FOCUS 10: MIND AWAKE/BODY ASLEEP Focus 10: Mind Awake/Body Awake/Body Asleep is Asleep is an article I wrote a while ago using a more meditative approach to reach the state of mind awake/body asleep. If you want to have an OBE as soon as possible, then you will probably be more successful with the VII! "E#$O%. "E#$O%.
$aga click a&u' para la traducci(n en espa)ol. FOCUS 10: MIND AWAKE/BODY ASLEEP BY FREDERICK AARDEMA Version 21
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'$e &on&e!% o( !$)sin# 1or those unfamiliar with the focus levels a little background is in order. #he story goes back to 5obert 2. "onroe, who began to e6perience involuntary Out of Body E6periences 7OBE8 in 9:;. #hese early e6periences have been documented in his first book <=ourneys < =ourneys out of the body< 7"onroe, 9;8. It was also during this time that "onroe discovered that sound patterns could induce certain states of consciousness, which eventually led to the creation of the "onroe Institute and patented sound technology called $emi+>ync.
?hile the early e6periences of "onroe were often characteri@ed by a sensation of o f leaving the body his development took a different turn in later years. "onroe discovered the <&uick+switch<, which allowed him to move from one
as a waveform that can either be aligned or non+aligned with ph ysical reality. 1or e6ample, when we are --C phased into the physical were are considered perfectly aligned with normal physical input and waking reality. In "onroe speak, this is called + consciousness or primary phasing. 2s consciousness moves further away from the physical 7and the senses8 consciousness is said to phase into o ther tate of no time 1ocus * #he edge of time/space where it is possible to contact other energy systems. It is important to reali@e these focus levels are merely arbitrary numbers and signposts to identify the state of consciousness one is in. In case youAre wondering, there is no focus D or focus 0. $owever, beyond focus , several other focus levels have been identified further removed from the physical, and which involve among other systems the perception of belief system territories 7< astral planes<8. #hus, #he ateway E6perience is meant as a platform from which to e6plore further on your own. 1or more information, I suggest you visit the website at the "onroe Institute at www.monroeinstitute.org. P*r!ose o( %$e &*rren% !)!er
>o what is the purpose of this paperF ?hile e6ploring the focus - state I found there was surprisingly little information as to what this state entails. %o a search on the Internet and you wonAt get much further than
from a person on the now defunct #"I+voyagers mailing list 71rom !eva, 99, p. 0:8* "I'm starting to feel like tese tapes work for !!!! # of te population and I'm tat 01# wo stand outside watcing te rollercoaster go $y and seeing ow muc fun te people on it are a%ing&so wy am I posting I guess it is to ask if tere are any oter people on te list wo a%e ad similar e(periences/frustrations) and ow do tey sol%e tem) or at least worked around tem Also wat does Focus 10 F**+ like It's descri$ed as "Mind Awake/Body Asleep') $ut wat does tis M*A, -oes te $ody feel num$) do you feel A,.I, at all) is it someting like wen you sleep on your arm and can't mo%e it afterwards due to lack of circulation) does it feel te way it feels wen you are asleep) or wat ,ew$ies) old2timers) your comments would $e appreciated" +1red 2lbrecht #he following sections will focus on the early manifestations of the going Aout of phaseA condition 7or focus -8 based on my own and othersA e6periences with this state. $owever, despite my best intentions, there can be little doubt that this report is biased. I donAt see a way around it. EveryoneAs e6perience is uni&ue, and although I have focused on common manifestations of focus -, I will likely have overemphasi@ed some phenomena while downplaying others due to my own interests and tendencies. iven the above, I do think another little disclaimer is in order before continuing to read. #hat is, too much focus on knowledge + especially o after reading this article go on your own merry wayH +e%%in# %$ere 2ny attitude of
#his point is well illustrated by the following post on #"I+voyagers 71rom !eva, 99 G p. 0+098* "&it took tis e(perience to make me see someting at someting was tat wen I was doing tapes and ad tings appen $efore it was wen I was not "trying" I knew tat ten $ecause wen I ad tat sift occur I was definitely not trying to do anyting I was 3ust doing a tape to $e doing a tape I ad no e(pectations watsoe%er at te time and "$ang") I got someting most pleasantly surprising After tat e(perience) I tougt $ack and reali4ed tat all tose oter tings also appened wen I was not trying I 3ust took some time to connect not trying wit results 5ince tat time I a%e ne%er tried or ad e(pectations) $ut tat can trap you too I found myself trying not to a%e e(pectations) and since I was trying) I was eld at $ay again 5o it's sort of it and miss" +"ichael >mith
