Before I ask, here's a little insight into my situation.
A few months ago, I came just upon the edge of my first conscious projection, though mostly by accident. I had laid down for a lazy nap and simply let my mind wonder. I had nearly gone past that "point of no return" where you fall asleep, and somehow managed to snap myself awake. I found myself too comfortable to move, so I settled back down to go asleep again. Just a few seconds later, my entire body started feeling the "vibrations" and, in my minds eye, I was viewing a moving fractal image that looking exactly like this: http://andrewouellette.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/DMT_Tunnel_by_tgh4441.gif . I heard the rushing noises and even a few different voices speaking. These voices were very strange sounding because they were all male, but speaking almost as if someone had gone into a voice modification program, slapped a few different voices with different pitches on top of each other, and gave them some reverb. They were all speaking at once so I couldn't make out what they were saying, but it felt like they were directed at me. I noticed that I was breathing at almost half its normal rate and my entire body, the center of my chest (not my heart) was beating incredibly fast, and I was in SP. I would have kept going all the way into this, but some unimaginable primal fear came up on me which lead me to jerk my body awake so I could "get the hell out of there." The fact that I had been able to experience the vibrations, sleep paralysis, the rushing sounds, and hypnagogic imagery all in one accident at least let me know what it would be like for later, so at least I have something to work off of.
A few things I've found that have seemed to work for me to get me closer to APing. Unlike a meditation where I could sit up and keep my mind focused on breathing for 30 minutes, concentration seems to make it harder for my body to relax when laying down. For me, it seems like visualizing and then terminating the visualization to jerk myself awake seems to work the best. Doing this gets me into a light trance just fine. I can relax my body to the point where there's tingling in my arms and legs, but I haven't been able to get into sleep paralysis willfully; usually I only experience it upon waking up from sleep, in which case I'm too dazed to take advantage of it. I haven't felt the actual vibrations since the first near projection also.
The stickied threads here have provided me with some useful information, though I'm still a little curious. Does SP make it easier to project? What's a good way of using visualization to AP without falling asleep? Would learning to sleep on my back make APs easier? Any tips?
Here's my answers to those 3 questions.
1. SP can make it easier for some people simply because the body and mind are both thoroughly relaxed, so you have already knocked out abut 90% of the work. But, it is not a "must". Bedeekin's pre-nap technique works very good for achieving a good solid SP state.
http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/welcome_to_astral_consciousness/fantastic_obe_technique_bedeekins_method-t31819.0.html
2. Don't attempt to visualize while lying in bed. Do it sitting in a chair, so if you do fall asleep/click out, it is only for a short time. You can visualize any scenario, like building a brick wall or something. I know that's the one that Astral Zombie likes. I prefer to go to a tranquil beach scenario and see what's up there. Some people like to use a scripted guided meditation. You can find some of these on Youtube. It's basically a technique used by Robert Monroe and the Monroe Institute.
3. If you feel it's easier to AP by sleeping on your back, then it will work. If you feel you can't AP on your side, then that belief will make it so. Do you see what I am saying here. It all has to do with our belief. Any doubt will stop you before you even start! :wink:
I don't like sleeping on my back. So that position will make me restless. Which basically means that I won't necessarily fall into a "deep" sleep, but more of a lighter sleep, which keeps me more aware of what is happening around me. This can be irritating though, because I become more aware of twitches and spasm I might have as well.
Hopefully these answers have helped you. Good Luck and Safe Travels! :-)