Foreword

A trance is an altered state of consciousness. There are a number of different

types, ranging from spiritually open trances of mediums to the meditative states
reached in many religions; however, all part only of the brain functionally.
Historically, some people have attached great importance to a state of trance,
since it occupies a space between sleeping and full wakefulness, and people in
this state are often highly suggestible. In addition to being a part of religious
practices, as it is a brain functioning, trances are also used therapeutically by
people like hypnotherapists, and some people attempt to enter this state on their
own for various reasons.

The precise definition of a trance can be somewhat fluid and hard to pin down.
Generally, it is defined as a mental state which is clearly disassociated from
normal consciousness. Someone in this state may still be experiencing very
intense brain waves and intellectual activity, but the individual is also clearly not
entirely awake.

In religious practice, many people meditate, intake various substances, or pray

to reach a trance-like state. This state is supposed to facilitate communication
with the Divine. Christians can be said to be going into a trance when they reach
a deeply introspective state of prayer, just as Native Americans enter the state
when they consume peyote. In many religious traditions, holy men and women

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also enter trances, and it is believed that they are gifted with divine
communications during them, but it’s all in the brain and not from outside.

Research into the biochemical changes in the body and the neurological changes
in the brain during and after purposefully induced trance point to the conclusion
that different induction methods activate different areas of the body and the
brain. These trance states generate longer-lasting feelings of euphoria, joy, and
clarity as well as the certainty of being sheltered in the connectedness of all
things.

To enter repeatedly and purposefully into a state of trance and to tune in to a

different field of consciousness produces changes due not only to biochemical
processes within the body. The experience of these feelings must have an effect
on the unfolding of one’s own being without being connected to conditions,
demands, and dependency.

The experience of a different field of consciousness that constantly creates itself

anew leads to insights and points of view that influence concepts, judgments,
thinking, and acting in the mundane world and that alter priorities in dealing
with humans, the living environment, and the material world. No wonder that
humans of all times and cultures searched for ways to attain these states!

Based on the work of today’s shamans, one can assume that long before the
brain and its activity drew the attention of researchers, people who were well
acquainted with entering different fields of consciousness had discovered that it
is possible through “precise navigation” to reach a certain part of the field.
Experienced shamans have something like maps of the other worlds. Thus, they
can communicate among each other (e.g., as to where they have to go to achieve
certain things).

The journeying of shamans into the other worlds of consciousness demands long
practice in order to find their way and to work once they get to where they’re
going. Brain researchers have established that particular areas of the brain are
more pronounced in people in certain professions. For example, taxi drivers in
big cities have up to 30 percent more nerve cells in the area of the brain where
the layout of streets (i.e., maps) is stored. Presumably, the case is the same with
shamans, only their increased storage capacity is due to maps of the worlds of
consciousness!

If brain researchers were to measure the neuro-physiological changes that occur

in shamans during their journeys into the other worlds, the readings would
certainly substantiate their altered state of consciousness, thus “proving” it to be
true.

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“In my opinion, it is enough to know the individual steps of the trance process.
Ultimately, this is more important than theoretical, uncertain definitions that are
justified merely by scientific need.” —

Dr. Amelie Schenk, 1994

Proof is nothing but an altered vibrational field of brain waves interpreted

according to the contemporary scientific meaning or the world view of the
measuring researcher. Physiological changes in the brain can merely indicate
which sender in the field of consciousness the receiver is tuned into. Even
models of explanation for the events in shamanic trance states that are oriented
in tribal history, psychology, rebirth, or prior lives cannot grasp, in my opinion,
the core of what happens in a trance. What are these events? There is only one
way to find out, and that is to come into contact with the true reality, to enter
into the experience of a purposeful trance!

About Self-hypnosis Summarised

The most basic form of self-hypnosis is a basic relaxation trance as you may
know from my other Ebooks. There are several ways to reach this type of state,
and two such processes are outlined in this article.

Otherwise, please feel free to follow these instructions, and enjoy a nice time of
relaxation. These can be very useful for falling asleep.

WARNING: It is easy to become groggy or spaced out when using

trance. Be sure to guide yourself completely back from this state. Practice
this technique ONLY where it would be theoretically safe to fall asleep.
Do something active afterward to completely guide yourself back before
doing any activities such as driving. Do not even READ this section
unless it would be theoretically safe for you to drift off or fall asleep at
this time.

Method Part One colour progression

(New to this Ebook as additional method)
There are various levels of brain activity, beta, alpha, theta and delta are only a
few Beta is the normal awake state. Alpha is the light trance and relaxation
state, before sleep for instance. Theta and Delta are deeper forms of trance and
sleep like states, with delta being associated with deep learning states.

The mind responds to certain colour images or thoughts and will place one into
various levels in accordance with what w\one is visualizing or thinking of at a
given time. For instance, thinking of a stressful situation is naturally going to
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place one in a level at beta or above. As one imagines a relaxing scene, or
thinks of a relaxing time, they will naturally re-enter an alpha state.

It is not necessary to be able to make images in one’s mind, or to imagine

pictures to do this, simply thinking about the individual colours will be enough.
If one has a difficult time thinking of a colour floating on its own, then simply
think of something that IS that colour and then think about the colour floating
off of it.

The colour spectrum, from red down to purple, corresponds with the various
stages of relaxation which run from beta down to alpha- by following these
instructions, you can easily enter a basic alpha state… if you are concerned
about remembering these steps, then you may wish to record them on tape and
play them back for yourself.

Colour progression
Sit or lay comfortably in an environment where you know you will not be
disturbed. Make sure your clothing is comfortable and non-constricting. Make
certain that the lighting level is also comfortable. When you begin, take some
time with each colour/ level, and simply notice the feelings in your body and
how they change as you take the time to go through the process.

Beginning at Beta, the awakened state, close your eyes and take three, DEEP,
slow breaths. Notice how, as you inhale, you build up certain tension in your
shoulders and chest, and as you exhale completely, he tensions flows away with
the exhalation.

In your mind, visualize or think of the colour RED. Red is associated with he
beta state. There is no need to make a picture of the colour red, if you are not
good with visualization, simply think the colour if that is all you can do. If you
have difficulty working with an abstract colour, simply think of something that
is that colour, like a fire engine or apple, and think about the colour drifting off
the object or the object coming closer until all that is there is the colour red.
Notice how you are feeling at this moment, notice the rhythm of your breath and
the way the thoughts run through your head.

Now, imagine the colour Orange. Simple allow the red to fade, and be replaced
in your mind with a vivid orange colour and notice how the mind and body
already begin to make subtle changes as they move toward the relaxed Alpha
state. Imagine what it would be like to comfortably breath in that colour, Orange
and notice the warm, comfortable secure feelings that begin to accompany this.
Stay here for a moment, and simply enjoy this state of being.

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Third step - Allow the thoughts of orange to fade to thoughts of a vivid yellow,
like a fresh lemon or newly bloomed butter cup flower. Often the breath
changes to a slightly faster but deeper one at this point, almost like a sigh or
quick yawn. Notice any changes that happen in your overall state and enjoy the
shift in attention from outside yourself to inside. If there are any thoughts or
outside sounds that distract you, they can be acknowledged and allowed to drift
away at this point. They need not be important.

The fourth step will be more profound a change as you allow the color of focus
to become green, like a freshly mowed meadow. Notice how with this green
there is less movement of the body, and it becomes less of a challenge to simply
drift and relax. Also notice what comforting images thoughts or sounds come
into your mind if any. Take a few moments to enjoy this level before proceeding
to the next to the last level before Alpha.

Now, allow the colour on your mind to transform to beautiful blue. A blue
colour like deep blue eyes, or a light sky blue, as you see fit will do nicely.
Enjoy the slow comfortable breathing, and the quietness of the mind.

And as you enter alpha, think of the colour purple, and deep royal purple and
what it would be like to allow the colon to surround you in a comfortable light
or mist. You have reached a basic alpha state.

At this point you can do several things. You can allow yourself to go back
through the colours to awaken completely. You can simply enjoy this level, and
possibly drift to sleep. You can focus upon goals or outcomes you wish to set for
yourself, and how to obtain them. You can deepen the state using the thinking of
visualization plan provided next.

More about Brain Waves (See also above)

The human brain cycles through four different frequencies, depending on what
state of consciousness we are in: Beta, Alpha, Theta and Delta. Brain waves are
measured in Hertz, one Hertz (Hz) being one cyclic wave per second.
Beta Brain-wave state (14-30 cps)
Beta is the normal, awake state of the brain with conscious activity, alert, ready
for physical activity, able to operate machinery, have a conversation, make
quick decisions and able to feel positive and negative emotions eg excitement
but also anger, fear, tension. As neurons fire abundantly, new ideas and
solutions can seem to flash like lightning into your mind. As Beta state is also
being fully conscious, there can be resistance from the conscious part of the
mind, putting up barriers to change. All deep and lasting permanent change

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occurs in the unconscious part of the brain which accounts for 90-95% of all
brain activity.
Alpha Brain-wave state (8-13 cps)
This is the early stage of relaxation although the person may still be alert but not
fully focused. As the person relaxes physically and mentally, they are passively
aware of their surroundings and feel a sense of well-being and tranquility.
When I say passive, you might be daydreaming so miss your turning when
driving. As such, it is a level of trance which is an altered state of
consciousness. Realising you have missed the turning means you are back in
Beta. Alpha state is the state necessary for most hypnosis eg. changing habits,
eliminating fears, improving confidence etc.
In Alpha, the doorway between the conscious and unconscious/subconscious is
opened which also means memories otherwise pushed deep become easily
accessible. This is why we can take someone back, in this lifetime or otherwise,
depending on the person’s belief system, in what we call “regression”. Alpha
state allows creativity to flow. You can imagine yourself performing without
any thinking limiting your achievements.
Theta Brain-wave state (4-8 cps)
This level of deep relaxation brings tranquillity but also creativity and
accelerated learning. The unconscious, or subconscious, mind cannot
distinguish between reality and imagination so this is the state where we can
visualize what we want to achieve eg a slimmer figure looking good, or playing
a sport consistently well, charismatic public speaking and the unconscious mind
will re-program whatever is necessary to make this a reality. This is an optimal
trance state for hypnosis with heightened imagination and receptivity to
suggestion, possibly deep day dreams or lucid dreaming. It is a normal state that
we experience from pre-sleep all the way into REM sleep. We therefore go into
Theta state every day.
Theta state is also associated with extreme forms of mind and body control eg
walking on coals or fire-eating. Rhythmic sounds which vibrate at 4.5 beats or
cycles per second can induce a trance-like state of theta brain-wave.
W Vogel, D M Broverman and E L Klaiber (1968 “EEG and Mental Abilities,
Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, 24, 166-175) described
two types of theta brain-wave states. Theta in Class I inhibition is seen in a
relaxed, drowsy state. Theta in Class II inhibition is associated with efficient,
automatic and sustained mental performance. This increases efficiency in
problem solving, perceptual processing and memory retention. It is seen in the
later stages of hypnosis.

