How to know when to give up

[imohtep]

I downloaded the file for Lucid Dreaming about a year ago. It's my first time trying any kind of self-hypnosis, and I figured that would be nice enough a result for a first try.

I listened to it the first day, and nothing. To be expected right? Afterward I felt... drained and dizzy. You might say mindless. I didn't like the feel at all, but figured I would push on anyway.

I listened to it again the following day. I again felt drained and mindless, however, I also had hallucinations. Some really scary stuff. I didn't even want to leave my bed. It was bad. I stopped listening to the file. It took about a week for the hallucinations to fully go away.

After about 3 or 4 months, I decided to give the file another go. First day of listening produced nothing but mindless feeling. Second day added on hallucination. However, they were not as intense as the first time. Regardless, I stopped listening to the file again. This time it only took a few days for the hallucinations to go away.

I tried the file again after a few months. The mindless feeling was still there the first day. It was a stronger mindless feeling the second day. I again stopped listening. I didn't want to experience hallucinations again.

Here recently I picked it up again and dropped it for the same reasons as the last time. Each time the hallucination effects seemed to occur more slowly and for all I know they won't happen again. However, the mindless feeling has stretched on longer each time. It has been a few weeks since I listened and I'm still not fully recovered from the last listening session.

I'm just not sure if continuing with this is the correct choice. I do want to have lucid dreams, but not if it's going to cost me my sanity. Anyone help me out here?

[Ladon]

You may be reacting badly to some suggestions in the file you're using. It is possible you're very suggestible, and the particular flavor of hypnotist who did the file isn't for you. EMG is very dominant in his files, but (with all due respect) he isn't one of our more 'artful' hypnotists, for example.

The simple phrase, "Don't think of a blue door" seems straightforward enough, but in most subjects it immediately brings to mind a blue door. Perhaps the wording of a suggestion that says "You will dream, but you will be awake in the dream" or something, and your mind is reacting to it like "While awake, you will dream."

I'm reminded of a comment in a book I read, where the author mentioned that he would use the form "Because you can see, X will happen" Well, it usually had the effect that the audience could 'see', so they took the suggestion. In one particular case, though, the woman in question immediately became unable to see!

[imohtep]

8O Interesting... It can be fascinating how the mind works like that sometimes.

I'll have to go back over the file consciously to see if I can find any instances similar to that... Any suggestions on how to make my head stop mixing up signals if that is it?

[Ladon]

I'd suggest trying a few different 'voices' such as files from Sarnoga, Calimore, and Blink (I especially like Blink's Basic Induction) and see if any of them give you better results. I believe Sarnoga even has a Dreaming file, but I don't know what it actually is supposed to do.

Otherwise, you could put the file into a program like Audacity and cut out pieces you think might be problematic, and keep trying.

Honestly in some ways, I have to feel you're kinda lucky. Though I believe I understand the basics of how things should work in hypnosis, I have yet to actually achieve any success for myself. I can't even be sure I'm in trance. A visual hallucination would be a great sign that something was actually happening.