Messages

Frank,

So in simple, what is your take on what happens to our consciousness.. is it that we are conditioned from a very young age to "let" ourselves go to sleep and become unaware of the consciousness that occurs after going to sleep.

To break that cycle, what simple exercise/technique would you recommend?  Just go with the flow and keep the mindset that everyday, when you fall asleep at night, you try to observe as best you can the changes in your perception and keep focusing on that until the distortions themselves are enough to keep ourselves aware of our consciousness evolving beyond F10?

Frank, do you think that somehow the sensory awareness area of the cortex bypasses the sleep-inducing effects of melanonin when it is released, thus enabling the lucid dreamer/astral traveller to remain conscious during the experience of separation or inner-mind projection/lucid dreaming?

What is the scientific explanation/theory for maintaing conscious awareness while changing brainwaves from beta to alpha, and then to delta and theta?  Scientifically speaking, when we "enter F10/F12" and fall asleep consciously, does the trained mind learn to RECOGNIZE the change in brainwave pattern, and use the symptoms that come with it as a preoccupation to keep the mind from drifting, thus loosing conscious will and awareness?  Supposedly when the brain released Melatonin it is supposed to shut off most, if not all, sensory and motor areas of the cerebral cortex.

The other night I was falling asleep and it seemed like if I became so relaxed and then passively imagined a falling feeling, then I remained awake and could slowly feel my brainwaves changing states, and the "tingling" and "vibrational" stages slowly setting in.  Is this technique of passive (NOT ACTIVE.. it seems like when I try to imagine myself descending too much then I remain too preoccupieid on the thought itself and I get nowhere).. but just let the quietness engulf me and the peace and serenity.. until I feel myself falling asleep then slowly and as passive as possible start to imagine what it would be like to descend or "sink" into the bed.  Is this a good start?

If you keep your "mindset" on the wave turning your light of consciousness on as you slowly drift off to sleep (WITHOUT trying to maintain awareness initially, but whil e holding onto the thought that you WILL be conscious shortly after your mind falls asleep)?

astralspinner that breakthough that you discussed about the quietness may be the key.

Perhaps we just need to concentrate not on keeping the mind clear and focusing because that is a thought all in itself.. but on "catching" ourself when we notice ourself drifting to an unpleasant state of unconsciousness.  At the same time, I guess if you keep "nothing can bother me, nothing can touch me, i am relaxed and i'm about to  enter anotherworldy state soon" mindset and focus on just attaining the most pleasurable relaxation possible then sleep will naturally occur and you will enter the theta state where you can bring about the vibrations/buzzing yet at the same time remaining aware.

In essence to keep the mind blank relaxation in itself as a concept will fulfill that need to keep the mind void of all external stimulus and thoughts and opening it to the inner-self while not loosing awareness?

The main problem though is that even if you keep your mind clear, it still just "fades" away from being aware.. its hard to explain.. it doesn't drift it just shuts down after a certain point like you "loose" your state of being and then re-emerge into a dream.

How can you stay aware but at the same time not "think" in order to be aware?  That doesn't really make sense to me I guess.

After having read a lot of experiences and having had my own of this same type, I have found a remarkably similar coincidence that most of OBEs originate from going into a sleep cycle (REM and/or NREM) and then waking back up in the "theta" state, ready to project.  What is this exactly in clear-cut terms?  Why does it happen this way?

So then why can't we just go into the theta state directly from waking consciousness at the beginning of the night.. in other words, why can't we fall asleep consciously all the time?  Do you believe that if we keep focusing on keeping our minds clear of all thoughts and practice "being" in the trance state that eventually you WILL condition your mind to "fall asleep consciously" and arrive into theta within a couple of hours?