Messages

Hey CFTraveler,

Well actually, that photo was taken 6 years ago. Now my hair is gray and short and I've put on around 30 pounds! But thanks...

Don

Hey jub jub & faxman,

I understand frustrating. As I've posted earlier, I am a professional magician. I recall, on numerous occasions, trying a new card move or sleight with coins. My fingers felt like butter when I first started practicing and soon became sore from engaging muscles that have never worked in that particular combination. Days and weeks and months would go by as I practiced and practiced. Then, I would hit a certain threshold and WHAM! I was able to execute the move. Then came the hard part, performing the trick in front of an audience. A whole new ball of wax. Live performances tested my timing, angles, psychological focus, patter, and misdirection. Eventually I would perfect the effect and add it to my routine. I recall working on one particular card effect called "The Pass" - I probably rehearsed this difficult move for a year before it was ready for audiences. That was 20 years ago.

Then, a few weeks ago, a local magician at a magic meeting performed the exact same sleight using a refined method that involved little movement/misdirection. It was brilliant! Some magician, somewhere along the line, came up with a pronounced improvement on "The Pass" and published it in a magic book.

I really think that VES is an improvement over the standard way I've been using to have OBEs. Numerous short attempts after waking up at night/early morning, far outshine the hour or two I have usually spent, hemi-sync headphones on, lying on my back, waiting for that magic moment, year after year.

Don

Hey everyone,

VES is a four part system. The first part is programming the subconscious mind to wake the body/mind up during sleep. The second part is consciously entering into the hypnogogic state. Third is bringing in energy from the Vehram Array in order to stimulate the vibrations. Last is executing an exit technique.

So far I have stage one down - I am waking up numerous times each night, during sleep.

Entering consciously into the hypnogogic is a challenge for me at this time. Being aware of the breath, in and out, as recommended by Vessen Hopkins, the author of VES, is tricky for me. I think the reason is this - breathing is so immeshed within body activity that the body falls asleep while breathing and takes the mind with it. I will continue to work with breath however. I'm convinced that practice makes perfect.

This morning I was video chatting with Line Salvesen from Norway, using Skype. We have been chatting on and off for over two years. She is a natural lucid dreamer, having 4 or 5 lucid dreams each and every night. She can have WILDs at will in the early morning hours. A WILD is a Wake-Induced Lucid Dream - entering into a dream, lucidly (unbroken consciousness) while falling asleep. Line (pronounced LEENA) is in the process of participating in more than one European scientific study on the brain/dream state. In one of the sessions she will have numerous lucid dreams while sleeping in an MRI machine - very exciting research.

I filled her in on VES and my problem with stage two, entering hypnogogic. She suggested the following, a method she came up with a while back, that she personally uses to enter a WILD. She suggests getting almost a full night's sleep before trying to WILD. For me, who sleeps 8 - 10 hours per night, she advises to get at least 7 hours sleep first, before programming my subconscious to awaken. She does not recommend an alarm as that might wake the body/mind too much.

After waking up slightly, she suggests observing your finger, in front of your face, waving back and forth, while your eyes follow. Do this physically for a few seconds, then rest the arm and close your eyes. Now, imagine/visualize the finger moving in front of your face, waving back and forth, while your eyes follow. This must be done in the mind's eye. Keep concentrating on the imagined movement and your body will fall asleep naturally, while your mind enters into the hypnogogic state and your moving finger will materialize as a dream image - you will be lucid at that time, and ready for part three and four of VES.

I'll be working with this method for the next two weeks.

Don

Hey phxsun,

After just one full read of VES (Vehram Energy System), I started waking up numerous time in the night. I think the reason was that I was so excited over the potential of this new system. When the subconscious mind is stimulated and charged, it will obey your command to wake up throughout the night.

The next step is to enter into the hypnogogic. It just takes practice. One step at at time.

Don

I tried using audio, both music and voice, at different volumes. It did not work. When I listened to it after waking up, it was too much stimulus and I remained awake. After a while I could get back to sleep, sometimes, but soon after, the audio woke me up again. When I turned the volume down, it had no effect. I had a restless sleep as a result. Oh well, won't try that again.

