Robert Monroe - Journeys out of the body, Practical Guidebook

In essence, forced falling asleep is a trick on the mind designed to take advantage of the brain’s reflexive responses to actions that immediately induce semi-conscious states that allow easy entrance into the phase. Employing it is especially effective upon an extremely alert awakening, or after a movement is unintentionally made upon awakening.

Forced sleep is quite simple. It requires a cessation of internal dialogue, shifting mental focus away from external stimuli, and a strong desire for a quick reentrance to the sleeping state followed by renewed wakefulness after several seconds. In order to understand how this is done, it is sufficient to recall how one had urgently made oneself fall asleep before, or how one had fallen asleep after having been exhausted, or after a long period of sleep deprivation.

A common mistake in practice occurs when people fall asleep after attempting the technique, forgetting the necessary desire to quickly return to consciousness.

SECONDARY INDIRECT TECHNIQUES

STRAINING THE BRAIN

Testing Individual Effectiveness

Immediately after waking from sleep, remain motionless, eyes closed. Make 2 to 3 squeezes straining the brain. This is known as straining the brain. If nothing happens, try another technique. If vibrations occur during this exercise, try to move the vibrations around the body and amplify them by continuing to strain the brain.

The stronger the vibrations, the higher the probability that a separation technique may be applied. Spontaneous separation may occur. While straining the brain, a practitioner may experience the sounds necessary for transitioning to a listening in technique.

The vibrations that arise from straining the brain are very striking.

If there is any doubt as to whether the vibrations happened, then most likely a practitioner did not experience them. The vibrations may be described as an intense, painless electrical current moving through or gripping the body. At times, the sensation of a total numbing of the body is experienced.

Training

To practice straining the brain, lie down, eyes closed, and attempt to strain the brain. Do not think about the fact that actually squeezing the brain is impossible. The imagined straining should be spasmodic, rhythmic. Practitioners may strain the entire brain or specific parts of it. During the process, a sensation of pressure or even real strain arises in the brain. With 95% of practitioners, this strain usually occurs within the first few minutes of exercise. This technique should be committed to memory when training so that it may be instantly recalled and practiced upon awakening from sleep.

Practitioners often make the mistake of unintentionally straining their facial and neck muscles instead of straining the interior of their heads. This error should be avoided at all costs, lest it become a habit that frustrates genuine practice.

STRAINING THE BODY WITHOUT USING MUSCLES

Testing Individual Effectiveness

This technique involves straining the whole body and differs little from straining the brain. When awakening from sleep, make one to three attempts at straining the whole body, refraining from actually flexing any physical muscle. If nothing happens, try another technique. Vibrations may occur as a result, and amplifying these by straining the body without using muscles can induce a spontaneous separation from the body. When the vibrations become strong enough, attempt a separation technique. Sounds often arise during the vibration which allow for listening in and a subsequent entrance to the phase.

Training

To practice: while lying down, eyes closed, try to strain the entire body without using physical muscles for several minutes. Tingling, internal pressure, and a strain on the brain often occur during this exercise. Remember to avoid straining any real muscles. If physical strain occurs, results may be forfeited in the critical moment of fruition.

VISUALIZATION

Immediately after waking from sleep, remain motionless, eyes closed. For three to five seconds, conjure an intense desire to see and literally create a specific object. The object should be envisioned at rest, about four to eight inches from the practitioner. Limit the visualization to simple, familiar objects, like an apple, flower, sphere, or hand. Sometimes it is useful to imagine an object floating just above the eyebrows instead of directly in front. If nothing appears during this period of time, a different technique should be used.

If an object appears, one should keep looking hard at it, and at a certain moment one will realize that one is already standing next to it somewhere in the world of the phase. When the object becomes realistic, one can also try to separate from one’s body on one’s own.

SENSORY-MOTOR VISUALIZATION

Immediately after waking from sleep, remain motionless, eyes closed. Imagine active, physical movement for 10 to 15 seconds while touching an actual object and simultaneously examining the imagined details of the room. If nothing appears during this period of time, a different technique should be used. If real and imagined sensations become mixed, then continue the practice until the imagined sensations overcome the primary senses.

IMAGINED MOVEMENT

Immediately after waking from sleep, remain motionless, eyes closed. For 5 to 10 seconds, concentrate on visualizing any of the following actions: wiggling, walking, running, somersaulting, pulling a rope, or swimming. Try to imagine the movement as a realistic and active event during the practice period. If nothing happens, a different technique should be employed. If results occur in the form of the sensation of mobility, the imagined movement should be continued until it becomes the dominant sensation. When the movement achieves primacy, it is accompanied by translocation to the phase. If such a translocation does not automatically occur, a separation technique is recommended.

IMAGINED SENSATIONS

Immediately after waking from sleep, remain motionless, eyes closed. For three to five seconds, envision that a specific object is being held in the hand. If nothing happens, a different technique should be practiced. If the impression of shape and weight become apparent, concentrate harder on the sensation, trying to compound the experience. Once the object’s presence in the hand achieves a realistic quality, separation is possible. However, it is preferable to continue handling the object. A practitioner is free to imagine any type of object that fits in the hand. Examples include a telephone, a drinking glass, a remote control, a ball, a pen, or a box.

IMAGINED SOUNDS

Upon awakening, without moving or opening one’s eyes, one should actively try to hear a specific sound or word, e.g. someone’s name or a melody. If nothing happens, the technique should be changed for another one. If sound arises, one should try to listen in to it. When it peaks in volume, one may try to separate.

EYE MOVEMENT

Immediately after waking from sleep, remain motionless, eyes closed. Perform two to five sharp left-right or up-down eye movements. If nothing happens, the technique should be exchanged for another. If vibrations occur, separation may be attempted after efforts to intensify the vibrations.

DOT ON THE FOREHEAD

Immediately after waking from sleep, remain motionless, eyes closed. For three to five seconds, visualize a point in the middle of the forehead. If nothing happens, a different technique should be used. If vibrations occur, they may be intensified by using this technique or by straining the brain, facilitating separation from the body. Also, sounds may arise that allow the practice of listening in.