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 Delta Brain-wave state (.05-4 cps)
We experience this in the deepest stages of sleep, a state of total unawareness, of
unconsciousness, without feelings or emotions. This state is the slowest brain
wave frequency and not reached in hypnosis. It is the state of tissue repair,
healing and regeneration. We naturally go from one brain-wave state to another
throughout the day and night. Hypnosis is a totally naturally way of inducing a
state for beneficial purposes.
How is Hypnosis Induced in a Therapy Session?
A hypnotist will ask you to sit or lie in a comfortable position, ask you to close
your eyes and talk you into a relaxed state through any one of a number of
techniques called inductions. When your breathing is visibly slower and your
facial muscles relaxed, a deepener will be used to take you into a deeper state of
relaxation and thus lower level of brain-wave. This may be through counting up
or down slowly (I prefer down), perhaps combined with visualizing going down
steps, through coloured doors or going down in a lift. I personally avoid the
latter as many people do not like lifts even if they do not actually suffer from
claustrophobia. Suggestions that you are relaxing deeper and deeper will be
repeated to achieve the level of hypnotic trance desirable for the therapy.

Whilst the earlier stages are fine for most habits or reasons for seeking therapy,
a deeper level will be needed for pain control, anaesthesia for childbirth,
dentistry and operations. It is said that only five percent of people can achieve a
deep trance state. This is the level needed for stage show hypnosis using
volunteers on a one-off basis but I personally believe anyone can achieve very
deep levels if they practice hypnosis on a regular basis.
I used to be very stress and tensed at times. Now I can lie on a hard floor and
feel nothing within 30 seconds. I have also used self-hypnosis in childbirth
twice meaning I did not use any other form of pain control. I also used it whilst
waiting to go down to the operating theatre for a serious operation. Hypnosis
produces reduced bruising and aids faster recovery. I was told to expect a stay
of 2 weeks yet was home after 6 days and fully recovered from the anaesthesia
and back to normal health in 6 weeks.

Deepening

Think of yourself stepping out of the purple colour and into a white hallway.
Again, you need not visualize this, simply think about it if need be. The hallway
can be made of white marble, or carpeted, and notice as you walk down it, 5
steps to the end, what sounds you might also notice in this hall. The hallway
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ends at the top of a comfortable set of stairs. You may think of or imagine these
stairs anyway you like, but know that there are twenty-one steps to the bottom.
If stairs are uncomfortable for you, then steps of clouds, or an escalator can be
used. ANYTHING that allows you to descend into a deeper state is fine.

Now, begin descending one level at a time, counting from 21 to 0 as you do,
taking your time and going down one level for each breath you take.

Notice how your can feel your mind drifting into a more relaxed, entrancing and
trance-formative state with each step you think about taking. When you reach
the bottom, you may even be approaching the top of the Theta level of trance.

How to Use the Trance

Suggestions or Goals if you prefer must have certain qualities in order to be

effective. Learning self hypnosis is best taught in an office setting by a licensed
professional hypnotist, and a text instruction like this can only be expected to be
used for the most basic of relaxation and goal setting until the individual has
become more practiced at using the unconscious mind.

You can however allow this state to be a doorway to using your own
unconscious resources if you follow some simple guidelines and write down and
set a goal BEFORE entering the trance state as outlined above.

To use the trance, you need to formulate a goal, preferably in writing, and it
must meet these guidelines:

 The goal must be stated in the positive. State what you WANT rather
than what you don’t want.

 The Goal must include all the descriptive information about who, what,
when and where you wish to have this goal. BE SPECIFIC!

 You just include a specific sense of HOW you would know if you had
achieved the goal. On an internal level, what would you see, think, feel
and hear.

 What resources would you need, from INSIDE yourself, in order to have
this goal? What would you have to b able to do, what would you need to
believe, what would have to be different about your identity?

 Once that is done, take the page of text, and boil it down to one positively
states sentence and insert it into the following paragraph which you
should read, aloud or silently several times before entering this trance.

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 PRE TRANCE SCRIPT: I am asking my unconscious mind for its
protection and its help with the following goal: (Insert your
sentence here) in just the right and healthful ways for me. I
trust my unconscious mind to help me take care of the specific
steps and procedures needed to allow me to generate the new
options, feelings, thoughts and behaviors to accomplish this as I
enter this trance-formative space.

Then enter the trance state, and allow your unconscious mind to do the rest.

What to expect?

Be patient with your unconscious mind! If you haven’t been listening to it or

working with it for a while, it may take time to build rapport so it will work with
you. Also, if you are trying to change some behaviour or thinking, you may
need to examine what the positive intent of that behaviour is- in other words,
what side BENEFIT does it give you. Even if the behaviour itself SEEMS to be
negative, try to imagine what positive side effect it may have for you. You may
need to figure out another way to achieve the same positive side effect for the
negative behaviour to be gotten rid of.

The Trance State

A trance is a very simple and natural state of being, the state entered when the
physical body goes to sleep while the mind stays awake. Very simply, the
frequency of brain waves changes in response to the changed level of mental
activity.

The less mental activity, the deeper the level of trance.

Normal levels of consciousness cause a lot of bioelectrical activity, which is

associated with the awake activity of the surface mind, called the beta level.
When the trance state is entered, this activity is significantly reduced, causing
many peculiar physical and mental sensations. Changes in brain-wave activity
are measurable with an electroencephalograph, or EEG, machine.

The human brain has two halves, two hemispheres, each side associated with
different physical and mental functions and abilities. The left side of the brain is
the rational and logical problem-solving part, while the right side is the more
emotional, creative, and intuitive part. I believe the trance state causes these two
hemispheres to begin working together, synchronizing more strongly than they
are able to in the normal waking state.

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In normal daily functioning, the cognitive abilities of the left and right brain are
coordinated quite seamlessly. Each half of the brain has distinct abilities and
strengths that may be uniquely used for particular mental activities. However,
most mentally-guided tasks draw upon the blended abilities of right and left
brain functions.

The more time spent in the trance state, the stronger the bioenergetic
connections between hemispheres become, and the more easily the two
hemispheres can work together. While the two hemispheres are linked, the mind
becomes calmer, stronger, more whole and balanced.

This enhances the quality of thought, making it more profound and open to
inspiration, while providing great clarity of mind - albeit in an altered state of
consciousness. A deeply relaxed physical body with a clear mind holds this
connected trance state longer than would naturally occur.

We all experience this every night, even if only briefly, while falling asleep.
Most people don't even notice this when it happens, but everyone knows how
good it feels. Who does not enjoy falling asleep? Similarly, who does not enjoy
entering the trance state? Trance is a delightfully blissful, comfortable, stress-
free state of being, like submerging yourself in a pleasantly warm
physical/mental spa or bath.

While falling asleep you will find, if you observe closely, that you begin losing
yourself among rambling half-thoughts and impressions. Your body starts to feel
heavy and warm and cosy and your thoughts become silly and meaningless. This
happens right on the borderline of sleep, just before you lose coherence
altogether and fall into the seeming oblivion of sleep. The heavy-body sensation
10
is the sign you have entered the trance state. The mental incoherence (in the case
of entering the trance state while falling asleep) is caused solely by mental and
physical tiredness.

Once the physical body falls asleep, the centre of waking consciousness
transfers into the etheric or psychic body. This is best thought of as a type of
inner-body projection. The heavy-body feeling of the trance state indicates that
the centre of waking consciousness has shifted one step away from its physical
body and into the first of its subtle bodies, its etheric body.

This takes consciousness one step closer to the real-time projectable double.

Next time you are falling asleep, hold your forearms vertical with your elbows
resting comfortably on the bed surface. This will keep you awake a little longer
than normal. Observe what happens while you are falling asleep. You will
experience the trance state for at least a few moments longer than usual before
falling asleep, and for still longer if you are not too tired and can stay focused. If
you relax and use the breath awareness technique while falling asleep, instead of
allowing your mind to drift and ramble, you can drag out the falling-asleep
process and stay in the trance state even longer.

As a part of projection training, it is necessary to learn how to put your body to

sleep while remaining mentally awake and in control - in other words how to
enter the trance state and stay awake. This can be a little tricky at first, but is not
at all difficult if you follow the correct procedure and get some regular practice
in.

The physical and mental tiredness that naturally causes the trance state while
falling asleep can be replaced by a deep level of physical relaxation and a clear
surface mind.

If you allow yourself to react to distracting sounds during trance work, you can
develop a habitual response to them, becoming easily distracted and irritated.
This can seriously affect your ability to enter and hold the trance state. It may
cause you to use artificial aids like music or tapes to create just the right
conditions for you before you can trance effectively. This will make your trance
state dependent on those conditions. A dependency like this is an unhealthy
trance habit, as it makes the habitual foundations of the trance state weak and
sensitive, rather than strong and resilient.

If you are a beginner with no trance habits, please heed my advice on this.
Accept sounds and let them wash over you, without tensing, reacting, or
mentally complaining about them in any way. Accept and tolerate sounds kindly

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and without irritation. Look upon unavoidable distractions as valuable
opportunities to test your powers of focus and concentration, as sound waves
crashing gently over you. This problem will progressively ease with time and
patience.

