In my earlier journeys I often used DMT as a catalyst and I learned time and time again that whatever you connect to you become (DMT was useful because I couldn’t just “stop”, once I was in I was forced to sit a session out, some felt like years so the lessons hit hard). Whether it is a place, a single consciousness or a complex of consciousness and concepts you connect to you start to perceive yourself through their perspective. I believe this is what causes the magnetic quality, as you say it, it’s the same reason why a rational scientist won’t ever see a spirit while to native they are so obviously there.
When you connect energetically on a level that becomes dangerously deep like I did (and likely yourself as well if I read your story right) you don’t really lose yourself in it, you start perceiving yourself and all other experience through it. So it’s much worse really, you’re not being glamoured by some astral vampires (if only…), you’re literally being energetically rewired to perceive reality in a different way. This is why I feel that while there are no demons and angels at war there is definitely a battle for consciousness going on, and it is here I recognise the concept of the one God tyrant versus the Luciferian current, where good and bad are non-existent concepts because once again, what you align to decides your perspective. For me it was in the end rather simple, like you I was forced to look deep inside and found things that just didn’t resonate on that very deep Soul level.
The “everything is as it should be” concept is just mind-blowing to me, I can totally understand that you need a level of acceptance of things so your energy flows in healthy and constructive way but it is ridiculous for beings of our potential to just sit here, accept all that happens and let the rotting process take us to the ground. I’d rather pull a Faust then go out like that 
I can imagine you could no longer connect to those friends, I wonder if that’s the reason I have none? 
How does the thing with the deactivated phone work? I’m super curious! And yes, there are so much more options than just getting positive wisdom from the “cloud sitters”, I find higher aware demons are much more honest and possess the same metaphysical knowledge as the good guys but with an agenda that serves to empower you instead of the whole.