Any advice on keeping random thoughts from messing with your control?

**Mydera** · 03-19-2012 10:00 PM

I had my second lucid yesterday, about two weeks after the first, and I'm starting to notice a pattern that I'd like to learn how to break if possible. The thing is, while I have had pretty decent control in both, I've noticed that I can't stop having random thoughts (I'm ADD, and apparently it's carrying over into my dreams, lol) and the random thoughts are changing my dreams. Like, in the first dream I walked through a wall, but I had the random thought of the matrix scene where Neo is sucked into a mirror, and it ends up making the wall "stick" to my hand like in the matrix movie. This second lucid I was a bit less mystified by the whole experience and my mind wandered even more. I tried to go through a door but thought, "What if I can't go through?" and of course because I doubted for a second, I didn't. Then I wanted to talk to dream character, and she turned into someone else (someone creepy) as soon as I had the thought, "What if she's trying to keep me in the room?" I tried to get out of the room by doing the spinning with your eyes closed and picturing another place technique, but while I was doing it I randomly remembered a picture I had seen the day before and ended up bringing the anime character in the picture into the room instead of changing the scene, lol. Has anyone had this problem and found a way past it?

**gab** · 03-19-2012 11:03 PM

One thing comes to my mind - counteract. Let's say, you trying to go through a wall and at last moment you sabotage yourself by thinking that you can't - make a portal next to the door. You talking to a friend that you turn into a bad guy - make a shield for yourself, give yourself super speed and run away. Maybe you can tell yourself - "no matter what I do, I can always fix it".

Maybe this is lame, but that's all I've got. Hope, you figure it out.

**mcwillis** · 03-20-2012 02:29 AM

You may find this useful. Don't underestimate it, it is very powerful and I have used it successfully to remolve bothersome, compulsive thought patterns. Take a sheet of A4 paper. Write out your thoughts as they arise. Get really involved in this. The next point I am going to make is that you must be brutally honest about putting your thoughts on paper. Use swear words if they come up in your mind. Even if your thoughts become evil in nature and make you feel guilty for having them write them down. Keep going until you feel you have done enough. Don't do more than two sides of one sheet of A4 paper. When you are done read what you have written ONCE ONLY. Then set fire to your piece of paper with a lighter or some matches. I hope I don't have to tell you to be careful not to start a fire. A word of warning - NEVER, EVER let anyone read what you have written as this can cause serious problems to your mind. I won't explain the reason why, just don't EVER let anyone read what you have written. Repeat no more than once a week.

**Sivason** · 03-20-2012 07:18 AM

First the obvious, you improve with practice. You are totaly rocking the LD thing if you had any control in your first two dreams. It is a learned skill, so experience is valuable. Also, it is not advisable to ever close your eyes in an LD. There is a big risk of opening your real eyes and loosing the dream.
Now for a suggestion. There is a specific type of meditation that was pretty popular in the 80s. It is "Transedental Meditation" It is the perfect thing for removing this problem. You may want to order a short paper back that teaches it, but here is the basic concept. You can practice just this with out having to learn more about it.
Relax and close your eyes. Let your mind randomly jump around for a minute. You want to observe they way your mind is coming up with thoughts. The TM books say it is like a thought forms below the level you are aware of and grows until it erupts into your awareness. You are trying to pick up on the earliest hints of a thought forming and get familiar with how it is happening. The next step is to help your brain have fewer thoughts by repeating a mantra. Stop the mantra and watch for the first hint of a thought. Before you can develop the though start the mantra again. This lets you witness the raw begining a thought. Next, try not to let your mind develop any thoughts by sudenly thinking about something predetermined like, "I will get really good at this." Practice shuting down thoughts at the earliest point when they have not fully devloped.
If you get good at this you rarely will allow yourself a thought that opposes what you want in the dream.

**Mydera** · 03-21-2012 11:54 PM

Thanks, I will definitely try all these! Unfortunately I have trouble with meditation as well because I just can't focus, lol. I should probably be doing more meditation bc of that, it would probably help me learn to focus better

**The Cusp** · 03-22-2012 09:39 PM

Meditation. Lots and lots of meditation. Really, meditation is the art of stopping your mind from wandering, of focusing on one thine without distraction. It's not easy at first, but you do get better at it with time.

**sanctum** · 03-23-2012 02:36 AM

When you first get into a dream, take a few moments to stabilize. Look at your environment and try to focus as much as you can on the details of things. If it's a place you know, that's even better, because you know how things are supposed to look and feel. The more realistic you make your dream, the fewer random things will occur. Your brain will recognize the pattern of reality and not bring as many outside things in.