The need for total quiet denies the pleasure of trance meditation outdoors, amid
all the many wonderful distractions of life: water gurgling over rocks, animal
sounds, wind and storm sounds, rolling waves crashing on beaches, children's
sounds, and the sweet morning chorus of bird song. These are nature's gift to us
all, and all can be better appreciated in a tranced meditational state.

Different Levels of Trance

I have divided the trance state into three basic levels, and have used sensation
descriptive names (rather than the more commonly used technical terms like
alpha, beta, theta, and delta) for simplicity's sake, and to help avoid confusion
while working in these levels of trance. This will enable you to tell what level of
trance you are in simply by noting the sensations you are experiencing.

The three basic levels of trance given here are meant as a basic guide for
beginners only.

Light Trance

Light trance is the first level of trance, very similar to the

daydream state. While relaxing, your physical body starts feeling
warm, cosy, and lethargic. Your eyelids suddenly feel heavy and
your eyes begin to glaze over and droop. A mild wave of heaviness
and warmth flows over you. Your mind takes on a mildly fuzzy
quality and tends to begin drifting. You have some slight difficulty
focusing thoughts, especially if you are mentally tired and need
sleep.

Patterns of light and colour (hypnagogic imagery) are seen

occasionally during the light-trance state. Mind's-eye visions may
also be seen if natural clairvoyant potential is present. Cobweb-like
tickling is occasionally felt in the facial and neck areas, caused by
energy movement through the energetic support structures of the
brow and crown centres. (The trance state on its own causes an
increased flow of energy, hence the resulting sensations.)

With this level of trance comes a mild, whole-body feeling of

warm comfortable fuzziness and a slight dissociation from the
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physical body and the surrounding environment. Time appears to
slow down a little and sounds appear to be slightly louder and from
further away than they really are. Once light trance stabilizes it is
easily held for long periods of time. Great internal mental clarity
can be attained with it, as long as tiredness is not a problem. This is
the trance state most usually attained during early-light meditations
and led-group meditations. If this level of trance is accompanied by
a deep-enough state of physical relaxation, conscious-exit
projection becomes possible.

This level of trance, while easily held, is also quite delicate and
easily broken. Physical movement, even walking and talking, must
be slow and deliberate to hold the light-trance state.

Full Trance

The full-trance state has many similarities with light trance, but
trance sensations are more pronounced. Entry into full trance is
marked by a quite noticeable wave of bodily heaviness and a very
slight falling sensation. This comes on fairly quickly, like a warm,
heavy wave flowing through you, seeming to sap your physical and
mental strength as your body falls away into sleep.

Concentration and mental focus are needed at this point to stop the
mind from following its body into sleep. Your sense of time
changes, slowing down or speeding up, depending on your level of
mental tiredness. If you are tired, time tends to speed up;
otherwise, it tends to slow. You become noticeably dissociated
from your physical body and its environment.

Your sense of background atmosphere changes noticeably the

moment you enter the full-trance state. The room around you feels
like it has suddenly become much larger, thicker, and emptier.
Background sounds take on a muffled, faraway quality, something
like they would if a cardboard box were gently lowered over your
head without touching or disturbing you.

You may feel a muffled, bone-deep tickling sensation in your arms

and legs if you move them to ease your physical body during
trance, similar to how it feels when an arm or leg falls asleep, but
not at all painful. Some physical movement is still possible, but
takes more effort and feels like it's happening in slow motion. If
you manage to stand during full trance (no mean feat, but still
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possible), you can hardly feel your legs at all. If you can manage to
walk (also possible), it feels like you are walking on two huge
pillows that used to be your legs. Any kind of physical activity
tends to erode the depth of trance, unless done in a slow and
dreamy way.

Sharp sounds cause an uncomfortable sensation in the stomach and

solar plexus that can feel almost like a physical blow if you allow
yourself to react to it. (This sound sensitivity can be reduced only
by experience gained through regular trance meditation.) Your
thoughts begin to feel different, more sluggish than normal yet
extremely clear. This is caused by the surface mind shutting down
and revealing a more profound level of mind.

Holding your mind clear and focused is the real trick to staying
awake and mentally functional. If you do not concentrate and stay
focused, you will tend toward fantasizing and drifting off among
weak and meaningless thoughts. When you first start experiencing
trance states, you need to concentrate, forcibly holding your mind
awake without allowing yourself to tense up physically or
mentally.

Hypnagogic imagery is seen behind closed eyelids, in the mind's

eye, as are occasional visions. REM (rapid eye movement) activity
happens sporadically; when it does, fragments of dream imagery
occasionally intrude into the mind's eye. This can indicate a sleep
deficit, meaning the physical mind lacks energy, has fallen asleep,
and is now dreaming.

Ignore REM as best you can if it starts. It normally comes and goes
in bouts of a few minutes each, sometimes longer. REM feels like
the eyes are fluttering and buzzing beneath their eyelids. This can
be very distracting when it occurs in the trance state. If it becomes
a problem, gently rub the fingers and thumbs of each hand together
and take a couple of deep breaths, stretching and moving your
body slightly and resettling it. This slight physical activity is
usually enough to stop REM and shut down the dream mind, while
allowing trance and development work to continue. This procedure
also helps reduce the level of trance. When REM stops, cease all
physical movement and continue with your trance meditation.

You will be spending most of your time somewhere between the

light-trance and full-trance states. As you gain ability and
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 experience, this level will vary. The ability to put yourself into a
full trance is very progressive, like most developed abilities.

It has to be worked at, but with regular practice can be reached

quickly and easily.

Deep Trance

Deep trance starts with the symptoms of the full-trance state, which
become noticeably more pronounced as you fall into a much
deeper level of trance. There are many odd sensations associated
with deep trance, felt in many combinations: with whole-body
coldness and a continual falling sensation being common.

The deep-trance state is not dangerous. It cannot hurt you any more
than deep sleep can. It is very difficult to get into the deep-trance
state, even deliberately. It could not reasonably be expected to
happen spontaneously or accidentally to one who has not yet
mastered the full-trance state. But the symptoms associated with
deep trance are often so strong that they can be frightening if you
do not know what is happening.

If you are ever worried that you might be going too deep, simply
feel yourself moving upward, slowly moving your head, mouth,
fingers, and toes, progressively restoring movement to your body
until you can pull yourself out of trance completely. If movement
is extremely difficult, or if you feel totally paralyzed, you have
most probably projected but missed the exit out of your body; you
may even have experienced vibrations earlier. In this case,
concentrate on moving a single big toe. Ibis will pull back your
projected double and end paralysis. If all efforts to pull out of deep
trance fail, do not panic.

Simply allow yourself to fall asleep and you will wake up shortly
after, well rested and none the worse for wear.
Trance Requirements

Entering the trance state requires three things: deep physical relaxation, a clear
surface mind, and a mental technique.

 Deep Physical Relaxation: Do the full deep physical relaxation exercise

until you are as physically relaxed as possible. Some preliminary physical

15
 exercise to get the kinks out of tense muscles, followed by a hot bath or
shower, is advised for all beginners.
 Clear Surface Mind: Allow your thoughts to wind down and settle while
doing the relaxation exercises, then clear your mind by focusing on breath
awareness. You may find this easier to achieve if you deal with any
pressing thoughts your mind may throw up at this time. Simply consider
and deal with these for a few moments each and then let them go. This
will greatly ease their clamouring thought pressure.
 Mental Technique: A mental falling technique speeds up the time it takes
to enter the trance state, rather than waiting for the body to fall asleep of
its own accord. Focusing on this also helps to occupy and hold your
surface mind clear and awake.

In all the mental falling exercises given below, use your imagination to
construct the falling scenario and feel as if you were there in reality.

Produce the strongest internal whole-body awareness sensation possible. Call

on a memory of yourself doing something similar, or borrow a scene
remembered from a movie. Use this memory to re-create the feeling of yourself
performing that same action with your imagination. Feel the falling action; don't
just think about it or try to see it in your mind's eye.

Once you attain a level of the trance state, heralded by a wave of bodily
heaviness and warmth, relax and breathe slowly and naturally. Keep your mind
clear - thus holding on and settling in to the trance state X by focusing a small
part of your mind on breath awareness. If you need to deepen your level of
trance, continue with the mental falling exercise until you attain it.

I have given several variations here. Please try them all and find the most
effective one for you, or the one you most like. When you find one that suits
you, stick with it. This helps to program your subconscious mind to react to the
technique, helping you shift into the trance state easier and faster each time.

You do not need to overdo the imagined details of scenarios used with mental
falling exercises. The rock wall in the elevator shaft below, for example, only
needs to be an indistinct blur moving upward. It is the downward movement or
falling sensation constructed by your imagination and felt in your body
awareness that causes your brain waves to slow, thereby forcing it to enter the
trance state. It is not the imagined scenario in itself that does the trick.

Deep physical relaxation and a mental falling technique basically trick your
subconscious mind into beginning the sleep process earlier, while you are still
wide awake.
16
 Elevator

Imagine that you are in an elevator with one side of it - the side you are
facing - open to bare rock. Feel the elevator start moving down with you
in it. Imagine you can see the rocky sides of the elevator shaft passing
upward as you move ever downward, falling deeper and deeper into
trance as you go. Imagine that this rock shaft has an irregular texture and
features you can easily see, moving upward past you as the elevator
carries you down, down, down.

If you like, imagine you can see a large number as you pass a floor every
few seconds, and count these as the elevator moves deeper and deeper.
Call on the memory of the last time you were in an elevator, or go and
ride in one and memorize the sensation. Remember the slight feeling of
vertigo it caused in your stomach as it started going down. Re-create this
feeling; feel it in your body awareness. Keep imagining and feeling this,
while making sure you do not allow your physical body to tense up.

Feel your body letting go and sinking deeper and deeper into the trance
state as you ride the elevator down, down, down...

 Ladder

Imagine that you are on a ladder. Re-create body-awareness feelings of

remembered arm and leg movements, and slowly begin climbing down.
Move one awareness foot and its opposite hand down one rung. Then
move the other foot and its opposite hand down another rung. If this is
too complex, imagine you are holding on to each side of the ladder and
climbing down only with your feet, with the sides of the ladder gliding
easily through your hands.