Back to observing the breath and noticing. I am confident that practice will perfect this method. I believe the concept is valid. I'll post any results on this thread.

I still think VES is a breath of fresh air. I am dedicating weeks and months to working on this system. The whole idea of waking up at night and consciously entering the hypnogogic is brilliant. I am excited about the prospects of getting that part of the System down, and continuing to master the other aspects. From what I've been learning from Vessen's posts, when it clicks, it will be an easy method to replicate any time I want to OBE. For me, that is a valuable goal, so I am not giving up anytime soon.

Don

Hey faxman,

I see your point, and have thought of that, however, if the audio volume is too high and I became too awake, I could turn it down a bit for the next time. If the volume was too low, I could turn it up just a bit. There might just be a happy medium. I'm thinking this might be training wheels for me. I'm looking forward to Vessen's comments.

Don

Hey Vessen,

Thanks so much for your detailed insight; you are offering excellent guidance and I appreciate it greatly.

My problem is not staying too awake, but the opposite, falling asleep too quickly. Last night I woke up 9 times. I tried 2 things, changing from one to the other back and forth. I would try focusing on my breath, and noticing. Both methods were not strong enough to maintain conscious awareness as my body fell asleep. My mind fell asleep along with my body every time.

I'm wondering if I play a music CD or a CD with a voice talking, after waking up, my mind will have something to focus on.

What thinkest thou?

Don

Hey faxman,

I will also be working with the noticing, and will update this thread with any progress.

As far as practicing OBE, anytime it gets in the way of a healthy, regular sleep, it should be temporarily stopped. Maybe pick it up again on a night when you don't have to get up early, like a weekend. This OBE stuff should be fun and should NOT get in the way of sleeping soundly. I'm sure many OBEers on this site, beginner and advanced, would agree with me.

Don

Okay folks,

I'm quite confident that the initial stage of VES, intention to wake up during the night, is working for me. I awoke over 15 times last night. I stayed awake for less than 10 seconds, 90% of the time, before I fell back asleep. I feel well rested today - NO signs of sleep deprivation, and I've been waking up numerous times for several nights in a row.

On my bedside table is an RCA Digital Voice Recorder and a digital clock. Apart from missing to note the clock a few times, I was pretty good at saying the time out loud into my voice recorder. I made it a habit to voice my plans before going back to sleep. Because a couple of nights ago I fell asleep very quickly, lying on my side, I tried to lie on my back the majority of the time last night. Still, focusing on my breathing was not a strong enough exercise to keep my mind awake as my body fell asleep.

I just read the post "Focusing on my breathing wakes me up completely" and Stookie had some awesome advice - try "noticing" instead. I posted my reply under that topic if you want to check it out - it's an awesome idea and I'm excited about trying it.

So here's my sleep log for last night. I did not want to bore anyone with the details of my dreams and since waking up repeatedly during sleep is my goal, there's no point sharing my dreams in this post:

- 11:02pm - Bedtime
- 11:42pm - Still awake, new bedtime, trying to stay awake and focus on my breathing, conscious attention.
- 2:41am - awoke - bathroom, new attempt, lying on back.
- 3:47am - awoke - bathroom, dream recalled.
- 3:50am - awoke, moved onto back, head slightly tilted to the side.
- 4:05am - awoke - dream recalled - on my back again for next attempt.
- 4:18am - awoke - dream recalled - back to sleep.
- no time noted - dream recalled.
- false awakening - thought the time was 8:50am - plus dream recalled.
- 5:20am - awoke - dream recalled.
- 5:31am - awoke - another attempt.
- 5:56am - awoke - detailed dream recalled - bathroom, then back to bed, concentrate on my breathing, lay on back.
- 6:08am - noted time again, staying on back, not quite to sleep, try on my side this time.
- 6:51am - awoke - wonderful dream...
- 7:08am - awoke - noted that I just fell asleep, giving it another go.
- 7:28am - awoke - two minutes before my alarm was to go off. Then realized that my alarm does not go off until 8:30am. An hour more of sleep! Intention to focus on my breathing as I went back to bed.
- no time noted - awoke - detailed dream recalled.
- no time noted - awoke - short dream recalled.
- 8:30am - awoke to alarm and got up.

