Hypnagogic Writing:

What is Hypnagogic Writing?

Entering into altered states of consciousness can be an effective way to begin writing your ebook. We are going to venture into more esoteric realms now as we talk about a method to help you create a written masterpiece that even you yourself will be impressed by. It is a seret method known as Hypnagogic Writing.

It is the same method that some of the greatest minds in history have used to envision their greatest ideas, and create their most spectacular works of art. This method involves entering into a hypnagogic state of mind which will show you the answers that you are seeking to find. The only thing you have to do is listen to, and remember the thoughts and ideas that will inevitably enter into your mind as you embrace the Hypnagogic state, and begin writing your book.

I was working in a grocery store in South Florida about 15 years ago, and one day Stephen King came into our store, yes Stephen King the author. He was wearing a cap, and looked down as he shopped to try and stay incognito. It was the first of many times that I had seen him in there.

He was always polite if somebody recognized him, and asked for an autograph, or attempted to engage him in conversation. I never did ask him for an autograph. I had no desire to have him write his name on a piece of paper for me, unless that piece of paper was a check.

I never told anybody that Stephen King shopped in the store that I worked in. Who would believe me? Then one day a friend of mine told me Stephen King was in an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting with him. I had heard in the past that Stephen liked to tip the bottle, and the fact that I had seen him in my store many times made me believe it.

My friend told me at the meeting Stephen was talking about when he was writing his famous book Cujo. He told the group that his publisher had him on a tight timeline to finish the book quickly, and that he was drinking a lot of alcohol while writing it. He went on to say he was so drunk while writing it, he didn't even remember writing most of it.

Check out our list of the 27 Scariest books by Stephen King to Terrorize Your Dreams.

Stephen was in an altered state of consciousness while he wrote one of his most well-known books. He wasn't in the hypnagogic state and using hypnagogic writing to write one of his most well-known novels, but nonetheless he was in an altered state of mind as he wrote it.

Now I am not suggesting that you drink some whiskey, and get drunk before sitting down to compose what could very well be your best selling book, which would be foolish by the way, but engaging in hypnagogic writing would be a wise decision for you to make.

There are many others who have come before you in the past who have understood, and embraced this secret with amazing success. They were not successful because they were lucky, or privileged, or had the right connections. They were successful because they understood the enlightened wisdom gained from the hypnagogic state.

Are you intrigued? Are you ready to learn more about the hypnagogic state, and experience it for your self? Keep reading to learn more about this captivating secret for yourself.

What is the hypnagogic state?

The word hypnagogic comes from the Greek words Hypnos, meaning sleep, and Agogeus meaning guide. Hypnagogic therefore is a word to describe the state of consciousness that is a transitional period as we are being guided from wakefulness into sleep.

We all enter into this hypnagogic state every time we are on the verge of falling asleep. The hypnagogic state is marked by sensations of falling which can also feel like a jerking sensation, and include lucid thoughts, and surreal visions. During this hypnagogic state we may hear whirring sounds, see flashes of light, random geometric shapes, or checkerboard patterns as the room appears to become pixelated as it slowly changes into the dreamscape that we will soon find ourselves in as sleep overcomes us.

When you enter into this hypnagogic state your conscious mind will start to drift off to sleep while your subconscious mind begins to take over with happy abandon. Your mind will now be filled with enlightening thoughts, and ideas created by your subconscious mind that your conscious mind has never even begun to contemplate. These creative thoughts can, and will vanish from your memory just as quickly as they entered it, if a concentrated effort isn't used to both remember and record them. It would be a good idea to keep a journal, and pen handy to write down the thoughts and visions that will be enterng into your consciousness as you transition back into a state of wakefulness.

Have you ever awakened from a dream in the middle of the night that seemed strange, but at the same time you could find an important deeper meaning, or message contained within it? You get out of bed, and walk to the bathroom to empty your bladder as you contemplate the deeper meaning of the dream you just had. You then crawl back into bed after you are done in the bathroom, and turn your thoughts back to your dream, but you no longer have any memory of it anymore.

Your creativity gained during the hypnagogic state will disappear from your memory just as surely as your dreams from the previous night, unless you not only take action to jar your mental state back into one of full consciousness, but record them as well. There are many different methods to attain the hypnagogic state, and you can use the same techniques that have been used by others with knowledge of the power of the hypnagogic state in the past.

Slumber with a key.

Some of the greatest thinkers, authors, and artists in history have used the power of the hypnagogic state, for example...

Salvador Dali one of the 20th century's most prominent surreal artists would, "Slumber with a key." Salvador would sit down to take a nap in a chair while holding a large key between his thumb and finger. He would place a metal plate on the floor underneath his hand that was holding the key, and then relax in his chair, and clear his mind.

When his mind drifted off to sleep the key would slip from between his fingers, hit the plate, and make a loud sound waking him from his slumber. Immediately upon waking his mind would be full of creativity, and he was then inspired to create some of his most well-known dreamlike surreal works of art.

Edgar Allen Poe would describe the hypnagogic state as follows:

"There is however, a class of fancies of exquisite delicacy, which are not thoughts, and to which as yet I have found it absolutely impossible to adapt language. They arise in the soul only at its epochs of most intense tranquility. When the bodily, and mental health are in perfection, and at that mere point of time where the confines of the waking world blends with those of the world of dreams. I am aware of these fancies only when I am upon the very brink of sleep with the consciousness that I am so." - Edgar Allen Poe

Mr. Poe sure had an exquisite way of writing, didn't he? What an eloquent way to describe the hypnagogic state. It is clear from this quote that Edgar Allen Poe used hypnagogic writing frequently in his poetry.

Albert Einstein used a very similar method as Salvador Dali to enter the hypnagogic state, except he would hold a spoon, or even a pencil above a plate as he rested in his chair. When the spoon would hit the plate as he started to fall asleep, the clanking noise would awaken Einstein filling his mind with new concepts and ideas. Einstein revealed that entering into the hypnagogic state flooded his conscious with completely new images, and ideas that were vital to his most important discoveries.

It is your opportunity now to embrace the power of the hypnogogic state, and engage in hypnagogic writing as you take advantage of the enhanced creativity that will be made available to you once you enter into this state. Begin by relaxing your body. Find a comfortable place to sit, or lay down. Your comfortable spot must be quiet, and free from distractions.

Use a technique such as, "Slumber With a Key" or set an alarm to go off in 20 minutes, and take a few deep breaths as you begin to prepare for a brief nap. You should already have a pen and paper ready nearby, or a computer set up to record everything that is now entering into your mind.

Let go of any thoughts that are dominating your conscious mind at the moment. Fill your mind with thoughts of writing your book, and let go of everything else. This will aid in the hypnagogic state revealing to you new thoughts and ideas relating to that which you are focusing your attention on. Take notes immediately upon waking of the thoughts that were revealed to you during the hypnagogic state.

The only thing that matters now is to begin to write your book. Use the inspiration gathered from the hypnagogic state to begin writing your best selling ebook.

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Steven King did not just write novels, he also wrote a great book on writing. check it out here. On Writing: 10th Anniversary Edition: A Memoir of the Craft

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