Comments for Reality Shifter http://www.realityshifter.com Exploring consciousness, dreams, and mind enhancement Fri, 29 Aug 2008 05:36:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 Comment on What to do when "The Secret" doesn't work by Manuela http://www.realityshifter.com/2007/what-to-do-when-the-secret-doesnt-work/#comment-3868 Manuela Thu, 28 Aug 2008 21:13:36 +0000 http://www.realityshifter.com/2007/what-to-do-when-the-secret-doesnt-work/#comment-3868 And what people forget is that if your intention is at the cost of the happiness and well-being of others, eventually your wealth and success can become your own very illness. Our actions are causes that lead to effects. Since we are all interconnected, then the law of "what goes around comes around" will apply to you even when you are not totally conscious of it. We should be very careful with this "secret" thing. The law of karma in Buddhism also talks of the negative consequences of ill actions and intentions. And what people forget is that if your intention is at the cost of the happiness and well-being of others, eventually your wealth and success can become your own very illness. Our actions are causes that lead to effects. Since we are all interconnected, then the law of "what goes around comes around" will apply to you even when you are not totally conscious of it. We should be very careful with this "secret" thing. The law of karma in Buddhism also talks of the negative consequences of ill actions and intentions.

]]> Comment on False Awakenings and Lucid Dreaming by Camille http://www.realityshifter.com/2007/false-awakenings-and-lucid-dreaming/#comment-3289 Camille Sun, 17 Aug 2008 01:24:16 +0000 http://www.realityshifter.com/2007/false-awakenings-and-lucid-dreaming/#comment-3289 I've been having a lot of False Awakenings lately. And truthfully, it scares me. My dreams are often of a "nightmare" kind. In a dream, everything starts out normal. I wake up, I go about my business, then in a sudden change of course, I have wind up toys attacking me. Realizing it's only a dream, I go back to bed, close my eyes, and try to change me dream. I wake up again, thinking "truly" woken up, everything's normal, the next thing I know, my books are being removed from my bookshelves by an invisible hand. I go about this around 5 times. 5 false awakenings, to 5 nightmares, I woke up into the "true reality", so scared of falling asleep again. How can I make this stop? I'm so scared I'm not gona wake up anymore.=S Please help me. I've been having a lot of False Awakenings lately. And truthfully, it scares me. My dreams are often of a "nightmare" kind. In a dream, everything starts out normal. I wake up, I go about my business, then in a sudden change of course, I have wind up toys attacking me. Realizing it's only a dream, I go back to bed, close my eyes, and try to change me dream. I wake up again, thinking "truly" woken up, everything's normal, the next thing I know, my books are being removed from my bookshelves by an invisible hand. I go about this around 5 times. 5 false awakenings, to 5 nightmares, I woke up into the "true reality", so scared of falling asleep again. How can I make this stop? I'm so scared I'm not gona wake up anymore.=S Please help me.