I think itAs important to reali@e that the idea of o if you follow that line of reasoning what e6actly will you do to get thereF #his is e6actly the problem with superimposing the limitations of space and time on consciousness + the idea that you have to do something. 1act of the matter is, the less you do, the easier you will go o donAt get too caught up in any o perhaps itAs best to forget about techni&ues and first train yourself to be in a rela6ed state of awareness, which is even more important than physical rela6ation. #his rela6ed state of awareness is an awareness that is simply open to e6perience and doesnAt continually asks itself whether itAs o ust rela6 and you will find all things flow from there. Pre,i-in)r" &onsi.er)%ions &on&ernin# (o&*s 10 #he whole benefit of phasing as opposed to the classic OBE lies in the concept of reduced sensory awareness, and being able to remain in such a state comfortably and without fear. >o in order to benefit from such an approach, one has to start out with a baseline of sorts, and become fully comfortable with it.
>o what is this baseline aboutF #he baseline is being able to be in a state of reduced sensory perception, without any e6cessive goals and ambitions. It is about being able to stay in this level of awareness of focus - for a prolonged period, learning to recogni@e it, and becoming very comfortable with it until one is bored with it. It is important not to set too many goals, since if the goal is too ambitious, rather than simply holding the state for a long time, one will never get used to this state. #he bar has been set too high. >o put all ambitions aside and start to work on the simple goal of being comfortable in a state of
sensory reduction. It is not that hard to reach a light focus -, or e6perience the preliminary markers of this state. ?hat is much harder is to approach it without setting too many scary goals. Because, really, I can see no greater barrier to phasing or OBEing than fear. #hatAs why it is so important to first dissolve that fear, and be for prolonged periods in this state of awareness of reduced sensory perception. 2 &uote from "onroe 79, p. 9+J-8 regarding this approach is very informative* ink of were you are now as a clearing in a dark forest2 we call it 61 consciousness 7e ten take you into te forest to a point were you can still "see" te familiar clearing at point is a guidepost 8focus 109 After a sufficient num$er of runs $etween te guidepost and te clearing) te fear disappears At te focus 10 guidepost) you always know you can go $ack to te clearing if you get uncomforta$le for any reason From te focus 10 guidepost) anoter point is esta$lised deeper into te forest and pro$a$ly "out of sigt" of te clearing is we call focus 1 After se%eral runs $etween guidepost 10 and 1) tis too $ecomes familiar and secondary fears fade away .ou know tat if you can't percei%e te clearing 86219 from focus 1 you can see focus 10 2 and from 10) you know te way $ack to 621 e process is e(panded to succeeding guideposts) eac deeper and different) $eyond e%er e(panding limits 71ar =ourneys, 9:8 >o what is focus -F 2s said before, it has been called body asleep/mind awake. $owever, this term is a serious misnomer. "onroe gives his most elaborate description 7which isnAt much8 in Kltimate =ourneys 7p. ;8* Focus 10 A simplistic definition is mind awake and alert) $ody asleep e mind is sligtly out of pase wit normal pysical wakefulness It is a stage were all fi%e pysical senses seem detuned or reduced in strengt) and it is te $eginning of o$3ecti%e perception of perception in 8M9 field energy Obviously, this idea of reduced sensory perception is far more accurate way to define focus - than the idea of the body being totally asleep. 2fter all, how would you be able to hear "onroeAs verbal messages when your body is truly asleep while using his tapesF >o in fact, the early stages of focus - deals with a reduction in sensory input, which are not distributed e&ually over different sensory modalities. Low, this is not that hard to reach. It where the senses of touch 7the cutaneous senses8 seem muted, the perception of your body seems to be in ha@e, and you still feel your body to some e6tent, but not as much as usual. If focusing on it, you are still very much in focus -. ItAs not like the e6perience has stopped. ou do not have to go inward and