Continue down the ladder one rung at a time. Feel your body moving
down the ladder. Imagine a rock face or brick wall in front of you, close
to the ladder. Imagine this textured face moving upward past you as you
climb further and further down the ladder. Feel yourself climbing
downward and falling deeper and deeper into trance with every
downward step you take.

 Steps

Imagine that you are standing at the head of a long flight of steps with a
high stone wall on either side. These steps are large, imposing, and steep.
Lift one imaginary foot at a time-carefully feeling yourself doing it - and
17
 take the first step down. Feel your body move downward as your feet
move one at a time onto the lower step.

Repeat this action and take the next step down, then the next and the
next. While you are moving down the stairs, imagine you can see the
textured stone walls on either side moving upward past you as you move
one step at a time down the flight of steps. Continue this, slowly and
deliberately, feeling yourself moving downward and falling deeper and
deeper into the trance state as you go.

Count the steps if you like, slowly, as if you were counting your breaths,
"Oneeee, Twoooo, Threeee", etc., taking one step down with each exhale.

 Climbing down a Rope

Imagine that you are hanging by your hands from a strong rope and have
your legs wrapped securely around it. Your arms are very strong and
there is no chance of falling. Move one imaginary hand down, then the
next, climbing down the rope hand over hand, with the rope sliding easily
between your legs. See the textured rope moving upward past your face
as you climb down it. Continue this, feeling yourself climbing downward
and falling deeper and deeper into the trance state as you go.

 Feather

Imagine that you are a feather and are gently floating down from a great
height. Feel yourself gently falling, re-creating a falling sensation in your
body awareness every time you breathe OUT. Feel yourself holding
position and floating in midair as you breathe IN. Feel the atmosphere
around you; imagine strands of textured clouds moving upward as you
fall gently through them. Continue this, feeling yourself floating gently
downward and falling deeper and deeper into the trance state with your
every falling breath. IN and OUT can be reversed to whatever feels most
natural.

 Smoke Rings

This versatile old favourite of mine can be done from any position, even
while walking. Imagine that your feet are in the centre of a dense smoke
ring as thick as your arm. Imagine and feel this smoke ring rising up over
your body and disappearing overhead. The smoke rings are very dense
and move close to your body. Imagine that you can feel them moving
18
 over your skin as they rise. Imagine that you can see these smoke rings as
they move past your eyes. The smoke rings should repeat about two
seconds apart, but this can be varied to suit the individual.

Feel the rising smoke rings with your body awareness, puffing regularly
up over your whole body. Feel an internal falling sensation as the
imaginary smoke rings rise upward. Feel yourself falling deeper and
deeper into the trance state with the caress of every smoke ring as it rises
up over your whole body, over and over, from feet to head.

 Personalized Trance Technique

Imagine any scenario that you are familiar with that involves going
down, or any kind of downward movement or falling sensation. This can
be anything: an escalator, a water slide, a fireman's pole, a parachute
jump, mountain climbing, scuba diving, high diving - anything that could
induce a natural falling or downward sensation of movement in your
body awareness.

 Trance Litany

Many people find it helps to repeat a simple litany or mantra, said over
and over in their head, as an accompaniment to their mental falling trance
technique. This also helps keep the mind clear and well focused, and in
time you will become conditioned to react to the litany. It will program
you to start falling into the trance state whenever the litany is used.
Repeat: "Down, down, down... deep, deeper, deepest", or something
similar, slowly and calmly and meaningfully. Say this over and over
inside your head and feel yourself falling down, down, down as you say
it.

You can make up your own litany, but keep it simple and downward
meaning and stick to the same litany all the time. The longer you use the
same litany the more effective it will become and the more conditioned
you will become to it.

19
Common Trance Problems
Most common trance problems stem from the three main problem areas given
below. These come mainly from our modern Western lifestyle.

They must be addressed and overcome before you can successfully operate in
the trance state and hold it strongly enough to achieve conscious-exit projection.

Falling Asleep during Trance

This very common problem is usually caused by a sleep deficit.

Although you may feel fine, there is always a possibility you have
not been getting enough sleep. (Most people don't.) If you have a
sleep deficit, you normally have very little trouble entering the
trance state, even if you do not attain a state of deep physical
relaxation first, because you are mentally overtired.

But you usually have trouble maintaining mental coherence and

operating in the trance state once it is attained. Your mind will lack
mental vitality and will be unable to hold itself together. You will
tend to lose control very easily and will often just fall sleep for the
main part of your trance meditation.

It may be easier to induce the trance state when the body and mind
are tired, but mental coherence and control during trance are very
limited if a sleep deficit is present. The oblivion of sleep is the
ever-present companion of the tired trancer. Overtired-ness can
easily cause a natural trance state all on its own. Trance, after all, is
an extremely natural thing that everyone does while falling asleep.
Because of the lack of mental vitality, in this case the trance state
is too unstable to allow the operator enough control to do any kind
of serious work.

Many people, when they meditate, find their meditations naturally

end after a set period of time. They usually have very little
awareness of the passing of time, or even of what takes place
during the major part of their trance meditations. They remember
falling into trance and feeling totally blissful for a while, before
coming back to earth later, feeling relaxed and refreshed. After
entering the trance state, they simply have had a pleasant trancelike
nap.

The obvious solution is to get more sleep, then return to trance

20
practice wide awake and refreshed. If this is difficult, try changing
the time of day you practice trance exercises. Doing trance
exercises in the morning, or just after a refreshing nap, will usually
solve most sleep-deficit-related trance problems.

Many people wake an hour or so early each day for this purpose.
They get up, do a little exercise, shower, then do their meditation,
trance and energy work. They find trance meditation far more
successful when done early in the morning, due to a combination
of natural deep physical relaxation and the mentally refreshed state
of mind brought on by a good night's sleep. Deep physical
relaxation and a clear, fresh mind are essential ingredients for
successful trance work.

For these same reasons, projection attempts are also usually more
successful at this time of day. Some people find projection easier if
they go to bed early and set their alarm to wake them during the
night. They wake up, holding on to the deeply relaxed state
induced by sleep, and immediately attempt a projection. In this
case, all preliminary exercises can be skipped, with the projector
going straight to projection technique - usually with good results.

This points out just how important to projection deep physical

relaxation and a stable trance state are.

Inability to Enter Trance

An inability to enter the trance state is usually caused by an

insufficient level of deep physical relaxation, and/or by poor
concentration and mental relaxation skills. Whatever your trance
problem, examine it and identify weak areas. Then, return to the
relevant sections of this Ebook and repeat the necessary exercises
until these problems are rectified.

Practice, practice, practice, is my very best advice here. If you have

worked through all the exercises in this section but find you still
cannot get into the trance state, please don't give up. Go back to the
beginning and start over again if you have to. Redo the lessons and
exercises one at a time and don't rush them. This may seem a
laborious process, but you must be patient with yourself. Everyone
has a different psychological makeup and it is impossible to
generalize, or to compare one person's progress with another.

21
Do not measure your progress against the progress of another.
Take your time and work at your own speed. Some people take to
trance work like a duck to water, while others find they really have
to work at it to achieve the levels of relaxation and mental clarity
trance requires.

But' you can master the trance state if you learn the individual
skills and practice regularly.

Falling into Trance Too Easily

This is an occasional side effect of long-term development work. If

a person spends a lot of time in trance, the trance state eventually
becomes second nature and is then very easily attained. People
with this tendency can find themselves accidentally sliding into the
trance state many times each day, at the drop of the proverbial hat.
If not checked, this can cause frequent dissociation from reality,
which is an unhealthy way to live. This can become a serious
psychological disorder and may require professional treatment if it
is not addressed.

A sleep deficit will compound this problem. The best way to stop
accidental trance is to be aware of it and to watch out for it,
especially at the times it is most likely to occur, e.g., while driving,
watching TV, waiting, travelling, etc. Be ready to work against
this, pulling yourself out of trance the moment you feel it coming
on.

Physical and mental activity focusing on the world and people

around you is the best way to avoid accidentally falling into the
trance state. If this problem arises, my best advice is to take a break
from all development exercises and meditation, especially trance
work, for a few weeks.

During this break, concentrate on physical life and activity,

catching up on your sleep, and doing all the odd jobs and visiting
you have been putting off till later.

22
A Simple Method for Entering into Trance
You know by now that I believe the magic happens in the trance state, but
getting into it is the hard part. I’m going to break down exactly how you can get
into the trance state following these simple steps.

I thought it would be cool if you thought of it as a game to see how far they can
push it. I already do it every single day and it works.

Preparing yourself
Lie down

Close your eyes

Turn the lights off

Make sure it’s quiet

What you need to do

Focus on the back of your head where it touches the bed/pillow

Don’t think of anything

Stare into the back of your eyelids

If your mind wanders bring your attention back to the back of your head

Little tip (the refocus technique)

Focus on the back of your head for any length of time and your mind will start
to wander, so I’ve been using something I call the refocus technique.

Each time you breathe out refocus your attention back onto the back of your
head. Instead of focusing your attention onto it once, you’re now focusing your
attention onto it every time you breathe out.

How long should you do it for?

Until you get bored or too tired

Start with what you’re comfortable with and go for longer each time

Remember
Don’t have any expectations; don’t expect anything to happen

23
 Just keep focusing your awareness onto the back of your head

Something is happening
Your body might go numb, your body might vibrate, and relaxation will start
washing over your body…

What do you do now?

You need to try and go deeper. This is all about letting go and falling into the
abyss. It’s actually hard for me to explain and it’s the reason why I tell you it’s
important to experiment with your senses.

You need to let go of your body and I’m going to explain how to let go of the
muscles. Just imagine you’ve fully tensed your bicep. This is the opposite of
letting go.

Now relax it; this is normal.

To let go you have to go further than normal. You’ll know when it starts going
numb because you have no control over it. It might take a while, but just keep
trying everything you can to let go.