]]> Comment on Why I Don't Use Psychoactive Drugs to Achieve Altered States by Bill Thompson http://www.realityshifter.com/2007/why-i-dont-use-psychoactive-drugs-to-achieve-altered-states/#comment-2955 Bill Thompson Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:09:23 +0000 http://www.realityshifter.com/2007/why-i-dont-use-psychoactive-drugs-to-achieve-altered-states/#comment-2955 Hi, well where do i start? There is certainly no experience that does not alter our behaviour in some way. In regards to the LSD experience there are noticable changes in my world view that enevitably affect my behaviour but most of the changes and behaviours are difficult to gauge, one does not know exactly how the particularities of ones birth affect their current behaviour, i am sure their are many changes that my unconcious has intergrated into my life without my concious mind even knowing it. Shamans begin their psychonaughtical adventures as pure novices like anyone, the difference is they have a cultural paradigm to fit the experiences into, if one can evolve such a paradigm then the shaman is no more advanced than any westener who has had sufficient psychedelic experience. There are many examples of neo shamans who live in urban environments and who use synthetic psychedelics and quasi-scientific paradigms as a means of interpreting their experience, whether or not the experience changes them as individuals is neither here nor there, ALL experiences change people, sometimes in more subtle ways than others, but psychedelic experience is part of a long continuum of life experience that enevitably changes us. The question is what new information can be retrieved that is of benefit to EVERYONE?, there is a great deal of eveidence in support of the idea that just like the amazonian shaman, the urban shaman or regular psychedelic user can bring back useful information that can be effectively intergrated into the society, take for instance the example of an electronics designer who was able to visualize a revolutionary micro-chip under LSD and who then set about creating it, with success at a later date. In regards to DMT entity contact, exploration of the phenomena itself is worthwhile, and like all unexplored regions, vital information that would benefit our civilization could quite possibly be retreived. Psychedelics therfore are not just tools for our personal spiritual growth, but ways of tapping into new fields of information to bring back vital data for everybody. I am yet to see the 'natural' methods yield the same kind of results in regards to this purpose to the extent that they would make psychedelics completely redundant. (note that i am aware of the effectiveness of non psychedelic assisted techniques of exploring new ideas however, i am criticizing the notion of abandoning psychedelics all together and supposing that the same potential exists without psychedelics, thereby assuming that the psychedelic experience can be approximated by stimulating endogenous compounds and that the two varieties of experience are interchangeable and not two seperate varieties of experience.) Hi, well where do i start? There is certainly no experience that does not alter our behaviour in some way. In regards to the LSD experience there are noticable changes in my world view that enevitably affect my behaviour but most of the changes and behaviours are difficult to gauge, one does not know exactly how the particularities of ones birth affect their current behaviour, i am sure their are many changes that my unconcious has intergrated into my life without my concious mind even knowing it. Shamans begin their psychonaughtical adventures as pure novices like anyone, the difference is they have a cultural paradigm to fit the experiences into, if one can evolve such a paradigm then the shaman is no more advanced than any westener who has had sufficient psychedelic experience. There are many examples of neo shamans who live in urban environments and who use synthetic psychedelics and quasi-scientific paradigms as a means of interpreting their experience, whether or not the experience changes them as individuals is neither here nor there, ALL experiences change people, sometimes in more subtle ways than others, but psychedelic experience is part of a long continuum of life experience that enevitably changes us. The question is what new information can be retrieved that is of benefit to EVERYONE?, there is a great deal of eveidence in support of the idea that just like the amazonian shaman, the urban shaman or regular psychedelic user can bring back useful information that can be effectively intergrated into the society, take for instance the example of an electronics designer who was able to visualize a revolutionary micro-chip under LSD and who then set about creating it, with success at a later date. In regards to DMT entity contact, exploration of the phenomena itself is worthwhile, and like all unexplored regions, vital information that would benefit our civilization could quite possibly be retreived. Psychedelics therfore are not just tools for our personal spiritual growth, but ways of tapping into new fields of information to bring back vital data for everybody. I am yet to see the 'natural' methods yield the same kind of results in regards to this purpose to the extent that they would make psychedelics completely redundant. (note that i am aware of the effectiveness of non psychedelic assisted techniques of exploring new ideas however, i am criticizing the notion of abandoning psychedelics all together and supposing that the same potential exists without psychedelics, thereby assuming that the psychedelic experience can be approximated by stimulating endogenous compounds and that the two varieties of experience are interchangeable and not two seperate varieties of experience.)

]]> Comment on Why I Don't Use Psychoactive Drugs to Achieve Altered States by reality shifter http://www.realityshifter.com/2007/why-i-dont-use-psychoactive-drugs-to-achieve-altered-states/#comment-2930 reality shifter Tue, 05 Aug 2008 20:06:51 +0000 http://www.realityshifter.com/2007/why-i-dont-use-psychoactive-drugs-to-achieve-altered-states/#comment-2930 Hi Dave, Thanks for the comment. I'm glad you enjoyed the article. I've had luck with Zazen but not much luck with the Sedona Method, though I do know a few people whose mental/emotional state noticeably improved after they practiced the Sedona Method for a while. ~ Kris Hi Dave,
Thanks for the comment. I'm glad you enjoyed the article.

