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Hyperspace Fool
#1 Posted : 9/4/2013 2:22:59 AM

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I have mentioned these devices many times, but they really deserve a thread of their own.

For those unfamiliar, these are Brainwave Entrainement devices that use special frequencies to induce altered states of consciousness. They are similar to the popular "Binaural Beats" and Hemi-Sync techniques, except they also utilize flashing lights to increase and enhance the effect.

There area a wide variety of these things, and they have been around a long while. I got my first one in the 80's and it has been a core part of my magic kit ever since. My first rig was a SuperMind that had just red LEDs in the glasses, and while I kept that thing going for ages, I tended to grab any new models as they came out and currently rock the MindPlace Procyon AVS http://www.mindplace.com...on-Machine/dp/B000X2BSJM (note: I have no affiliation with the nice folks over there at MindPlace)

I am always surprised at how few people have checked these things out.

They are extremely badass bits of kit. They not only work really well (10x better than the audio alone style stuff for me), they are EXTREMELY psychedelic... even on their own. Naturally, they really shine if you use them in conjunction with some entheogens, but most people get very good CEV effects from them dead sober, and they can take a barely noticeable trip and turn it into a kaleidoscopic wonderland in no time flat.

As far as psychedelic visuals go, there is no better bang for your buck (considering that I used my monochrome setup for 20 years and how much my current RGB rig gets a lot of use). I gave my first Procyon to an ex-girlfriend and bought another one when they upgraded the plug on the lightframes (to a more solid and split-able headphone style jack). It has the usual presets which are more than anyone can ask for, but it also has a very technical and precise editor software for making tailor-made journeys that is mind boggling in its possibilities.

Of course, you can use these things in combination with other techniques and software. They will follow AudioStrobe signals off CD. You can play them with things like NeuroProgrammer and Mind Workstation Software... use your favorite Brainwaves and Binaural Beats etc. I tend to play music with some NP3 stuff, and put the ol' Mind Machine on top of that. The endless harmonics and frequency interactions are like a rollercoaster for the mind... but you can also do simple Ganzfeld stuff, explore the Solfeggio tones, Schumann Resonance, tune your chakras, do some brain brightening, go for deep sleep induction, trance, astral projection... the whole nine yards. Most of you here will be interested especially in the various Theta Waves I would think.

I find that:

1) This stuff makes meditation far less boring and gets you way deeper very quickly
2) You can stretch your medicine pouch out really far with this technology because it makes a little go a REALLY long way
3) Often what people are looking for with entheogens can be had without any substances whatsoever with a good AVS session

Next to Sensory Deprivation Flotation Tanks... this is the best psychedelic tool to come out of the "New Age" hands down. When I get enough coin together, I will combine the two into the (dare I say) ULTIMATE psychedelic technology by incorporating AVS into a Float Room. Ideally my float room will be big enough for 2 or more people to float and flash simultaneously.

Hehehehehe. Makes me giddy just thinking about it.

I have already tried a floatation room that had projection and could basically do what I want, so it is just a matter of time.

Anyway. I started this thread in hopes that some other psychonauts who love their AVS machines would chime in. Maybe we can even get around to sharing custom programs....

If this post inspires even one person to add this to their arsenal of entheogenic joy... I will feel my time here has been well spent. Every Felix The Cat definitely needs this in their bag of tricks IMHO.

Much Love
HF
"Curiouser and curiouser..." ~ Alice

"Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it." ~ Buddha
 

Good quality Syrian rue (Peganum harmala) for an incredible price!
 
universecannon
#2 Posted : 9/4/2013 2:55:44 AM



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I picked up a proteus mind machine a little less than two years ago... Its the model just under the procyon, but it still seems to do a great job. I was skeptical but its been way more useful than I thought it would be, and i haven't even gotten around to hooking it up to the ol' laptop and customizing the settings yet (i still need to go grab a little cable adapter). My experience with the folks there was also excellent- an LED on the glasses broke and they sent me a new set for free. I'd guess the break was mostly my fault since i was pretty rough with it

Anywho its taken me into fairly deep territory on just a low dose of changa before, but its also great for more drawn out trips like mushrooms or lsd. The audio hallucinations I get with it, especially if harmalas are in the mix, are very interesting.

