Need Advice for Triggering Altered States

[Ragman]

Hello everyone. I have been reading this forum for the last few weeks and it is good to be in a place with other likeminded people. This is my first post  I am writing this in the hope of getting some feedback or ways to help with my problem. I do have some results, But they are completely random. The first half of the post is what I want some help with, and the rest are my results and lucid dreams if you wish to read them.

When I first started practicing OBE techniques a few months ago I couldn't even relax or clear my mind from random thoughts. I would last about 10 seconds of no thoughts before something will pop up. Something usually related to my awaking life. Eventually some nonsensical stuff that would make my mind lose awareness would come up and I would notice this and jerk out of it uncontrollably. Two or three of these and I was out, fast asleep.

Over time I have been practicing by clearing my mind and relaxing. Over time I have been able to get really good at this and can do it without even trying. It is sort of becoming a problem because I can maintain this quiet mind for a long time for about an hour but get not images or
thoughts like I used to. I don't know if this is good or bad. I don't "try" at all to not think of anything. The only imagery I get is when I consciously try and see something but it seems very dim. One night I sat upwards and did this and it lasted over 4 hours and just last night I laid down and had the same experience. Eventually I will lose awareness but that is before I feel or see any sensations. I enjoy this quietness and it doesn't bother me at all. I don't get impatient, it's strange. Has anyone has similar issues? What did you do to help or get something going?

Also, I also have never had sleep paralysis yet but my body does feel numb because I don't move it for ages. It also itches after about 30 mins. The itches are intense, like when your nostrils tickle and make your eyes water. I have to scratch, sometimes I do this without even thinking it and my arm feels like jelly, but it's not paralysed. I guess I have mastered the no thought state but I have hit a dead end. I have tried some rope or stair climbing/falling but I don't feel anything. Nothing like the lucid dreams I had by mistake (read below if you want to hear about it). I try to "see" images and it seems to work but nothing vivid like a lucid dream. I always seem to have awareness on my physical body and it doesn't want to let go unless I lose awareness. Sometimes I get to a point where I don't see images by my mind starts "thinking" about "stuff" in my brain but my awarenes is behind my closed eyelids. It makes no sense when I try and take notice of it.

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Now for the interesting and completely random occurrence stuff, if you wish to read. They have happened over about 1 month by mistake and out of nowhere. I wish to have more of these. I have read about these WILDS and phasing, these states are absolutely REAL. I believe I was in
focus 2 according to Frank Kepple.

One night I sat up in bed and just cleared my mind. It must have been for about 2 hours and then I felt I had tried enough so I laid down again and this no-thought thing seemed to stick. I eventually lost awareness and came back. I had no thoughts for what seemed about 20 or so minutes then I realized something strange. My arm was hanging off the edge of a gap in the middle of my bed, the bed was split in half but it was too dark to see. I could feel the coldness coming from the concrete floor which doesn't exist (I have a carpet). It realized I was feeling the coldness for ages but I never "clicked". I tried to gently move and felt some tiny vibrations. Without any effort at all I knew I was lucid dreaming or OBE. I stood up and walked around my house and was very aware, I checked the time, (9:35am which was way off) and then walked to my parent's room. They were talking on a bed that was different. It had pure white cloth and pillows and they were talking to each other. I walked in the room and they where chuckling and noticed me so they tried to engage in a conversation with me. I walked out of the room thinking "geez they aren't meant to see me" and my dad said in a laughing voice "where are you going?, don't run off, come talk to me". I decided to teleport to the roof of the house opposite side of the street, I went there instantly. I saw the rooftops and then everything faded out and I was back on my bed. It lasted about 1 minute.

Later that night I became aware out of nowhere after losing awareness. I saw the image appear then I tried to feel my awareness and was blown away that I was "there". I was there and in the back of my mind I knew I was on my bed still. It felt so real. I was blown away by the detail and vividness right from the start. I was at my school. I walked down a hallway to the outdoor basketball court. Along the way I walked past someone from my class and he said hi and I said hi back. I was walking one way and he was walking the other. It was just like the old days of high school. What a top bloke. I walked to the high school area and notice that the undercover area leading to it no longer had a roof and was made of stone-henge-like pillars. One wasn't complete. Like it was cut in half and floating in the air, I floated up to it and felt it's concrete texture which felt so real. I asked to talk to my subconscious or a guide to let them know that I want to experince these states more. A young boy in a ninja outfit appeared near me. He just stared at me through his ninja mask. I kind of sensed this was a lucid dream and I created him, but don't know why it was a boy in a ninja costume. I had a look to see what was happening on the school oval and then the dream faded out. It lasted about 1 minute like the last one. It was over so quick, what a bummer.