#his muted sensory perception of the cutaneous senses has to be distinguished from numbness of the body due to bad circulation. ?hile the sensations are similar, it is easy to tell the difference. ?hile in focus -, simply touch or move the fingers of your hand, and you will feel your sense of touch &uickly returning. In contrast, if the numbness was due to bad circulation, it will take around J-+0- seconds of stimulating the nerves for your sense of touch to become fully operational. Low, some people do not agree with this definition. #hey hold that to be really in focus implies not feeling the body all together, while feeling suspended in a void with ust blackness in front of oneAs eyes. I would agree with that position were it not that a muted sense of touch, as opposed to total absence of these senses, often appears to coincide with other characteristics focus -. I suppose a way to sidestep the issue is to simply accept that phasing occurs on a continuum, and that even within a particular focus level, all things are a matter of degree. >o rather, than adopting a categorical definition of that you either are or are not in focus -, letAs ust say that focus - can be e6perienced in varying degrees of depth. ?ith that issue out of the way letAs look at some of the preliminary markers of focus that often coincide with the earlier mentioned muted sense of touch. On %$e %$res$o,. #he following markers are those, which you can e6pect to come across &uite early on in your practice.
3erhaps, the least convoluted approach to knowing that you are in focus - is that your awareness feels different. #here is a distinct difference with normal awareness that ap pears to revolve around an increased sense of coherence and balance. #his state was well+ described in the following account. I find tat in focus 10) I am not only rela(ed pysically) $ut am also emotionally calm ;ind of like wen you'%e 3ust woken from a really peaceful dream and your still in tat serene rela(ed state of mind 5o any distur$ances I easily $rus off or make use of 8one time I ad a fly $u44ing around me like a 3um$o 3et and I made use of te sound and sifted my perception to flying around my room9 I wa%er in and out of awareness piral 2nother account that appears to touch the deep sense of mental and physical rela6ation is the following* Focus 10 is one of te most profound states of pysical tran
deeply asleep wile your mind is simultaneously awake and alert is a $rilliant stroke wic seems to a%e ma3or ealing implications as well as pro%iding a launc pad or ateway for more ad%anced spiritual work e feeling is a split le%el of consciousness) not unlike te left and rigt ands of an adept pianist or like a dreamer wo can walk into te mundane) terrestrial world + ateway e6cursion participant 71rom !eva, 99, p. J98 2nother fairly consistent early marker of focus -, although not always present, is a very crisp and bright awareness. #his is not merely the sense of being awake as per the simplistic definition of focus - 7body asleep/mind awake8, but rather, one is more awake than in waking life. I think it is interesting how to note how this particular crispness often comes about. 4uite often, there is sudden sense of ometimes the shift may be accompanied by images or sensations representing this sudden shift in awareness if you were in a dream+like state before entering focus -. I am reminded of an incidence where I had spend the whole day watering the garden, which re&uired me to often pull the hose to move from one area in the garden to another. 2s I was doing a focus - e6ercise that evening, and started to shift into focus - from a dull, dreamlike state of mind, this was accompanied by a sudden image where I find myself erking hard on the water hose to move to a different area. 2t the same time, I felt my awareness aligning itself with the focus - state. onsciousness was crisp and clear from that point on. IAd like to emphasi@e here, however, that this special characteristic of focus - where the mind is e6tremely crisp and clear, is not always present. >ometimes, the mind feels merely awake. $owever, there is still a sense of increased coherency and stability in oneAs awareness as compared to normal waking life. %uring those times, that crispness was lacking from the focus - e&uation I have found it far easier to open myself up to visual scenes, which seem to be more meaningful than the usual non+sensical thoughts and images as we drift into sleep. I suspect the lack of crispiness may be related to physical or mental tiredness interfering with focus - state. >o e6pect this particular characteristic to vary &uite a bit, and do not try to hold onto it either. 2fter all, you have to tip your toes into deeper regions now and then and that may mean losing some lucidity and alertness. $owever, do not tip+toe too deep into this area, since you will fall asleep, and all the transition to focus - and further are preferably to be e6perienced fully lucid and aware. I suspect that most will be able to reach these early markers of focus - 7including the mild sensory reduction in the cutaneous senses8 in a fairly consistent manner with relative ease in the course of, letAs say, anything ranging from one to twenty hours of practice. $ence, when you read reports on the focus - state, these preliminary markers are most fre&uently mentioned. $owever, you are only at the beginning of a full+fledged focus state at this stage, and the subse&uent stages tend to re&uire a lot more practice. In fact, I canAt overemphasi@e the following enough*