Hey Stookie,

I quickly glanced through your post the first time, but now, am giving it another read, and WOW! This may just be the solution to my current problem of falling asleep so quickly.

I studied Frank's phasing work on AstralPulse in detail a few years ago, and even signed up to his course, then he vanished.

At that time, I understood the concept of noticing and phasing but never really got a practical grip on the process. I will certainly revisit the ideas behind noticing; this may just be the appropriate focus I'm needing as my body falls asleep and my attention merges with the hypnogogic.

Thank you Stookie.

Don

Hi marika,

When I wake up in the middle of the night, and observe my breath, the opposite happens; I fall back asleep in no time flat. Not a big deal, just means extra practice for me until I get the hang of it. I'm waking up about 5 times per night.

If, however, I could not get to sleep for two hours, I would scrap the method immediately, get some restful sleeps, then try again, maybe on the weekend when I can sleep in. Question: when you wake up in the middle of the night, do you get up out of bed? Maybe that disruption is a bit much for your system and you're too awake. I would like to hear Vessen reply to this one. I suggest emailing him and have him post his answer on this thread, for anyone else with the same problem to see.

I am now recording every time I awake, what dream I was just having, the time, and verbally restate my intention to attempt the breathing practice, and the results, if any.

Don

Hey KJack,

Yes, I remember your name from AstralSource, cool.

A dream journal is an excellent idea. I currently use an electronic digital recording device. It's small and sits right beside my bed. No light to turn on or need to write anything down. The important thing about a dream journal is that the more you record your dreams, the more often you remember your dreams, and OBEs too!

Don

Hey jestershaw,

I will certainly PM you to get some of your secrets. I'm always open to listening to a "natural."

Don

[Intention]

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to update those following this thread, on my progress with the Vehram Energy System (I am now going to call it: VES for short).

Due to an intense desire to practice VES, I am waking up more than 5 times a night now, with no signs of sleep deprivation. That gives me multiple opportunities to practice getting into the hypnogogic, the prerequisite to working with the Vehram Array. My subconscious mind is now totally primed, and I think the reason for this is the immense amount of excitement and confidence I feel that this System has all the makings of a revolutionarily discovery in the mechanics of OBE induction. In motivational terms, it's called Intention.

If you've been following this topic, you'll notice a great deal of emphasis on the breathing method, while falling back to sleep. Although I have only been working with VES for about a week, I can honestly say that I have been able to stretch my ability to stay conscious while falling back to sleep. I know that all is required to stretch this to the threshold is practice. Each extra conscious breath I can take, as my body falls asleep, is progress.

I am a professional magician by trade and the concept of practice has been part of my language since childhood. The two rules I grew up on as I worked my craft were:

1. A real magician never reveals the secret.
2. Practice, practice, practice.

Having worked with the fundamentals of OBE induction for 8 years now, I am confident that VES is conceptually sound. It makes absolute sense. And I know that the first major step, getting into the hypnogogic, simply takes practice. Whether this will take weeks or months, I don't care - success is inevitable. I do feel that VES is the fast-track to having conscious OBEs at will, and I am determined to master it!

If you want to take a peak at my life as a motivational speaker / professional magician, check out www.Forging-Ahead.com

Don

Binary beat or no?
laying down or sitting?
what should I concentrate on?
what is an effective beginning technique?

Hey KJack,

8 years ago, when I first started trying to have OBEs, I had all the same questions.

I have spent hundreds of dollars on books, CDs, DVDs, and of course, my biggest investments - a special mask with flashing lights and live workshops. My success has been quite limited - only a handful of successful OBEs, all during sleep by the way. The most precious resource I have used up has been time. I can honestly admit that I have spent a few thousand hours getting into deep trances in order to travel out of my body.

