Hey all,

I have been attempting lucid dreaming for about 2 months and in this time I have had 11 lucid dreams with the last 5 being within a 2 week period. I feel like I am getting the hang of inducing them but my problem is that mine are all really short, like 10-20 seconds. At first I would try rubbing my hands for a few seconds but they would be numb so I would stop. Now i really dont even try a stabilization technique. I have a few questions:
1) Is a stabilization technique necessary for a beginner lucid dreamer to make the dream longer?
2) Which stabilization (if any) do you use?
3) how long do you do the technique for before continuing the dream?

Help is greatly appreciated,

Thanks