Each time you think you canAt possibly go deeper into the focus - state, and yet you continue your practice, you will be proven wrong over and over again. '$e re), .e),: A .ee! (o&*s 10 2 deeper focus - represents a further phase shift away from the physical, which basically involves a more pronounced reduction in the cutaneous senses. ou will know you are well on your way towards a deeper focus - when the position of your limbs is not entirely clear to you. 1or e6ample, you may have the feeling that your arm is bent rather than straight along your body 7if that is its actual position8. I wouldnAt immediately assume h ere that you are partially uffice to say, that once these sensations occur you are close to a full+fledged focus -. $owever, once again, itAs a matter of keep ing your awareness fle6ible and receptive for matters to progress further*
1i6ating your awareness on a particular obect 7like your body8 is not going to do much. 2wareness needs the freedom to move to be able to go anywhere. oing inward is an e6cellent way to establishing that freedom. >o donAt keep your awareness continuously fi6ated in any one particular spot 7whether the blackness in front of your e yes or your body8, but start to move into the
indirect symbolic forms 7rising and falling, e6pansion of body boundaries, etc.8 >o another characteristic of a deep focus - that may at times manifest revolves around the lessened influence of the cutanenous senses in oneAs perception of body boundaries. #hen, naturally, a sense of non+alignment with the ph ysical body may also occur as well as moving sensations such as rising, falling, shrinking and e6panding. In addition, there may be lessened sense of being in the body as if one is slightly above it 7or below8. %espite these deeper manifestations of focus -, images do not always automatically occur in this state, or other types of sensations. #he blackness in front of your eyes is not really different from that when you would close your eyes right now. #his would indicate that although all the cutaneous senses have almost completely cut off, the visual senses are still fully activated. $ence, you will still have some overall sense of your spatial position, rather than floating all over the place. It needs to be said that a deep focus - is truly &uite a detached e6perience from the physical, and too often people assume having been there while they were not. In fact, most succesful proectors often pass through it without holding still or recogni@ing this intermediary area. #he feeling is almost like being in virgin, unspoiled territory even though thought processes may continue as usual. It is not uncommon that you will find yourself unable to phase out further in focus -, despite recogni@ing being in &uite deep, and at the threshold of something else. If you got to this state being tired, yet being able to hold your balance in it alert and lucid, you may find some of your normal mental faculties missing. #hese will be more present with continued practice, and eventually you will start to sense being on the threshold of focus + a more e6panded state of awareness. Low, these signposts of a deep focus - provide a good platform e6ploring in different directions, but in the focus - state as discussed so far the visual senses are still very much active 7even though your eyes are closed8, and this brings us to visual perception in focus -. Vis*), !er&e!%ions in (o&*s 10 >o far, I have focused on &uite AnormalA sensations in focus -. #hat is because, especially in the early stages, it is perfectly possible to be in focus - without e6periencing any e6traordinary visual sensations. 2lthough it may not always be easy to have visual perceptions, it is certainly possible to have them, and much easier in focus - than from a + state of mind. I would however suggest to start dealing more with visual imagery once you can hold a deep focus -, since the risk of falling asleep is &uite high otherwise 7and the images are more like dream+vignettes rather than a nything else8. 2lso, youAre likely to miss the focus - state 7more or less located between the waking state and non+lucid mini+ dreams8 all+together by passing through it so &uickly you wonAt even notice.
