Can someone help clear up some things for me?I need some help please :)

[JustLikeThePill]

I have a few questions. Can you still move when you are in a trance/ focus 10 (what's the difference?) I think I am in a trance but I can move if I wanted.

Last night I was listening to Boxed Nirvana II and I went into a "trance" where I felt numb and I felt like the room was HUGE and my senses were dulled and it felt like I was in my own little world.It felt like there was the real world and then my little cocoon outside of it. Once I entered into that state my mind immediately quieted and all the the chitter chatter that I usually try to make be quiet went away.

Then a little while after that, I felt like I had gained 500 pounds and felt as if my body was very dense and about twice the size it normally is, as if I was morbidly obese or something. This feeling reminds me of something I used to feel as a child but I can't remember ever experiencing it. It just feels SO familiar. My body got even more numb. I felt very heavy and dense and big. I was still inside my little "cocoon"

This whole time I felt as if I was high on dissociative  like nitrous or DXM. Once I literally saw a maintain range in the upper left of my vision and there was an orange aurora (not aura) poring out from behind it. What's this?

And is hypnagogic imagery also when the blackness swirls and rotates with different colors like white and yellow and such? Or is that something different? Is H. imagery only like REAL pictures?

I think I felt very very weak vibrations, or it may have been a placebo.

I want to get familiar with this "area"/"state" I was in before I go to the next step, but what is the next step?

I tried to focus on AP island, too. I can't quite remember but I might have stopped because that's when my second "trance" started.

I appreciate your help and answers because all of this terminology has vague definitions for me

[MisterJingo]

When in F10, one can still be very much aware of their body. F10 to me is immediately apparent as my quality of mind (state of consciousness) shifts away from baseline, it has a very distinct feeling.
Deep levels of F10 can remove all bodily sensations, but it doesn't have too. Everyone experiences these things slightly differently.
Usually I get a massive sense of space when I hit F12.
From what you describe above, it seems like you were around F10 and were entering an increasingly deep state of trance. When one gets deeper into trance, bodily and spatial distortions can occur as your brain is receiving less 'external' stimulus and so the mind takes over. This is pretty much what DXM and nitrous do (although with profound shifts of consciousness and no control) as they are dissociatives.
Hypnogogic imagery can be hazy or clear. It can be swirls of colours and dots (although this can also be due to retinal discharge - i.e. retinal cells still being excited by imagery from when you were using your eyes and signals still being generated). usually, as one gets deeper into trance (nearer the border of sleep) the quality of hypnogogic  imagery increase quite profoundly, sometimes to the point as if you are actually seeing things with your eyes. At such a stage it is quite easy to get lost into hypnogogic scenarios (like mini dreams at sleeps border), so one has to maintain passive awareness to stop falling asleep.

[JustLikeThePill]

I also forgot to add that it felt as if my body was fluid and like I was moving/twisting/contorting when I wasn't toward the end of my experience.

I have a big problem that I start to get lost in images in my head and scenarios (and I think that's what I'm supposed to be doing) but then i'm snapped back to the "real world". How do I overcome this? And how do you notice something (like the swirling imagery for example or the strange space distortions) without paying attention to it and focusing on it?

For example, when I type something or notice something I say the words as I type or if I notice a tree or something I think "hey there's a tree!" with the voice in my head (no I don't hear voices lol).

It's just very hard to make your "internal voice" or "internal monologue" or whatever you want to call it shut up. It's very hard to stop thinking lol.

Ok, so lets assume that I can get to the place where I was at last night. What next?

I appreciate your help, and thanks!

[MisterJingo]

I also forgot to add that it felt as if my body was fluid and like I was moving/twisting/contorting when I wasn't toward the end of my experience.

This very much sounds like deepening trance - on occasion you might also notice some other strange sensations like parts of your body merging together, or your body feeling like its merging into the bed etc.  It's a good indication that you are going in the right direction to experience OBEs.

