Enhance your Psychic Ability

Try this fascinating method

The concept for Sergeant Pepper's Band came to Paul McCartney as he was dosing off to sleep. Einstein's theory of relativity came to him as he was waking up.

Hypnagogia (the state of consciousness between wakefulness and sleep) has long been fertile ground for religious and mystical experiences, creativity and intuition - plus a variety of psychic experiences, including telepathy, clairvoyance, clairaudience and out-of-body sensations. And the best part of this phenomenon is that you can use it to tap into your own creativity and psychic ability. Because it's true that we all have some level of psychic ability!

How hypnagogia works

During hypnagogia, the normal activity of the left side of your brain (the side that dictates logic) is inhibited, allowing imagery in your right brain (the creative side) to bounce around, using free-association that your fully conscious mind would classify as illogical or nonsensical. Unlike dreams during the REM (rapid eye movement) sleep phase, hypnagogic imagery lacks a story plot. Hence, flashes of shapes and colors might morph into faces or landscapes.

One person reported the image of a bird's beak changing into the barrel of a gun. Some people report hearing bizarre sentences, such as one woman who clearly heard a voice say, "Rick sleeps with the babysitter" (when she didn't even know anyone named Rick - perhaps it was from a past life). Others report a sense of floating on the ceiling, looking down at their bodies in bed.
Tap into happinessOne study in Hawaii found that willful use of hypnagogia increases flexibility in thinking, which leaves you open to more creativity and psychic experiences. And (even better!) it may increase your overall feeling of well-being. Participants in the study also reported increased stress reduction and heightened self-awareness. And who doesn't want to be less stressed out, and more in tune with their true selves?

Make a wish

It sounds simple, but according to the book Hypnagogia: The Unique State of Consciousness Between Wakefulness and Sleep, you can simply "wish" for hypnagogia, and it will happen. It claims that hypnagogic imagery "is achieved not so much by willing as by wishing." Most people who reported psychic experiences during hypnagogia say it involves patient waiting, and expectancy that a picture will appear. One way to distinguish between a truly clairvoyant vision and an image created by your imagination is that with imagination you think of the image first - and then you see it. Yet with psychic hypnagogia, there is an element of surprise, because you see the image first, and then you think of it.

What to do

In addition to an attitude of patience and expectancy, you can train your brain to sustain a state of hypnagogia by using the following techniques:
Go to bed earlier than usual, so you aren't exhausted.
Wake up without an alarm clock in the morning.
Take cat naps during the day.
Listen to brain wave CDs or downloads.
Request an answer to a question or the solution to a problem before you fall asleep.

When images appear, allow them to flow - without analyzing them. When you go back to wakefulness, encourage your mind to interpret the images symbolically, rather than logically.

An example

One woman was puzzled when she saw a portrait of her mother's face on a white porcelain drinking cup. But the next day, seemingly out of nowhere while she was cooking dinner, the song lyric, "my cup runneth over with love" popped into her head. She realized that her intuitive mind was prompting her to contemplate the bond between her and her mother, as well as the love she felt (as a mother) for her son. A feeling of well-being ensued.

Even though you might never receive the inspiration for a landmark music album or a scientific discovery, cultivating hypnagogia can lead you to greater self-awareness, contentment and deeper levels of spirituality. And who knows - you might even have a psychic experience or two!