Even just using it before the actual journey, in order to get myself in a very calm and low brainwave state, has been incredibly useful... I've found no better way to calm those pre-flight jumps in heart rate. Sometimes though I'll leave it on before smoking, and once i'm at the deepest stage i'll smoalk. At times, that experience can definitely be a bit much, and i wind up throwing off the goggles...but when things do go just right its truly baffling, and makes it all worth it.

Edit:
I believe Vovin incorporated a projector + binaural beats into his sensory deprivation tank like you mentioned. He wrote about this in his mass of the pheonix thread. Although iirc it just had esoteric images on it and not LED flashes synced with the binaurals. In any case this is a good reminder to be careful with this stuff, since at times you may bite off more than you can integrate.



<Ringworm>hehehe, it's all fun and games till someone loses an "I"
 
Hyperspace Fool
#3 Posted : 9/4/2013 3:14:33 AM

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Yeah, the projector in the tank setup I tried had psychedelic visuals and space scenes... fractals and that kind of Winamp visualization stuff ala G-Force and Aeon.

That is cool and all, but nothing like the AVS for me. Afterall, the pixel density in the mind's eye is much higher than any computer can push... and it gets very 3D Surround Immerssive for me when I am even mildly dissociated.

Plus, as you know... the brainwave entrainment aspect is a big part of the fun.

I never had a Proteus, but I played with other 2 color setups. I never thought that colors would make a huge difference as the light still passes through your eyelids, and even white LEDs look red that way.... but I was wrong. The colors on the Procyon work very well, and they do, in fact make a difference. Yet another dimension to push the envelope. Especially when tripping, the various colors communicate some emotional aspect to the thing... and can stimulate the various chakras. It takes some practice to dial them in, but it is easy to accidentally make some incredible things and then tweak to your heart's content.
"Curiouser and curiouser..." ~ Alice

"Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it." ~ Buddha
 
Inner Paths
#4 Posted : 9/4/2013 1:28:48 PM

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I also own a Proteus Mind Machine that I bought a while back. After a promising initial run with it I got sidelined by some other things and have been meaning to start using it regularly again.

I have a question about one of the effects I got from a particular preset I was using on it. It was towards the end of the half hour session, and it happened a good couple of times. As the tones were rising to a crescendo in time with the LEDs I started getting some serious vibration from the top of my spine/base of skull throughout the rest of my spine. It felt like my spine, and my essence I might add, was going to rip from my body at any second. This coincided with a bright white tunnel forming in my vision from the goggle LED's...

I have read of similar feelings at the start of OBE's, was I possibly at the beginning stages of an OBE from use of the Proteus?
"The love I've made is the shape of my space"
 
Global
#5 Posted : 9/4/2013 2:09:29 PM

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It's definitely possible Inner Paths that you were on the verge of a mystical experience, but it's hard to say of course. I have a Proteus too. What setting did you have yours set to for that experience? Do you remember?
"Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind" - Albert Einstein

"The Mighty One appears, the horizon shines. Atum appears on the smell of his censing, the Sunshine- god has risen in the sky, the Mansion of the pyramidion is in joy and all its inmates are assembled, a voice calls out within the shrine, shouting reverberates around the Netherworld." - Egyptian Book of the Dead

"Man fears time, but time fears the Pyramids" - 9th century Arab proverb
 
Inner Paths
#6 Posted : 9/4/2013 2:38:42 PM

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Hey Global,

It was a while ago and I can't remember exactly which preset it was but I can narrow it down to either the Well Being Deep Relaxation preset or the Relaxation MindRelax 25 preset if memory serves me correct, sorry I can't be more specific Global. (Edit: It could very possibly have been the Relaxation Mind Sauna preset also...)

It happened on at least three different sessions and I also had the same sensation spontaneously occur sans mind machine whilst on the edge of sleep around the time I was dabbling with it.

When it happened with the mind machine I always wished the preset would've kept ascending in tone and visuals for longer because it would only happen within the last minute of the session then fade as soon as the program finished... I guess that's what the additional programming software and regular use of the machine and other techniques is for though. Looks like I'll have to dust off the machine and get back into practice with it Smile
"The love I've made is the shape of my space"
 
Hyperspace Fool
#7 Posted : 9/4/2013 6:32:17 PM

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No doubt IP. Dust off that bad boy and see if you can't recreate the experience. I too, often let my AVS sit unused and unloved for some long stretches... traveling, forgetting about it, imagining it was too much work to dig it out... usually just tripping hard enough that the idea of getting involved with wires and whatnot seemed pointless.