I have a big problem that I start to get lost in images in my head and scenarios (and I think that's what I'm supposed to be doing) but then I'm snapped back to the "real world". How do I overcome this? And how do you notice something (like the swirling imagery for example or the strange space distortions) without paying attention to it and focusing on it?

For example, when I type something or notice something I say the words as I type or if I notice a tree or something I think "hey there's a tree!" with the voice in my head (no I don't hear voices lol).

It's just very hard to make your "internal voice" or "internal monologue" or whatever you want to call it shut up. It's very hard to stop thinking lol.

Snapping back out is actually a desirable thing to happen, because generally the other possibility is falling completely into the imagery and falling asleep. Sometimes it's possible to enter the scenarios and phase right into the astral, but this is much rarer. To do this, I have to recreate tactile sensations to match the unfolding scenario. The most successful way I have found for doing this is, when in a deep trance, I put all my attention on visualising some form of road or pathway. The scenery can be generic (although simple is good as it takes less focus – such as rolling hills or fields). I then make it look like I am moving along this path/road and then try and add tactile sensation. Such as put the feeling in of my leg's rising, falling, and feeling the solidness of the ground around them, my arms moving back and forth against my sides. Sometimes this causes the visualisation to solidify until I find myself in this generated place with no awareness of the body. Please note that this I can't do this easily, and if I achieve it once a year I am pleased. I do believe the techniques utilised to phase in this way have potential to allow easy phasing if used correctly – I am still experimenting with it .
Back to your question. The hypnogogics are generally a sign of a certain stage of trance, if one remains focused and aware; it's possible to move past them. This is where the 3d blackness and.or paralysis can occur.
Regarding not paying attention to them, it's like meditation. You maintain passive focused awareness, things happen and rather than reacting to them (in this case falling into the scenarios) you maintain this 'watching' awareness. You simply watch and accept rather than actively engaging.
Practicing meditation daily (just 10-15 minutes will do) will help in this a lot.

Ok, so lets assume that I can get to the place where I was at last night. What next?

Well a number of options are available. One is to simply remain passively aware until you move past the hypnogogics into a much deeper trance. You might notice a swift sharpening of awareness somewhere around now and a 3d blackness. If this sharpening reaches a certain point, the vibrations kick in for me (there is a bodily excitement feeling too).
Another option is try to engage the hypnogogics to phase into them, or to use them to phase into another locale.
A further option is to utilise a variety of visualisation techniques to induce projection. Unless you are a very visual person (most people find it hard to create authentic visual images in their mind), the best techniques utilise tactile visualisation. Such techniques include the ROPE method, or various methods which make one feel like they are rising/falling (elevators,  escalators , climbing up/down ladders etc), or feel like they are swaying (pulling oneself from side to side, being in a hammock swinging, spinning around or bouncing awareness up and down etc).

One thing to note is that whatever technique you read is effective for others, to become proficient at projection, you need to experiment yourself and see what works for you. Simply repeating others techniques might put you in a rut. Utilise others ideas, but change them as you experiment and take note of the results.

A final piece of advice is to practice daily if possible. My post proficient periods of projection occur when I can find time to practice daily.

[JustLikeThePill]

What IS 3d blackness? I've seen it look 3d but I dunno if that's just a placebo. or maybe my definition of 3d isn't the same as everyone else's And I always feel like i'm watching it from behind my eyelids, not like i'm in it or can go into it. and what exactly does sharpening awareness mean?

I've been practicing this nightly. I do it lying on my back. I have a hard time not getting excited and when I do get excited breathing becomes hard and my pulse shoots up and I can feel my pulse all over my body like my blood is boiling lol.

I've been trying to just accept what I'm doing as it is and enjoy it, instead of trying to make it something it's not (like APing, i've been trying not to force it)

Should I sort of try to squeeze or push my astral body out of my physical one? and how on earth do I do that?


"You maintain passive focused awareness, things happen and rather than reacting to them (in this case falling into the scenarios) you maintain this 'watching' awareness. You simply watch and accept rather than actively engaging.
Practicing meditation daily (just 10-15 minutes will do) will help in this a lot."

