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appropriate. If you can not overcome this problem, it will usually also interfere with your ability to fall asleep. If this happens, please treat it as you would normally treat insomnia, and please see your family medical doctor for advice if this problem persists. The most common cause of repeating patterns, especially those containing tormenting dialogue and painful real-life images from the past, is stress and anxiety generated by unresolved internal life conflicts. Your subconscious mind is simply throwing up what it considers to be serious problems, and is demanding they be dealt with immediately. Handle these problems intelligently and the thought pattern repetition will usually disappear. If you cannot deal with this alone, though, please do not hesitate to seek professional medical advice and treatment. 17. 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 problemsolving 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. 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 cozy 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 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 center of waking consciousness transfers into the etheric body. This is best thought of as a type of inner-body projection. The heavy-body feeling of the trance state indicates that the center 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 90