wavefornoreason,
The other than conscious state doesn't really feel that much different than a normal state because it is a normal state. You've experienced it many times in you life already. There are no bell and whistles to tell you this is it. The fact that you fell asleep indicates that you went right through the accelerative learning state. The idea is to relax and just go with the flow. The closest most beginners come to recognising the ideal learning state is that its a relaxed feeling similar to just about getting ready to fall asleep. Some even find that they are better able to learn the accelerative learning state when they are feeling a little tired because the brain is firing the appropriate alpha/theta wave pattern naturally then.
If you close your eyes, you start firing the appropriate accelerative learning state at that point, follow Pauls instructions and yes, you have the accelerative learning state... and it gets deeper and better every time.
Re-read page 17 of the PR book where it says what you have to give up. As a skeptic you realise you are building some strong barricades for yourself.
To make it easier make sure you're using the memory supercharger tape every night for a week... that tape also helps you get into an accelerative learning state 
. Experience becomes the best teacher, especially with something that feels so subtle.
Alex