?ithin a deep focus - state a slight phase shift may be felt that is ever so subtle as you start to align yourself with visual perceptions. $ave you ever been tossing and rolling in bed trying to get to sleep when suddenly all the mental chatter and edginess seems to come
to a sudden hold and where it suddenly seems very easy to perceive visual images without losing alertnessF #hat sense of ease of perceiving visual imagery is the subtle phase shift within a deep focus - that IAm talking about. ou will likely encounter these images &uite naturally when you rela6 your awareness a bit in a deep focus -. 5ather than staring into the blackness in front of your eyes fully aware, ust rela6 your awareness in a fu@@ y type of way almost like watching from out the corners of eyes figuratively speaking. Once you are able to hold a deep focus - an active role towards the perception of these images by increasing your interaction with them is adv isable. $owever, remember that this active role is a very fu@@y, soft and gentle movement of consciousness. 2nything else will not necessarily throw you out of the focus - state, but all you will see is blackness in front of your eyes in a fi6ated type of way. ?hat would be your favorite perceptionF >ome personal favorites of mine are looking at trees, large+scale nature scenes, lakes, seascapes, and beautiful mansions and houses. ?hile in focus - 7whether it is a light or deep focus -8 start playing around with seeing your favorite images in your mindAs eye. %onAt create the scene in terms of creative visuali@ation. ou donAt ooner or later, if you stick to this process you will really perceive a version of your favorite image. One that really did come out of nowhereH E6pect to be surprised with the detail and beauty of these images. #hey may be snapshots at first, but once you have seen, for e6ample a tree, that originates not from your mind, but from elsewhere, this e6ercise will beco me tremendously fun and e6citing. In your practice there may be a yo+yo effect. ou may shift into semi+lucidity where a vague image appears, and as soon as you start to notice, youAll shift back to where you started feeling fully lucid once again. $owever, at one point you will start to e6perience several things. 1irst, it will become easier and easier for you to rela6 your awareness to the e6tent that you e6perience visual images. >econdly, you will find that youAll become increasingly lucid during the e6perience of these images. Lot as lucid as you might like, but you will know youAre getting somewhere when you start to e6perience some level of synchronicity between your intent, thoughts and emotions on the one hand, and the visual scenes on the other hand. #hat is the scenes will start to naturally follow your thought patterns, emotions, and concerns. Often, particular &uestions that are on your mind will find themselves answered in the visual scenes in front of you. Increasingly, youAll be able to see the visual images for longer periods, while at the same maintaining a stronger sense of self while seeing them. ou may also find yourself shifting in and out the visual imagery more easily and more &uickly. Of course, these visual images occur only while rela6ing your awareness and without doing anything in pa rticular to o if your attentional focus in focus - is on the blackness in front of your eyes or on the remaining sensory sensations in your bod y, you are unlikely to e6perience anything. Instead, you need to forget about everything physical for a while.
