You may notice that the exercises are all very similar in nature. There are a couple of key components that make up these exercises (Relaxation, Visualization, Repetition or Conditioning, Stress or Shock, Belief.)
Here are the exercises I've put together. You should think seriously about modifying them to fit your envisioned ideas, or your personal situation that you've come up with through the recording process. Realize that if the recordings worked, you may want to work with whatever signal your receiver was able to receive within the tapes. So when I say shout or talk, you may think poke or twitch.
Choose the exercises that make the most sense to you. If you want to try everything, that may be O.K., but I don't want to send you in all directions at once. So, maybe put together a simple plan that will work for you.
This is only meant to be an introduction to the idea, you may alter the exercises as you choose, or use only the ones that work for you.
Also, let me say that I believe everybody receives, including the retarded, perhaps animals too, though they seem to function using a more emotional way of thinking.
I have a few different ideas I have grouped together under this heading. Use one of these, or make up your own to fit your own way of doing this. A) Breathe steadily and silently count to fifty. Try to relax your body while you count. Then sit silently for a few seconds and try to relax your body some more. B) Sit in a comfortable chair. Tense up your body without moving. Then relax everything you tensed up and try to clear your mind. You can try to clear your mind of all thoughts or of everything but a simple pleasant thought. C) The second version of B above would be to stand up from your chair after the second tense then relax as you walk around a little. You can walk like you are shaking of a bump during a ball game or like you are loosening up and walking off some trouble. Think easy thoughts. D) After a shower in the morning, slip back into bed for a few minutes and enjoy the comfort of the sheets. Get up. So that the punishment of going to work afterward doesn't negate the attempt, offer yourself at least a mental reward like a thought of something that appeals to you, don't over do it.
The book "the Relaxation Response" by Herbert Benson, M.D. may work for this method. It may not. When I heard of this book some years ago I got the impression that it was a manual for a non-religious meditation technique. The idea sounded good to me then and I wanted to bring up the idea here. However, I recently picked up a copy, and either it's me (I may have been a little mad while giving it a scan) or the book is no such thing. Not a simple way to get the effects of meditation without the trappings of any religion, but a confusing mash of near religious weirdness. Feel free to look into it yourself.
I believe that meditation and maybe prayer are acts that you can use for this practice. However, I do not want to cause you too much conflict by mixing deep religious feelings you may have with this activity. If the idea of mixing this with your belief system disturbs you, don't. Use a simple meditative technique instead. That said, you may choose to use a brief honest prayer for the welfare of friends and family as a meditation. I say “honest” prayer because I think insincere or faked prayers may be weakened, both for you and the spirit of the act, by the personal garbage you add to such thoughts. Negative emotions may charge the act of prayer with feelings that may weaken the thoughts, at least for this purpose. My personal belief is that praying for money or evil may also weaken the act with negative emotions and guilt. Both for personal reasons and for this practice, if you feel that way, perhaps try a rote prayer instead. The rote prayer may come to you easily because you have practiced it often. That may not be such a bad thing, meditatively speaking.
A rote prayer may have characteristics similar to a chant or mantra used by a different group than you may be used to. I have some personal ideas about mantras, however, here you may decide to go with a more concrete or specific meditation technique. I do not want any trouble, but let me say that I am not trying to pitch TM here. It may be available to you if you want to learn it, but just get the general idea of what I mean here then make up your own mind. My suggestion for an easy mantra would be for your partner to get a foreign language phrase book or dictionary. Some language that you don't know and aren't going to learn. They then pick out some word for some idea or emotion that you respect. Try a few, until you get one. Don't ask for the definition. Do the same for your partner.
The “classic” mantra “om” comes up here. I have some ideas about this. I feel "Om" would work as two separate space out sounds. "Ah" drawn out with some type of relaxing breathing with the “mm” sound when you need to close the breath or lose focus on what you are doing. If you need someone to teach you this, or explain it, I feel I just did, but they could isolate you if you didn't know (hadn't heard of "Om".) So think before you make up a new mantra.
O.K., now I will complicate that. Some people may want to use meditative techniques for clarity or brain exercise or to try to improve their thinking. Maybe they would use something other than spacing out. They may want to see how they feel while and after using this sort of technique. For my space out then touch the receiver I am suggesting spacey thinking, more like a daydream state than one of heightened awareness.
