Why can't I reach the Mind Awake/Body Asleep State? Help

[+Explorer+]

I just woke up from attempting to OBE. I started at 2:00 PM. I started to relax myself. I inhaled and exhaled and pictured every part of my body relaxing. Nothing happend. I just kept getting sleepy and sleepy. I kept inhaling and exhaling and tried to relax myself. 50 minutes later at 2:50 PM my body was itching all over and it was very hot. I also became tired of laying in the same position for 50 minutes! I kinda gave up there because I don't think it would take 50 minutes to relax my body. I tried to lift up my hand and it was really heavy and then I tried to lift up my legs and also was very heavy. How do I relax my body until the point where I get the pre-projection signs like buzzing and vibrations. For 50 minutes that I was trying to reach the mind awake body asleep state nothing happens except my body gets really heavy. Then I get tired of laying in the same position for so long and just gave up. I tried everything but no pre-projection signs -.-. Only way i've gotten close to an OBE was through a lucid dream. I have never gotten to the Mind Awake / Body Asleep state because everytime I try to relax my body nothing happens and I just get tired of being so still.

Also reguarding projecting in the morning I don't see how because when I wake up in the morning I have to go pee. My nose is also very stuffy and my back hurts sometimes. All of this would distract me from projecting so how do I project in the morning.

[CFTraveler]

I just woke up from attempting to OBE. I started at 2:00 PM. I started to relax myself. I inhaled and exhaled and pictured every part of my body relaxing. Nothing happend. I just kept getting sleepy and sleepy. I kept inhaling and exhaling and tried to relax myself. 50 minutes later at 2:50 PM my body was itching all over and it was very hot. I also became tired of laying in the same position for 50 minutes! I kinda gave up there because I don't think it would take 50 minutes to relax my body. I tried to lift up my hand and it was really heavy and then I tried to lift up my legs and also was very heavy. How do I relax my body until the point where I get the pre-projection signs like buzzing and vibrations. For 50 minutes that I was trying to reach the mind awake body asleep state nothing happens except my body gets really heavy.

Maybe you're the kind of person who just doesn't get vibrations.  So to lie there and wait for vibrations may not be the thing for you.  Maybe if you're laying there for 50 minutes, you should try to look for other symptoms, such as hypnagogics.  If your arms and legs are heavy it sounds like you are in trance.  Just try a variety of energy body loosening techniques, and try some 'noticing' plus listening to your ear hiss, and if you feel 'strange' in any way, go ahead and try a few exit techniques, see how it goes.  But don't wait for vibrations, because not everybody gets them.

Then I get tired of laying in the same position for so long and just gave up. I tried everything but no pre-projection signs -.-. Only way i've gotten close to an OBE was through a lucid dream. I have never gotten to the Mind Awake / Body Asleep state because everytime I try to relax my body nothing happens and I just get tired of being so still.

Also reguarding projecting in the morning I don't see how because when I wake up in the morning I have to go pee. My nose is also very stuffy and my back hurts sometimes. All of this would distract me from projecting so how do I project in the morning.

Do you have a comfy recliner you can put in your bedroom?  If you do, get up 2-3 hours before officiall 'get up' time, use the bathroom, blow your nose, then sit in the recliner and do a full-body circuit a few times.  It'll get you in trance in no time (It's actually what I did when I had back problems) and you can try your projection techniques then.  It worked so well it's now my "Official Projection Recliner"

[+Explorer+]

Thanks for your reply
But I get no pre-projection signs. And what are hypnogogic images. When my eyes are closed I do see some sort of figure in all of the blackness like these black shadows moving and forming weird figures. I also feel like im still in the physical reality. I still wish I got vibrations because its easier. I feel absolutely nothing but a heavy body. Eventually I get bored of trying and stop. I also tried to imagine myself out the body but still nothing. I will try again tonight just to see if I can get mind awake body asleep because i'ven ever done it before.

[ka0s]

Just because you dont get vibrations doesnt mean you cant project. I've had probably over 500 OBE's and ive never once had vibrations unless meditating at night and even then i barely ever noticed them. To answer the question about hypnagogic images. They are usually referred to as hypnagogic hallucinations--which occur when your dreams invade waking reality. Heres an example:

10/29/2008 – 12:09PM – Felt that I was leaving my body so I simply grabbed the side of my bed with my other "hands" and got up for the day . I walked into the living room where everything was quite blurry. I shouted the command "clarity now" and it actually became much clearer, which is rare because commands usually dont work for me. When I did that I actually fell through the floor of my house in the experience. I quickly returned to my body where I had a hypnagogic hallucination of a spider on my ceiling (it was black). 2nd occurrence occurred shortly thereafter while laying on my back. During this experience I exited my body the same way but I went outside the window. John my next door neighbor was mowing his yard with a tractor that had no wheels (quite odd huh?). Probably just dream imagery invading the experience.

11/5/2008 – 12:01PM – Today marked a frightening experience while inducing an OBE. The first time I tried to induce an OBE I flew out the corner of the room and I flew so quickly that I was frightened and forced myself back to my body. The 2nd experience felt actually very "evil". I was looking down at my legs floating out of my body and I noticed how high they were from my physical legs. I think this has something to do with my metal cross that binds me to my body. I began to detach from my body and I flew forward and suddenly there was a fire amongst other things (black smoke). There was some audible noise of lightening (which is interesting because I usually don't experience noise in my OBE's unless I am shouting something). When I woke from the experience there were multiple hypnagogic hallucinations. There were these black feathers falling into my room itself. There were also parts of my ceiling that were similar to an effect of a black hole. It was literally black and appeared as if it was sucking in other parts of my ceiling. It was quite strange. Ill be quite frank when I say this experience was as if I was entering "hell". It was one of the worst feelings I have ever had during an OBE. 