I've had luck with Zazen but not much luck with the Sedona Method, though I do know a few people whose mental/emotional state noticeably improved after they practiced the Sedona Method for a while.

~ Kris

]]> Comment on Why I Don't Use Psychoactive Drugs to Achieve Altered States by reality shifter http://www.realityshifter.com/2007/why-i-dont-use-psychoactive-drugs-to-achieve-altered-states/#comment-2928 reality shifter Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:56:46 +0000 http://www.realityshifter.com/2007/why-i-dont-use-psychoactive-drugs-to-achieve-altered-states/#comment-2928 Hi Bill, I think there are a few factors involved: the person's approach, his intent and what he expects to gain from the experience, and how he integrates that experience into his life. The approach has a lot to do with it. There is a huge difference between a shaman in the Amazon who spends decades studying the plants, studying the nuances of the trance state, etc., and a person who orders a psychoactive substance on the internet and ingests it hoping it will give him/her an instant life-altering experience. The shaman is trained not only in how to handle that experience while it's happening but also in how to apply what is learned from the experience in his/her life after the session is over. The everyday user has no training of that type. The intent and what you expect to gain from the experience also play an important role. For example, if a technique can approximate the effects of a high dose of DMT -- entity contact, to use your example -- what does the person hope to gain from that experience? How does the person intend to make use of that experience in his/her life once the session is over? In your earlier comment, you described an intense experience triggered by LSD. How did it affect you in the short-term? How about in the long-term? In what ways does it affect you now, long after it's over? Did it change you profoundly, and in what ways? What do you do differently now as a direct result of that experience? How have you integrated that experience into your thoughts/beliefs/behavior in your daily life? Sorry for all the questions. I hope it doesn't sound like I'm trying to interrogate you, because that's not my intent at all. :-) There are two reasons I ask: first, to demonstrate that there are differences between a person who explores psychoactive substances for true personal growth and a person who tries them just for a temporary wild experience, and second, to get a better idea of your approach so I can figure out which techniques might help you get where you want to be. ~ Kris Hi Bill,
I think there are a few factors involved: the person's approach, his intent and what he expects to gain from the experience, and how he integrates that experience into his life. The approach has a lot to do with it. There is a huge difference between a shaman in the Amazon who spends decades studying the plants, studying the nuances of the trance state, etc., and a person who orders a psychoactive substance on the internet and ingests it hoping it will give him/her an instant life-altering experience. The shaman is trained not only in how to handle that experience while it's happening but also in how to apply what is learned from the experience in his/her life after the session is over. The everyday user has no training of that type.

The intent and what you expect to gain from the experience also play an important role. For example, if a technique can approximate the effects of a high dose of DMT — entity contact, to use your example — what does the person hope to gain from that experience? How does the person intend to make use of that experience in his/her life once the session is over?

In your earlier comment, you described an intense experience triggered by LSD. How did it affect you in the short-term? How about in the long-term? In what ways does it affect you now, long after it's over? Did it change you profoundly, and in what ways? What do you do differently now as a direct result of that experience? How have you integrated that experience into your thoughts/beliefs/behavior in your daily life?

Sorry for all the questions. I hope it doesn't sound like I'm trying to interrogate you, because that's not my intent at all. :-) There are two reasons I ask: first, to demonstrate that there are differences between a person who explores psychoactive substances for true personal growth and a person who tries them just for a temporary wild experience, and second, to get a better idea of your approach so I can figure out which techniques might help you get where you want to be.