So another take back, on the "om" mantra for meditation, you may be able to hold the "ah" sound but feeling like you want to stop, you should probably stop (at least tell yourself the truth) and easy closure of that mantra would be to drop to "mm" sound. This brings up the idea of breathing and I have some ideas about thinking like you talk and breathe - basically based on the idea that people perform certain actions on specific breaths or types of breathing. So add an exercise maybe sort of a middle bridge where you do mental talking to yourself (or like globes - but talking to yourself tightly within your head - try thinking a thought as quietly as possible, then relax and think with forward moving breath) or an activity coupled with some breathing knowledge - like when you talk and breathe or walk forward with meaning (and breathe.) Don't force artificial breathing on yourself until you know when you normally breathe while doing things - just take a moment to notice how you breathe - I am still working on this.
If you think you would like to use a mandala to help you meditate or spark a meditative state of mind, bad example, choosing a Nazi flag may be stupid. Sorry that I mentioned it, but a mandala may be fine, a swastika not so good. That image is likely loaded with too much garbage and tremendous negativity. Frankly, if you were going to choose that anyway, I hope you fail with the whole process. Some Escher prints or something like that may work reasonably well as a modern mandala.
A koan may be a useful meditative technique. A statement so simple or so difficult, even impossible, that allows your mind to be free from the day to day world for a moment or immerse you more deeply in it. Songs, poems, rhymes and riddles may offer you some momentary freedom from the day to day grind. At least lightly indulge interests you have there. A similar idea would be to learn the Latin names of some plants or animals (species even,) and when you see one try to figure out a name for it. Feel free to check and get the real name later. It was the thought and the try that I am suggesting, not the hundred percent accuracy. In place of a koan, you could use an editorial with two or more sides and spend some time defending or attacking both sides. This is sort of to loosen up high-focus people.
Learn and practice yoga or tai-chi. Let me comment here: I've seen a lot of people picking up yoga recently. If you are doing so for this practice let me explain... When I mentioned yoga and tai-chi I had in mind the idea that a user could use part of their physical routine to allow them to relax WHILE getting some kind of work-out. I didn't want to send potential users into a set of uncomfortable or overly-complicated acts that would actually make them tighter mentally than the other way around. What I mean is these two may be O.K. – but take it easy! Go with what feels good and hopefully makes you feel good longer term. With these 2 and the next idea of a regular work-out, I was hoping to approach people who had a healthy way of looking at life (and physical activity) – as well as trying to approach people who maybe were more body-focused or more in touch with their bodies than I am. It also occurred to me that if the user wanted to work-out their mind at the same time as they did a regular workout for their body, maybe something could be done.
ON the yoga mess, O.K. I got a bit mushy, kind of new-age over my head – I was looking for meditation ideas your could use if you were strongly body oriented or physically expressive – women who may be interested in dance may have a less embarrassing time with something like that or tai-chi – exercises for your body, without need for apparatus that you can maybe perform your entire life for strength and health – walking may be sufficient...
if yoga makes you uncomfortable (mentally, psychically, heck physically or emotionally – try something else instead – meditate in a chair if you want and walk a little for exercise, stare out into space and take walks – go easy)
I feel that the after-effects of exercise, the endorphins and the better overall feeling in a users body – would equal a relaxation technique. Easy does it. Relax, really. More later. (Breathing!)
This may work with your partner or with each of your mates. Get a back rub, foot rub or massage. However you like it but not so often that you suffer any physical problems from it. Maybe, while receiving the massage feel free to practice signaling your chosen receiver. Warning: if you choose to bring this idea, this method, into your sex life you may be asking for trouble.
Indulge a fantasy life. Find a sport or personal interest that you do not have to personally participate in, and when the opportunity comes up, indulge it. This is like a mental stretch that may help put you in the state of mind for these activities. When I say opportunity I mean if you see a story or something that connects to your "fantasy," see it or read it or spend a moment to think about it within your "fantasy life." You don't have to spend too much time doing this, more like when you can and want to or when it comes up and you have some free time.
Indulge a fantasy that you are honestly interested in. This fantasy may be separate from any real parts of your life. It should maybe not be so stupid that you don't respect it, but still fun. You do not have to personally indulge anything too stupid or risky. Change your interest if you have to or want to. I am leaning toward creating a fun daydream state of mind for you. If you lean toward something more directly physical, be safe, but some sort of participation on your part may be of interest.
It seems nerdy, but play a role playing game or live some drama without making a fool of yourself, mostly to yourself though. Alone or with others. If alone, use a pad of paper or tape recorder to take down your actions perhaps in your fantasy world as you walk through it in real life. Understand that my current condition has weakened my memory, so you may need no recording at all, just your memory and an attempt to remain consistent. It could be kind of koan-like thinking to allow seemingly impossible thoughts into your life and have you deal with them in some way. This sounded fun to me, however weak my own efforts, but you can probably just read instead if you want.
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