Conscious Sleep
Hypnosis, and conscious sleep, are like brothers. I can use hypnosis to fall asleep with my awareness fully intact, by inducing a trance, then telling my subconscious mind to watch for the signs that I am falling asleep. The first sign is usually 'abstract and bizare thinking'. The second phrase is mild hypnagogia (kinesthetic delusions), such as vibrations proceeding through the body. The third sign is the most jarring (peak hypnagogia), where you hear the vibrations sounding in your ears, and you begin to see vague flashing lights, or geometric shapes. The fourth phase involves profound kinesthetic delusions, such as feeling your body floating, or your body spinning. And finally, these kinesthetic delusions morph into a dream.
All this brain activity happens every time we fall asleep, but the vast majority are simply not conscious of this.
All this brain activity happens every time we fall asleep, but the vast majority are simply not conscious of this.