I know they were near misses as 'I' was clearly there
I admire your honesty and willingness to examine these experiences more closely, it's a skill worth having and can be useful for avoiding unnecessary suffering.
In the end I tried the only technique that's ever felt natural: relax, watch and let it happen. Bingo!
Bingo, indeed.
Straight after 'the event' and the feelgood factor I am back in A&P, cycling towards another one with no effort. Later I have more 'fruitions', including another double and even one sitting on the toilet! Some are like getting hit over the head with a shovel and some fade in and out slowly. I felt a distinct afterglow after the first time and I definitely don't feel my normal 'self' at the moment, but can't put my finger on exactly what is different.
Could you describe 'the event' in a bit more detail, please?
Your description sounds like a pretty straightforward description of stream-entry, especially the line I've put in bold type. Have a look at
this chapter of MCTB as your descriptions of fruitions sound pretty clear cut to me and this chapter might provide some more insight into what you're experiencing.
In spite of the symptoms, I'm not quite convinced. In the near misses 'I' was definitely there. In the 'fruitions' at the start and end of the blackout I can detect the self. In the middle it gets hazy and I'm not sure if there is a definite break. I've fainted and been knocked out before and I was expecting that 'where am I' feeling when you come round, but no. If there is a blip, it must last for a miniscule amount of time.
A fruition isn't like fainting or blacking out, it's a discontinuity in experience which reveals something profound which changes "you" forever. It can be a tiny little "blip", or sometimes they can last slightly longer, but in my experience they rarely last any longer than a fraction of a second and usually happen when you're not expecting it. The descriptions you've provided and the way you talk about this causes me to think that you've most likely gotten 1st path and are now in the Review stage, especially that sense of knowing that something's changed and you're not what you thought "you" were before that point. The cycling from A&P up to Fruition and back is exactly what happens after Path, you're reviewing the territory you've just covered so this is the time to make use of the increase in clarity to work on calling up things like jhanas, ñanas and fruitions at will.
Bearing in mind that this is a rough diagnosis based on a handful of posts on an internet forum, and that I have no knowledge of you as a person outside this context, I'd say that you've got stream-entry. If so, excellent work and congratulations.
If you want some advice in the long-term, give it a month or so and see if the baseline level of awareness changes.
If not, you're a stream-enterer.
If so, at least you're continuing to practice and so there's nothing to be lost and whole lot to be gained from it.
Nice one!