Lucid Dreaming - Maintaining Lucidity

Hi everyone! Sleep well? Time for some more lucidity!

Last time, I talked bout the Wake Back to Bed technique, a very effective way to enhance your chances of attaining lucidity in your dreams. Today, I'm going to talk about some techniques you can use when already lucid, in order to keep control of your dreams.

So, You have had an LD, and probably enjoyed it regardless of how short it might have been. But you would like to have longer ones, and feel that you are in complete control, and not lose lucidity halfway through. For the aspiring lucid dreamer, this can be a daunting task. You will have to actively maintain your lucidity throughout the dream, which means you can't slack off too much playing around. Sound like a hassle? Well, it doesn't have to be all that hard.

Say for example that you feel lucidity slipping away. You can't seem to do most of the things you are used to, like flying or altering your environments. Don't worry, you just need to reaffirm your lucidity. First of all, relax. Take deep, calm breaths and tell yourself that you are still dreaming. You can also do a Reality Check. Look around you, look at yourself, do an RC and take note of the impossible thing that just happened. Now you are sure that you're in a dream, and your lucidity should be higher.

Another thing you can do is to spin around your own axis. Since you're not really spinning, (This is a dream, after all) you won't get dizzy. Tell yourself that you will still be dreaming when you stop, or maybe that you are going to be at a certain location when you stop spinning.According to research, this method is the most effective way of stabilising and maintaining lucidity.

You can also rub your hands together, giving you a strong, vivid sense of friction and warmth. While rubbing, repeat to yourself that you are still dreaming. Another, more radical technique, is to take off all your clothes. No, really. It's your dream, so anything you do goes. Taking your clothes off will enhance the feeling that you are in a dream, since it is not something you would do normally in real life. (Unless you are into that stuff.) Because of this, the act of taking off your clothes strengthens your confidence, and is a good way to claim the dream, and show your subconscious that you are in charge of your dream world.

Another good way to stabilise your dream if you feel it slipping away, is to grab hold of something in the dream, and give yourself a lot of stimulation from the dream world. Look at something stable, such as your hands or the ground, and keep telling yourself that you are in a dream. Doing an RC wouldn't hurt, I suppose.

Well, these are some techniques that can be used to prolong and stabilise your lucid dreams, letting you have more awesome adventures that feel more exciting! I hope this will help you on your way.

Until next time, sweet dreams!