Just how do I meditate? I really don't know what to do.

And also, is it OK to say a mantra or something? And when I listen to binaural music can I repeat the sound in my inner monologue (like if you listen to techno, your voice in your head goes bum bum bum along with the music) and can I sync the scenarios I imagine up with the beat of Boxed Nirvana II? Or is this a bad idea and will keep my more alert than I should be ?

I'd also like to say i've been taking prozac for a while and I feel that is has really screwed my creativity. I used to daydream ALL the time and now I hardly ever do. I took it for depression and now i'm weaning myself off. In about a month or two i'll be prozac-free. Do you think being off of prozac will help me?

It's interesting that while I was on prozac I really didn't care about AP, and not that i'm off I'm back into and am experiencing more emotions and stuff. Probably just a coincidence.


Sorry for all of my dumb questions but you have been a HUGE help!

[MisterJingo]

What IS 3d blackness? I've seen it look 3d but I dunno if that's just a placebo. or maybe my definition of 3d isn't the same as everyone else's And I always feel like i'm watching it from behind my eyelids, not like i'm in it or can go into it. and what exactly does sharpening awareness mean?

The 3d blackness seems to be a stage in trance which is usually on the border of a favourable state to OBE from. That is, a lot of people, immediately prior to OBE, see the darkness beyond their eyes seem to turn 3d. It's hard to describe, but once you experience it you'll see the words are apt.
Sharpening of awareness (to me) feels like my mind becomes super focused on that one exact moment, it's as if a dial is turned up which turns the clarity of the moment into overdrive. It seems linked in a way to the 3d blackness because as this sharpening increases, so does the vividness of this 3d space.
Your experiences might vary slightly, but the 3d blackness seems to be a fairly common sign of potential OBE.

I've been practicing this nightly. I do it lying on my back. I have a hard time not getting excited and when I do get excited breathing becomes hard and my pulse shoots up and I can feel my pulse all over my body like my blood is boiling lol.

Even now I get these sensations. Sometimes they peak and the vibrations kick in.

I've been trying to just accept what I'm doing as it is and enjoy it, instead of trying to make it something it's not (like APing, i've been trying not to force it)

Should I sort of try to squeeze or push my astral body out of my physical one? and how on earth do I do that?

This all comes down to practice. What works for me, might not work for you. You'll notice authors who seem proficient at OBE looked at other peoples techniques, but then they experimented. They changed the techniques, added visualisations, swaying etc until they found something which worked for them. Practicing nightly is a very good start though.

Just how do I meditate? I really don't know what to do.

If anyone wants to learn meditation I always point them to this book:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0749913282/026-1471947-1498816

It really cuts out a lot of the fluff and gets to the core of the matter. A lot of meditation techniques out there seem to be more passive day-dreaming, which is the opposite of what meditation should be. If possible, please check out the above book.

And also, is it OK to say a mantra or something? And when I listen to binaural music can I repeat the sound in my inner monologue (like if you listen to techno, your voice in your head goes bum bum bum along with the music) and can I sync the scenarios I imagine up with the beat of Boxed Nirvana II? Or is this a bad idea and will keep my more alert than I should be ?

I tend to stick to no thought based meditations, such as focusing on tactile sensations in the body, as mantras might keep me too alert on word based thought. But, it might be worth experimenting yourself to see if it helps or hinders.

I'd also like to say i've been taking prozac for a while and I feel that is has really screwed my creativity. I used to daydream ALL the time and now I hardly ever do. I took it for depression and now i'm weaning myself off. In about a month or two i'll be prozac-free. Do you think being off of prozac will help me?

It's interesting that while I was on prozac I really didn't care about AP, and not that i'm off I'm back into and am experiencing more emotions and stuff. Probably just a coincidence.

Have you had any success in projecting while on prozac? I'm not really sure how prozac effects projection, and personally, I'd be careful about giving advise on such matters as I'd hate for someone to stop taking it because of comments I post on a forum. With any kind of medication, it's best to keep your doctor informed of any decisions.