?hat are you really doing here in this processF ?hat you are doing is taking an active approach and real interest towards inner activity that is seemingly unrelated to yourself. In other words, you are creating a functional unit between your waking mind and non+ physical energies. #he images may not be very informative or useful at first. $owever, the functional unit between your waking self and inner activity is &uite useful. #his functional unit is your primary starting point. 2nother way to conceptuali@e this issue is that you are trying to establish a synergy of sorts between action and perception. #hat is, a state of consciousness where you will find your intent to be immediately followed by their corresponding sensations and reactions. #his type of phenomenon has been described as the following* 2ny conflict between doing something and being there, or between active and passive states, is resolved in focus -. %oing and being merge, triggering what we call o seriously, have funH< 7ateway manual, 9-8. 1or a while I was under the impression that synergy between thought and action was a highly e6aggerated characteristic of focus -. It seemed I was wrong however, since this synergy does become more and more apparent when you start to rela6 your awareness in focus - rather than keeping it in a fi6ated position. ranted, this type of synergy is generally 7especially in the beginning of practice8 not as dramatic in focus - as in other focus levelsG in particular that of focus where synergy between thought and action is maor characteristic of that state. $owever, it is wise to make an early start with building and practicing this synergy in focus -, which will serve you well in subse&uent focus levels. #hat is, become used to the idea that stray thoughts may sometimes result in immediate perceptions in focus -, and slowly learn to differentiate between thought and intent, so that you will not be swept all over the place once you reach higher focus levels. 1ocus - is a good, and comfortable place to start. ?here do these images come fromF It depends. If you havenAt set any particular intent, then the images of focus - are usually a reflection of ongoing concerns and thoughts. #his is in itself a highly interesting phenomenon and much can be learned from it if you reali@e the connection between your thoughts and perceptions. If you are unaware of this connection, you will not only misinterpret a lot of your perceptions, but also feel without control. Be creative. 1ocus - is e6cellent place to overcome fears as long as you reali@e you are in controlH If you ask specific &uestions e6pect the images to be far more meaningful and potentially very informative. #he focus level are merely your reference point from which you do further e6ploring. 1or e6ample, after the images h ave occurred, what is the state you find
yourself inF Ksually, you will find yourself back in focus -. >o overall, you have perceived images by at least going from and back to focus -, wherever these actual images may be o the practice of visual perception in focus - serves several purposes. Beyond the fact that there is a lot of guidance and answers to your &uestions in this state, it ma y lead you to move further away from the visual senses and tap into focus . $owever, keep in mind that this is usually a rather accidental way of entering focus . Eventually, you would want to enter focus without tricks, and smoothly glide from a deep focus - 7without the help of visual imagery8 into by mere intent. Obviously, there are a lot of other perceptions besides the visual in focus - that are e&ually important. O%$er !er&e!%ions in (o&*s 10 Besides visual images, the gateway manual 79-8 makes several broad distinctions between the different types of non+physical energies that may be encountered in focus -. #he most common of these are kinesthetic sensations. 2s I have mentioned before, I consider most of these sensations to be the result of the reduction in input from the cutaneous senses. I am ambivalent about the e6istence of an energy body being responsible for such sensations, and I do not think energy work is useful. #he link between a loss of the sense of touch and
#he following is the description of kinesthetic sensations by the "onroe Institute* "?ne metod of perception is to feel differences kinestetically 8sensations tat are) or seem to $e) pysical9 @ay attention to your $ody and feel su$tle sensations ese sensations migt feel like motion: rising and falling) rocking) sliding and tipping .ou migt feel "electric" sensations: tingling or %i$rations @eraps you migt feel twitces) pulsing) pressure) or canges in temperature" 7ateway "anual, 9-8
