Initial observations and thoughts

[iSlideUp]

Hey i-dosers, i've been lurking for a few days now and thought it high time to join in. i came across BB 5 or 6 years ago when i came across Holosync. i really enjoyed meditating with HS and how relaxed i could become with very little effort on my part (this is supposed to be relaxation, not work, right?). Fast forward a few years and now i've found i-doser. i love that there are so many different "flavors" of relaxation. i started with the Android app (which has some annoying bugs that need to be worked out, why does queing more than one dose always cause a force close?) and have since purchased some mp3s as well. As the title of this post suggests, i have some initial observations and useful (i think) ideas about i-dosing in relation to my previous experience with BB and personal observations my first week of i-dosing:

SETUP
There are two places/settings that i dose: at home, in bed with the lights out and no distractions. The second is in my car at lunch. i realize that number two isn't optimal, but i can get rid of distractions and it is plenty comfy to recline back in my seat so the only downer is the light issue (and temparature as it relates to overall comfort-it's uncharacteristiclly warm right now where i'm at). But i've had several good dosing sessions in my car at lunch so i think it works fairly well.

HEADPHONES
i started with using a 6 year old Rocketfish bluetooth headset that i enjoy listening to music on. it worked well enough to start, but i've since upgraded to the Koss QZPRO headphones. i went to Office Depot expecting to find the JVC HA RX500 (on the recommended list) but they didn't have them in stock. The Koss headphones do work better than the Rocketfish but i intend to return them and order the JVC because not only are they officially on the i-doser approved list but they're also half the price. i did try some noise-cancelling earbuds but didn't have great luck with them. Which is one of my curiosities: if they are noise canceling in the way that they have those little bud things that close off the ear canal, why don't they work the same way as over the ear ones? i'm wondering if my experience has to do with the fact i've been so tired lately, which brings me to my next point:

PERSONAL WELLNESS
i haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately, not due to health issues or anything, but there just isn't enough time in the day. There have been several times that i tried to dose and just fell asleep (i've tried ABSINTHE multiple times now and i REALLY want it to work but have fallen asleep each time or tried to dose while multi-tasking which totally doesn't work for me, btw) but i'm sure that it had to do with my overall need for more sleep. So the moral of the story is: if it doesn't work for you, check the rest of your health to make sure something else isn't amiss. if you're sleep deprived, hungry, sick, etc. chances are you won't be getting the best dosing experience ever (or even at all).

TO THiNK OR NOT TO THiNK
My mind wanders...a lot. i do try to empty my mind (and CONDITION definitely helps with that) so i've found that the counting down from 1000 trick actually does help. But i've also noticed that even when my mind wanders, once the dose hits that certain strong point i'll get jolted out my thoughts to experience it even if i'm really concentrated on my thoughts. There's been several times, like others have pointed out, i was in the middle of thinking "geez, this one stinks, it isn't working" then BAM!! i go for a magic carpet ride. So i wouldn't sweat this issue too much.

BASELINE
This kind of happend by fluke for me but it seems like a good idea: pick one dose that will be your baseline for changes you make to environment, headphones, or even small changes like tuning (found in the apps) to volume levels. ECSTASY was the first dose i used (what can i say? That's the mood i was in when i discovered i-doser ) and what made me realize i'd stumbled onto something amazing. So now that is my baseline for checking changes to my procedure. It's also a good way to know if maybe you're just having an off day. If mybaseline dose isn't working, something else must need to be fixed first.

i apologize if i sound all authoritative on my first post; quite the contrary: i'm just getting my feet wet. But keeping these things in mind definitely improved my experience so maybe it will yours as well. Next up: my awesome experiences with this amazing technology Thanks i-doser!

[StealthTheUnknown]

Welcome to the forum! It's nice to know there is yet another verbose I-Doser user on here. Word choice is everything these days .

I would like to point out that while headphones are important, they are not crucial to the overall strength of a session. if the beats of the session are audible, and you find the session works, use those headphones. The list of approved headphones, at least to me, was a guideline for what type of headphone does best. They were the headphones that were guaranteed to have good quality sound. The headphones I actually use are relatively cheap, but they work for me.

Your procedure for BWE is sound. Whatever works for you is the method you should utilize. Experiment with different techniques, hypothesize what may work, test those hypotheses, and practice, practice, practice! It took me almost two years to find a procedure that was efficient for me, and that practice and trial and trial-and-error paid for itself.

Remember, always have fun with it. It is just a little quirk in science, but it's the little things in life and science that matter.