What to do immediately after becoming lucid

**Sephiro12** · 12-29-2012 12:53 AM

Hiya! So I've been lucid 5 or 6 times thus far, and I just had a lucid dream last night. I think lucid dreaming is awesome and I want to do more of it, but my problem is that whenever I become lucid I suddenly become frantic.

I used to think it was because I was afraid I had a short amount of time, and that is part of it, but I don't really know what it is. I just feel like I have to decide what to do NOW and I can't be still.

In the dream I had last night, I saw someone I know who passed away about a year ago (it's becoming a dreamsign for me) and for the first time this made me realize I was dreaming. I don't remember the dream that well, but I do remember that it was quite vivid, more so than some of my other lucid dreams. I remember that it was sort of hard to believe I was dreaming, even though I knew I was without doing any reality checks. Anyway so I remember frantically moving over really close to a wall and when I was there I realized I should examine the wall to increase my lucidity--I remember seeing what looked like ages of dust and cobwebs on the wall.

Then, like 5 seconds later, still rushing, I decided for some reason that I wanted to go to Hogwarts. Not even giving myself enough time to figure out how I would get there I just started going, and I remember that I had to traverse what would best be described as very dark sand dunes, and I knew Hogwarts was at the end. I was going very fast but never seemed to get closer and at this point I think either the dream disintegrated or I lost my lucidity.

So yeah, basically I need some advice on how to not feel so frantic when I realize I'm having a lucid dream. And specifically, I need some directions on what exactly to do at that point. Like from the moment I realize it, what next? Move around slowly in a circle and look at my surroundings? Look at the sky? Look at my hands? Whistle?

And any ideas for a good first successful lucid dream would be appreciated--I used to always try looking for doors to imagine places behind them and open them and be there, but this just wound up with me spending the whole dream looking for tiny doors I couldn't fit through.

**Sensei** · 12-29-2012 01:11 AM

Spend time in a day and before you go to bed visualizing yourself becoming lucid and what your first 30 seconds will be like. Use recent dreams as the stages and cycle through them. The first 30 seconds should be you stabilizing and looking at the environment around you. If you have goals, think through them then as well.

**PlanesWalker** · 12-29-2012 01:35 AM

I would suggest to just roll with it. The next time you become Lucid, don't think that you absolutely MUST do something. Try walking around and just taking a look. I can guarantee that you will think of something you want to do before too long.

**Sephiro12** · 12-29-2012 02:38 AM

Thanks for the advice! That's a good idea, I think next time I will attempt to just walk around and take in my surroundings. Slowly. lol. Now I just hope it's not months before I have another LD so I can actually try that...

**Sensei** · 12-29-2012 02:58 AM

Be more confident about your LDs. Confidence is key.

I myself am having an LD tonight because I'm awesome.

**L4xord** · 12-30-2012 08:19 AM

Hi, I myself have a habit of during that in my lucid dreams as well. I will forget my current surroundings and run off to fulfill my ego desires. One technique which I have been meaning to try is to just to stand there (stabilize and RC of course) and listen (conversations, etc). You never know, you might just overhear something that could spark an interesting lucid dream (a fight or an interesting discussion).

**Nexi** · 12-30-2012 05:37 PM

I find what works best is literally just to sit down wherever you are, on the ground. From there I use stabilization techniques, like yelling to maintain lucidity so I don't end the dream early. From there, just try to take in the little things, like where you are, who you are with, what you want to do in the dream, and how you are going to do it. Then you should be able to easily control yourself and avoid rushing into things

**presence** · 12-30-2012 06:36 PM

First, do some stabilizing techniques.
Become very aware of your surroundings, like what is the air like, what is going on here and there and zoom into details as strong as you can for just 5 seconds, otherwise you will wake up, so watch all the details of your hands and so on. Then the LD is going to become very vivid. If you say, that you are too frantic, then you may have to just let go of control and see what will happen and you will slowly become more calm once you become lucid. When you become too excited, try to become more aware of the surroundings. Normally excitement and things like that do usually occur when you are too much into the details, you need to check out details and then zoom out and zoom in again, helps to have very stable dreams.

**Miguelinileugim** · 12-31-2012 02:58 PM

Imagine that you're veeery heavy, or with a lot of chains, that's dream logic

**poptartian121** · 01-01-2013 10:00 PM

Originally Posted by PlanesWalker

The next time you become Lucid, don't think that you absolutely MUST do something. Try walking around and just taking a look.

I have never had a problem with this when I do become lucid and this is what I typically do. Besides, sometimes it can be humorous, just last night I saw a sign that said "Rest for DC's".

**Sivason** · 01-03-2013 06:54 AM

I recommend that at first you try to see your hands. This will take away from the initial excitement and focus you on something. It also causes you to form a dream body. The next thing I would do is to touch something with those hands. I like to simply tap the tip of one finger solidly against either a tree or a wall.

You can do more to stabilize, but that is a quick easy set up, that is pretty effective.