I think that most people who have practiced OBEs are familiar with these sensations, or at least have heard about numerous times. $owever, it is worth here to mention that the more o I wouldnAt worry too much if you never come across it, since it seems perfectly possible to reach higher focus levels without e6periencing this phenomenon. 2nother type of non+physical sensation are called ense 3ercepts 7I>3s8 for lack of a better term. #hey are more common in focus than in focus -, but they definitely occur in either state. Often, in focus -, they coincide with others types of perception such as visual imagery. 2n e6ample of an I>3 would be a situation where I sudden ly became part of a dream+like visual scene with a lot of people around me, and I received the I>3* < ou are never alone<. ItAs a nice message to get 7unless youAre the paranoid type8. 1or those interested in more information in this subect I advise to take note of the word o to complete this section, here is the description in the gateway manual of auditory perceptions*
"An auditory perception may manifest as %er$al messages) %oices) or impressions of %oices It may also occur as sounds suc as static) $u44ing) pops and clicks) tones) or e%en music ese perception a%e a delicacy) a
I think it should be clear that the maor position of the current paper is that focus involves a reduction in sensory input from cutan eous senses with momentary reductions in sensory input from the other senses. $ence, it should come as no surprise that once the other senses start to shut down another phase shift can be e6pected even further removed from the physical. 2 further phase+shift usually involves the physical body falling asleep across all sensory modalities. our position will no longer as strongly determined by a spatial+visual system that normally locates us firmly inside of the physical body. It is here where you are truly free from all physical limitations, and able to reach the out+of+body state. !et me ust leave you with the following focus descriptions by others 7!eva, 99, pg. JJ+JJ8* My ead got $igger) seemed like tere was a split in alf) a floating sensation> spacey> gray fog) infinity> ig electricity> less stringent> Focus 10 more stringent> smoot> gentle> lot larger) no limit> ead somewat e(ploding) seeing sym$ols> %astness) felt connected deep in my $ones> gray) felt larger in denseness> wirling %orte(es mo%ement> intimate like a red flannel sirt Coid> mountain like sensation) ele%ated) a$le to go off into te peripery of more tan one direction at a time) flatten) floating> formless 8$ody9) energetic&> fullness 8mind9) emptiness 8$ody9) a%e times wen doing $ot togeter) enligtenment) tere are space) groups of predominant ligt> dense 8solid mind9) full) e(periencing great amounts of knowingness or information 8not specific information9) e(periencing a great presence 8me9> freedom of mind/space> ligt $ody> flat) no concrete sense) no $ody) I was 3ut tere and e%erywere> a$sence of gra%ity) $eing a$le to mo%e in space easily 8doing acro$atics9) a$le to percei%e tings from a$o%eD Con&,*sion #his paper has made a broad distinction between a light and deep focus - state as well as a discussion of common perceptions in these states. It appeared to me the best approach to accommodate the wide variety of e6periences people have in this state. 2lso, focus - has been identified as a state that is mostly characteri@ed by a reduction in the cutaneous senses, which in turn can e6plain common sensations associated with the focus - state.
3rovided you you are completely disconnected from sensory input using the approach outlined in this paper, you should be able to induce an OBE as well with this method, if this is your goal. #his does generally re&uire that your body falls asleep completely, which can be said to occur either in a very deep focus -, or in the transition from focus - to , or perhaps even , depending on your definition of the labels. It is not that important what label you put on it. Meep in mind that to establish a complete disconnection from the physical senses across all sensory modalities can be difficult to accomplish with a purely meditative approach. #his can be done, but it re&uires a high level of comfort with non+physical phenomena, which takes time to establish. #herefore, if you want to have an OBE as soon as possible, then you will probably be more successful with the VII! "E#$O%. #he Vigil "ethod is complementary to the method outlined here, suitable for both beginners and e6perienced proectors. It ust gets you there a little faster because of its effective use of natural sleep rhytms, as well as techni&ues to keep you awake. Re(eren&es 2twater, 1. $. 7--8. aptain of my ship, master of my soul. harlottesville, $ampton 5oads. !eva, 3. 7998. #raveling the interstate of co nsciousness* 2 driverAs instruction manual. !ongmont, 4 entral 3ublishing. "onroe, 5.2. 79;8. =ourneys out of the body. Lew ork, %oubleday. "onroe. 5.2. 79:8. 1ar ourneys. Lew ork, %oubleday. "onroe, 5.2. 799D8. Kltimate ourney. Lew ork, %oubleday. #he "onroe Institute 79:8. #he ateway "anual.
