How to stay lucid longer?
Okay so last night, I became lucid, and I wanted to have a longer lucid dream, because mine are usually short and dull. So I began to run, and whenever the dream became fuzzy, I shouted, "Clarity now!", and the dream became clearer. However, after only 30 seconds or so, the lucid dream faded. Does anyone have any tips for longer lucid dreams? What was I doing wrong?
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I had the same problem and what I did last time is to frequently ask my unconscious (maybe that's the same as asking my dream) to 'show me something else now'. Then I would find myself in a different dreamscape. By doing this, I kept the action going for a long time, going from one dreamscape to another, until finally I had to request to wake up because I had had too much, LOL.
I find that jumping up and down while moving works. Also breath through your nose and not through your mouth as you are finding yourself waking up. That will give you an extra 30 seconds or so.
You can start with doing some gaining lucidity techniques such as rubbing your hands, breath through your nose while plugging it with your hands, ask for clarity and etc.
But I think something as important as that, is to remind yourself that you are dreaming.
Just say to yourself every 30 seconds or 60 seconds that ''I am dreaming'', it keeps you from forgetting that you are in a dream and it will prevent the dream from fading away.
DONT RUN. Quick movements get you excited. When your excited its harder to dream. Next time you gain lucidity I want you to take a deep breath and start walking. Keep walking and take in all of your surroundings. Things should start clearing and you should be able to keep your dream. Also you want to set goals. Mine is usually to find somebody. Occasionally Ill practice conjuring doors or people, sometimes Ill even dream walk one of my best friends, but a goal is important, it gives you a set reason to stay lucid. Hope this helps
I like all the answers I see before me but I would add the following: What helps me is to stay still for a moment, remind myself I'm dreaming, look around and take in the dream environment and then make physical contact with it. Touching things I see and enjoying the texture can help as well as using other senses to explore things you see.
As another has said, make sure you have goals to do. Focusing on wanting to go the goals in the dream and keeping active in the dream will help keep you in it longer. Before I go to bed each night I remind myself of 3 LD goals I have. (you dont necessarily have to do these but make sure you are not standing around in a dream wondering "what should I do?" as that's one way for a dream to fade out. Stay active and interested in your dream).
I myself find staring at my hands to bring my focus back strongly into a dream can help me gain more time there, some dreams I may do this several times during the dream for dream extending and deepening.
Or if I need something more to stay in my dream, I bring into the dream someone I know and get them to touch me (this can be a good technique if extremely close to a dropout where even moving oneself can cause drop out).
Also if you drop out, dont move but try to get straight back in. I do that by thinking of the last point in the dream in which I was strongly in it still (before it started getting any fading out). Think of being back in that same place (like time has rewound back).