The other two aren't much to explain but they felt so real it was unbelievable. Out of nowhere I became aware again and started climbing the stairs of my friends house and I could feel my calves tensing as I climbed the stairs (sounds a lot like Robert Bruce's techniques). It was completely black so I found his leather couch and sat down to try and see. I felt the texture of the carpet, the leather couch and its heat. The detail was so accurate. The leather has small creases in its texture which I could feel and sense. It was like I was really there. I still couldn't see anything. After about 30 seconds I was back in my bed.

Thanks for reading. I can't explain this type of stuff without writing heaps. I have had a few other things happen but that will do
for now. I might write more later 

[nickspry]

It sounds possible that you may actually be projecting sometimes without realising that you have separated. It's pretty common even with people who feel strong vibrations to not realise they have succeeded because immediately after separation they may not feel any different. They presume they have failed when the vibrations fade away, but a simple reality check would confirm they are out of body.
Other people project without even feeling vibrations, which might be happening in your case. Maybe you should introduce occasional reality checks into those long thoughtless periods you describe. A good check that doesn't rely on visuals is to pinch your nose shut and see if you can breathe through it.  If you can still breathe, you must be pinching your astral nose, not your physical one. If you make this a habit, you might find you're OOB more often than you think...

[Xanth]

Hiya!  Welcome to the forum. 

Ok, let's start off with your first section and go from there. 
You don't really need to completely and utterly clear your mind of all conscious thoughts.
It's okay to have a random thought here and there, just don't dwell or give them any actual consideration.
Just acknowledge them and let them float on by.

As for the itches... scratch them!  Just don't move vigorously while doing it.  Move calm and relaxed.  You should be able to hold a relaxed state (or light trance) and still move.  It's really hard to ignore itches.  Some people will use it as a mind-over-matter thing by forcing themselves to not scratch it, but I find that's kinda counterproductive, because you're now focusing on your body when what you want to do is the exact opposite.

[Ragman]

Thanks for the replies. Another big post but very interesting

It's been about a month since I wrote that post and have only really had time to practice before bed time and in the morning. I have had some very interesting lucid and non lucid dreams now and then. I have had some Non-lucid dreams about laying in bed trying to have an obe and not realising it's a dream. I can't seem to have a lucid dream for the first wave of sleep. It only happens in the morning. An they only last about 2 minutes which is upsetting.

Once by mistake I snapped back into awareness but this time I felt my body asleep and was using a different pair of legs. My top half was easy to move around but my top half was stuck. I played around with my legs for a minute to get the feel of it. Soon whole body was loose and I was able to move around. I pushed my legs though the bed and then my upper body. I felt myself falling though everything was black. I fell for about 30 seconds and heard my head rushing like a jet engine and I visioned myself filling up with energy which made me feel warm and full of light. All of a sudden I'm glaring at the sun in the sky. I look down at the red sand at my feet and felt myself get morphed in. It was so awesome. It was very dreamlike though and things where crystal clear for about a minute then all over the place afterwards. It looked like the Nevada Desert and there was some show taking place with some caravans and cars driving towards it. I have never been to a place like this since I'm from Australia. I said hi to a dream character and was cursed at and called some vile name I won't mention.

I have had another time this happened and I moved from my bed and felt the floor. It seemed very physicle, I couldn't see anything. I moved to where my door sould be and couldn't walk though it. I opened the door, walked out and started to see my house. My family members I saw in this state where acting like lucid dream characters and where freaking out that I was "invisible" and I could touch them and they would feel it. They where wearing different clothes than what they where really wearing. I won't go on for much longer 

I believe this is the 3d blackness that I am feeling and it is awesome but I can't seem to get to this state without some luck. I think I am very close and can trigger lucid dreams from this state at least. I need to practice to get into this state but I always lose awareness. Thanks for reading!