Now you need to do the exact same, but to your mind instead of your muscles.
You need to let go your mind.
Imagine the feeling you get when you fall backwards in your sleep. All tension
is gone and you just let yourself go. Almost like you know someone will catch
you.

24
When can you do this?
This will take you into the trance state. You can use it before doing the lucid
trance technique, but you can also use it for:

WILD / Wake Induced Lucid Dreams / Instant Lucid Dreams

DEILD / Dream-Exit Induced Lucid Dreams / Re-entry Lucid Dreams

DILD / Dream Induced Lucid Dreams / Spontaneous Lucid Dreams

Am I the only one who hates stupid acronyms?
How long should you do it for?
Do it every day and work towards 30 minutes each time. Just concentrate on
your technique and the magic will come. I promise it’s that simple.

25
Entering the Sexual Trance

This chapter is for guys who experience the issue of getting a guy or a girl home
then not being able to be sexual himself, get a hardon, get into the sexual
emotions of the moment, and so forth. This post is about entering the sexual
trance, and more importantly perhaps, removing the barriers that prevent you
entering the sexual trance.
I am writing about the subject because threads such as "Low sex drive", "Can't
enjoy receiving oral sex" and "Couldn't get hard" seem to be a recurring theme
amongst a significant subset of men, particularly in the seduction/pickup
community, and that is who this post is for.
I have a lot to say here, as it was something I faced myself (and overcame), and
also because this issue is really at the heart of many other issues people face
relating to anxiety, states of over-thinking, and so forth.
Now this article is LONG. But if you are suffering the issues discussed, you
should read the entire thing, as it really will help you nail it once and for all.

In the past, I had all of these problems, with any new friend (I am gay) I ever
slept with, including my first boyfriend ever: Ademar. I shortcutted having to
handle it in the early years by ordering boatloads of some kind of Viagra of
those days from India. This marked the beginning of my fascination with drugs.

If I had slept with any man a few times however, I could then go without the
Viagra. So something was happening in my brain while spending more time
with a specific man that allowed me to enter the sexual trance.
It turned out that what was happening was not so much that I was increasing my
ability to enter the sexual trance -- rather that by spending more time with a
26
particular man I was removing the barriers to entering the sexual trance.

You see, if we just talked about how to enter the sexual trance, we would fail to
discuss the bigger issue of what else is going on in someone's mind preventing
them from entering the sexual trance.
By the way, I believe MANY men and women also suffer from this. Since they
don't have to get a hardon to have sex, the signs aren't as overt. Inability to
orgasm is the most obvious sign in women. It is the tension caused by some
anxiety which prevents them from entering the sexual trance to a point where
orgasm is easy.
When a man or a woman is in the sexual trance however, you can see it easily.
A woman who is in the trance is almost like she is on drugs and is sensuous and
compliant and swept away in a flood of passion, one who is not in the trance is
cold and resistant and non-reactive to sexual stimulus.

For good sex to occur, you both need to be in the sexual trance, and entering it is
more straightforward than you may think. For sexual trance to occur there are
two steps:
1) Removing barriers preventing sexual trance

27
2) Initiating sexual trance

REMOVING BARRIERS TO SEXUAL TRANCE

This is almost entirely a matter of thresholds regarding how easily you become
anxious. Anxiety kills the possibility of sexual trance. The reason for this is
based in our old friends the sympathetic nervous system (SNS -- "fight or
flight") and the parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS -- "rest and digest"). Put
succinctly, sexual arousal occurs during activation of the PSNS. Sexual
stimulation then gradually ramps up the SNS state ending in orgasm which is a
full expression of the SNS, with an immediate return to the PSNS state post-
orgasm.

Think about being alone with your partner, having a bottle of wine to start
relaxing (artificially kick-starting the PSNS; hence why alcohol is so effective),
gazing into one another's eyes and dropping into sexual trance with breathing
becoming deeper (full activation of the PSNS), starting to touch and play with
each other (gradual rising into SNS), then starting to have sex slowly (higher
ramping up into the SNS state), then starting to have sex like animals, and
finally coming as the total expression of SNS. As I have said in previous
discussions of PSNS/SNS, while in a PSNS state, SNS stimulation feels GOOD.
While already in an SNS state, further SNS stimulation feels PAINFUL.

Starting off in SNS at the first stage will completely kill your ability to be
sexually aroused. Imagine running 10km then trying to get a hardon
immediately after. It isn't going to happen.
Yet all these guys who can't get into a sexual trance are doing just that: trying to
be sexual while in an SNS state. Now let's look at why they're in an SNS state.
These things will be the biggest piece of the puzzle for guys who struggle with
entering the sexual trance, getting a hardon etc.
All of these points tie in to thresholds. So different guys have different
thresholds for what will result in an SNS activation. What events you have set as
"safe" and as "threat" in your mind, etc. In my experience, if you are prone to
anxiety anyway, pretty much all the below things will put you into an SNS state
whereby sexual arousal is next to impossible.
- The environment. If you are in a loud, noisy nightclub, is that going to be
conducive to sexual trance? No. Loud noise and lots of people is a major
SNS/anxiety activator for many people. It is just about the most unnatural
environment I can think of. Some guys are okay in clubs though. They don't get
freaked out. These are the guys who pull. But what about the guys who DO get
freaked out? They take lots and lots and lots of alcohol to drown out their SNS
28
and artificially enforce a PSNS state. Then they can't enter sexual trance because
all the alcohol is just making them want to go to sleep. Druggies fare better,
especially on amphetamine class drugs, but the point is still that this
environment is not conducive to sexual trance, and that drugs and alcohol are
circumventions, hence why they are so commonly used in such environments. In
a typical English nightclub, all the guys are trolled as well as the guys, for this
very reason. The most reliable indication of whether you are SNS in a nightclub
or not is whether you get a hardon while dancing with or kissing a guy. If you
consistently don't get a hardon, you are not entering the sexual trance, even
when kissing or touching a guy. The same applies towards a girl obviously, but I
am gay.
- Getting the man home. Let's say you get her out of the noisy environment (or
date, or whatever) and take her home, and you aren't too drunk to enter sexual
trance. Why is it that you still can't do it? Well there are a few things that might
be going on here:
i) You aren't giving yourself time to drop into the sexual trance. For me
personally, in the early days this was because I didn't know about sexual
trance. I think this is actually a MAJOR issue among guys having
difficulty. I just expected it to "work". I didn't know about stress, and
unwinding, and finding a rhythm and a mutual enjoyment and a two-way
emotional information exchange with the guy. I saw foreplay as
something to be "barrelled through" to get to the "actual sex". I didn't
realize it's one long dance. For this, I completely blame patriarchal male-
orientated TV shows who are too afraid to delve into the subtlety and
nuances of sex and therefore write sex in terms of the conquest of women.
I think framing sex as conquest is one of the dumbest, most harmful
things a young male mind can be exposed to. It objectifies women and
blinds you to the nuances of the sexual dance.

ii) You are being affected by the pressure to perform you have placed on
yourself. When a young guy is having sex with a new guy, he isn't just
having sex with him. He's having sex with his own ego for his "conquest",
with his friends for what a cool dude he must be, with his parents for
proving he can procreate, with the guy for conquering him, with the guys
on the Internet that he intends to write a field report for later, and so on.
What this amounts to is a constant cycling of imagery through the young
man's mind of everything EXCEPT actually entering a sexual trance and
having something resembling natural sex with the guy. There is also the
pressure the young man creates for himself such as "I've brought her back
home; she is expecting sex", especially if he has been making out with her
in the club, or has brought her home from some other date under the

29
 implicit agreement that sex will be happening. In this instance the man
will create imagery of himself failing in order to remind himself "what not
to do". So the imagery and thoughts the man creates activate the SNS in
ways he cannot begin to comprehend.

iii) Guilt/shame about sex. Negative images arising in one's mind in

connection to sex, which activate the SNS by the same process of anxiety.
Common amongst those with religious or conservative upbringings.

Consciousness and Creative Trance

Trance we already know is an altered state of consciousness which individuals
can enter through a variety of techniques, including hypnotism, drugs, sound
(particularly music, percussive drumming etc.), sensory deprivation, physical
hardships (eg. flagellation, starvation, exhaustion) and vigorous exercise
(particularly dance).

People can also use trance, particularly in the context of ‘ritual’ events, to learn
new strategies of thinking or of relating to one another.
There are different types of learning: for example what Eric Jantsch calls
‘conscious learning’ is a transaction between consciousness, the environment
and memory. Jantsch also identifies ‘superconscious learning’, which takes
place with the addition of ‘outer’ and ‘inner’ ways of learning. These arise
through the interaction of consciousness with transpersonal mass/collective
consciousness (eg. Jung’s "collective unconscious or consciousness").

The feedback link between consciousness and Superconsciousness gives rise to

inner experiential learning or tuning-in to the dynamics of meta-systems
transcending man and his immediate environment. It may be enhanced by
various techniques, mostly developed in connection with Eastern philosophies
(Jantsch, 1976; p42).

30
There are other techniques which can be used for such ‘tuning in’, for example
magical or shamanic practices such as visualisations, breathing techniques and
ritual. Particular technologies can also be used to enhance such learning
capacities, for example the ASCID (Altered States of Consciousness Induction
Device) developed by Robert Masters and Jean Houston (1973). The modern
electronic music dance party is one such ‘pscycho- technology’ because it is an
information system, consisting of visual, auditory and sensual elements.

The sound dimension operates through the harmonics of the melodies as well as
the physical impact of amplified sound waves. These elements combine to
entrain the human organism within the ‘soundscape’ created by high volume
sound systems, just as for example monks chanting together entrain themselves,
body and mind, to the collective harmonic. Gilbert Rouget (1985) notes that the
amplification of sound achieved by modern technologies resonates sound
through the body to involve the listener in the musical field, vibrating the
‘internal erogenous zones of the abdomen’ as well as producing a ‘light
hypnosis’, just as the music of archaic trance ceremonies aims to do. Music
alters the ‘relation of the self to the world’, modifying the psyche both internally
and in its relations to the external space/time environment.
Prolonged dancing is also a feature of the rave scene and this is often (though
not always) associated with drug use, especially the empathogen MDMA
(Methylene Dioxy Meth-Amphetamine) commonly known as Ecstasy. Taken in
the right setting, Ecstasy like its popular hallucinogenic predecessor LSD, can
bring creative insights into the self or the individual’s life situation which can
precipitate a ‘life transforming experience’ (Saunders, 1992). When ingested in
the rave setting, the drug-induced altered state of consciousness may be
amplified through other mechanisms.