~ Kris

]]> Comment on A Quirky New Movie Lucid Dreamers Will Enjoy by Joe http://www.realityshifter.com/2007/a-quirky-new-movie-lucid-dreamers-will-enjoy/#comment-2833 Joe Sun, 03 Aug 2008 05:32:32 +0000 http://www.realityshifter.com/2007/a-quirky-new-movie-lucid-dreamers-will-enjoy/#comment-2833 Hey Kris, you've really taken this into quite some depth! I don't really get to see many independent movies, but you've definitely piqued my interest. I never really thought about lucid dreams before, but the technology you've brought up here would be very powerful... and scary in a way. I'm not sure how I would feel about people walking through my dreams. I'll admit though, some great movies could probably be made from people's dreams. Maybe it's a concept to explore for movie theatres! I work at one, and sometimes it seems like nothing new comes out. That would solve the problem, right? There are always unique dreams! Joe <em>Joe's last blog post: <a href="http://www.intermissionatwork.com/2008/08/01/movies-this-weekend-8108/" rel="nofollow">Movies This Weekend! 8/1/08</a></em> Hey Kris, you've really taken this into quite some depth! I don't really get to see many independent movies, but you've definitely piqued my interest. I never really thought about lucid dreams before, but the technology you've brought up here would be very powerful… and scary in a way. I'm not sure how I would feel about people walking through my dreams.

I'll admit though, some great movies could probably be made from people's dreams. Maybe it's a concept to explore for movie theatres! I work at one, and sometimes it seems like nothing new comes out. That would solve the problem, right? There are always unique dreams!

Joe

Joe's last blog post: Movies This Weekend! 8/1/08

]]> Comment on How to Induce a Lucid Dream While Awake by Brett Jackson http://www.realityshifter.com/2007/how-to-induce-a-lucid-dream-while-awake/#comment-2724 Brett Jackson Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:54:09 +0000 http://www.realityshifter.com/2007/how-to-induce-a-lucid-dream-while-awake/#comment-2724 Interesting article. I have only had one wild before and am research ways to have more. I am definitely going to try the hand raising exercise as that sounds like a particularly good idea. Cheers, Brett. <em>Brett Jackson's last blog post: <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/BrettsLucidDreams/~3/348330602/improving-dream-recall.html" rel="nofollow">Improving Dream Recall</a></em> Interesting article. I have only had one wild before and am research ways to have more. I am definitely going to try the hand raising exercise as that sounds like a particularly good idea.

Cheers,
Brett.

Brett Jackson's last blog post: Improving Dream Recall

]]> Comment on Why I Don't Use Psychoactive Drugs to Achieve Altered States by Bill Thompson http://www.realityshifter.com/2007/why-i-dont-use-psychoactive-drugs-to-achieve-altered-states/#comment-2535 Bill Thompson Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:53:27 +0000 http://www.realityshifter.com/2007/why-i-dont-use-psychoactive-drugs-to-achieve-altered-states/#comment-2535 "just take a pill" approach., yes but is there not the preperations, the intermidable experience and the years of grappling with and trying to assimilate the experience?, just taking the pill is really a small component of an immensily complex process, would you tell an Amazonian shaman he has a 'just eat a mushroom approach'?, or 'just chug some ayahausca' appraoch?, well i guess i make reference to Mckenna here, who likened meditation and yoga as something done under the influence of psychedelics, but as the availability of psychedelic plants diminished you have the yoga without the real engine driving it. Can meditation approximate entity contact such as is typical of high dose DMT experience for instance? I apologize for the antagonistic tone i assure you it is not intentional. "just take a pill" approach., yes but is there not the preperations, the intermidable experience and the years of grappling with and trying to assimilate the experience?, just taking the pill is really a small component of an immensily complex process, would you tell an Amazonian shaman he has a 'just eat a mushroom approach'?, or 'just chug some ayahausca' appraoch?, well i guess i make reference to Mckenna here, who likened meditation and yoga as something done under the influence of psychedelics, but as the availability of psychedelic plants diminished you have the yoga without the real engine driving it. Can meditation approximate entity contact such as is typical of high dose DMT experience for instance?
I apologize for the antagonistic tone i assure you it is not intentional.