When you are already in full on hyperspace breakthrough, the thought of the high pressure of strobing lights was, at times, like "Why bother?"

However, I came to notice that the same things that I would tell myself as an excuse to not meditate regularly were being used to avoid using the AVS... and it usually dawned on me that this was my ego's knee jerk reaction to keep me from engaging in an activity that it found threatening. The ego tends to a) either sound a false alarm about something being incredibly important and requiring it's immediate attention or b) start in with a refrain to the effect of "Ahhh, you don't need to mess with that... it will be a waste of your time. Boring." These two choruses, sometimes in combination or mixed with other tropes to the same effect are typical of a threatened ego, and come up whenever I used to contemplate... well, engaging in contemplation.

Even for plain jane vanilla meditation, or doing yoga... or chi kung, I would start telling myself that something else was infinitely more pressing somehow, that I couldn't spare even 15 min from my altogether necessary websurfing or thumb-in-the-ass time. Hehehehhe. Tricky bastard.

The key is to get the ego on your side. To soothe the monkey mind into recognizing that a) you have no intention of taking him upstate to retire him to a farm b) you find him valuable and acknowledge the good he does and c) meditation is an adventure which can also benefit him as well. If you are sincere in communicating this to him, the ol' monkey might even help you out and start reminding you that it is time to shut down the mind and reboot.

Of course, some of the monkey's arguments have some validity, which is what makes them effective. They all have solutions, but still. He will say "Ahhh... that thing? Too bright and artificial; you don't need it." But, of course, you can turn the brightness down, and once you get down to low Alpha Waves, the distinction of "artificial" quickly loses meaning... and you spend your time staring at a computer monitor anyway which is at least as artificial. His cry of "Oh, we are way too high to mess with that thing now." can be true, but if you do manage to get it going, you will nearly always be very happy you did. Of course, the "It is out of batteries." one is harder to counter if you don't have a USB cable or a computer handy.

I find that a little preparation goes a long way. Rechargeable batteries and spares JIC (like you would have no problem remembering for your camera or music device or whatever). Having a dedicated pair of headphones or earbuds for the AVS and using a bit of tape or some twist ties to keep the cables in one orderly line... a bro of mine even built a DIY headphones and light glasses single unit. This was cool, but I often use the light glasses without the headphones because I am blasting brainwaves out of my sound system anyway, and the glasses alone are still way more effective than binaural beats or whatever. Even just leaving the glasses running in front of me in a darkened room is already a huge effect when my eyes are closed anyway.

....


As for your experience, the answer is an emphatic OF COURSE.

(sorry to bury the lead)

OOBE's are not only possible, I have a number of programs just for that purpose. I find that going deep into low Theta or Delta can prime the mind for dreaming and liminal states... visions galore etc... but the "ramping up" tones and flickering used in some programs is a nice kicker into OOBE or other profound things. This is because you chill your dome real far down that hole, and then these sudden swoops to really high frequencies (Gamma etc.) brighten the mind up while still maintaining the lower wave. This exhilarating rush can be just the kick you need to get stuff going. You want to be simultaneously stimulated and relaxed, and Gamma is the key to that because those are waves your brain can not reproduce easily (if at all). So instead of continuing to entrain to the rising pitch, your mind adopts a lower harmonic frequency. (i.e. stays in Theta, but with much more awareness and much less chance of snoozing)

I noticed as well that these dramatic upswings are often found at the very end of a program to bring you back in a heightened state of awareness and not leave you in snoozeland. They are like the "Okay Bub... back to normal consciousness." signal. I don't know if the Proteus' programs are comparable 1 to 1 with the Procyon (kind of doubt it), but the Procyon has a couple that do the ramping up throughout or maintain it longer at the end. As you said, though, it is easy enough to program your ideal session. My programmer software is Windows only if I recall, but Mac and Linux can usually run an emulator for Windows progs.

I tended to avoid bothering making programs, but then when I finally got around to it and remembered how to do it... I would get off on it. It is a great opportunity to give yourself exactly what you know you will want... mess around with specific tones and explore specific frequencies etc. You can also test them from the program, controlling the AVS before uploading them, and this is key as you begin to see where they need tweaking. Eliminate any jagged segment connections... shift the visuals to have more bite... go for some long crescendos or dramatic ramps etc... and make the parts you really dig last longer.