Through dancing in the multi-media soundscape of the rave and under the
influence of chemicals such as Ecstasy and LSD, dancers can attain light trance
states which are probably much like those obtained by people in archaic cultures
using similar techniques. It is in this trance state that the individual in an altered
state of consciousness can connect with the noumenal, which might be
interpreted as access to a kind of group mind, or a spiritual/mystical experience.

Stewart Wavell suggested in 1966 that one day trances will become as
accessible to us in western civilisation as the electric light, and that this will
open ‘immense new possibilities’. He felt the consequences of this will be felt in
diverse fields from space travel to pop music - a prophetic statement in view of
what is currently occurring in the rave milieu. Wavell refers to trance as ‘a state
of liberation’, freeing the trancers from the bounds of ordinary reality, from ‘the
prison of the senses’, and he suggests that perhaps through trance it will be
possible to transcend space and time. This could well be why there is a
31
particular awareness in rave culture of ideas such as evolving consciousness and
spirituality.

How did you ever learn to pleasure yourself?

If you're like many men, you learned as a child. Most of us first explored
masturbation when we were between 11 and 14 years old. How old are you
now? Does the way you learned when you were a child still support and nourish
you today? Most men haven't changed the way we pleasure ourselves since that
time.

Often masturbation becomes a way of coping with uncontrolled emotions -

including boredom. Many men find that masturbation becomes habitual. We
may focus on some outside stimulus like porn - rather than on focusing on what
we're feeling in our body. Other men masturbate to quickly relieve tension.
Sometimes men find that masturbation becomes a daily habit rather than a truly
pleasurable experience.

What would happen if we learned how to masturbate for hours rather than
minutes? What if we looked at masturbation as a way to access ecstatic states?
What if we looked at masturbation as a spiritual experience?

During this time that we have together, I intend to help and show you how you
can access prolonged ecstatic states through masturbation.

Every man is capable of inducing erotic trance states without any drugs.

32
We've all experienced various types of trance - perhaps a work trance or an
exercise trance. Erotic trance is no different. Erotic trance is the state where you
are so aware of your erotic energy that everything else fades away. The noisy
mind is quiet and your only focus is on what you're feeling. There's no magic to
accessing erotic trance, but it does take some practice.

I invite you to participate with me during this tutorial. We learn things by doing
- not by reading about it or watching someone else do it. While I'll be offering
examples and demonstrations, the best way for you to learn is to experience it
for yourself.

Please set aside some time for the exercises I'll be showing you. Make a date
with yourself. Put it on your calendar. Ensure that you won't be disturbed.
There's just no substitute for experiencing this for yourself. Imagine reading a
text that describes what an orgasm feels like. This isn't the same as experiencing
one! This is best if it's a hands on experience!

Accessing Trance States

Anthropologist Audrey Butt notes that there is a correspondence in many
cultures between the breath and the spirit, and there may be a correlation here
between specific breathing techniques used for inducing altered states of
consciousness in which a connection is made with spirit, either that of the
subject or some other occupying entity.

33
One of the most effective mechanisms for inducing trance however is dancing.
In his examination of archaic societies such as the San, Wavell refers to the
trance dance as ‘dance therapy’ to escape the everyday pressures of hunter-
gatherer life. Those who experience trance report feeling a lightness, energy and
power. The trance dance is often initiated by the tribal shaman, who uses it to
enter into trance himself or to induce trance in others. The shaman is a healer
who articulates a harmonising motivation in society, as well as being a
performer who must woo his audience, ‘entrancing’ them through his dramatic
skill as much as his magical ability. As Butt says,

Finally, his supreme achievement is to leave them at the end, peaceful and
harmonious, yet elated - even inspired. Let us therefore consider the shaman as
an artist and his séance performance as the product of his art (Butt, 1966; p185).
The notion of art or creativity in relation to trance is significant. Nina Epton
argues that trances are creative states, or ‘the key to most creative processes’.
This involves the ‘extinction’ of the ego which allows for an altered state of
consciousness, an inspirational state wherein the mind can achieve ‘a higher
form of being with a deeper understanding of self,’ as well as communion with
the divine.
Sound can play an important role in inducing trance, although as Rouget points
out, music does not of itself induce trance; sometimes it triggers trance while at
other times it has a calming effect. In archaic trance ceremonies, different
sounds can send people into trance, from loud drums to soft rattles. People can
go into trance while dancing or while lying still. There are different theories as
to why music can induce trance, from its emotive power to conditioned reflex.
Rouget feels that music is a socializing influence on the trance phenomenon, and
that this depends on the ideological systems in which it occurs. He also
considers trance as ‘a state of consciousness composed of two components, one
psycho-physiological, the other cultural’. The principal symptoms of trance in
archaic societies are listed by Rouget as, trembling, shuddering, horripilation,
swooning, falling to the ground, yawning, lethargy, convulsions, foaming at the
mouth, protruding eyes, large extrusions of the tongue, paralysis of a limb,
thermal disturbances (icy hands despite tropical heat; being hot despite extreme
circumambient cold), insensitivity to pain, tics, noisy breathing, fixed stare, and
so on (Rouget, 1985; p13).

In these extreme trance states, Rouget considers the individual to be

‘bewildered’, ie. he is in a state which totally envelops his normal consciousness
and he cannot return to it unless there is some external intervention. The subject
does not engage with the world through his senses; he is ‘senseless’ to normal
reality. There are a variety of behavioural signs, depending on the culture of the
subject; but generally they ‘symbolize the intensification of some particular

34
faculty by means of an action endowed with certain extraordinary or astonishing
aspects’, e.g. walking on burning coals, piercing one’s flesh, bending swords
and metal bars, curing diseases, precognition, embodying a divinity, contacting
the dead, etc. These phenomena are a transcendence of the normal self, or an
‘exaltation’ of the self.

The individual in a trance state is thus recognizable by the fact that (1) he is not
in his usual state; (2) his relationship to the world around him is disturbed; (3)
he can fall prey to certain neuro-physiological disturbances; (4) his abilities are
increased (either in reality or otherwise); (5) this increased ability is manifested
by actions or behaviour observable by others (Rouget, 1985; p14).
It is clear from the above description that participants in modern Raves, Trance
Parties or similar music or ritual events do not as a rule enter into such deep
states of trance; nevertheless this is not to say that ‘echoes’ of deep trance states
may be found in the above-mentioned altered states of consciousness, or that we
cannot use modern environments to attain deep trance states.

Consciousness along Dr. Roberto Assagioli, M.D. founder

Psychosynthesis

Dr. Roberto Assagioli’s Egg, exploring “consciousness” in a systematic way.

35
Consciousness is our knowing that we know; that phase of knowing by which
we take cognizance of our existence and of our relation to what we call
environment. Environment is made by ideas held in mind and objectified. The
ideas that are held in mind are the basis of all consciousness. The nature of the
ideas upon which consciousness is formed gives character to it. Consciousness,
the direct awareness: the incessant flow of sensation, images, thoughts, feelings,
desires, and impulses, which one can observe, analyse, and judge.
The subconscious mind, or subjective consciousness, is the sum of all man’s
past thinking. It may be called memory. The subconscious sometimes acts
separately from the conscious mind, for instance, in dreams and in its work of
carrying in bodily functions, such as breathing and digestion. The subconscious
mind has no power to do original thinking. It acts upon what is given it through
the conscious or the subconscious mind. All our involuntary or automatic
activities are of the subconscious mind, they are the result of our having trained
ourselves by the conscious mind to form certain habits and do certain things
without having to centre our thought upon them consciously.
Personal consciousness is formed from limited, selfish ideas.
Sense consciousness is a mental state formed from believing in and acting
through the senses. It is the serpent consciousness, deluded with sensation.
Since an individual becomes attached to whatever he thinks about, the result of
his forming sense consciousness is that he withdraws his consciousness from the
Supreme Being, and looses conscious connection with his Source.
Material consciousness is much the same as personal and sense consciousness.
It is a state of mind based on belief in the reality of materiality, or in things as
they appear.
The conscious self or the “I”, the point within the embodied of pure self-
awareness, different from the changing content of our consciousness (the
sensations, thoughts, feelings, and more).
The superconsciousness, or superconscious mind, is the Higher Self, a state of
consciousness that is based on true ideas, upon an understanding and realisation
of the Oneness of Truth as related in the Bhagavad-Gita.
The Higher Self, or the “Self” with a capital letter, submerged in the
ceaseless flow of psychological contents, disappearing (walking away as
it were) when we fall asleep, when we faint, when we are under the effect
of an anaesthetic or narcotic, or in a state of hypnosis, and when one
awakes the “Self” is appearing again.
The Collective Consciousness. According to Jung, consciousness, seemingly
the sine qua non of humanity is just the tip of the iceberg. Beneath
36
consciousness lies a much larger substratum of forgotten or repressed personal
memories, feelings and behaviours, which Jung termed the personal
unconscious. Moreover, beneath that lies the deep sea of collective unconscious,
huge and ancient (Brahman), filled with all the images and behaviours (souls,
entities) that have been repeated over and over (reincarnation) throughout the
history of not only humanity, but also life itself (all creation). As Jung said: “…
the deeper you go, the broader the base becomes.”
The Collective Consciousness consists of images and behavioural patterns not
acquired by an individual in his or her lifetime, yet accessible to all individuals
in all times, “unconscious” because it cannot be reached through conscious
awareness. Here is faith and intent, prayer, meditation, The collective
unconscious or consciousness (as I prefer to say) dwells in each of us, it is part
of us. Much of our life is structured by the archetypal symbols that are the
organised units of the collective unconscious (consciousness).