That has all changed now. I am now done with all those long sessions trying to get into the hypnogogic state. That's tantamount to going in the "front" door. Instead I am now going in the "back" door. The back door entrance is available during sleep. All you have to do is program your subconscious mind to wake up during sleep, once or several times, and then focus intently on your breathing, in and out, as you fall back asleep. Within 3 - 10 seconds your body should fall asleep while your mind stays awake. From that hypnogogic state, initiate the Vehram Energy System. I started a whole thread on it - read and enjoy...

Don

Hi David,

I worked with the breathing method recommended by Vessen and had interesting results last night. Because I had to wake up early in the morning, I limited my attempts to only one (after a bathroom break, around 3am). I went back to bed and curled up on my side. Usually I fall asleep within 2 seconds, literally. This time, however, I focused intently on the breathing, in and out. There was one moment, about 5 seconds into it, where I almost felt my mind slip into sleep, but caught myself and focused on the breathing again. But soon after that, maybe a couple of seconds later, I was out.

These results give me great hope that I will be able to watch my body fall asleep while maintaining consciousness. I don't have to get up so early tomorrow morning so will take several stabs at it during sleep tonight.

All day today I was so excited about the possibilities with this System. I know I have to master getting into the hypnogogic before working with the Vehram Array, but one step at a time...

Don

Hi Vessen,

I want to thank you so much for the detailed email you sent; helping me with getting into the hypnogogic stage. I am so excited about the possibilities. I've waited 8 years for this! I am going to share it here for the readers of this forum because I think it is so incredibly valuable:

__________________________

What I try to do, and I feel like I have good success with this, is when I focus on my body and my breathing, I am being actively mentally engaged in what is going on, and I know we touched a little on this, already, but just to expand a little.  What you succumbed to last night was the "tug."  It can be strong, but it only lasts for the split second it takes for your body to cross the threshold. You have to be prepared for it.  There is no way around the natural physiological tug your brain is being subjected to. It's caused by the release of melatonin and a shift in brainwave frequency.  With practice and familiarity, the transition gets easier.  I feel very little tug because I can so acutely control the process, but I have done it many times, as well.

What you want to be attempting to do, as you cross the threshold of hypnagogia, is "play an active part mentally" for that split second.  Hold on to the present moment, along with the knowledge that you are aware of everything that is going on, you feel your body going to sleep.  If you get passive during this critical moment and are not focused specifically on being in control, your mind forgets what is going on and you fall asleep.

By maintaining an active mental role, you also generate alpha and high-level beta brain-wave frequencies that are characteristic of EEG scans taken from test subjects under hypnagogic-induction.

If we understand that the fight is against the brain slowing down too much (i.e. the mind wants to fall asleep,) then we understand that the best way to combat that is to inject a little lucidity.  Lucidity being awareness, you simply want to remain aware of what is happening.

You do this by asking yourself "What is going on?"  What is my body doing? Where am I?  What time is it?  What position is my body lying in? When you are this mentally engaged in what is going on, while also simply allowing your body to physically relax, the end result is that the body goes to sleep and the mind stays engaged and lucid.

Now, there is also the challenge of making the body go to sleep.  This is where the breathing technique overcomes your obstacle.  First remember that you are controlling what is going on.  The whole purpose of the breathing technique is so that you can actively control your body's level of relaxation, so that you can actively participate and be engaged in the process and because each time you exhale your breath, your body will slide closer to hypnagogia.  It does this because of specific physiological principles and it may even slip across on the first exhale, though not likely.  If you will take a moment between breaths, only after you exhale, (try this right now, while you are awake and see how relaxing it is) wait just a brief moment before breathing in and during this moment allow yourself to relax deeply.  So breath in, breath out, wait a second, breath in, breath out, wait a second.  During this "second", this is the moment when your body will go to sleep.

When your body is going to sleep, you will feel that "tug," again.  Just focus on your body, focus on being aware of it going to sleep, continue to relax physically.  You will see that it works like magic!