[+Explorer+]

Ok this morning I woke up 2 hours earlier. I went to the bathroom, and then went to sleep. I woke up 3 hours earlier and I tried to relax my body but my back was aching a bit. My back aches when I wake up for some reason. I guess its the way I was sleeping that made my back hurt when I wake up but then it goes away when I stand up. When I wake up in the morning I can't really think straight so I just tried to relax but couldn't. Also what is a projection recliner. I don't have one. I'll try again later in the afternoon.

[+Explorer+]

More answers plz

[Jormungandr]

More answers plz

Have you tried that binaural beat thing "Boxed Nirvana"? It won't make you project but it seems to put you in a state where it's much easier. It seems to cause some really weird optical effects for me, keeps surprising me so I end up snapping awake.

[MinstruelZ]

It's hard to advise you when we don't know what you're doing while attempting. It's up to you to experiment. I left some suggestions on your blog by the way...

Just keep trying things and remain patient and very, very relaxed. Learn and master trance induction techniques.

[+Explorer+]

I can't wait till I go out for winter break. I'll have 2 weeks of AP training. Everyday just practicing and practicing.

[T.L.]

It just sounds like to me you are attempting to project when you are too awake. If I were to attempt an obe around let's say 5:00pm it would take around an hour or so for me to become relaxed enough to project. You want to attempt it when you are tired enough to want to relax or stay still, but too awake to be able to fall asleep. Physical and mental tiredness have to be perfect (at least for me) before I can successfully induce and obe.

What works perfect for me is sleeping 6 hours, waking up then attempting an obe an hour later (perhaps 2 hrs later). After six hours of sleep Im rested enough to not be able to fall asleep, but tired enough to get to the brink of sleep but without going over and falling asleep, and my body is already physically relaxed enough from the sleep. I'll hover right on the edge of sleep, snap to full consciousness with vibrations, when that happens I ignore the vibrations (which make them stronger), then I get these head rushes with them after a few of those I start to see and I am just out. For me the exit is pretty automatic, no thought into how to get out, after the head rushes I find that I am already out.

  Anyway that is what I suggest, take your usual sleep pattern then shave about 2-3 hours off of it and wake up early. Stay up an hour watch a show or even a movie, lay back down and relax. Another potential problem is you are letting your mind wander a little too much in your attempt.. for instance observing every little thing actively is putting too much thought into it. Relaxing is not just a physical thing, you have to mentally relax as well before you can succeed. After a lot of practice you will be able to blank your mind and just choose something simple to think about, for me I focus on my breaths, I breath in for two seconds, exhale for 2 seconds and before I know it Im at the vibrations.

[+Explorer+]

Thank you for your answer T.L. It helps.

[fluff]

First of all 50 minutes for beginner "trancer" its not much.... it took me 1 hour and 20 minutes ... to get into it... and i wasnt even in a most deep trance. Second: Dont move. Anything i know its hard. But just do it and ull get better. 3rd: Vibrational state is for every body. Just some people are more sensitive and some less. Its the power of the Kundalini that creates vibrations. So try this: before u trying to project use a this exercise: Inhale and exhale trough your nose. Very quickly. Your abdomen should be "jumping". Try to study something about Kundalini Exercise and how to raise it. Try to visualize the energy flowing. 4th: Breathing its crucial. If u are breathing incorrectly it slows your "evolution" so breath trought your nose. Exhale with ur mouth. The abdomen should be the one moving. Shoulders should be steady. Good Luck and sry for my english.

[Frequent Flier]

Mmm..this is an old post from 2008 but maybe if we can help someone..

I had the same difficulties the op had, a long time ago.

I tried -then- to visualize, order my muscles to relax, my nerves, etc.. the thing is I'd try too hard. I would get to a point and not pass that point. If I got too tense, I'd itch.

So instead, I learned to let go. It was longer than I hoped it would take to relax, I had no control, but I would relax. I got to relax very deeply that way.

On subsequent attempts, it became a lot easier to relax, it was like a reflex.

I'd also go through the whole range of 'symptoms' described in Monroe's 1rst book, about color patterns, then calm, etc during my first attempts. Later, I,d just lie down to sleep at night and in a few minutes would relax to the point of feeling floaty, and hearing weird noises!  

[Xanth]

First of all 50 minutes for beginner "trancer" its not much.... it took me 1 hour and 20 minutes ... to get into it... and i wasnt even in a most deep trance.

Actually, duration has more to do with how disciplined and focused you are.  You can get into a trance in 10 minutes if you're practiced.

Second: Dont move. Anything i know its hard. But just do it and ull get better.

Moving is fine, as long as your movements are calm and slow.

3rd: Vibrational state is for every body. Just some people are more sensitive and some less. Its the power of the Kundalini that creates vibrations.

No, vibrations are 'not' for everybody.  Astral Projection is as personal and unique as your fingerprint.  Personally, I don't get vibrations... ever.

So try this: before u trying to project use a this exercise: Inhale and exhale trough your nose. Very quickly. Your abdomen should be "jumping". Try to study something about Kundalini Exercise and how to raise it. Try to visualize the energy flowing. 4th: Breathing its crucial. If u are breathing incorrectly it slows your "evolution" so breath trought your nose. Exhale with ur mouth. The abdomen should be the one moving. Shoulders should be steady. Good Luck and sry for my english.

My personal opinion is that you shouldn't have to worry about doing any kind of "energy" work.  It's not required.  I'm living proof that it's not required.  But do what you "feel" is right for yourself.