For the most part, I use what I refer to as the \”Rundown\” method to Phase (project). One of the problem that I\’ve come up against is one to do with my eyes. The following post by Frank Kepple on The Astral Pulse helped me a great deal:
One of the *big* hurdles people generally need to overcome is the sudden unwelcome intrusion by the physical eyes. Such intervention almost always has the effect of zapping you right back to C1 consciousness. The reason this happens is because your focal point of consciousness normally resides behind your physical eyes. When I say \”resides behind\” what I mean is your primary focus of attention is mostly based on what the eyes tell you.
The ears may transmit to you a strange sound… then immediately the eyes will go to look. Someone may touch you unexpectedly from behind… then immediately the body spins around so the eyes can see. Which reminds me of an old playground joke where we\’d come up to someone from behind and tap them on the opposite shoulder to where we were standing. So the person would immediately look and see no-one there.
If you think about all the various human-response actions you will see that – almost always – the physical eyes are the primary information providors that determine whatever comes next.
On the Physical, this process works amazingly well. However, it can put a big spoke in the works when it comes to projection excercise. Difficulty being, the eyes are not used to just rolling back and relaxing while the consciousness is awake and alert. Having an awake, alert consciousness and taking-in input from the physical eyes is about as natural as it comes.
It used to happen to me all the time where I\’d just be settling into the Focus 12 state; where it is natural to perceive all manner of outline shapes and shadows, or whirls of colour, and so forth, and the moment I\’d see something definite it was like my protective sense of awareness would shout, \”What\’s that!\” And my physical eyes would immediately go to look. Which, of course, brought me right out of it.
The only way around it is to practice all you can to the extent where your protective sense of awareness regards everything that is happening as normal, and your physical eyes have got into the habit of switching themselves off during practice.
I think this problem can never be eradicated entirely, and it still effects me now and again. Just this morning, for instance, I drifted into the Focus 12 state fairly quickly and the 3D blackness suddenly loomed into view. The thought crossed my mind, \”Wow, that must be the quickest to-date.\” Next moment my protective sense of awareness slapped the brakes on, and my physical eyes immediately became restless. Like they were scanning from side to side on the lookout for any danger.
Which, of course, zapped me right back to C1. It even raised my heartbeat a tad too. Which meant it took me about half an hour just to get that settled again before practice could resume.
Yours,
Frank
He describes the EXACT problem that I face and provides a pretty good explanation for why it happens and how to correct it.
It\’s slowly helping me in my efforts to have a conscious exit projection.