The Thorn Institute

Focus 10 and Focus 12: what they are and what they feel like

By Daniel Spina, Monroe Institute Outreach Trainer, Melbourne

The Monroe Institute uses numbers for different states of consciousness, rather than spiritual or technical names. That way you don't bring a lot of ideas and expectations to them before you've tried them. Your everyday, awake state is called C-1. From there, the first two states people learn are Focus 10 and Focus 12. They're what we cover in Exploring Consciousness, the two-day workshop I teach in Melbourne.

Focus 10: mind awake, body asleep

Bob Monroe called it "mind awake, body asleep". That sounds like just words until it happens to you.

Your five senses seem detuned, or turned down. Touch usually fades first. But your conscious mind stays active and clear. For example, you might start to hear some slight snoring, and then realise it's you. You're asleep enough to snore, and awake enough to notice.

There's a kind of freedom in it. You get an awareness that you're more than your physical body, because "you" can carry on with or without it.

Other things people commonly notice:

the body feeling very heavy, or the opposite, light and floating

the mind going quiet

losing track of time

Focus 12: expanded awareness

Focus 12 builds on Focus 10. Monroe described it as a state of expanded awareness. Your attention isn't limited to the physical body anymore, and it feels as if there's more space around you, in every direction.

People often use Focus 12 to ask questions and get a sense of an answer, to solve problems, or to tune into their intuition. It's where a lot of people first feel they've touched something bigger than their usual thinking mind.

It's more than an experience

It's not just about having an interesting experience. In the workshop you also learn conceptual and perceptual tools that support you in these states, and that you can use in everyday life to reduce stress, anxiety, overthinking and more.

How long does it take to learn?

Usually not long. Many people recognise Focus 10 in their very first guided exercise. That's one of the main differences from traditional meditation: the sound gives you something to follow, so you don't have to get there entirely by willpower.

There's a story the Monroe Institute often tells about this. In 1994, the Wall Street Journal interviewed Kai Sui Fung, the 91-year-old head of a Zen Buddhist temple in Vancouver, who had done Gateway Voyage. He said Gateway students could reach meditative states in about a week that had taken him around thirty years of sitting practice. His temple used the Monroe recordings as a training tool.

That's one experienced meditator's view, not scientific proof. Research on how sound affects brain states is mixed, and I go into that on our Sound Science page. But it matches what I see: people get there faster than they expect.

How you do it

The Monroe exercises use Hemi-Sync, layered audio that includes binaural beats, along with music or soothing sounds and a voice guiding you. You need stereo headphones, because each ear needs to hear a slightly different tone. You lie down, close your eyes and follow the guidance.

In Exploring Consciousness, we do this as a small group, lying on airbeds in the same room, with time between exercises to talk about what happened and write it down.

Questions people ask

Do I need meditation experience?

No. Many people who come have never meditated.

What if I fall asleep?

It happens, especially at the start. Monroe called it "clicking out". It's nothing to worry about, and most people stay awake more easily as they practise.

Is it safe?

For most people, yes. It's deep relaxation with headphones on. If you have a history of seizures, hearing problems or serious mental health conditions, the Monroe Institute recommends talking to your doctor first.

Do I have to believe anything?

No. There's no belief system. You listen, relax and notice what you experience.

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