staying lucid without waking

[EqualThoughts]

hey guys, damn i always have the problem of waking up a little while after i become lucid in a dream, its like i realize im dreaming and then i have about a minute to stay in the lucid dream before i return to full waking conciousness. if anyone has any good techniques to stay in the dream please let me know.

i have heard of holding on to something in the dream or creating some kind of movement such as spinning or something but i still seem to wake up.

later

-J

[Kraven Obscuria]

hey guys, damn i always have the problem of waking up a little while after i become lucid in a dream, its like i realize im dreaming and then i have about a minute to stay in the lucid dream before i return to full waking conciousness. if anyone has any good techniques to stay in the dream please let me know.

i have heard of holding on to something in the dream or creating some kind of movement such as spinning or something but i still seem to wake up.

later

-J

Hi EqualThoughts,
Practice, practice, practice holding on to something or just stop interacting with the environment or being fascinated with it. Maybe try just looking at your hand, or trying to maintain a single point of thought and quite often the experience will sharpen up a bit and last longer.

[Lucid_Learner]

Spinning.... the first time I had a Lucid Dream I woke up instantly, my eyes began to open. I was like "nooooo" and then spinning came into mind. I closed my eyes and imagined what it would feel like to spin reeeally fast. I didn't think it had worked so I opened my eyes. ONly to find I was back in the dream.

Worked for me so it can work for you, good luck. 

The problem I have is becoming lucid in the first place.

[blade5x]

You can actually fight it. If you know you are waking up, do not open your eyes or move. You'll feel yourself wake up - but you can keep yourself in the hypnogogic state. Atleast I can. What I do is when I feel myself wake up, I'll force my dream to continue through what I could best describe as "daydreaming while going back to sleep". You should soon fall back into the dream if you can keep your emotions down. I usually get 2-3 extra minutes out of my LD when doing this.

[Lucid_Learner]

.... also from that state you could induce an AP, even better than an LD 

[FrostyRose]

Last night I managed to prolong my lucid dreaming by using my senses in the astral. When everything started going dark around me, and I realized I was returning to my body, I focused my senses, (especially my sense of touch since I couldn't see much at the time) into the astral. I did my best to feel the astral ground beneath my feet, etc. When I did this the astral world became clear once again, and I could carry on with my little adventure 

Using your senses, and being in awareness, is important if you want to stay conscious while being out of body. It also helps to have a clear goal of what you want to do in the astral, to keep your mind from wandering and pulling you into a dream. Also, relax and be calm. There's no rush. I remember being in rush in the astral, wanting to get something done before the experience ended, which of course made it end much faster than if I had just remained calm

The best of luck to you!

[Vvid1012]

This is not uncommon...the more you do it, the more you can control it.

I would recommend practicing being aware of your physical reality in the same sense as if you were projecting.
For instance, while walking outside,
constantly keep your focus on your surroundings.  Sense where things are in relation to your self...You can even go as far as to believe(pretend) you are actually projecting, this actually enhances the practice.  Anytime you have disrupting thoughts, kindly let them pass on by--thank them even, and tell them you will remember them later (yep its goofy, but it works)

Oh...another big thing-- patience helps alot, that and keeping calm while projecting.  I used to automatically get up and run around looking for something amazing to happen... so much that I just didnt get anything out of it.  Just let things happen, trust instincts, and believe!

[Skeletor]

My first few lucid dreams (long before I even knew what they were), I woke myself up in excitement.  Now I don't have a problem because I don't get that excited.  I do thoroughly enjoy my lucid dreams (I had 3 or 4 last night, that was great fun), but I it's not like "Holy crap!  I'm dreaming!!!!!!

[Lucid_Learner]

3 or 4 a night 

I haven't had one in ages now  I have really vivid dreams though I can usually remember a lot of detail and thats good enough for me, at least I can see how crazy my subconscious really is 

Skeletor could you try swimming underwater without having to breathe?!?! That would be well good to experience.

Peace, LL

[Spawn_Xe]

does anyone have any tips on getting lucid dreams or at the very least remembering them. I dont remember my dreams much.. probably 1 in 20.

[EqualThoughts]

yo spawn, i find it easy to induce lucid dreams by practicing being aware when youre awake, just look around at everything and become aware of everything that your seeing feeling thinking etc.

i also find it easier to remember dreams lucid or not if you wake up naturally and slowly wihtout an alarm clock, and just lay in bed for a while in the same position you were in while having the dream.... and jsut try to remember

[Lucid_Learner]

I agree with ET. Also do you keep a dream journal??? You should do, at least until you can remember at least one a night. Also when you are goin to sleep affirm to yourself that you will remember your dreams upon awakening. When you wake up try and piece the dream together. Ask yourself questions.

e.g Who was I with? A man... What did he look like?? etc... until you've remember as much as you can.

Peace, LL

[EqualThoughts]

hey LL i like ur new pic
when i first attempted lucid dreaming i wrote in a dream journal for like a week and by the end i remembered so much about my dreams that it got to be an insane like 5 pages or more of writing every morning lol so i had to stop...

