Ok, I've been doing this for a while now, but this is something that still trips me up and I need some advice, provided I can explain it well enough.
Most of the files I use are EMG's, hardly surprising, and most of his inductions tell me to focus intently on what he is saying. Now, I can do that, but what I have noticed with other inductions that don't say that is that my mind tends to wander after a while, seeing images and whatnot, not related to the file, and I lose focus and drift away (though not sleeping). Then when the awakener starts, I come back, and generally don't remember much of the file. I can remember that I was listening to it (how I know I wasn't asleep) but generally not a lot of details about what was said. Now this is clearly not what EMG would be telling me to do, but somehow it "feels" like a far deeper trance than when I concentrate on the voice. When I do that, it feels like I am still too much "in the present", with a greater awareness of what's going on around me. When I let my mind wander off though, I lose that, so that is why it feels more like a deep trance to me.
So I can't figure out which way is best, as I've tried both, but keep switching because of EMG's commands to focus. The wandering method may be bad because I'm not listening to the suggestions, but then again, isn't it supposed to be my subconscious listening to that stuff, and not my conscious awareness? I think perhaps it should be wandering off so that it doesn't analyse and critique what I am hearing, because isn't that what hypnosis is all about, bypassing the critical faculty? (I remember reading that somewhere, probably on the forums here.)
Maybe it's a preference thing, but I'd like to hear from other people on this so I can finally decide and stick to one way or the other. Thanks for any help!