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McKenna is awesome. I love listening to his talks, many of which can be found at the Psychedelic Salon. I've never used psychedelics, and I'm not inclined to at this time, though I wouldn't rule it out completely.

To my layman's eye, the scientific concepts he references look made up, but his techniques for having LDs look sound.

Think of yourself if you want to be miserable, think of others if you want to be happy. Can you understand when others suffer? You don't have to experience their emotional state, you just need to wish them well. That's all there is to it.

For example, let's say a baby has a dirty diaper that needs changing. You can be disgusted by the smell and resent doing it, or you can be happy doing it because you care so much for the well being of the baby. The truth is that there are many things in life which can make us miserable, but they won't matter if you don't think of yourself.

Old Dood: Thanks. I checked out the link...what a great forum! I definitely can relate...

I also want to say thanks to The Present Moment and Lighten for your replies/advice. It's hard but like I said I'll try my best to remain/think positive.

That isn't exactly what I meant. You are bound to feel down at times, maybe even most of the time if you have depression. The freedom you have is in how you treat your states of mind and your experiences in the world. Do you feel badly about feeling badly, good about feeling good? This is how our state of mind manifests itself in thought, trapping us in its particular energy.

When I feel depressed, I simply look at what is going on in my mind and body, and I try not to engage with the thoughts it is bringing up. There is always a residual signature, for lack of a better word, that stays in the body for at least a minute and a half after a state of mind has established itself. A good example is what happens when you have an adrenaline rush: its cause can be very brief, but you'll feel a bit wired until the adrenaline leaves your system. A state of mind can perpetuate itself for long periods by generating thoughts which in turn generate more of the energy that leads to the state of mind.

I really encourage you to read as much philosophy from the contemplative traditions as you can. Investigate the sense of self, the perception of me, mine, I, etc. Here is one teaching which I am just now reading myself,  http://www.happinessofbeing.com/, which has the teachings of Ramana Maharshi.

Bring positive energy to the situation with whatever technique you like.

You may want to seek out a meditation teacher.

I think drugs have their place, but they need to be used wisely. It's more like mountain climbing than a jaunt through the park. Once you go, you are stuck there no matter what happens.

I had major depression for quite a while, and it had a significant impact on my memory. What makes prolonged depression so intractable is the way it causes you to lose touch with happiness and other positive mental states. You can remember walking if you lose your legs, but you can't remember being happy if you can't feel happy. Trust that it is possible and don't get discouraged if it takes some time.

I wish you the best of will power, because luck has nothing to do with it.

Cardiovascular exercise and mindfulness are a great way to get your brain and mind back into shape. How do you feel about these states of mind? Chances are that you get anxious about anxiety and depressed about depression. One of the benefits of mindfulness is that it can prevent these states from snowballing with related thoughts, which keeps them at a more manageable level. Think constructively. When you feel yourself reacting negatively, be aware of it, and don't engage in patterns of thought which spiral downwards.

The stress caused by the problem is always worse than the problem itself, whether it be physical or mental. Have compassion for yourself, and be watchful for thoughts which lead to unpleasant states of mind.

Over the years I have seen a couple of people come through here trying to stop what the rest of us spend great effort trying to start. Go through the FAQ and Permanent Topics sections and do the opposite of what is suggested. Try to activate a single muscle group if you want to break sleep paralysis, e.g. wiggle a finger tip or toe.

Relax and find a way to enjoy the practice, even if the outcome isn't what you desire. Imagine this as a journey through thousands of miles, where you'll have lots of things to see on the way to your final destination. Can you relax, can you remember your dreams? These are the sort of short term goals you should be setting.

Thanks!! =D I guess I just need to practice..... It's hard to feel confident unless I know I'm getting somewhere....

To some degree, you can always be doubting your meditation and whether it is successful or good, even if you are very experienced. The problem with this attitude is that it interferes with acceptance, relaxation, or letting go, which is an important factor in settling the mind. I don't know what method you are using, but my advice would be to simply do it and not worry about the outcome.

"Crazy" happens when these experiences are outside the sleep, waking-sleep (hypnagogic), or sleep-waking (hypnopompic) states and you are unable to differentiate between them and objective reality. Take a look at the FAQ and Permanent Topics sections of the forums, there is a lot of useful information in there.

www.dailygrail.com

Frank Kepple was my favorite resource. Had he ever published a book, I certainly would have bought it.

Q1: Nope.
Q2: Exercise is a good analogy, and the expectation (knowing it is possible) and lack of over-excitement helps as well. While techniques vary, all of them have common elements of relaxation and altered consciousness. Waking from a restful but shorter than usual sleep is is the easiest way to enter the mind awake, body asleep state.

Welcome. I'm a little late to recommend the FAQ and Permanent Topics sections, but if you haven't found them already, check them out; another way to find answers is through the search feature.

Revenge will make you more vulnerable to pain in the future. The bigger the ego, the larger the target.

Quote from: The Present Moment on August 07, 2008, 02:20:24
I would explain that the IBE is created by the senses, and that the OBE is every bit as natural as far as consciousness is concerned.

I think you meant "OBE" instead of "IBE" correct?

"IBE" (the in-body-experience) is created by the 5 senses. There is no reason for us to experience being in or out of the body except that one set of information (the 5 senses) is better at holding our attention. That is how I 'validate' OBEs to skeptics - consciousness isn't in or out to begin with.

I would explain that the IBE is created by the senses, and that the OBE is every bit as natural as far as consciousness is concerned.

The common precursors are vibrations and feeling the 2nd body. Don't take it personally if one of your questions isn't answered, there are a lot of threads posted here. You might find more information in the FAQ and Permanent Topics forums.

All of the things that you listed look like future predictions that can't be verified. What is really changing and affecting your life? It might help to step back and examine whether you fear the change itself, the process of changing, or something else.

Beliefs are like mental structures that we build as we acquire information. We get accustomed to living in them, and it's hard to leave them behind. When you find new information, just collect it in a pile and don't worry about having to immediately contradict what you believe. Most of us aren't afraid of new beliefs, we don't have to be because we refuse to build new ones. You seem to have the opposite problem, where instead of rejecting new beliefs, you accept them right away.