Guided Meditation: Hypnagogic State

Welcome to Creative Codex, I am MJDorian, and on this very special mini-episode we are going to explore… your brain.

Specifically, that special point when you are between waking and sleeping. Have you ever been in a car, bus, or airplane and closed your eyes… you become drowsy, relaxed, your body feels heavy, you start to drift off just a little bit, thoughts flowing from association to association, but you’re not quite yet fully asleep… in fact, unlike a dream, you could pull yourself out of that state at will, and open your eyes.

This is called the Hypnagogic State. It is something psychologists study and it is something Salvador Dali famously credited as the source of his surrealist imagery. (Listen to Episode 7 to learn more about Dali.)

So why would you want to willingly induce a hypnagogic state? For this important reason: it brings your consciousness to a special place from which you can view the processes of your unconscious mind. Sometimes those contents contain something truly brilliant and insightful, which was seemingly waiting for you to discover it, and sometimes they are just strange images and entertainingly random. But whatever they turn out to be, the more control you have in navigating this unique interior space, then the more you open the line of communication with your unconscious in your waking life. It’s like when you begin to willingly open that door, and become familiar with the transition from waking to dreaming, you learn to leave it open, just a crack, and when you are awake little insights can slip through more easily.

So on this mini-episode we will willingly enter the Hypnagogic State. And I will guide you each step of the way. Now this is not hypnosis, and I will not influence what you will be seeing. What you will see is your own mind in its natural unconscious dream state.

Now, a quick disclaimer: if you are operating a car or any kind of machine DO NOT participate in this meditation. The first section will be aimed at relaxing your body and mind to the point where it reaches the onset of sleep.

Ok, let’s begin.

First, find yourself a comfy chair, something you can sit upright in, with your back leaning comfortably, but your feet still on the floor. Something like an office chair is perfect. Ok, found it? Good. Now, you’re going to need an item that when dropped will startle you awake a little. Something like a set of keys, a metal spoon, a small bell, a large coin. Anything that if its slips from your hand will cause a noise. If your room has carpeting, try to also bring a plate for the object to fall on. Ok?

So you have a comfy chair, an object and possibly a plate. Have a seat, keep the soles of your feet on the floor, and hold the object with one hand, with your hand resting on the inside of your leg, so that when your body begins to fall asleep, your fingers will loosen and the object will drop on the floor or on the plate beneath it.

Now, rest your back against the back of the chair, make yourself comfortable so you don’t need to move any part of your body for the next few minutes. Take a deep breath – breath in – letting the air fill the bottom of your lungs – hold it for a second and breath out slowly.

From here is the induction process to ease the body into a sleep state. After we finish the process, I will stop talking, and you will continue to hear this bell in the background for another ten minutes. Before the ten minutes is up, your hand will likely drop its object and you should take a mental note of the things you were seeing and experiencing in the hypnagogic state.

To begin, close your eyes. Curl the toes of both your feet, feel the soles of your feet tighten, and hold it for two seconds – one, two. And release slowly.

Curl your toes again, hold it for three seconds – one, two, three. And release slowly.

Curl your toes again, hold it for four seconds – one, two, three, four. And release slowly.

Curl your toes again, hold it for five seconds – one, two, three, four, five. And release slowly.

Check your breathing, make sure you are taking slow and gradual breaths, using your diaphragm. Feel the air coming in through your nose, and downward, past your chest and to your lower ribs, toward your stomach.

Breath in slow. . . hold it for a second. . . and breath out slow. . . hold your lungs empty for a second.

Breath in slow. . . hold it for two seconds – one, two . . and breath out slow . . . hold empty for two – one, two.

Breath in slow. . . hold it for three seconds – one, two, three . . and breath out slow . . . hold empty for three – one, two, three.

Breath in slow. . . hold it for four seconds – one, two, three, four . . and breath out slow . . . hold empty for four – one, two, three, four.

Breath in slow. . . hold it for five seconds – one, two, three, four, five . . and breath out slow . . . hold empty for five – one, two, three, four five.

Continue breathing naturally, gradually, in a comfortable flow.

Give your full attention to your feet, and be sure that they do not have any tension in any muscle. Release the muscles in your feet. Imagine a calming blue light entering through your toes, it is soothing and relaxing every muscle and tendon it passes through. It travels through your toes, slowly, and across the bottom of your feet, upward through your heel and ankle, soothing and relaxing everything it touches, making your foot feel heavy. . . see this blue light slowly traveling up your calf and your shin, gently releasing the muscles in your leg, soothing, relaxing. . . the blue light reaches your knees, it loosens the muscle and joints and makes your leg begin to feel heavy . . . slowly moving upward, relaxing your thighs, from inside out, calming and soothing. . . as it moves into your pelvis. Relaxing everything it passes through, gently releasing the muscles. The blue light now moves upward, through your abdomen, releasing the muscles as you breathe, up your back and spine, soothing and deepening the heavy sensation, into your chest, releasing any muscles, the blue light moves slowly into your shoulders, and down your arms, relaxing the triceps and biceps, easing the tendons and letting your arms feel their own weight. As the light travels through your forearms and to your hands, try to keep your fingers gently holding the object in your hand, don’t loosen the grip yet, just let all the muscles in the areas around your resting hand loosen, know your fingers will loosen on their own in a few minutes. Let the blue light travel slowly back up your arms, loosening your shoulders, and into your neck, soothing and massaging everything gently as it moves into your head, your face now begins to feel heavy as the light relaxes your jaw, creating space between your teeth, it eases your lips and your cheeks, it eases your nose, it relaxes your eyelids, and makes them feel heavy, the blue light moves slowly to your forehead, soothing and relaxing. Your entire face feeling calm and at ease. The blue light slowly moves across the top of your head, easing and cooling as it goes, and down your neck and spine.

Now notice how heavy your body feels. Like it is being weighed down. Like you are wearing a heavy blanket.

With each breath your body feels heavier.

Just breath… notice if you see anything with your closed eyes… are little patterns or shapes appearing? Do they turn into more familiar forms? Notice if you hear anything… Does your breathing sound like an ocean?

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