The Procyon has a feature that if you hit the right button while in a session, it will pause the program there. (willing to guess that the Proteus does too) This is often a glorious thing if you find that perfect room or tunnel and want to chill there. Course, you aren't going to peak down at the machine to make sure you press the right button, so you need to remember by feel which of the three buttons on the front you need to press. I sometimes meditate with the device cradled in my hands so I can adjust brightness, volume, and pauses on the fly.

....

Anyway, it is not really surprising that you 3 freaks are among those that have one of these machines already (I mean that in the most endearing way imaginable) You guys are regularly among the Nexians I relate to most, so it is no wonder we think somewhat alike, and are all drawn to this kind of tech.

Love you guys, really I do...

HF
"Curiouser and curiouser..." ~ Alice

"Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it." ~ Buddha
 
Inner Paths
#8 Posted : 9/5/2013 1:12:32 AM

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Hyperspace Fool wrote:
OOBE's are not only possible, I have a number of programs just for that purpose. I find that going deep into low Theta or Delta can prime the mind for dreaming and liminal states... visions galore etc... but the "ramping up" tones and flickering used in some programs is a nice kicker into OOBE or other profound things. This is because you chill your dome real far down that hole, and then these sudden swoops to really high frequencies (Gamma etc.) brighten the mind up while still maintaining the lower wave. This exhilarating rush can be just the kick you need to get stuff going. You want to be simultaneously stimulated and relaxed, and Gamma is the key to that because those are waves your brain can not reproduce easily (if at all). So instead of continuing to entrain to the rising pitch, your mind adopts a lower harmonic frequency. (i.e. stays in Theta, but with much more awareness and much less chance of snoozing)


That explains a lot HF and thanks for the thorough post, great stuff!

It was definitely a really cool and intense feeling when the vibrations kicked in, like my essence was getting beamed from above onto the mothership Thumbs up And the fact that it happened sans machine one night on the edge of sleep is an indicator that I was on the right path!

Inspired by this thread, I gave the old girl a spin for about 10 minutes last night before bed to see if it still worked in general and it definitely still puts my mind into some nice spaces, especially when a preset does a sudden shift from a low tone and visuals to a sudden flash and tone ramp, felt like I had been vaulted into a blue teleportation holding space. I'm going to leave the Proteus in a nice visible spot in my room from now on (advice I give to my guitar students that are slack on picking up their guitar), my consciousness can only benefit from regular use of these interesting machines.

One of the reasons I got an AVS mind machine was that at the time, for various reasons, I wasn't indulging in any substances, so I was looking for alternate avenues into altered states land (I was also using a float tank around this time). Now that I am indulging again quite regularly with cannabis and cannabinoids and am about to implement in semi regular low dose changa sessions, the machine can be a great ally in my journeying.

Thanks for starting this thread HF and kicking me into using my Proteus again. And thanks to the other nexians in this thread too. I'll try and report back periodically with how my progress goes.

Oh... and love straight back to you guys too! Love


"The love I've made is the shape of my space"
 
Inner Paths
#9 Posted : 9/12/2013 1:47:24 AM

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I'd just like to add to this thread some more...

I have been inspired by this thread to have a few Proteus sessions this week in conjunction with a harmala only changa (not sure if you still call it changa if it's bereft of any spice though?). A couple pipes of the harmala changa and I feel nice and relaxed with some spacey overtones and some sound enhancement too. I used the 25 minute mind sauna preset in conjunction with some Aboriginal didgeridoo music piped through the aux input on the Proteus to aid the journey...

I have noticed a definite deepening of the sessions with the assistance of the harmalas, the spaces brought forth by the LED goggles feel deeper, the mind states more expansive and some really interesting body effects such as a mild buzzing hum throughout the arms and legs. One striking one last night was when I felt my whole being expanding outwards and stretching, especially my head region whilst simultaneously outside reality was melding with me, my boundaries loosening somewhat, if that kept going it felt like I would become my surroundings eventually.

Also, a general spacey, psychedelic feeling pervades by the end of the session and afterwards, definitely a much deeper meditational mind state is achieved than compared to meditation purely by itself. It doesn't do all the work though and my monkey mind would occasionally start to chatter away and I would have to calmly bring it back to focus, but infinitely easier with the Proteus and harmalas combined vs no harmals. Or no Proteus for that matter.

