Using Touch to Prolong Lucidity

[Selski]

I had a most interesting lucid dream last night.  I have found that in the last few months my lucidity has subtly changed.  At one time, I used to become lucid and get incredibly excited and rush somewhere, normally diving through the nearest window to become "astral" and have an astral experience.  The lucidity never lasted long, probably due to my excitement.  However, lately I become lucid and stay with the dream, normally telling the dream people about my lucidity, which can have various reactions.  Here is an extract from the dream.  It was a long dream, and I retained lucidity for a good part of it.

I stood up and left the cubicle.  The dream characters were all a slightly "off the wall", a bit gothic or punkish.  I said to the one nearest the door, "I am dreaming.  I realise that I am in a dream.  Can you direct me to someone sensible who I can talk to about this?"

She looked askance at me, and quite disappointed (as if this was not supposed to happen).  She pointed to an ordinary looking woman at the other side of the hall.  

I walked over to this woman, who, compared to the rest of them, looked like a librarian.  Completely normal.  I said to her, "Hello, my name is Sarah, and I'm aware that I am dreaming."  I nearly said, you are part of my dream (meaning that she wasn't "real"), but I bit my lip at the last minute.  

Then I said, "I'd like to talk to someone about this – can you help me or direct me to someone who can help me?"  She looked at me and then said, "Yes, I know someone who can help, follow me," and she walked towards the double doors.  I was quite pleased with myself, because I'd kept coherent and lucid, without getting too excited so far.  We walked through the double doors together and stood in the hall, waiting for this "someone" to come along.  

A man passed us.  He was dressed slightly odd, he had a square earring in his ear and wore a long cloak type thing – almost gothic, but he was older, perhaps in his 40s.  He winked and smiled at the ordinary woman and then it dawned on me that she wasn't going to help at all, she was part of "them", whoever they were, and they didn't want me to be lucid, they were waiting for me to lose my lucidity, so they could carry on "playing" with me in the dream state.  I wasn't entirely sure as to the extent of what they were doing with me before I was lucid; I think it was more a case of having a laugh at my expense, because I hadn't got my wits about me.  

At this realisation, a couple of other men walked over and I said, "Look, can anyone help me at all?" and an older man said, "No, not really, this guy might have done so had he been here earlier – he's a big softie at heart" and pointed to the younger man he'd been walking with.  

I was still very lucid and didn't want to fall back into the dream, not because I was frightened of these people (I wasn't), but because I wanted to explore my lucidity.  I turned to the younger man and grabbed his hand, saying, "Will you still help me?"  We walked down the corridor together, away from the others.  I kept hold of his hand, thinking it would keep me lucid.  I was rubbing and massaging it.  

After a while, I "awoke" and at the time I thought I'd woken up properly, however, it was a false awakening.  I realised that my hand that I'd thought was holding his, was actually holding my other hand.  

Then I was still in the second "false awakening" dream and I got out of bed and climbed a cupboard.  I was looking on the top so that I could check when I awoke to verify that I'd been up there.  I was also trying to get into another dream and become lucid.  I didn't realise I was already dreaming.

I started counting off the things that were on the top of the cupboard.  Two pairs of knickers, a blue lacy bra, coat hangers, that sort of thing.  I realised that these things would not be there when I awoke – why would I put bra and knickers up there?  

I realised I was dreaming and could fly.  I left the room by the windows and found myself on a balcony.  There were two other women out there and we all started flying together, in a figure of eight.  We only rose about 10ft in the air, and didn't leave the balcony.  It was very pleasant, and I was semi-lucid, in that I knew I was dreaming in the dream, but less lucid than the first dream.

That's all I remember.

I don't know why I thought hanging onto the man's hand would keep me lucid - it might be to do with the fact that some of my OBEs have been experienced by touch alone (lack of sight being a big stumbling block), and so I predominantly rely on my sense of touch.

False awakenings - they're funny things, aren't they?!  

Sarah

[Gandalf]

I started counting off the things that were on the top of the cupboard. Two pairs of knickers, a blue lacy bra, coat hangers, that sort of thing.

hmmm, I don't know about your lucidity but my visualisation seems to be working just fine!  

Doug

[Potatis]

I spin in lucid dreams to stay lucid - it works very well. The problem though is that each time I spin, I go to a different place. But when I wake I can usually recall more than 10 different lucid dreams in a row. They are short though, because when I think I am going to lose my lucidity, I spin to somewhere else.

I'm really badly behaved in my lucid dreams. I am trying very hard to change this.    It's all this freedom, you see. I thought it was all made by my imagination, but what if these people really live their lives in the places I visit? I must behave just in case.

Potatis

[MisterJingo]

To solidify a lucid experience I usually clap my hands quite hard together and stamp my feet. So I feel a stinging sensation. This usually solidifies things for me, also in the few WILDs I've managed to consciously produce I've reinforced them in the same way.

[Selski]

Potatis - I'm very badly behaved in my lucid dreams too - the above experience was only an extract - I couldn't possibly submit the whole thing to a public forum!  

Doug - I type hundreds of words and you pick up on the lacy bra and knickers - typical!!    

Sarah

[Potatis]

My lucid dreams have never been sexual. I always break things, or I should say SMASH things. One dream I deliberately threw a brick through someone's house window, and it hit a fish tank. The tank smashed, water and fish flowed to the floor, a woman was screaming helplessly as she was looking at the water going all over the floor. The fish too. No, the fish weren't screaming, they were washed down on to the floor.

It was MY dream I thought, I'm not really hurting anyone. But I feel guilty now... In waking life I'm so well behaved, but once I realise I'm dreaming, I become such a bastard! I can still hear that woman's screams in my head whenever I think of it. It's dreadful. Just... everyone behave!

Potatis