Thread: Dreams feel as if they last a split second.

Hello everyone I have a question, but to ask the question I need to tell you my first LD,

My first Lucid Dream happened when I could interact in my dream, I noticed something weird. I used a computer, talked to a proffesor and noticed something was not right and BAM LD'd. This took a good 5-10 dream minutes(If thats even a term XD)

Because I could move,interact with objects and speak to DC's I noticed that I was dreaming.

Normally when I have a dream when I wake up it does not feel like I interacted with
anything or did anything, it feels like a memory just implanted in my head, that lasted 2 seconds.

People always say do reality checks,now thats all well and good, but how can I do them if the dream lasts 2 seconds and I dont even have time to interact to doubt if im dreaming or not.

Ill give an example since I dont think im being clear yesterday I had a dream
that I was watching an orcestra and every one started booing the person on stage, I woke up and it didnt feel like I spent much time in the dream, just as if it was a distant
memory of along time ago.


Sorry if im not getting my point across >.> and sorry about my english *2nd language*

In all the rambling I forgot the question!!!!

How do I "feel" that I am dreaming, not becoming lucid but how can I experience my dream lucid or not.

I'm not sure what you are asking but here is my two cents worth. When you are lucid dreaming it feels as real as waking life. I know this because I have had 100's of lucid dreams. Recall is affected somewhat as memories are not retained like they would be in waking life. Sometimes when I am in a LD I will tell myself 'don't try to remember all the details... just remember there were details'. Hope this helps.

I will try to make it simpler

How can I interact in my dream when all I remember from a dream is waking up! and its always like that the only time I remember a dream is not when im
dreaming its only when I wake up.

How can I be in the dream state for a longer period instead of just waking up and remembering it.

Even if your lucid dream lasted for a day, it will slowly decrease to a memory of a minute if you don't practice dream recall. It's like having a memory problem in waking life, it doesn't matter if you meet a celebrity, get your first kiss or something else if you are going to forget it minutes later. This is why recalling a dream while the memory is fresh is important, so you can use those notes as association memory. Later on when you got better dream recall/ memory you can remember it as good as a waking life event, however the more aware of the dream you are the easier you are going to remember it.

If you are wondering how to make the dream last longer, you should look up some stabilization techniques, for me it's usually enough to look at my hands and scream that I am dreaming.
Because somehow verbal action connects me more to the dream. But look up some different stabilization techniques and see what works best for you.

Good luck!

Well your first dream you realised after about 10 minutes, at this point your dream may have already been coming to a close since dreams do not last that long. Another point to consider is that if it was your first LD then it may not have lasted long anyway. You can ask anybody on this forum and they will all say that there first LD wasn't anything longer than a few seconds.

First things first, longer lucids come with time and practice but here's something that should help. When you realise, remain calm. Try not to get excited (tricky I know) and don't make any sudden movements. Take in what you can see without moving too much and believe that you will not leave the dream until you have done what you want. Then if you're still in the dream, lower yourself to the ground and feel what is below you. Feel how real it feels, this should instantly stabilize the dream, make everything clearer and lock you into the dream for a bit longer. Once you get to this stage the hard bit is over and you're free to do as you please, just be aware that your time is limited ;P

~DJ

MasterMind you summed it up pretty nicely for me! thats the thing I wanted to say, Its not that my dream lasts one minute its that I can only remember it being a couple of seconds
I want to know how can I increase that time how can I remember more and more?

Just by keeping a DJ and writing the entries?, in my first LD it took along time to finish I remember it very clearly because I could not believe I was controlling my dream!

So what exactly is stabilization techniques

When it comes to dream recall I suggest you keep a dream journal and stay interested in all your dreams including non-lucid dreams.
Practice the art of recalling them and if you are generally interested in them the rest should come by itself.

But what I usually do is to compare my different level of awareness of each dream. Check my Dream Journal for an explanation of that.

Stabilization means to ground yourself with the dream, when you become lucid you are very close to being consciously awake, so you need to get more involved in the dream but while maintaining the awareness. I mentioned a few methods above, but there are lots of them but it is usually based on engaging your non-physical senses, they are called that since you don't use your real eyes, hands etc.
What I usually do, which is kind of weird, is to examine every object in as much detail as I can, see it, feel it smell it, taste it. And then I scream lol..

But just look around the forum, there are lots of guides of this subject.

Dont worry overly much. If i'm not lucid the dreams seem pretty short most of the time. Yet what normally happens in a lucid is before lucidity I am going along in a dream and maybe pretty long. Then I will become lucid, do a few things, and wake up. Now I remember a long dream. This happens to me even if I dont become lucid but almost do, and miss a big dream sign. So your other dreams are still long and while in them you probably would recall them if you thought to do that...you just are forgetting when you awake. But during the dream you still have the time to become lucid. Not sure this is clear but definitely my experience. After lucidity the dream seems like a real memory...as clear as your others.