I plan on introducing my acacia changa within the next week or so to really bump it up a notch but I am really enjoying the harmalas at the moment and will at least do a few more sessions with those first... Straight harmalas are beautiful in general anyway, like a really comfortable blanket on a cold night. I plan on getting hold of some caapi leaf in the not too distant future also (maybe do some 10X) and see how those compare to the rue extracted harmalas I have at the moment.

I'll update as I progress along my fellow mind machine brethren, peace Very happy
"The love I've made is the shape of my space"
 
Hyperspace Fool
#10 Posted : 9/25/2013 1:31:53 PM

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Yeah IP, I find that harmalas and their mild dissociation go well with meditation in general and AVS devices in particular. All dissos do.

The only psychedelic states I find that are not enhanced by brain machine sessions are ones where you are so broken through already that you don't have a body to attach one to. Hehehehe. Even those states where you are too high to make use of one are enhanced though IMO... if I administer the machine to someone who is totally unable to use it themselves and already "peaking" they inevitably find themselves peaking harder.

I have had a number of experiences where I get the thing all set up before breaking through... and then remember at some point that wanted to see what would happen if I managed to flip the switch, and using a superhuman willpower managed to press the on button (which, if I was lucky, was still under my thumb) and sure enough... instant turbo.

(note: I am not suggesting that people need to turbocharge breakthrough doses of spice... heheheeh. This is purely boundary pushing, expert only territory.)
"Curiouser and curiouser..." ~ Alice

"Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it." ~ Buddha
 
Inner Paths
#11 Posted : 9/25/2013 2:17:15 PM

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Hyperspace Fool wrote:
(note: I am not suggesting that people need to turbocharge breakthrough doses of spice... heheheeh. This is purely boundary pushing, expert only territory.)


I definitely won't be taking this approach anytime soon, ha ha.... More power to you for being able to go there you renegade! Twisted Evil

I'm happy to progress slowly as a novice with low doses and work on up as I get more experienced. I just had a shipment of plain leaf salvia (thanks to a little loophole in the Aussie NSW law) that I am keen to incorporate with the mind machine. I have a busy week this week so won't have a chance but next week it is on. I have read that smoked harmalas and salvia synergise rather well too.

Definitely been enjoying the harmala stone along with the AVS sessions. I tried a session without the harmalas last week to see how it compares and the focus was harder to maintain, though still had its moments. It's time to take it up a notch next week, I'll post any interesting results in this thread.
"The love I've made is the shape of my space"
 
obliguhl
#12 Posted : 9/26/2013 11:22:04 AM

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I remember holding such a machine in my hands as a child and deciding that it was crap. After this thread, i believe it is about time i reevaluate this preconception. I've always been into brainwave entrainment. Some audio really does influence me in peculiar ways, so i'd love to get my hands on one if these machines. But since they are quite costly, i fear that a purchase could turn into a humiliating experience where initial enthusiasm turns into dissapointment, and then deep regret, even shame, as the item in question starts to collect dust.

I would also like to know if i'd get seizures from it, dizziness or nausea. I've never had a seizure, but since these machines are all about rapidly flickering lights for hours, it seems like they're a good way to test ones suspectibility to epilepsy.
 
Inner Paths
#13 Posted : 9/26/2013 3:37:38 PM

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Those are valid concerns to have obliguhl... I'm not certain but I thought I read a warning in the manual to my Proteus about not using it if you have epilepsy. Don't quote me on it though. If you haven't had problems in the past with epilepsy I'd assume you'd be alright but I'm not a doctor either so take that with a grain of salt. Sometimes in a session I get rapid eye movement but it doesn't feel bad by any means either.

As for the machine itself, it is definitely, IMO, more effective than just sound devices. Research indicates that the lights are actually more important in the equation too. Another cool thing with the Proteus (and I'm assuming the Procyon) is that you can patch in outside audio/music to blend in with the sessions. I've found this super awesome, some didgeridoo music with the pulsing tones and lights drop me into some great states.

Hyperspace Fool will hopefully pop his head in with his spin, he's the guru on these machines within the nexus. I hope you find the answers you are after and give these cool tech/trip toys a spin Smile

"The love I've made is the shape of my space"
 
Hyperspace Fool
#14 Posted : 9/26/2013 8:45:26 PM

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I am just going to reiterate what brother IP said.