Trance, Mind and Consciousness

I also have not heard of anyone who has encountered a specific ‘entity’ while
trance-dancing in the rave milieu; however there is a particular emphasis within
this milieu on the Other (perhaps what Terrence McKenna (1993) calls the
"Wholly Other") in the form of aliens (extraterrestrials) and dolphins, which
might be the modern equivalents of the demons, angels, spirits etc. of other
cultures. In order to invoke other entities, an awareness of them is possibly also
required, and conscious steps taken for such invocation to take place. This is
what happens in the various possession cults of traditional archaic societies,
where participants invite certain spirits to occupy their bodies. It may
nevertheless be useful for people even in the modern context, to use protection
rituals to shield themselves from negative energies at rave events.
In certain rave sub-cultures, there is also a strong emphasis on connecting to the
‘Earth Spirit’ which is perhaps equivalent to what the Native American chief
Standing Bear refers to as the ‘spirit of the land’. It is this type of connection
which McKenna advocates as central to the ‘archaic revival’, a concept which
seeks to resuscitate the knowledge of archaic societies into the postmodern
world, aiming to overcome the reductionist modality of scientific rationalism.
This means reconnecting with the holistic world of nature, where mind, body
and spirit are one. Rouget excavates the meaning of an archaic way of living or
experiencing: In societies having preserved an archaic way of life, which are
precisely those in which possession cults are frequently found, the individual
lives in constant sensorial contact with nature. He lives in perpetual intimacy
with the elements, plants, animals. For him, the frontier between the animate and
inanimate worlds is extremely vague. Men, beasts, plants, and things all have
souls or are the receptacles of souls. Every phenomenon is interpreted as

37
resulting from the action or presence of a soul. The visible is constantly
animated by the invisible (Rouget, 1985; p123).

As the above arguments concerning the attainment of liminal and trance states
indicate, it is often an advantage to utilize the whole body in order to achieve
them - in other words, consciousness is a function of the body as a whole
neuronal and bio-chemical energy system. Consciousness involves both sensory
feedback mechanisms and imaginative practices based in fields of signification
which are culturally determined. Significant mental effects can be obtained
when the entire physical organism is utilised, for example through devices such
as Masters and Houston’s ASCID. This apparatus consists of

a metal swing or pendulum in which the research subject stands upright,

supported by broad bands of canvas and wearing blindfold goggles. This
pendulum, hanging from a metallic frame, carries the subject and moves in
forward and backward, side to side, and rotating motions generated by
involuntary movements of the body of the subject. Frequently, then, a trance
state ensues within two to twenty minutes, and may deepen as the spontaneous
or directed experiencing of a subjective reality continues to unfold. (Masters and
Houston, 1973; p89-90)
Through using this device to induce altered states of consciousness, the subject
can experience various ‘subjective realities’ or dreamlike visions, including
mythical, science fiction, religious and mystic experiences. These experiences
can have a positive and lasting effect on the subject. Masters and Houston have
coined the phrase ‘Visionary Anthropology’ to describe a process whereby
subjects are invited to explore a world in their imaginations, and to experience
and describe elements of it such as its art, customs, music etc.
The ASCID seems to enable a creative visualisation process, which aids artistic
practices. Auditory musical imagery (or hallucinations) can also be experienced,
especially by musicians. Such imagery can be described as ‘automatic’ or ‘self-
creating’ works of art. Another phenomenon which can occur with the ASCID is
‘accelerated mental process’ (AMP), which is a form of subjective ‘time
distortion’. In this state, the subject experiences a volume of thoughts or images
far greater than that experienced in normal time.
Despite the advances in such psycho-technologies, relatively little research has
been undertaken in the use of Raves for directed consciousness alteration.
Generally speaking, raves are hedonistic events which are only gradually
evolving from a society fascinated with spectacle and mindless escape from
‘reality’, or the pressures of everyday existence. The question which confronts
us is how to use the rave psycho- technology in a more conscious fashion to
achieve specific goals or to engineer social or psychological change.

38
Physiological Effects of Ritual Body Postures and Ecstatic Trance
Rhythmic stimulation of your body, combined with ritual body postures, can
produce a profound change in consciousness, enabling you to experience
different areas of the alternate reality.

Trance is a changed state of consciousness. In this particular state of

consciousness the ordinary perception of space and time is altered; this
modification also extents to a change in sensual perception.

The type of trance investigated by the anthropologist Dr. Felicitas D. Goodman

is produced by a rhythmical stimulation by gourd-rattles or drums beating at a
rate of 210 beats per minute.

In the course of scientific investigation of the changes occurring in combination

with ritual body postures it was found that the neurotransmitters accompanying
stress, such as Adrenalin, Noradrenalin and Cortisol tend to decrease, while
simultaneously the brain releases the body’s own opiates, called Beta-
Endorphins, into the bloodstream.

These groups of substances alleviate pain, while also being responsible for
intensive euphoria.

EEG-Tracings carried out simultaneously indicate the appearance of Theta

waves (4-7 cps) and a remarkable increase in the pulse-rate with concomitant
drop of blood pressure.

Rhythmic stimulation in combination with ritual body postures produce a

changing consciousness, leading into spaces of varying content of the alternate
reality.

Dr. Goodman and her collaborators researched the effect of close of 80 different
such ritual body postures. The postures were discovered in rock-art and effigies.

Such postures were apparently first discovered by the hunters and gatherers.
However, the experience most extends flourishing among the horticulturists.

The oldest one of the postures discovered to date is about 32.000 years.

The body postures in combination with rhythmic stimulation will lead not only
to changes in somatic perceptions, but also to visions, i.e. the ecstatic
experience. The body postures themselves do not constitute any believe-system,
no dogma. Rather they are part and parcel of a shamanistic world-view.

39
The ecstatic trance is part of our genetic endowment. „Rituals“ energize,
harmonize, and potentate the access to ones own creativity.

Other Items of Interest

The authors own sexual evolution as an adolescent

I first learned about masturbation, like most men, from my friends. I was twelve
years old when a few friends a few years older than me told me of this
wonderful activity I could do with myself. From the first time, I was
mesmerized. I vividly remember the wonderful feelings that came to me - even
if I wasn't old enough yet to ejaculate. Something definitely grabbed me and
hasn't let go since.

As I grew older I thought that masturbation was 'second best.' It would do if no

one else was available, but erotic activity with someone else was somehow
better. I threw myself into dating and relationships. I met many wonderful
people, but could just never hit it off erotically.

In the colleges I came out as a man erotically attracted to other men. Part of my
internal struggle with coming to terms with my sexuality also led me to begin a
life-long exploration of masturbation. I came to terms with my own
masturbation. I realized that it would not be possible for me to be in an erotic
relationship with another man until I first was in an erotic relationship with
myself.

As I further dove into auto-erotic exploration I stumbled on an amazing thing -

the longer I masturbated without ejaculating the more likely I was to reach
incredible states of erotic ecstasy. At first, I thought this was some kind of
magick only for me; but eventually I realized that many people were reaching
these incredible states.

Through my experiences I came to realize that the feelings of ejaculation are as

it were a sacred gift to men, and that there are many additional states that are
possible by shifting my focus away from ejaculation. Many words have been
written on the pros and cons of ejaculation. I've come to practice the concept of
conscious ejaculation - doing it consciously and surrendering to the pleasure.
While we're on the subject of ejaculation... I also strongly believe in the
importance of honouring semen. Many men look at semen as a mess to wipe up
afterwards. I believe it's important to honour it by consciously doing something
with it. As examples, anointing yourself with your semen or eating or licking
your semen are both wonderful ways to honour your body.

40
As I continued on my journey, one of the most powerful realizations for me was
a recognition and celebration of my inner beast. I spent many years repressing
this part of me because I was afraid of it. After a lot of self-reflection, I came to
honour the beast. It is the beast that makes me who I am. It is the beast that
drives me to my goals. It is the beast that is erotic. Being afraid of my inner
beast was, to me, like being afraid of my penis.

I've come to celebrate the beast in my masturbation rituals. I am quite vocal in

letting the beast come out to play. I've come to accept the beast as a benevolent
part of me that just wants to play and express himself. The beast is both the
power and the pleasure that comes from my core. I celebrate him during my
masturbation!

To me there's also a spiritual dimension to masturbating mindfully. The pleasure

I've felt during Mindful Masturbation has helped me past body shame concerns.
I've come to appreciate being in my body - which has helped me to greatly
improve my feelings about myself. I've learned the importance of taking care of
my body and I am in awe of the higher power that created it for me.

Erotic Dancing
Breath the key to Erotic Dancing
The key to erotic trance is a conscious focus on the breath. Most men, when
experiencing increased erotic energy, tend to hold the breath and tense the

41
muscles. These actions keep the erotic energy from circulating throughout the
body. This first exercise is intended to help you focus on your breath and also to
slow down the 'normal' masturbation experience.

Assignment
Plan on a time when you can be alone and undisturbed. You may want to turn
your telephone off. Find a comfortable place where you can relax. Throughout
these exercises I strongly recommend that you have a mirror close by where you
can observe your body. This is especially important for men who are visually
oriented - these men use their visual sense more than other senses.

Most men masturbate for under 15 minutes before ejaculation. For this exercise
you'll be breathing for 15 minutes. You may want to have a clock visible.

Position the mirror where you can see your face and most of your body. Create
an atmosphere that is comforting for you. This may include candles, music,
items of personal significance, or erotic toys. Use whatever works for you. I
strongly recommend that you do not use porn. Porn can be a wonderful thing,
but for this tutorial I invite you to put it away.

Begin the exercise by closing your eyes and checking in with your body. Note
any areas that are tight or relaxed. Try not to judge your feelings - just note
them. Scan your body from the top of your head to the tips of your toes.

As you're doing this check-in open your mouth and take nice deep slow breaths.
Make some noise with your breath. Keep the effort only on the inhale. Let the
exhale fall; there's no need to push the exhale out.

As you're breathing be aware of your cock and balls. There's no need to touch
them yet - just be aware that they exist. Feel your cock and balls hang. Be aware
of the muscles in your pelvis. See if you can relax these muscles on the inhale.
This is easier if you breathe into your belly rather than your chest.