-Thoughts

[Enoch]

If you need to keep up you awareness theres nothing like the journal. Once you have to many dreams and its hard to write them all. write the date and key things about the dream. Symbols, comments, locations, anything that you feel is important. But i do still recommend going over your dreams in your head at the least if you dont write them (for expert dreamers only). Anyone else needs to write them down.

[Spawn_Xe]

goods tips guys. I went to the store and got myself a journal!. Wrote down my dreams from last night, Its amazing how one memory of an event in the dream can trigger and flow to the next. My head was just filled of "oh yeh, i remember now" the whole time lol.

At the same time I also got myself a chunk of amethyst mineral that sits beside my bed. It seemed to help because i hardley ever remember my dreams, even upon waking. So coupled with the journal its pretty awesome!

next step.. lucidity!

[Enoch]

Many stones and crystals help out.
So you have never been lucid? If not use relity checks now that you remember dreams. It was how i had my forst ld. Not everyone is the same i know but the reality checks combined with being woke up a couple times by an alarm will give you good results. Ive done it without the clock also just with reality checks. 

[Lucid_Learner]

Basically being more awake in this world = more awake in the dream world. So if you do the reality checks as Enoch says and simply stay more aware in this world. It will improve your attention to detail in the dream also. So you will be more likely to have an LD.

check this out http://lucidity.com/nosex2.pdf

Peace, LL

[Spawn_Xe]

i had a lucid dream once, a long long time ago tho and havnt come close since. I've been doing reality checks combined with affirmations for the last couple of days. I would ask my self if i am dreaming, check out the world around me, look at my hands and confirm that i am not.. followed by affirming i will have a lucid dream.

i day dream alot and get easily absorbed into a task im undertaking (e.g graphic design or just tv) and become completely obvlivious to the world around me (typical pisces). So technically speaking.. i'm not all that awake most of the time lol.

Another problem i'm discovering is my ability to quiet my mind.. until i began meditating i never realised how uncontrolabley busy it is. Music running through my head is my biggest enemy... it all leads to me falling asleep or becoming agitated after concentrating so hard lol. I'll keep practicing tho! . I've seem to have lost my ability to hit the vibrations/paralysis state too.. i just get to this wierd numb feeling now since ive been doing energy work. I've had a couple of false awakenings too.. well i think i have. I've got to the point where i can feel my heart chakra bopping away and then trying to exit.. but then all i can remember from those was floating straight at the wall and it wasnt very vivid.

cheers for the link LL.. i'll give it a shot!

[Lucid_Learner]

Another problem i'm discovering is my ability to quiet my mind.. until i began meditating i never realised how uncontrolabley busy it is.

I don't wanna go off topic too much but I totally agree with you on that one. You don't notice it until you make a conscious attempt to notice it. It's really hard to focus on just one thought without drifting away with all the mental chatter going on.

Not a LD last time but was very vivid, thats good enough for me. As long as I keep them vivid i'm happy.

Peace, LL

[Enoch]

Once you can control what you spoke of you will have come a long way as an alchemist. we walk about unaware and in our own world all the time. Control it and you will control yourself and dreams. Trust me its not easy. I been doing it for a long while and still am trying to unteach myself this foul lesson we get from school and other places as we grow. I still only spend parts of the day totally aware but it has helped so much. Stalk yourself and you will find, learn alchemy and you will control. Be warned of all things ive evr practiced this takes the most energy by far. But it does return to you never forget that.

Live breath to breath not day to day or week to week.   

[Lucid_Learner]

It always struck me though. Because if you observe the mind then what exactly is observing it? You are observing yourself. Subject and Object... Referring back to tolles teachings here.

Definately being focused in "The Now" (the present moment) and nothing else is the way to go. Once you realise your are not your mind you can then take control rather than your mind controlling you. Makes a lot of sense really.

I also only spend parts of my day focusing specifically on the now.. generally before sleeping. It sends me to sleep really well though

Peace, LL

[Enoch]

And thats where true meditation comes into play. Dont get me wrong meditation has many purposes but use it to clear your mind. Than you have this brief or maybe long period (depends on your intent) where you can be clear if only long enough to breath in awareness. Dig into your history. Begin to see that when you were young you were single minded. Where did all the nonsense begin to come into play? After to much television? To many people telling you how we NEED to be in this realm? Its nonsense. Once you study a path with heart you will see that we are not bad we (most of us) have a stronger belief in god than almost anyone. Christians rage at us for being bad but in reality whos the one truly studying SPIRIT? Is it not a great sin to ignore part of the "pyramid" the holy trinity?   

[Lucid_Learner]

I'm not hatin on religion or anything... but I don't see why they "worship" symbols It's one thing to "LIKE" a symbol.. but some religions offer food and stuff to statues. Surely religion is just driving them away from the truth? I'm not sure in the point of religion. Maybe it's cos i've never been deeply religious (Spiritual yes but not religious). ALso I don't want anyone to take offence, im just curious about religion.

"Religion is good, it helps people come back together in areas torn apart by religion"

- Jimmy Carr

Peace, LL