newbie questions about trance

[explorer7]

Hi everyone
I'm relatively new to OBEs, i had a few lucid dreams and even fewer short spontaneous obe's over the last few years, but i haven't projected consciously yet. a few moths ago i started going trough astral dynamics and some more of RB material and began working on energy-work silencing mind etc. i started trancework about 6 weeks ago and am still a bit confused. after about 10 - 15 mins i get the heaviness in arm & legs but after that nothing changes even when i use various deepening techniques like smoke-rings, elevator,etc. i tried some energy-loosening but (while very enjoyable) didn't make any changes either. so my questions:

1 how long,on average, of trance-deepening does it take for a newbie to reach the vibration-state?(my sessions usually last for about 50 mins)
2 besides silencing the mind and deepening is there anything else needed to get there?
3 are there any signs on how far or close you are?

i realize i still have a lot to learn so any helpful comment appreciated

Thanks in advance
James

[CFTraveler]

Hi everyone

Hi James.

I'm relatively new to OBEs, i had a few lucid dreams and even fewer short spontaneous obe's over the last few years, but i haven't projected consciously yet. a few moths ago i started going trough astral dynamics and some more of RB material and began working on energy-work silencing mind etc. i started trancework about 6 weeks ago and am still a bit confused. after about 10 - 15 mins i get the heaviness in arm & legs but after that nothing changes even when i use various deepening techniques like smoke-rings, elevator,etc. i tried some energy-loosening but (while very enjoyable) didn't make any changes either. so my questions:

1 how long,on average, of trance-deepening does it take for a newbie to reach the vibration-state?(my sessions usually last for about 50 mins)

For me it can be from half an hour to an hour- but it depends on the time of day and how focused I can get.

2 besides silencing the mind and deepening is there anything else needed to get there?

If by 'there' you mean deep trance, you can also add a step I like, which I call 'listening to the earhiss.' After you've done the trancework, mind focusing and any other preferred relaxation/trance method, settle into observing the space in front of your closed eyes, and intently listen to the sound in your ears- the 'hiss/ring' that is always there. Split your concentration between listening and seeing, and you will feel how you dissociate from your body sensations. Don't scan for body sensations, just let dissociation take place. Then you know you've deepened the state.

3 are there any signs on how far or close you are?

Complete dissociation from body sensations and sense information.
If however, by there you mean ready for exit techniques, there is one more step you can take: When you are getting the above symptoms (dissociation, sharpening of awareness, a sense of being a point of awareness) you can add energy loosening symptoms (found in MAP, the new edition of Astral Dynamics and the stickied threads in the OBE R & D subforums) until you have exit symptoms, and then do your exit technique.

Welcome to the forums, BTW.

[wstein]

2 besides silencing the mind and deepening is there anything else needed to get there?

The more energy you have the more you can experience once you get out. Look into Robert's 'NEW' method as it is specifically for this purpose.

[explorer7]

Thanks for your reply CFTraveler, did what you said and i'm already getting better!

I'm still a bit confused though about the state i need to be in to project and how to get there.
do the vibrations start on their own or do i need to do something to trigger them?
also i talked with a newbie-friend of mine(he hasn't archived an exit yet) and he told me that he got strong vibes once but was fully associated in the physical so couldn't exit, doesn't the dissociation happen first?

what would help me enormously (if it isn't asked to much) if you could describe in descriptive detail the states/stages you go through from fully conscious until exit so i can get an idea where i am and what do do/expect next

Thanks in advance
James

[CFTraveler]

Thanks for your reply CFTraveler, did what you said and i'm already getting better!

Glad to know.

I'm still a bit confused though about the state i need to be in to project and how to get there.
do the vibrations start on their own or do i need to do something to trigger them?

Some people think you trigger, but I do not think so. I believe the vibrations are a frequency change that we perceive as we move our focus from the physical to the nonphysical, a side effect. So what I think people believe are triggers, I believe are things that begin the move to exteriorize the energy body. Po-tay-toes, Po-tah-toes.
However, I can explain why I believe this shortly, in the next few answers.

also i talked with a newbie-friend of mine(he hasn't archived an exit yet) and he told me that he got strong vibes once but was fully associated in the physical so couldn't exit, doesn't the dissociation happen first?

This is why I don't believe the vibes are a thing (the separation vibes) because they don't always happen in the same part of the trance, and the more you achieve the OBE the less vibrations you will get. They also will happen in the beginning of the trance, and not useful as signposts. That's why I recommend to eventually use other signs of trance as signposts to try an exit technique.
Having said that, is that many people, when in trance, mistake energy body sensations with separation vibrations. This is because, while being in-body, all the senses become much sharper- you can hear stuff that's happening far away, you will feel energy body sensations you don't even notice, and what are usually energy body sensations become more noticeable. But when you feel separation vibrations for the first time they are usually very strong, sometimes dramatic. But not always.

what would help me enormously (if it isn't asked to much) if you could describe in descriptive detail the states/stages you go through from fully conscious until exit so i can get an idea where i am and what do do/expect next

I can't do that because I don't get the same sensations I did when beginning- I actually get no vibrations, hardly any noise (and when I do, they're muted and far away) but I get more visuals. And my sense of vision and awareness get sharper, as if I'm 'hyper awake'. And when I can see through my eyelids, I know I've dissociated completely and can start trying to move away.

Most people simply get sleepy, then see/hear/feel a variety of symptoms (that I already linked) after about 1/2 hour, are feeling vibrations and/or hear noises/voices, and by then they are ready to exit. But not always. Everyone is different, and it takes some people more or less time.
But one thing you must remember is to forget about your body feels or doesn't feel. Although trance feels like you're numb, do not start checking for this. You will lose the awareness you should have on your mind, and may not notice when you have shifted and are ready to move out.

[wstein]

do the vibrations start on their own or do i need to do something to trigger them?

Actually vibrations are not required at all. With more experience, many people find the vibrations slowly stop occurring. Vibrations (part of sleep paralysis) indicate that you are partly but not fully disconnected (from your physical body). Vibrations are helpful for beginners as they indicate you are at least partly 'out'.