Movement
Movement helps to not only wake up the body but it also helps us move erotic
energy throughout the body. There are many ways to move the body. Some of us
like to run. Others like to stretch. Some may prefer yoga. I encourage you to
develop a movement routine that works for you and your body.

42
 Assignment
This exercise is focused on movement around erotic energy. Begin by planning
on a time when you can be alone and undisturbed. You may want to turn your
telephone off. Find a comfortable place where you can relax.

Create an atmosphere that is comforting for you. Find a place where you can
freely move around. Lay down and extend your arms and legs to make sure you
have enough room. Begin the exercise by closing your eyes and checking in
with your body. Note any areas that are tight or that are relaxed. Try not to judge
you feelings – just note them. Scan your body from the top of your head to the
tips of your toes.

Begin by breathing just as in the prior exercise. Each exercise build on the
previous ones, so don’t forget to breathe! Begin by making yourself comfortable
on the floor. Then stretch your arms and then your legs. Be sure to also include
your hands and fingers. Start with slow deliberate movement. The intention is to
wake up the body. The particular stretching technique you use isn’t that
important for this. The important thing here is to move the body, so do whatever
is comfortable for you.

As you feel your body warm up you may also want to include some aerobic
activity. Jump. Run in place. Kick your legs. Sweat is good! Just remember that
this is a prelude to masturbation, so there’s no need to exhaust yourself.

Include your cock and balls in the movement. Wake up your genitals. Rotate
your hips so that your cock and balls gently slap against your thigh. Feel free to
include some touch. Don’t focus on generating lots of erotic energy, but begin
with some light touch and movement. Wake up your body and prepare for new
levels of pleasure.

Reverse Genital Hole

Infants are naturally curious about their bodies. Baby boys touch themselves
everywhere they can. As infants we learn that touch to our genitals is
pleasurable. However, this natural exploration is usually discouraged. We
quickly learn that genital touch is something to be ashamed of. As we grow
older most of us are torn between the pleasurable feelings of self touch and the
guilt imposed by our culture.

This causes us to develop guilt and shame around self touch. We enjoy touching
ourselves because it feels good. However, others clearly disapprove of such
touch. This causes continual mental conflict over self touch. As a result many

43
men develop what has been called the ‘genital hole.’ We become conditioned to
ignore the feelings and sensations in our genitals. Some of us become numb.

For many of us when we begin self touch our attention focuses entirely on our
genitals. We ignore the rest of our body. It’s as if we live in two worlds: no
genitals and only genitals. I believe that it’s important to engage the entire body
when masturbating.

Assignment
For this exercise find a comfortable spot and plan on a time when you can be
alone and undisturbed. You may want to turn your telephone off. Position your
mirror where you can see your face and most of your body. Create an
atmosphere that is comforting for you. This may include candles, music, items
of personal significance, or erotic toys. Use whatever works for you.

Begin the exercise by closing your eyes and checking in with your body. Note
any areas that are tight or relaxed. Try not to judge your feelings – just note
them. Scan your body from the top of your head to the tips of your toes.

Create an intention to erotically touch all of your body. Begin with the top of
your head. Include your face and ears. Slowly caress your arms. Feel the
sensation of your touch on the hairs of your skin. Caress your hands. Move to
your chest. Play with your nipples. Include your belly with your touch. Most of
us ignore our bellies –some of us are ashamed of this part of our body. Make
love to your belly.

Include erotic touch of your cock and balls. Use slow deliberate touch. Although
you don’t need an erection, enjoy it if you have an erection. Tickle your balls
and your perineum. Caress the tender places on the inside of your legs. Include
your feet and toes.

Erotically wake up your entire body. Yes, your cock and balls can generate lots
of erotic energy. But so can the rest of your body.

The First 15-20 Minutes

Most of us learned to masturbate when we were much younger. At this time in
our lives we learned that we needed to hide our pleasure from others – like
parents or siblings. This required us to be very efficient about masturbation. We
learned to be quick and quiet. For some of us this habit carried into adulthood.
We needed to be quick and quiet to hide our masturbation from roommates,
partners or spouses. This results in a lifetime of quick hidden masturbation.

44
This habit conditioned our bodies to ejaculate quickly. As a result many of us
have the conditioning to cum quickly whenever we begin masturbation.

Assignment

The focus of this exercise is to recondition our bodies. This is about learning to
build pleasure. It’s not about ‘controlling’ ejaculation. You may find that you
need a lot of practice with this exercise. That’s okay, reconditioning takes time.
Don’t beat yourself up if you aren’t able to do this exercise right away. If you
ejaculate before you intend to, learn how to read your body and the signs of
ejaculatory inevitability.

Plan on a time when you can be alone and undisturbed. You may want to turn
your telephone off. Find a comfortable place where you can relax. Throughout
these exercises I strongly recommend that you have a mirror close by where you
can observe your body. This is especially important for men who are visually
oriented – these men use their visual sense more than other senses.

For most men if we can last 15 to 20 minutes masturbating and not ejaculate it’s
much easier to continue on. So, we’re going to masturbate for 15 to 20 minutes
with the intention to not ejaculate. You may want to have a clock visible so you
can see how long you’ve been masturbating.

As with the previous exercises find a place where you won’t be disturbed and
make yourself comfortable. I do recommend using a mirror.

The key to building pleasure is to vary the pace and the strokes. Most of us are
used to doing the ‘piston’ stroke – the usual up down stroke with a fist. I
recommend that you vary the pace. Try using a ‘backhand’ stroke – reversing
your hand as you stroke. Most of us have a dominant hand that we use for
masturbation – you may want to switch hands. Include some light pulling and
tugging of your balls. Include your perineum. There are some great strokes in
the erotic massage educational videos that can be used for masturbation. Try
twist and shout, or juicer. Rock around the clock is a great stroke for
masturbation – especially if you use both hands!

Excitement and Enjoyment

This exercise is focused on the distinction between excitement and enjoyment.
All pleasure involves two polar opposites: “interest-excitement” and
“enjoyment-joy.” Interest-Excitement is felt in the body as an increase in
neurological firings. Excitement is that phase where our erotic energy is
increasing, progressing upwards on a curve leading towards orgasm and
ejaculation. Our energies are focused on increasing the level of sexual energy.
45
Enjoyment-Joy is felt in the body as a decrease in neurological firings.
Enjoyment is focused on simply experiencing the pleasurable feelings. The
focus here isn’t on increasing the erotic energy as much as it is focused on
experiencing that energy.

A complete pleasure cycle usually involves the build up of excitement followed

by a period of enjoyment.

Most of us are better are experiencing excitement than experiencing enjoyment.

One of the ways of getting into an erotic trance state is to alternate consciously
between excitement and enjoyment.

The challenge is that when masturbating, we are actively involved. There is no

partner who can continue to touch and help us dive into enjoyment. The
invitation for this exercise is to periodically dive into enjoyment. You may find
that this is a bit awkward at first. That’s okay. Practice will help you develop the
skill to alternate between excitement and enjoyment.

Assignment
As with the other exercises, plan on a time when you can be alone and
undisturbed. You may want to turn your telephone off. Find a comfortable place
where you can relax. After you’ve mastered masturbating for 15 to 20 minutes
without ejaculating, it’s time to begin this exercise.

When you find yourself getting to the place where you feel somewhat close to
orgasm, back off on your strokes. Stop building excitement. Instead, spend some
time focusing on the pleasurable sensations in your body. Enjoy the feelings!

You may want to scan your body in a way similar to what we did during the
breathing exercise earlier. Scan your body from head to toe and become aware
of what you notice. Enjoy the waves of pleasure that you may be experiencing.
When you feel ready to increase the erotic excitement, feel free to resume
generating erotic energy. Freely switch back and forth between the two modes.

Spend time enjoying and savouring! Don't get hung up on erections. Erections
come and go - it's a natural cycle. Don't focus on maintaining your erection;
rather, focus on the pleasure and note the distinction in feelings between
masturbating with an erection and without. Be present to the feelings in your
body.

46
About the Author:

Philippe L. De Coster, B.Th., D.D. joined Sundial House, Tunbridge Wells,

Kent, UK team in 1971: Michael Eastcott and Nancy Magor. He represented
together with Tilla Grenier (Brussels) the two French sections of the
Meditation Group for the New Age, and Creative Meditation Group, also
called the French Section. When Tilla Grenier died the two groups moved to
47
Ghent, and was assisted by François Geldof for the distribution of the
booklets of both groups. In 1970 De Coster was awarded with a certificate of
Unity School of Christianity, Lee’s Summit, Missouri for his knowledge, the
course being of a metaphysical character covering the fundamental
principles of the teachings of Unity and their applications in redeeming the
mind and healing the body. As the studies were “extra muros” it lasted
almost ten years. The author has become a convinced atheist since 2010.

Sundial House, Nevill Court, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, UK – Meditation

Groups MGNA and GCM, Headquarters of those years.

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One of the Credit Awards as to the study of the mind

49
 Contents
Foreword 1
About self-hypnosis summarised 3
Method Part One colour progression 3
More about brain waves 5
How is hypnosis induced in a therapy session? Deepening 7
How to use the trance 8
What to expect? The Trance State 9
Different levels of trance 12
Full trance 13
Deep trance; Trans requirements 15
Common trance problems 20
A simple method for entering into trance 23
Entering the sexual trance 26
Removing barriers to sexual trance 28
Consciousness and creative trance 30
How did you ever learn to pleasure yourself? 32
Accessing trance states 33
Consciousness along Dr. Roberto Assagioli, M.D. 35
Trance, Mind and Consciousness 37
Physiological effects of ritual body postures and ecstatic trance 39
Other items of interest; the author’s adolescent years 40
Erotic dancing 41
Movement 42
Reverse genital hole 43
The first 15-20 minutes 44
Excitement and enjoyment 45
About the author 47
Contents 50

© August 2015 – Satsang Ebook Publications, Ghent, Belgium (Non-

commercial – Free download wherever published).

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