Dream control, or lack thereof

Had my 2nd lucid last night,and after my first I decided that I would try to control the dream itself and actually start learning to do stuff and find people. I did a reality check (first time ever in a dream :P ) and as soon as I realised it was a dream, it started collapsing around me, with shafts of light breaking up my dream self and no matter what I did, the hand rubbing, falling, spinning, it just carried on until I was spinning uncontrollably and ended up in another non-lucid dream. Any advice on stabilising and not getting too excited?

Hey and welcome to dv!

Don't worry, this may happen a few times before you can truly get the hang of it. This is perfectly normal and no cause for frustration (although I do know how frustrating it can be). Almost all dreams have gone through this phase and it's short lived. Read THIS for a bunch of stuff on stabilizing dreams.

To me, your road block seems to be that you're getting a bit too excited, and that's perfectly fine too. My biggest tip to you is when you first find out you're dreaming, don't go rushing off to do stuff. Take a few deep breaths and gently focus on stabilizing your dream.

Just remember, it is essential to stay positive. Never see these sort of experiences as failures, see them as a lesson, something you could learn from. They're merely stepping stones on your road to mastering lucid dreaming.

Good luck and happy dreaming!

OctoberWind pretty much summed it up, you'll get better as you have more LDs! I'm still trying to keep hold of mine, there is also other ways to stabilize, such as;


Shouting STABILIZE NOW! with lots of confidence

Stomping your feet

Looking closely and really studying an object (your hands)

and many more

Good luck!

Thank you! :)

I have yet to trawl the entire site and all its articles, but thanks for the stabilisation fundamentals! Guess the best thing I can do is carry on expecting lucid dreams :)

I agree with what was said here. I would add, that besides learning stabilization techniques, best thing is to be confident, that your LD will be long and stable. Dont's rush to stabilize, because you in a hurry, expecting your dream to end soon. Slow down, look around you, take in the details and stabilize. The more senses you engage, the better enbeded you will be inside the dream.

So, smell the air, stomp your feet, feel the ground for its texture and temperature, lick a nearby wall, eat something.

Best things to use to stabilize are usually your hands, your clothes, the ground you stand on, because they are always there. There is no need to go and look for them. But if you see nearby objects, by all means, do interact with them. It's best to keep moving, but still taking in the details and feeling the sensations you are getting from interaction.

Thinking things like "long and stable", "my dream ends only when I want to", "I'm in control" or anything similar to it can also help. :alien: