Back to basics - what really works?

[cairnsb]

I have tried many things, and read many books...even tried the tapes and CDs.

Seems like the more I study the topic the farther away I get from my goals. I have always been the type to wake up during an OOBE or wake up and can't move (I really hate that).

It appears the main "triggers" for an OOBE are...

1 - Extreme Relaxation
2 - Clear mind
3 - Focus on your goals

Most of the things I have tried get me right to that edge the first few times, then after a few times it seems to loose effectivness.

I am just curious what works best for you?

[Swimmingbear]

I would agree with your triggers for the most part.
What has made the biggest difference for me so far is the timing of when I attempt to project.  Early morning after being up for a bit seems to do the trick for me.


SB

[Ben K]

I think time of day and tiredness have alot to do with it. as long as you can stay aware while your body gets tired you will have success, no matter the technique. everyone should play around with the times they practice, it works

[BillionNamesofGod]

well, many would say mastering Astral projection  the book by Monroe works.


But most here would say, it's all nonsense and Phasing works.

Buy why can't anyine explain phasing for newbies with exercises for newbies?

[magicmac2000]

Billion, "Mastering Astral Projection" is from Robert Bruce and Brian Mercer... anyway, I agree and disagree with you at the same time. Phasing is explained in three places:

a) Latest Monroe Book.
b) Bruce Moen work.
c) Here.

The problem with (a) is that he does not explain a clear technique. He coined the term "Phasing" explaining how smoothly he moves from one reality to another, but no clear techniques.
Bruce Moen (b) explains it very well. Ok, he doesn't call it "Phasing" but it's exactly the same with one exception: he always starts using imagination instead of being quiet (noticing).
Frank, Major Tom and other guys here explain the Phasing Method very well. For me, it didn't work yet, but I'm doing good progress going to Focus10, that is the "base" of everything.
My personal opinion is that one should start with a different goal. I'm in the goal of reaching Focus10 right now. It's not so easy (for me), but I'm making progress. Major Tom has a fantastic post about Focus10. Also, Frank has a great post about the "Pointers to Wave I" ...
So, I suggest -if you get bored "noticing"- you to start from the basics and try to achieve a solid Focus10 with the help of a rundown. Once there, everything seems easy, even if you attempt the "classic methods" to project (rolling out, bouncing your body, etc), the Focus10 state will help you.
So, for me it's a matter of achieving a solid Focus10 and from there, phasing, obeing, or whatever...

Hope it helps,
Magic.

[BillionNamesofGod]

Billion, "Mastering Astral Projection" is from Robert Bruce and Brian Mercer... anyway, I agree and disagree with you at the same time. Phasing is explained in three places:

a) Latest Monroe Book.
b) Bruce Moen work.
c) Here.

The problem with (a) is that he does not explain a clear technique. He coined the term "Phasing" explaining how smoothly he moves from one reality to another, but no clear techniques.
Bruce Moen (b) explains it very well. Ok, he doesn't call it "Phasing" but it's exactly the same with one exception: he always starts using imagination instead of being quiet (noticing).
Frank, Major Tom and other guys here explain the Phasing Method very well. For me, it didn't work yet, but I'm doing good progress going to Focus10, that is the "base" of everything.
My personal opinion is that one should start with a different goal. I'm in the goal of reaching Focus10 right now. It's not so easy (for me), but I'm making progress. Major Tom has a fantastic post about Focus10. Also, Frank has a great post about the "Pointers to Wave I" ...
So, I suggest -if you get bored "noticing"- you to start from the basics and try to achieve a solid Focus10 with the help of a rundown. Once there, everything seems easy, even if you attempt the "classic methods" to project (rolling out, bouncing your body, etc), the Focus10 state will help you.
So, for me it's a matter of achieving a solid Focus10 and from there, phasing, obeing, or whatever...

Hope it helps,
Magic.

And c) here it's not very clear at all, especially Franks Mumbo Jumbo, he might as well be a occult mystic, he sounds like one.

That's actually a  fantastic clear post.  (unlike most of the phasing responses you get here).  


You mean this article?

Focus 10

Mind Awake/Body Asleep

http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=13644

This won 2nd prize in the essay contest at astralsociety.org I recall !

Yes, the Major Tom article is truly a classic piece of writing, I wish he'd write more and go further into newbie phasing techniques. I hope you are reading this Major Tom!  You write in a clear logical sensible style, you should do as all a favour and put us out of our phasing misery, and keep going.

Can you explain which book Bruce Moen explains phasing???

I really would like to get the book and read it! I went to his site, it's all about "afterlife" I really couldn't see any books about OBE methods.

[magicmac2000]

Billion: the Book from Bruce Moen is called AfterLife Knowledge GuideBook - A Manual for The Art of Retrieval and AfterLife Exploration. It comes with a CD set (CD or MP3) with guided exercises and a Live Lecture (DVD) with Bruce. He is a cool guy. Always giving credits to Robert Monroe, and he explains the focus levels very well. He speaks a lot about the Belief Systems, and the AfterLife Zone (Focus 27).
Now, I bought that book but yet I didn't start the exercises coz I used to change from one technique to another (Monroe, Moen, Bruce, Peterson and many others) but about a month ago I decided (thanks to Major Tom) to keep myself focused on one technique: reaching a solid Focus10. Yes, the article is the one you mentioned.
So, right now I'm listening 5 days a week the Wave I - Track 2 of the Gateway Experience from The Monroe Institute. There's something important I wanna tell you: don't give up. If you are tired/bored and you wanna quit, just don't do anything except a few tries when you go to sleep. You have nothing to lose and almost no time invested. The simple act of trying will give you -hopefully- a few spontaneous OBEs. That happened to me and that (the spontaneous one) gives me strength to continue trying. I had just one OBE, but it was so damn incredible, I was so Lucid that still today I can't believe.
If you are stuck (like me sometimes) clear up your mind and continue, keep trying, it WILL happen.
The good thing about having a lower goal is that you can actually FEEL when you are getting closer. That's why I love Major's article, coz it describes a lot of sensations that -now- I can feel.
Did you try a rundown ?

Cheers,
Magic.

[ger]

Billion: the Book from Bruce Moen is called AfterLife Knowledge GuideBook - A Manual for The Art of Retrieval and AfterLife Exploration. It comes with a CD set (CD or MP3) with guided exercises and a Live Lecture (DVD) with Bruce. He is a cool guy. Always giving credits to Robert Monroe, and he explains the focus levels very well. He speaks a lot about the Belief Systems, and the AfterLife Zone (Focus 27).
Now, I bought that book but yet I didn't start the exercises coz I used to change from one technique to another (Monroe, Moen, Bruce, Peterson and many others) but about a month ago I decided (thanks to Major Tom) to keep myself focused on one technique: reaching a solid Focus10. Yes, the article is the one you mentioned.
So, right now I'm listening 5 days a week the Wave I - Track 2 of the Gateway Experience from The Monroe Institute. There's something important I wanna tell you: don't give up. If you are tired/bored and you wanna quit, just don't do anything except a few tries when you go to sleep. You have nothing to lose and almost no time invested. The simple act of trying will give you -hopefully- a few spontaneous OBEs. That happened to me and that (the spontaneous one) gives me strength to continue trying. I had just one OBE, but it was so damn incredible, I was so Lucid that still today I can't believe.
If you are stuck (like me sometimes) clear up your mind and continue, keep trying, it WILL happen.
The good thing about having a lower goal is that you can actually FEEL when you are getting closer. That's why I love Major's article, coz it describes a lot of sensations that -now- I can feel.
Did you try a rundown ?

Cheers,
Magic.

You bring an interesting point about the CD. I have the Gateway serie and have used them a while back. The first time with Focus 10, I felt that nothing, absolutly nothing was happening when suddenly I heard myself snore. The other neat experience was with Focus 12. Also on my first listening, when he tells you..."I will take you there!"  I felt this incredible sensation of expansion. Like my consciousness was "expanding". Hard to find the correct words to explain this.

As for the other CD (up to Focus 27) nothing happened...zip nothing!

Although I listened to the CD again and again, I never could have those same experiences, and finaly discarded them.

Some have said, and you also bring this point, that a long term of listening could help you develop the ability to reach Focus 10.

Can someone here share his experience in this regards? I mean the continous listening that brought results after a certain amount of time.

[Stookie]

ger-

I've been using the Focus 10 CD's for a several months now. My results seem to come in clusters, where I might experience something 4 days in a row, and then 2 weeks with nothing. I think that it's both a combination of learning the skills, such as relaxing and quieting the mind, and your brain becoming receptive to the binaural beats. At first, it's not going to induce a focus 10, but after reaching F10 a few times, your brain starts to click with it. When it hears the beats it goes "time to go into focus 10 now". I think it's exactly the same as without using it, except it gives your brain "cues" for what to do and when to do it. The other thing I like about the CD's are the length of them. I spend the same amount of time each time I lay down so I don't over-exert myself and I get my brain used to achieving focus 10 in a certain period of time instead of waiting and wondering when will it happen. If it dosn't, just try again next session.

[David Warner]

Cairnsb and other AP friends,

Here's a method that will surely work if you are disciplined.

http://www.astralpulse.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=20697

Its a basic preface for falling asleep and repetitive awakenings by
the alarm clock. The challenging part is keeping the strength in you
not to ignore or pull the power chord from alarm clock to turn it off.:)

What this basically does is trick your sleep cycle and alter the routine. Instead of falling into natural deep sleep, you are awakened within a 1/2hr, then falling to sleep with the feelings, emotions of projecting. This would be a easy method to enter the trance state.

Hope this helps!

Tvos

[magicmac2000]

ger: first, I agree and share what Stookie says. In fact, there is a post here from myself where I show my frustration.
I can tell you now that you should hear the Focus10 tape without expecting anything. Hard and difficult as it sounds, but it's real
Not only you should do a rundown and imagine (if you can) visuals while hearing to that tape, but you must start without expectations at all. You won't (at least I couldn't) project hearing to that one, but it will clearly prepare you and your mind to be in the correct state for phasing or aping. So, IMHO is not a waste of time at all. It's like building the basis to get a shortcut to those states.
A tip that was very useful to me, was one that Bruce Moen wrote in his Book: Before even start, relax a do 10 slow breaths where you count to 7 while inhaling and the same when exhaling. The key is to make it flawlessly, without a single pause between inhaling and exhaling. If you do that correctly, you will feel like if you are more "inside you". After doing that I start hearing the Focus10 tape and most of the times I get good results, but when I don't, I simply do as Stookie: "Maybe next session " ... Don't try to reach anything, instead, enjoy the process and enjoy the feeling of being at Focus10. It' Magical.

Good Luck, and don't forget to read the brill ant post my Major Tom that Billion mentioned above.

Cheers,
Magic.

[jeremywiebenga]

The method described using repetitve alram clocks.  I have been doing that for months without even knowing about that article! I usually go in 15 minute intervals.  It does work, not 100% of the time, but id say about 50, but increasing.  I am able to enter a trance-like lucid dream state where time seems to go on forever yet it only in "real" time lasts 15 mintues.  I think it may be due to the fact that i was awakened, quickly got up then went to the clock, with my body still asleep, but my mind was awake.  Then i reset it and lay back down, thern instantly out, maybe my body just goes into a deep sleep and my mind is awake still?  Not sure but it is effective.

[David Warner]

jeremywiebenga,

This is a good way to trick yourself thinking that you are a sleep, and that the alarm clock will be sounding soon. It can be a little tricky at times to exercise.

tvos

[jeremywiebenga]

Yeah it doesnt work 100%, but it has been getting easier and more effective with time.  It usually helps to actually just keep my eyes open, they close on their own and my body goes to sleep, leaving my conscious mind free to play:)  I usually have to reset the clock 3 or 4 times before it is the most effective.  I dont know if this is possible or not, but i think numerous times i have actually shut the clock off without moving!  I will "dream" about shutting the clock off, and i will wake up momnets before it is supposed to go ff and it will be shut off.  This has only happened once, but it was veery interesting, i have yet to repeat it.

[jeremywiebenga]

Opps, worded that a little incorrectly, i have woke up to find the clcok shut off many times, but only remember doing it once without my physical body moving, the other times im not sure if i did it consciously and forgot, or if i just sleep walked and shut it off.

[David Warner]

Jeremywiebenga,

I understand where you are coming from about the pro's/con's and little mishaps along the way with this method. The goal is to have the body set to a relaxed state but interrupt the cycle. So that watching yourself fall asleep within 3-4cycles will happen. Just by going to sleep, saying to yourself "I am going to project" isn't enough. But if the body is tired upon awakening, getting up for a trip to the fridge, bathroom and then returning back to bed will more likely yield better results.

Tvos