM during inhale. Other than that you could use numbers, letters, words that have no real meaning, because you wish to get away from the mind chatter, not feed it.

[Xanth]

Any phrase that is nonsensical.  In that the worlds have no actual meaning are perfect to use.

[travilanche]

I'll update on the last couple of days.  I decided to try a mantra instead of music and it seems to work better.  I decided on "Foo-sho-rah" which comes from the game Skyrim but means nothing to me.  I find that it is pretty good at keeping chatter away for awhile and then eventually I can sort of stop saying it and keep the chatter away on my own.  By I still haven't seemingly reached a "point consciousness" state of meditation yet.  However I do feel alot of interesting physical effects.  After awhile my lower body particularly gets pretty heavy, though I never lose the ability to move.  Eventually I get very tingly all over, what I guess is my "astral" body.  I also eventually a fairly constant state of mild vibration.  And also the sort of "floaty" feeling that I mentioned previously, as if floating or swirling in water.  It's very hard to not become aware of this when it happens though and it always seems to quickly fade away.  (The floating and swirling, the tingling and vibrations seem to remain). 

Also I'm reading My Big TOE by Tom Campbell, since so many people here seem to be such big fans.  Something I'm curious about is why does he demand 3-6 months of meditation before moving on to something different, or bigger, when he himself says that he was able to achieve the "point consciousness" altered state on his very first attempt. It's especially puzzling when people like Robert Bruce claim they can teach you to master astral projection in 3 months (his method requires far too much visualization for me, which I cannot do at all) and so many others say that projection through phasing is something that can be learned realistically in just a few weeks? 

[Xanth]

Tom shares three methods for meditation in his book.

Each one is directed towards a certain kind of person who learns a certain kind of way.

Auditory learners
Visual learners
and Tactile learners

So depending upon how best you tend to "learn" is which technique you'd use.  They're all fundamentally the same, but the "focus point" in each is skewed to the sense you're using.

http://unlimitedboundaries.ca/2011/07/11/three-exercises-for-specific-learning-types-tom-campbell/

Tom was able to achieve the "Point Consciousness" state really quickly when he first began practicing those many years ago.  The point is that he still needed to work on perfecting it.  Some people aren't going to be able to get to that point so quickly and need to give it serious time and effort.  Giving 3 - 6 months of daily practice will tell you if you're making any progress or if you need to adjust things a bit.  BUT, never give up.  Adjust then continue.

Ironically, *all* forms of meditation require visualization of some form.  Visualization isn't necessarily always "visual".  You can visualize sounds and tactile responses as well.

Any technique "can" be learned in hours, days, weeks... but quite honestly, there's is generally a lot of societal programming one needs to deal with before they begin to see any results.

[Svetoslav]

I am absolutely the same,although i am tall and going in gym from 3 years now..

You repeat many times dialogue .. I guess you mean monologue.
I can't sleep that monologue is just unstoppable sometimes.
Just after i go in bed i feel like my heart will explode (faster rate of pounding than usual).
So i feel both tired and fevered. My bed goes in mess after 3 hours rotating my body.
And the biggest problem is that if i start thinking of that i can't ever sleep good and this night will be the same - it really does. Binaural beats help a bit but i guess i have to start mediation soon.

[Lionheart]

 Meditation cures a lot of different problems in a persons life. Meditation will teach you to relax. It's a great "launching pad" for Astral Travel. I have found a concept that my conscious mind seems to be comfortable with. I start by taking a couple of deep breaths, then I lie back and relax and say to myself "relax, release let go, by my act of will I release all my physical control, take me to your desired destination. Show me what I need to see, teach me what I need to learn". Then I trust and await my journey. I have found that by doing this every day, I have programmed myself for success.
Good Luck and Safe Travels!