Entering Hypnagogia -  Steps in "1,2,3"
After you wake up:
1)      relax your body
2)      focus on controlled breathing technique
3)      As your body crosses threshold, maintain awareness by actively focusing on your body relaxing and going to sleep

Once you have reached the hypnagogic state, give a split second for your body to relax, then pull in the vibrations from the Vehram Array and lift out of your body.

Now, unfortunately, any movement of the physical body, limbs, etc., will push you away from the hypnagogic-state. However, because the lungs are semi-autonomous organs, that also happen to be our source for oxygen delivery to the bloodstream, they can carry this very critical function of being used for the purpose of actively forcing the transition into hypnagogia.  During the exhale of breath, the body does not have as high a level of nervous activity as when you are breathing in.  The transition never occurs on an in breath.  When you are breathing out, and you wait for that second at the bottom of the breath, your body is starved of oxygen, just a bit, just enough to shut down your nervous system!  BAM! Your body goes to sleep! Hehe...

Good luck tonight!

Vessen Hopkins
Author, "Out-of-Body Experiences: the Vehram Energy System"
http://www.vehram.com

I just checked out the link - Awesome! Almost identical energy array.

I emailed Vessen Hopkins, the creator of the Vehram Energy System, gave him the link, and invited him to join this thread on Astral Pulse. We shall see.

Don

Actually, yes, I am on medication where drinking lots of water is necessary, so yes, I do go to the bathroom often throughout the day and at night too.

Don

If your waking up several time during the night, how do you get any sleep? Do you not feel tired and sleepy all day long?

As it is, without using the System, I wake up a couple of times each night to answer nature's call. Waking up 5 - 10 times a night is no problem really, as the time to practice getting into the hypnogogic state takes less than 15 seconds. No signs of sleep deprivation so far.

Don

Hey everyone,

It has been many months since I last posted on this forum. Many of you may recall me as the creator and destroyer of AstralSource.com

I have been practicing OBEs for over 8 years, after having an NDE. After 2 years of diligent practice, I had, maybe, half a dozen experiences. They blew my mind; the most awesome thing I have ever experienced. I then got a little complaisant, cocky actually, and felt I had mastered the technique. Just to let you let you know, my OBEs only happened while sleeping – something to keep in mind while reading my insights below...

Because I stopped practicing, I stopped having OBEs, and my daily life started to consume all of my energy. I returned to practice 2 years ago, on and off, with little success.

Recently I stumbled upon a copy of The Vehram System (vehram.com) stashed away in my backup hard drive. I studied it carefully and have new hope that OBEs are within my grasp again.

I've been working on some fresh interpretations and alternate methods of the Vehram System over the past week.

Before sleep, I reinforced that I would awake numerous times during the night/early morning hours, and it has worked 5 nights in a row. I think this has been successful due to my conviction that the basic concept behind the Vehram System is sound. My intention has powered my subconscious mind to obey my command. Only by studying the System was I able to generate the enthusiasm to produce results. The System is designed that way, and I highly recommend downloading it.

Before sleep last night, while in bed, I picked a position that kept me awake longer, into the hypnogogic stage - better than any other method so far! This is not in the System but something I came across on my own. I'm sure I'm not the first one to discover it. I lay half on my side, half on my back. Not quite cuddled up in the fetal position but halfway relaxed on my side. I didn't stay fully awake, like when lying on my back, or crashed into sleep, like when I'm curled up on my side. I felt that consciousness lasted longer than usual, being more aware of the hypnogogic. I am quite confident that I will be able to select a perfectly balanced body position for prolonging the hypnogogic stage in time.

Following the System, at the right time, when I breathed out, I would relax my body - when I breathed in, I would imagine drawing energy from the Vehram Array.  The Vehram System .pdf download is only ten bucks and well worth it. I have intentionally not given the system away here because the creator deserved the credit and business. The 34 pages of knowledge is tantamount to breakthrough OBE technology!

I will be practicing this new method for the next several weeks and update this post.

I would very much like to discuss the system in detail, via PM, with others who have studied the ebook.

