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- the state of relaxation
However, there are others that psychology calls the hypnagogic and hypnopompic images, which appear at the sleep and awakening onsets, respectively. They include sounds, as for example, voices, bells, wind-chimes, etc.; lights and visions; and the very realistic dreams. These last ones also include the so called "false awakening": we can always find stories of somebody that had a especially clear dream situation, where he/she didn't notice it was actually a dream... Obviously, the sleep and awakening onsets also includes the sensations attributed to OBE's experiences. They might also include the sensation of vibrations, which OBEers like to associate as a good pre-OBE condition.
Of course, the instances of OBE-type experiences that include the sensation of leaving of the physical body appear when one is able to keep awareness while falling asleep. I believe that training oneself to keep awareness while falling asleep is the most important training one should be involved with, if one wants to have those "OBE-type experiences". While falling asleep, with awareness, one can soon observe that frequently the "disconnection" process just happens at a certain point, automatically. Sometimes, I should note, there is only images and sounds, and no disconnection sensation. I like to use the trick of "mimicking" the swinging movement, which seems to trigger or attract that disconnection. One can really feel the transition between the "memory of swinging", to the real "swinging" at the disconnection. I usually pick it up from there by just motioning myself out, in a get-up movement. Only I would get up from the physical body.
From my personal experience, when leaving the material body, I have found a few interesting situations. One is that sometimes I feel as if part or parts of my body are not fully disconnected, yet. In the beginning, when I encountered this situation I felt in trouble, as I couldn't completely get out... I forced the situation many times, becoming anxious, which did not always brought me back to the body and to awakening! After a few situations, and the fact that I would not always return, I discovered that when I stopped struggling, and then carefully tried again, those parts that were still stuck would come out easily, signaling the end of the disconnection process, and I would just distance myself away from my physical body.
The common wisdom is that there is a greater chance to be reabsorbed to the physical body, at its proximity. Therefore I tend first of all, distance myself from the physical body quickly. However, I have also observed that is not always the case. It has happened situations where even though I had laid myself on my physical body, I didn't get reabsorbed, which was somehow puzzling. I even believe that the situation of "false awakening" happens due to these "non-reabsorbing conditions", where one is just trapped in a clear-dream situation where one is not "lucid", or is lucid in the sense of a very realistic dream, but not realizing the situation. That's why it is so important the "tests of reality" as suggested by the Lucid-Dreams schools. There are other situations where we just "fall down", or just "float up" from the body, which once again shows that sometimes the process of disconnection happens without being noticed.
Other than the sensations of the "leaving of the material body", the sleep/awakening onsets might also include:
- the sensation of vibrations
These last ones - lights - can also show in a variety of shapes and forms, with or without movement. Movement seems to be an interesting characteristic of the appearance of lights... I have also noticed that "mimicking of lights" might occur, not only of the Sun and car-headlights, but also of the "Nova-Dreamer's blinking lights", and fires or torches, or fire-works. Also, many times those lights are associated with a sound, sometimes high pitched like, other times like small explosions, or popping sounds, or electric-spark sounds.
When one reads about the Kundalini manifestations, one realizes the similarity between the phenomena just described, observed at the sleep/awakening onset, and the manifestation of what is called of Kundalini energy. I have discovered that similarity by chance, when I was reading an article on OMNI magazine.
The exercises I practice (Bianca's exercises), which are mainly directed to the brain, seems to induce those phenomena, that resemble Kundaline manifestations. However, from my experiences that happened before I started Bianca's exercises, I noted that "inductive situations", like staring at lights or the sun, the "Nova-dreamer blinking lights", fire-works, car-headlights while driving at night, lightning, etc., may produce those phenomena.
Now, are they a "mimicking characteristic" from our memory, produced by a subconscious mechanism? Are they just an "excitor" for an inherent energy we own? - the Kundalini?
Those questions should be investigated, and nowadays that is becoming a real possibility. ( See my research project.)
My personal experience shows one point: If we exercise (Bianca's) those phenomena tend to appear with a higher frequency, than if not. However, if it enhances the possibilities for "having OBE's" I can't be sure. Vibrations are considered to be one good characteristic for "leaving of the physical body"... However, my experience shows that it's not always true. Actually the "sensation of separation or disconnection" of the physical body frequently does not contain vibrations at all. Just that "swinging" sensation, like floating or on water surface. Sometimes not even that. (See my biography, as related to "seeing lights & hearing sounds during sleep/awakening onsets", on Section IV.
- case-stories from a few friends who have practiced meditation,
Copyright © 1996
While learning to keep awareness at the sleep onset, we start to observe various types of phenomena. Some of them are obviously physiological. They are for example:
- stopping of thought process (tiredness, etc...)
- outside sound disconnection
- being unable to move
- etc.
Let's review:
- strange sounds, as the sound of wind, wind-chimes, explosions, or something that can't be interpreted or related to any known sounds.
- lights: from reddish or Moon-like lights to as brilliant as the Sun or car high-beam head-lights.
My experience with Meditation is very poor. I have never practiced either Yoga, or Meditation. Therefore, my only objective here is to direct you to:
- case-stories from the literature,
- my biography, as related to "seeing lights & hearing sounds".
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Sirley Marques Bonham
Last updated January 20, 1997
For more information contact:
sbonham@io.com