None of us are qualified to say whether you are susceptible to seizures, and even people who would be, would certainly need to see you in person and run some tests.

BUT... I think if you got this far in your life without having one, it is rather unlikely that an AVS machine would trigger one for you. There is that classic tale of the Japanese cartoon with strobe effects that sent people into seizures... but I am willing to bet that those people were all epileptics.

Again, not dispensing any medical advice.

As for the qualms about the cost and the idea you might not find the money well spent... I think even the cream of the crop 200$ and up machines are well worth every penny... and there is no shame or humiliation in finding out you wasted some coin. Most of us will waste orders of magnitude more cash in our lives. I have bought big ticket items like automobiles only to have them go on sale after... Regret I get. Shame? A bit much IMHO.

Anyway... there are perfectly workable models to be found in the single color variety for under $100.

I think MindPlace used to have a model called the Sirius, but I haven't seen anything about it since they were basically giving them away for $70. I was seriously thinking about buying a bunch of them to give away and use in situations where they might get damaged or whatever. The Sirius had a microphone built in, and could sync the lights to the mic input (something no other machine had or has AFAIK)... this was way cool if you wanted to see the effect of singing or whistling an icaro for instance... or seeing what visual patterns came when at a concert or whatever. I am guessing they are discontinued as they must have cost nearly as much to make as the higher ticket models. Though, I am guessing you could pick one up (or another mind machine) on ebay or whatever for next to nothing if you looked.

That's my 2c.

Pleased
HF
"Curiouser and curiouser..." ~ Alice

"Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it." ~ Buddha
 
SpartanII
#15 Posted : 9/28/2013 5:56:18 AM

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HF, I have a mind machine I got in the late 90's called the Halcyon that works great but the light glasses are broken. I paid a little extra for them because they were "True White" LEDs (flashed only white) and were supposed to create better visuals. Since this thread has inspired me, I would like to order a new pair, but I don't know if they still make them.

Can you recommend a site that sells just the glasses?

And, do you know if white LEDs are indeed better than the colored ones?
 
olympus mon
#16 Posted : 9/28/2013 8:59:04 AM

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What's appealing to me is the aid in meditation. I have a very hard time shutting my mind up. Ironically all the more reason to mediate more, lol.
One concern i have is strobing light drives me mental, are these strobes or color fading? I have left music shows, namely the patheticly lame display of Shpongletron experience because after an hour my gdamn eyes and head couldn't handle anymore endlessly flashing lights. I still feel Simon P owes Portland Oregon a refund and apology for that let down, lol.
Do you that have used them feel that would be an issue for someone sensitive to strobing light?
I am not gonna lie, shits gonna get weird!
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Inner Paths
#17 Posted : 9/28/2013 9:15:18 AM

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My mind machine (Proteus) can control the brightness of the lights in the goggles as I'm sure a lot of other machines can also do too so this should help if you're sensitive to pulsing lights.

I'm not sure on the difference between colour fade and strobing but the light goggles on mine are multicolour, is strobing purely limited to white light or can you have strobing with colour also?

The mind machine, for me at least, makes it way easier to get into meditative states. My mind will still delve off into monkey chatter but it is much easier to focus myself back onto the lights and tone pulses and get much more out of a session compared to straight up solo meditation.

As a side note, I have noticed since using the mind machine again, that when lying down with eyes closed listening to music, I can zone out into a trance much easier than before I was using the mind machine. Kind of like the mind machine works like meditational/trance inducing training wheels on steroids!
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Hyperspace Fool
#18 Posted : 9/28/2013 8:22:01 PM

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@SpartanII

I remember the Halcyon... never had one myself, but a friend was rocking one back in the day. I still had red LED setup then, and was curious as to this "True White" thing... My feeling at the time was that his machine seemed brighter than mine, but my eyelids still colored the light that reached my eyes enough that the difference was not huge... and brightness was never the issue, if anything I tended to turn mine down.