]]> Comment on Why I Don't Use Psychoactive Drugs to Achieve Altered States by Dave http://www.realityshifter.com/2007/why-i-dont-use-psychoactive-drugs-to-achieve-altered-states/#comment-2530 Dave Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:04:00 +0000 http://www.realityshifter.com/2007/why-i-dont-use-psychoactive-drugs-to-achieve-altered-states/#comment-2530 Fanstastic Article. I've never found a piece of writing that details my thoughts about the subject so straightforwardly. Thanks. RE: bill thompson - I get the impression that your mildly antagonizing post is the result of a lot of frustration. Kris has a point about the fix-it-now mentality of our culture. Getting that handled is the first step that might help you. Personally I recommend the Sedona Method, and Zazen. Though I dont consider myself a "buddhist," I find their methods are as straightforward as it gets. The thing is, people LOVE the "just take a pill" approach. And it can be quite helpful at first, with the proper preparation for the trip. But if you take a few years and learn to do it with ONLY your mind, you'll have a level of self-knowledge and understanding about the world that will make the experience infinitely more satisfying. Cheers, Dave Fanstastic Article. I've never found a piece of writing that details my thoughts about the subject so straightforwardly. Thanks.

RE: bill thompson - I get the impression that your mildly antagonizing post is the result of a lot of frustration. Kris has a point about the fix-it-now mentality of our culture. Getting that handled is the first step that might help you. Personally I recommend the Sedona Method, and Zazen. Though I dont consider myself a "buddhist," I find their methods are as straightforward as it gets.

The thing is, people LOVE the "just take a pill" approach. And it can be quite helpful at first, with the proper preparation for the trip. But if you take a few years and learn to do it with ONLY your mind, you'll have a level of self-knowledge and understanding about the world that will make the experience infinitely more satisfying.

Cheers,

Dave

]]> Comment on Why I Don't Use Psychoactive Drugs to Achieve Altered States by Bill Thompson http://www.realityshifter.com/2007/why-i-dont-use-psychoactive-drugs-to-achieve-altered-states/#comment-2450 Bill Thompson Mon, 28 Jul 2008 17:41:11 +0000 http://www.realityshifter.com/2007/why-i-dont-use-psychoactive-drugs-to-achieve-altered-states/#comment-2450 Thanks for the response, well after experiences with LSD, Mescaline and Psylocybin, i keep looking back to one very extreme LSD experience where i had the experience of both the meta-cosmic void (a term i borrowed from Grof), and something i could only describe as actually becoming the godhead, now i am no new-age type that uses these terms will nilly, infact, before this i was a total nihlist and completely pessimistic, but the high-dose acid dissolved my ego, my sense of self, deconstructed reality before my eyes, melted time and sent me spinning into a point of total psychic zero, then, an ecstatic illumination where i became god, needless to say i was shocked and it took a great deal of time to recover from this, it was actually rather traumatic, and although i am open to it, i still feel sceptical about natural techniques really approximating this, even the plant based hallucinogens in strong doses couldn't do it for me, only the synthetic-lysergic could..... Thanks for the response, well after experiences with LSD, Mescaline and Psylocybin, i keep looking back to one very extreme LSD experience where i had the experience of both the meta-cosmic void (a term i borrowed from Grof), and something i could only describe as actually becoming the godhead, now i am no new-age type that uses these terms will nilly, infact, before this i was a total nihlist and completely pessimistic, but the high-dose acid dissolved my ego, my sense of self, deconstructed reality before my eyes, melted time and sent me spinning into a point of total psychic zero, then, an ecstatic illumination where i became god, needless to say i was shocked and it took a great deal of time to recover from this, it was actually rather traumatic, and although i am open to it, i still feel sceptical about natural techniques really approximating this, even the plant based hallucinogens in strong doses couldn't do it for me, only the synthetic-lysergic could…..

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