Quite frequently, especially in the beginning, you might find yourself in the situation where you are not completely sure if you are in the Phase on not.
There are several reality check techniques.
- Hyperconcentration (page 310, Practical Guide Book)
At present, only one experiment is known almost to guarantee an accurate result. The phase space cannot withstand prolonged close visual attention to the minute details of objects. Within several seconds of acute examination, shapes begin to distort, objects change color, produce smoke, melt, or morph in other ways.
- Breathing with the nose pinched technique. (page 336, Practical Guide Book)
One of the most undeservedly popular reality checks consists of trying to breathe out through a pinched nose. If you are able to do so, consider yourself in the phase. However, if there is serious doubt regarding the nature of the space you are in, this method may yield a false positive
over one-third of the time. That is, you may be unable to breathe out through a pinched nose even when in the phase.From my own experience I can tell that this technique is effective to some extent, however you have to always remember that it might get influenced by your assumption about your state. Here is one example from my own practice:
…everything felt so real that I don’t even know why I decided to check if it was the phase. Imagine it yourself: yesterday you went to bed, then you woke up this morning, showered, got ready, did this, did that and then decided to check if it was the phase – and it turned out that IT IS (!).
So I decided just for the heck of it to test if it might be the phase by “breathing with the nose pinched” technique and of course it did not work at first, because I had been doing it with the “how can it be the phase, everything is so real” thought. But I kept trying and after a third attempt air got out from somewhere behind my ears and I happily confirmed for myself that I was totally in the phase.