Thread: I need some CLARITY!

Nice living room.

Have you tried examining with your eyes or touching an object? That seems to work for me. If I were outside, say, I'd run my hands through the grass and feel its coolness and focus on its color.

I realise dream vividness doesn't depend on any action you do in the dream. Some nights you have vivid dreams, other nights you have blurry ones... That's how it works for me... I'm pretty satisfied just being lucid, even if the dream isn't so vivid. The hand rubbing thing helps me to make the dream longer but it doesn't affect vividness. Observing objects works better because by focusing on details, you create more detail in your dream.

I've never tried rubbing my hands together, but looking at my hands always works for me, as far as increasing vividness.
Simply look at your hands, while focusing on the intention to make the blurry, peripheral view of your surroundings come into focus. When you look away from your hands (if it works for you, the way it works for me) the rest of your dream world should be 100% vivid.

Touching things also helps increase my lucidity. By touching.. I mean really "feeling" them. Get into how they feel.. are they hot, cold, smooth, rough, etc.. this also helps me remain in a dream longer.

Great pic examples btw!
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Originally Posted by Mes Tarrant

Have you tried examining with your eyes or touching an object? That seems to work for me. If I were outside, say, I'd run my hands through the grass and feel its coolness and focus on its color.

Cool, nice idea. I have added this to the list, usually when I'm touching things its people lol but will give this a shot Never really focussed on colours etc so will try.

Originally Posted by MrGrEmLiN

I realise dream vividness doesn't depend on any action you do in the dream. Some nights you have vivid dreams, other nights you have blurry ones... That's how it works for me... I'm pretty satisfied just being lucid, even if the dream isn't so vivid. The hand rubbing thing helps me to make the dream longer but it doesn't affect vividness. Observing objects works better because by focusing on details, you create more detail in your dream.

But I always used to have vivid dreams, and recently they have become blurred and shorter, and it’s really annoying. So I believe if I can make them more vivid they will last longer?

Originally Posted by Oneironaut

I've never tried rubbing my hands together, but looking at my hands always works for me, as far as increasing vividness.

Originally Posted by Oneironaut

Simply look at your hands, while focusing on the intention to make the blurry, peripheral view of your surroundings come into focus. When you look away from your hands (if it works for you, the way it works for me) the rest of your dream world should be 100% vivid.

Tried this one, and all I got was a mirror reflection in them, a very dark one though and could see my face, was very weird. But will try this again then and hopefully see my hands. Understand what you’re saying about concentrating on making things come into focus but usually the more I look at objects to do this the darker the dream gets then I lose it.

Originally Posted by Clairity

Touching things also helps increase my lucidity. By touching.. I mean really "feeling" them. Get into how they feel.. are they hot, cold, smooth, rough, etc.. this also helps me remain in a dream longer

Originally Posted by Clairity

Great pic examples btw!
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Will try this thanks Glad you like the pictures, it’s something I have been thinking about incorporating into my DJ so people have a visual representation of my dreams too

I sometimes have trouble with this too, but I have a few things you may not have tried. I read somewhere that trying to put your tongue on the roof of your mouth helps, I personally haven't had too much experience with it but you may wanna try it.

Lately what I've been trying to do is just going down through each feature of my body top to bottom, head, neck, hands, etc. and really trying to see/feel everything. One of the things I do most times is try to look at my fingernails, and just feeling my face and hair. This doesn't have to take long, just depends on how quickly things get vivid and you get focused.

Another thing you may wanna try is just being conscious of breathing and maybe making noise as you breathe, trying to feel the air entering and leaving your nose.
One thing you may want to try is just looking at the ground. I read one guy's study of lucid dreaming, and he wrote that looking at the ground helped him stabilize everything and make the dream seem more concrete.

And also, voice commands, just yelling/asking for more detail and vividity in the dream.

Finally, if none of these work, you can try using something from the dream itself, like by swallowing a "clarity pill" or something like that.

You're not alone man I'm in the EXACT same situation as you only I've tried spinning and looking at my hands also but the effects were insignificant...

