my lips, and took a sip. My God! I didn't expect it to be that
realistic. It was a glass of tomato juice. I could feel its texture
with my lips, tongue, and palate. By the time it hit my throat,
I was already savoring the taste. I felt the cold from the glass
on my hands and lips - everything was indistinguishable from
real life.
Relishing both the taste of the juice and my triumph in
entering the phase, I quietly thought about the new frontiers
opening up before me while quenching my thirst. However, I
completely forgot about the need for concentration, and had a
foul. I was in a great mood all the next day after having
discovered this experience.
May 2001
Maximum Deepening
Right after dinner, I decided to enter the phase using the
direct method. To that end, I started implementing the
dotting technique (concentrating my attention on different
parts of the body). However, I encountered difficulties during
relaxation: I could not stop my mind from getting distracted
with other thoughts. Only with great difficulty was I able to
concentrate on the task. I kept to relaxation. Then, I once
again employed dotting for about 20 minutes, but nothing
worked. However, weak vibrations arose from time to time.
Meanwhile, I became more and more sleepy. At one point my
conscious awareness checked out, but then quickly came back
(this didn't seem to last more than a minute, which was
confirmed by my alarm-clock upon returning to the body)
under the influence of my preliminary intention not to fall
asleep. I then began to feel alert and was enveloped by
vibrations, which occurred on their own in amid the transition
between physiological states. I was easily able to amplify the
vibrations.
Then I rolled out. However, the vibrations began to die
down, and I was returned back to my body. I tried to
separate again by climbing out. I was able to do this despite
great difficulty. I was now suspended in an indeterminate
space of vague sensation. While separating, I felt a strong
feeling of discomfort that nearly persuaded me to cut the
attempt short. However, I knew that that this sometimes