Posts by Charles Wood73

Emily Cook8 said:I’m with you on that one! +1 :topcina: !

Not exactly light reading like Cosmopolitan, more like Ernest Hemingway.
(Hemingway’s what really built my muscles.)

Hemingway? You’re definitely playing it safe. 😬

darkraven said:April was honestly a bit of a letdown. I've been digging through my OBE journal lately, and here’s the breakdown:

On April 1st, around 5:10 AM, I hit my 34th OBE, but the whole thing cut out the second I actually managed to "exit the body" and tried to stabilize the experience.

Then on April 2nd, around 6:34 AM, I gave it a shot, but the exit process felt sluggish and heavy—I just couldn't break free.

I drifted off again and then at about 8:02 AM, I had my 35th OBE. I actually managed to get out this time, but it ended just as abruptly as the one before.

On April 4th, I had another attempt. This counts as a success in the sense that I triggered what some folks here call the "astral body," but I just couldn't fully separate.

After falling back asleep, around 6:30 AM, I had my 36th OBE. This one was pretty wild because I didn't feel like I had a physical body at all; I was moving through space differently, just sort of floating... it was tough to control. I even tried flying by just heading straight through the window (I was on the second floor) and glided down the street for a bit, though the scenery looked a little different from how it looks in the real world.

April 5th, at both 5:27 and 6:35 AM, I had attempts... and yeah, I don't think I need to explain why those failed.

April 6th, at 7:13 AM, another attempt.

April 7th, at 6:39 AM, yet another try... couldn't get out.

April 10th at 2:09 AM, April 12th at 3:19 AM and 6:42 AM... nothing but attempts.

On April 13th at 11:31 PM, I had my 37th OBE, but as soon as I tried to steady myself, it was like my legs gave out and the whole experience vanished.

April 15th at 5:46 AM, my 38th OBE. I actually made it out and reached the desk in my 'room.' I was just starting to feel the texture of it under my hands when everything cut to black.

April 18th at 4:17 AM, another attempt... you guys know the drill.

On April 21st at 10:58 PM, I had my 39th OBE. This one was unique because I induced it while trying to fall asleep—basically without the usual pre-sleep phase. But once again, I only made it as far as the desk... the experience ended before I could even really see anything.

April 23rd at 5:07 AM—my 40th OBE. Once again, it died the moment I started trying to stabilize.

And that's pretty much it for the month. I think I need to take a breather from all this during May.

March was actually more interesting since I managed to do a bit of exploring in some of those sessions... but nothing major.

I’ve seen a pretty significant shift on my end, even though I don't keep formal, studio-style notes like that. In fact, I don't keep any records at all; I mostly just go by intuition... but your topic actually inspired something in me. A new method for inducing LS. At least, it's new to me.

It’s a modification of 'state testing,' but approached through sensory input. It’s almost like 'mindfulness.' Essentially, I study the physical properties of objects whenever the thought strikes me. How firm or soft a surface feels, how heavy certain items are, feeling various textures, checking if I can pass my hand through a wall, and things of that nature. And it has definitely reflected in the quality of my dreams. They aren't lucid, necessarily, but they have become much more vivid.

darkraven said:I originally posted this under Psychology, but the mod moved it over to Psychopathology—honestly, no clue why. My best guess is he thought it was tied to some kind of mental health issue. Just out of pure curiosity, I’m playing around with these ideas because I wanted a decent, deep conversation. But when you look at the gems we get from people like Descender or Ass—whose comments basically boil down to "you're crazy" or "you're making stuff up"—it’s just not a great vibe all around.

If I were in those shoes, I wouldn't take it quite so personally... people can be pretty unwell, you know how it goes. 😬

Any new developments since we last spoke?

I might actually have it... which is why I wasn't just hitting the weights at the gym, but was multitasking by flipping through Cosmopolitan at the same time. Just to be safe. 😳

darkraven said:Are you kidding me? That thing is still up? It honestly feels like the mods on that sub are straight-up sleeping on the job.
I haven't even glanced at it since my last post went up.

And besides, what would they even have to lock it for? 🤔

I just had this random memory pop up... there was this guy I used to see at the gym, a gay guy named Martin Luther King Jr., who wrote a book called Social Distancing. It doesn't exactly have a stellar reputation; it seems like his work stayed pretty much unnoticed, even after he made the jump from lifting weights to writing prose. I can only hope he's found some steady companionship in the meantime.

