My Library

newly-initiated goes home and begins making an attempt just for laughs, without excessive desire. It turns out that this works on the first try. He experiences a turbulent and hyperrealistic phase. Now that he knows what all of the fuss is about, he longs to go there again. On the next day, he goes back to bed with a clear recollection of those electrifying events that he so desires to re-experience. But now, his mind craves results so much that his body is physiologically unable to fall into the state that had preceded his first successful attempt - an attempt made without any excessive effort. As a result, those same direct techniques no longer bring the phase. Anyone believing that getting results is a matter of technique (and not realizing it's a matter of attitude towards the process) would be dumbfounded. Using direct techniques in the evening or in the middle of the night take advantage of the body’s natural state of fatigue and for practical purposes this natural tiredness may be amplified. For example, direct techniques more easily lead to success if the practitioner is considerably sleep-deprived. Moreover, in such a state, inducing a free-floating state of mind may be forgone. The most important thing is simply not to fall asleep immediately, in addition to employing the appropriate variations with the techniques. Willful deprivation of sleep is torturous and useless even though great results may be achieved by an experienced and knowledgeable practitioner in a severely fatigued state. Beginners are better off approaching all forms of practice in a natural, balanced way. An intense longing to sleep is not limited to long periods of sleep deprivation; physical and emotional fatigues also play important roles. In that case, the most important thing is not to fall asleep when performing the techniques, and thus one must select a more active technique variation than usual. The above notwithstanding, factors such as fatigue and sleep deprivation are only to be used on those rare occasions caused by external circumstances. There's no sense in putting your body through intentional misery by trying to force fatigue or extended periods of sleep deprivation. Such situations are practically the exclusive domain of novices - an experienced phaser would always go to sleep when