That said, when the 2 color glasses and then the current full RGB guys came out, I was amazed at the difference. Red alone worked fine for me, and white was cool... but the full kaleidoscope is pretty badass. I am often shocked at how well the colors come through. You would think that deep blues passing through your eyelids would come out purplish... but not for me. I tend to like to turn the brightness up now, to even intensify the color spectrum effect or to leave the glasses laying in front of me and flashing up at me from a distance. (nice when multiple people in the room want to trip on the frequencies) I can run the sound through my speakers and ditch the headphones as well.

I wish I could say if there are replacement Halcyon glasses... I am guessing if you look hard enough you can probably score some. Even if you had to buy someone's old Halcyon for a handful of bucks.

Also, depending on what is wrong with them, you may be able to go DIY and fix them yourself. I kept an ancient 80's model running for decades with willpower and electric tape.

Cool
"Curiouser and curiouser..." ~ Alice

"Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it." ~ Buddha
 
Hyperspace Fool
#19 Posted : 9/28/2013 8:43:56 PM

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@ OM

I really think everyone responds differently to flashing/flickering light. I think people who absolutely don't like it might have a problem with certain frequencies. I find uptempo beta waves flashing at me annoying as well. Overstimulation and then some.

But, I dearly love the lower frequencies. (the ones you use for meditation and visuals mostly) Think of how it feels to have flickering firelight on your eyelids... probably the earliest mind machine.

I find that even very specific frequencies evoke different feelings in me. I might be passing through an uninteresting range of high alpha and then hit a specific freq. that really jibes for me. Sometimes these coincide with famous frequencies and tones (Schumann Resonance, Solfegio Harmonics, Harmonic Frequencies of the Earth or Lunar Cycle etc.) sometimes they are peculiar to me... or to that moment in time.

Still, by and large, deep theta is where it's at. A few dramatic swells and dives back into theta are really nice, but the meat and potatoes are the theta waves for me.

It is possible to create ganzfeld effects where there is no visible flashing as well. These can become quite visual in the way that your mind starts hallucinating in a snowstorm or when you are deep in a cloud.

Personally, I like the flashing. If you are running a session, it will never stay in any one annoying frequency long enough to bother you, and while the flashing is quite noticeable at first, it does kind of fade from my attention after a while.

Somehow, when you get going in a session, the mind's eye takes over and you begin to see things that are only tegentially related to the lights. With my Red only set-up, I could see a full range of colors once it was going... I tend to enter entire dreamscapes that may have the sky flahsing softly through the colors... but also may not.

Since the eyes are closed, the flashing is actually not a major deal. If you enjoy LSD style CEV's, I think you will enjoy a good mind machine session. It is a bit starker and more artificial than say mushy or aya visuals, though, which tend to be more floaty and less neon for me.

I suppose that is about as well as I can put it at the moment. I may think of some better analogies later, but I will just wind up by saying that plenty of my friends who don't like strobe effects and were even turned off watching other people use the device, found that they really liked using it once we dialed the brightness down enough.

The bright flashing drives and pushes my trip visuals, but the brainwave entrainment works at even subliminal levels. Kind of makes me want to set my monitor on a custom frequency now that I think about it...

Peace bro
HF

"Curiouser and curiouser..." ~ Alice

"Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it." ~ Buddha
 
Inner Paths
#20 Posted : 9/29/2013 3:48:23 AM

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Damn HF, you sure have a knack for articulating the workings of the mind machine and experiences that ensue, much better than I ever could.

I must not be the most visual person because I don't get crazy LSD style CEV's from the proteus. Unless it's just the sessions I'm using, my most potent visuals are of visually being inside of blue teleportation like rooms and of ascending into rippled white light (kind of similar to the ripples of a body of water with a light wind on it). Last week I had a vision in my minds eye of walking on an ancient aboriginal path past sacred stones, kind of like a right of passage (the didgeridoo music that was playing through the aux input definitely helped that vision unfold!).

I tend to find the mind states and body effects I get are more prominent for me than the CEV's. The feeling of my mind and body stretching and twisting like taffy, vibrations through my arms and a body buzz/high and my mind slowly being consumed by a black void are common effects I get.

Maybe more time and experience will yield more complex CEV's but I am more than stoked with what I am achieving already, I have played a few gigs this weekend and have been playing my guitar with much more fluidness and focus than I have in months, the last time this happened was after I was doing regular sensory deprivation float tank sessions. I can't wait to combine the plain salvia leaf I just obtained along with the harmala's and see where that takes me. Onwards and upwards....
"The love I've made is the shape of my space"
 
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