Paul Rogers94 said:So, here’s my totally amateur-hour experience;

As part of my practice, I’d wake up in the middle of the night every single night, get my business done, and head right back to bed.
One night, I did the exact same thing—got up, finished my tasks, went back to bed—only to realize I’d forgotten to turn off the light.
I stood up and reached for the switch to kill the light, but for some incredibly bizarre reason, I just couldn't make it happen.
Then I turned around and saw myself lying there in bed.
In reality, I had performed the entire midnight ritual without ever actually waking up or getting out of bed.
Being a complete novice at the time, it was... a pretty fascinating experience.

Hopefully, this won't land me in the trash bin. 🙂

That’s funny, because my own introduction to lucid dreaming also revolved around a light switch. I was lying in bed reading 'Fairy and Elf' and suddenly realized I was dreaming because the text was saying things that simply didn't make sense. I wanted to study that specific passage a bit more closely, and since the room was dim, I decided to flip the light on... and given that I was lucid, I didn't see any reason to actually get out of bed; I just reached out, fiddled with the switch, and adjusted the lighting right there. I was so caught up in the sheer thrill of making it work—treating a standard toggle switch like it was some kind of dimmer—that I jolted awake before I could finish reading what I wanted. (It wasn't until later that I actually understood what lucid dreaming was and why text behaves so strangely within them).

BTW, if you have a moment, take a look at this thread, I'm really curious to hear your take.

Paul Ross2 said:I have zero ambition to change the masses. I am talking about individuals. We live in an era defined by the shopping mall. People pilgrimage to temples of consumerism, and because they exist entirely outside the realm of the non-material, they aren't capable of grasping anything else. There used to be inventors, spiritual seekers, people genuinely interested in personal growth...
Nowadays, even when someone is an inventor or engages with spirituality, they view it primarily as a business venture that needs to be monetized immediately. I had a friend who actually starved to death because he poured every single cent into the materials needed to build his concepts and models. Today, everyone is just trying to launch some new startup and convinced themselves that this constitutes progress.

Look, I’m certainly no cheerleader for the whole startup culture, but I suppose they represent a slight step up from literal starvation.

And then there’s the whole romantic side of things... where I’ve noticed that guys who are a bit shorter tend to steer clear of me. If anything, I’d be the type to constantly shower them with affection, just fussing over them and giving them endless head scratches, but they practically bolt the door, demand their "personal space," and retreat into their little cocoons... leaving me completely out in the cold. They just aren't interested, period. It’s never been an issue with guys of average height—our needs for solitude are more or less in sync—but with the shorter fellas, I always end up looking like some needy, overbearing stalker. 🤔

I was just sitting here thinking about something—it might be totally irrelevant to the thread, but who knows... I picked up this book recently about avoidant personality disorder, and now I’m spiraling a bit wondering if that diagnosis is essentially just a fancy way of describing someone with an avoidant attachment style. Or maybe they’re just two sides of the same coin? I can't quite recall the title, though I do remember the author identified as gay. Not that that matters much in a vacuum, but in this context, it felt like a detail worth noting... because the only part of the book that actually stuck in my brain was this one passage where he mused about the types of people you see at the local Gold's Gym who just show up to grind. They don't talk, they don't socialize, they certainly don't engage in those "accidental" physical brushes or try to get uncomfortably close to anyone; they just step onto a machine and hammer away. To him, apparently, that behavior alone was enough to warrant a clinical diagnosis. At least, that's how I remember it—though I can't be entirely sure since I didn't finish the thing; it was far too overpriced for my liking.

wanderingbadger0 said:You sound like an avoidant type. 🤣

You haven't mentioned anything that I haven't already considered. As I have stated before, the topic at hand concerns needs within a relationship, not the needs of an individual in general...

Fair enough, I do tend to steer clear of people quite often... though I always considered myself just your run-of-the-mill introvert, especially since being in a relationship hasn't caused me any real social friction. Then again, maybe staying tucked away in a relationship is just another clever way for me to avoid the rest of the world? (It wouldn't be hard to pull off, considering my partner isn't exactly the life of the party or someone who enjoys a big blowout BBQ either.) Honestly, during the lockdown, we were living like kings in our own little bubble. 😳

wanderingbadger0 said:Since this discussion centers on attachment styles, it stands to reason that any issues regarding emotional scarcity or overcompensation would manifest most clearly within a relationship. We all exist in a vacuum when we are alone, yet problems regarding attachment patterns truly come to light once we begin pairing up with someone else.

However, if you believe it is possible to address these issues beforehand, I would be quite interested to learn about your specific methodology. How exactly did you identify which areas required attention without the presence of a partner or a trial relationship to serve as a mirror?