EDIT: I've tried voice commands too but with little effect. And I've also tried touching an object. My sense of touch wasn't as good as in real life and it didn't have much effect on clarity. Although I think I didn't do it properly. I didn't:

Touching things also helps increase my lucidity. By touching.. I mean really "feeling" them. Get into how they feel.. are they hot, cold, smooth, rough, etc.. this also helps me remain in a dream longer.

But I will

I think how long you have been asleep seems to have something to do with it as well. Lucid dreams i get when i have been asleep for only 6-8 hours are a lot more vivid than ones that happen after the 9 or 10 hour mark. Its as if you've gotten too much sleep and are still partially awake while in the dream, so things lose their substantiality

Have you perhaps changed your diet or some habits? A lot of things influence dream vividness...

Oh, and I almost forgot one technique:

Lay down and fall asleep in your dream. When you wake up your dream will be more vivid according to Carlos Castaneda.

Originally Posted by BohmaN

Oh, and I almost forgot one technique:

Lay down and fall asleep in your dream. When you wake up your dream will be more vivid according to Carlos Castaneda.

Wow that's really interesting. Might be hard to stay lucid though.

I wish I could offer something useful, Adam. My LDs are always visually vivid. Maybe I'm just lucky.

Originally Posted by BohmaN

Oh, and I almost forgot one technique:

Lay down and fall asleep in your dream. When you wake up your dream will be more vivid according to Carlos Castaneda.

I did that in a non-lucid last week and WILDed, having an LD within the non-LD.

This is a bit of an adaptation on Mes Tarrant's technique, but it could work. Touch your surroundings but touch them with feeling, asthough you have magic fingers, and as you touch things they become more vivid and it spreads. Like a disease but not that makes you ill. See the room light up and your vision and senses increased, put feeling into it. Who am i giving advice to my mentor?!?! Lol, sorry my master

http://www.dreamviews.com/community/member.php?u=2092 Clairity

Originally Posted by Howie

http://www.dreamviews.com/community/member.php?u=2092 Clairity

Ha! Lol, i was wondering when someone would do that!

Originally Posted by Lucid Seeker

Ha! Lol, i was wondering when someone would do that!

Yes. Although it was done in fun, she does know her shit.
So asking her might actually benefit, if not already done.

Originally Posted by Clairity

Touching things also helps increase my lucidity. By touching.. I mean really "feeling" them. Get into how they feel.. are they hot, cold, smooth, rough, etc.. this also helps me remain in a dream longer.

I know what you mean, that WILD tutorial she did was great. I actually got slightly into SP again which was awesome, however i don't want to continue with it because i'm doing well with my DILDing atm, great guide and advice giver though!

lol @ Lucid_Seeker

This is the problem though. I have always had really vivid and frequent LDs but recently they have been crappy, and nothing I can do can make them better. Always naturally LDing I have not needed to try anything to make them any better because they have always been awesome!!

I blame Lucid_Seeker, since tutoring you they have gotten worse :p

I have a plan though, don't worry - Will let you know how I get on

Haha, yeah, it's asthough i stole your powers, but i don't get regular lucids like you though, you are still a superior lucid dreamer compared to me

lol - I'll be back lol

Originally Posted by Howie

Yes. Although it was done in fun, she does know her shit.
So asking her might actually benefit, if not already done.

LOL!! Thanks Howie.. I do take pride in knowing my "shit"!

and Lucid Seeker, thanks for the compliments!

btw, I just got off an MSN chat with AdamA.. I gave him some ideas so we'll see if things get better for him. I sincerely hope so!
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Originally Posted by Wildman

And also, voice commands, just yelling/asking for more detail and vividity in the dream.

I used this and it worked so try yelling: "increase clarity"

Originally Posted by kramari

I used this and it worked so try yelling: "increase clarity"

This technique creates a really funny effect for me, like if a burst of light goes through the room or something. It doesn't really work so well, though... And I got kind of worried that I might be sleep-yelling or something because I found myself yelling really loud in the dream!

I did WBTB tecnique and when i became lucid it was all very blurry i rubbed my hands - din't work, i touched different things - didn't work. But then I did something that I don't remember and everything was very clear. And I felt cold and fresh morning air and before jumping off the roof I did aRc just in case. Gotta find out what I did. I think my cat was involved.