In conclusion, I think approaching an OBE from the hypnogogic window of 3 - 10 seconds, numerous times a night, is so incredibly exciting. Finally, the Zone has been mapped! Gone, for me, are the endless hours of pre-sleep practice sessions, week after week, month after month, year after year!

Don

Hey Mortals,

I'm totally into video games; they're a blast and I have so much fun playing them - been doing so for years.

I just bought a game called http://www.unrealtournament3.com. It's been out for about a year. Here is a screenshot:



It's a fast action, visually stunning game. You are engaged in battle with other players, using different weapons, armor and special power-ups, making you stronger in both offense and defense. There is a choice of several arenas/spaces/maps that you can play in. Each has a different layout. It is recommended that you play a map without opponents, just to get used to traversing the territory, and discover where the different weapons, armor and health power-ups are located. There is a special code you can input that allows you to enter the game as a "ghost" - making it possible to fly and penetrate through walls.

I played the game for several hours a couple of days ago, and then a few hours the next day. That night I had an OBE practice session. It was a very interesting session indeed.

First let me explain the movement within the game. Your character can move forward, backward, sideways, hop, jump, bounce and sometimes soar if you find the special power-up boots. There are stairs and elevator platforms all over the place. After playing for a few hours it's kind of like getting off a boat; perception is a bit wobbly.

When I lay down and experience a light trance, using MAP CD #6 (Mastering Astral Projection CD Companion set - http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Astral-Projection-CD-Companion/dp/0738710792), and get to the "body loosening" section, I really feel a slight phase shift. This induces vibrations. I have yet to time it out properly. So far the vibrations have occurred before I'm in a deep trance. I have yet to experiment with this method (I call: The UT3 Method), while in a deep trance, using it as an exit method.

I plan to stick to one map, and get to know it intimately, so I can traverse the corridors in my imagination and use it as an exit visualization method, when the time is right.

I'll keep you all posted. Anybody else into video games? Have you experienced similar sensations after playing for several hours?

Don

I've tried the "Brilliant Dreams" product on more than one occasion, without success. But that's me. I think everyone is different. I'm sure there are some success stories out there.

Don

I had an "Ah-Ha" moment tonight. All this time I thought the Skype cost to send a text message was 0.009 cents each. I worked that out to be about a penny for each message. With 5 people participating and let's say 5 messages per person per day, that would be a quarter a day. However, I just realized that it costs 0.090 per message. That's a dime per message, times 5 people, times 5 text messages per day = $2.50 per day. That works out to $75 a month - and that ain't gonna happen.

So, I have two people signed up and I'm calling the project FULL. I'll experiment for a few weeks and post the results.

Don (my arithmetic sucks eh?)

As I find it challenging to remind myself to do regular Reality Checks throughout the day, I've thought up an idea that may help.

This idea involves giving repeated Reality Checks throughout the day to a small list of people who can receive direct calls on their cell/voice mail/SMS (text message).

I am limiting this little experiment to the first 5 people who show interest. I have SkypeOut and can call North American cell phones for free and leave Text Messages for super cheap. When you agree to participate you will not have to spend one dime (except if it costs you to receive calls on your cell, answer voice mail or check your Text Messages).

A typical day will include you answering a morning message (either voice mail or SMS or both). I will make the call sometime between 4 - 5am PST. I will just give you a nudge for the start of your day; something like, "You will do numerous Reality Checks throughout the day."

Then, throughout the day, there will be several calls to your cell phone, which you may answer live, or let them go to voice mail. I may send an SMS. It may be something like this, "Look at your surroundings. Examine them carefully. Look for any signs that it may be a dream. Is it a dream? Are your dreaming right now?"

Due to my schedule throughout a typical day, the longest time between messages will be 4 hours. I will attempt to make 4 - 6 connections with you each day, maybe more if this method proves popular.

What I gain for helping you out is the opportunity to do Reality Checks regularly throughout the day as I will be heeding my own words to you.

All you need do is give me your first name, email address and cell number. I will keep all this data in the strictest confidence and share it with nobody.

I'm looking forward to this program and I'm quite confident that 5 eager Lucid Dream enthusiasts will sign up right away.

Be well,

Don