Generally speaking, I am of the opinion that we learn the most about our own nature through our interactions with others in our immediate social environment. For that reason, I find your premise somewhat difficult to accept, though I would certainly welcome hearing about your personal experiences if you feel they might change my perspective. 🙂

What, you mean I should stop bothering random strangers with my emotional baggage since they don't particularly care? Or maybe just deal with my own mess instead of waiting for a partner to come along and fix it? Perhaps act my age instead of throwing a toddler-sized tantrum? Just tossing out some theories there, though I'm sure there's plenty more where that came from. Becoming self-reliant is entirely doable without needing a romantic partner to act as a catalyst.

Look, I’m not really one to judge anyone's life choices—I’ve got enough of my own messes to deal with—but I can say this much: maybe try working on being less dependent on others? Focus on finding some emotional equilibrium or, you know, finally untangling those childhood knots that keep resurfacing.

Without doing that groundwork, it’s a long shot to expect the perfect partner to just fall into your lap. I mean, sure, some people strike it rich on a Powerball ticket or dodge a literal meteor, so I guess you could get lucky through sheer cosmic coincidence, but psychology isn't exactly going to bail you out if you aren't doing the work. At least, that's my two cents.

Charles Palmer57 said:Hey there, I'm 29 years old—is it too late for me to dive into web development or maybe 3D modeling and actually build a solid career out of it?

Or would it be smarter to just pivot into being an electrician? Is that even a viable move at my age?

Well, if we’re strictly talking about where the money is, you'd probably be better off heading into tile setting.

Thomas Sanchez2 said:The sheer volume of programming tools out there today is honestly overwhelming, and I find myself spinning my wheels just trying to figure out where to land. Should I be diving into self-study via various online platforms—maybe something like Udemy, SmartNinja, or whatever else is trending? Does anyone have actual recommendations on how to kick things off? My formal education essentially stopped after high school. The drive is definitely there; I just need a bit of guidance to get the engine running. 🙂

Look, online courses aren't inherently bad, but you might find more value in following a methodically structured curriculum rather than just jumping into random tutorials. Instead of leaning heavily on Udemy, I’d suggest looking toward a more prestigious MOOC offered by a reputable university—check out platforms like Coursera, edX, or Udacity for that kind of academic rigor. If you’re just looking for a way to passively watch videos to get a surface-level sense of what different languages can do and where they fit in the ecosystem, LinkedIn actually offers a 'Learning path - Becoming a software developer' that became free during the pandemic; it covers the basics of Java, Python, and a few other essentials.

quietangler47 said:According to her story, nothing actually happened between them, but they were trying to use gifts to change her mind, which honestly makes zero sense to me. She mentioned she can't bring herself to be physically intimate with a man after everything she's been through, and she just wants some peace and quiet without anyone bothering her. Out of all the guys who were crowding her, there was only one around her age, and he’s the one I called a "softie." He’s actually a really good guy—caring, sweet, and pretty sharp for his age... he isn't pushing her at all, and I actually respect that about him.

You still haven't told me if the kid is sexy or not. 🕺

I didn't say that. 😲

darksurfer4 said:Hmm, now there’s an interesting question.🍿 Have you actually concluded that Amber is a lesbian just by looking at her avatar, or do you happen to have some actual, reliable intel on the matter?

I’ve been following her threads over on the other subforums. I actually went down the rabbit hole and clicked that link she posted—you know, the one with the rubber dolls that apparently get her going. Now I’m left wondering if a simple prayer to two saints will cover my sins, or if I’ll need to beat three levels of Super Mario just to balance out the karma. ☕

So, is she actually into sex? 🙂

frozengull2 said:Honestly, I can't stop thinking about how wild it would be if we could see the AI-generated profiles of the actual people behind all these random usernames. We’re talking full-on digital dossiers built from everything an algorithm scrapes while we're scrolling through life—stuff like what we’re obsessed with, the tabs we keep open, when we’re active, our GPS data, even who we're hanging out with in the real world. It’s basically constant surveillance by
. It’d probably be pretty obvious too. People with similar psychological profiles would likely end up picking similar handles... not identical ones, obviously, but you'd definitely see the pattern in the vibe they're going for.

Personally, I wouldn't be interested. I value privacy—both my own and everyone else's—and because of that, I’m not particularly nosy. My original intention with this topic was quite different; I wanted to offer a way for those who might be a bit more reserved (or perhaps just haven't mastered the art of playing around with metatextual cues) to express a small fragment of themselves more clearly. If they actually want to, that is. (It seems like nobody really does, given that the topic didn't get much traction, though I suppose it did open up enough room for discussion that maybe it wasn't a total wash after all).