Huge LDs
Lucid Prolongation
Actually inducing a lucid dream is the only part of LDing that any person should ever worry about (and even then, not much).
After induction is accomplished, lucid dreams can be prolonged for vast amounts of time.
Once, I used the following techniques to tie together ten full lucid dreams. This series of ten probably lasted for about 1 and 1/2 hours... All spent lucidly in an environment where my every wish was granted.
The techniques
First I'll do an overview:
- Ways to view lucid dreams for maximum stability
- What to do when you first get lucid
- Last resorts -- dream restarters
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How to view your LDs for maximum stability:
I firmly believe that to have truly excellent, and stable lucid dreams, you have to view them in the correct way.
Which is why I've put this section here. This will be how I personally look at my lucid dreams.
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First of all, let me assure you that I don't actually believe that we are going to another plane of existence when we lucid dream. What do I think we are doing then?
I think that we are doing what we are indeed, obviously doing: Entering an altered state of consciousness.
In a way, we really are going to a whole new plane of existence, we're going into the plane of the mind. The place where you and I, as well as every other healthy human being, go every night of their lives.
We're just going there lucidly.
Its important that you realize what the above statement means. It means that when we get lucid, nothing changes but our knowledge of the altered state of consciousness that we are in.
When we gain lucidity the rules of the dream don't suddenly change, the way we see them does.
Which brings me to:
My philosophy on how to view lucid dreams:
Your lucid dreams are scenarios.
Usually, when the average DVr enters a lucid dream. They change the scenario to something along the lines of: "Thing that isn't going to last long that anything can happen in so I really really need to hurry up and do what I need to do right now!"
Fail.
When you change the dream scenario to something like that, your dooming yourself to failure. Your dreams are, even when not lucid, what you expect them to be.
when you expect your lucid dreams to be fast paced horror fests of beasts, and passing out into wakefulness... thats exactly what they become.
Instead of thinking like that when you get lucid, think of it along the lines of some other scenario. Here's an example of a lucid I had a few nights ago:
You see, that dream's scenario was "real life". This means that all rules in the dream were set to real life standards.
- I get lucid and find myself on my driveway.
- Instead of freaking out because I'm dreaming, I gently look around my environment and think back to the dream I was having.
- Since I was having a dream that was like real life: I was just walking around my driveway; I decide to simply walk around the environment in the same fashion. Except lucid of my state.
- After walking around a little while (not being bothered by anything out of the ordinary: this is a "real life" scenario remember), I get in my car and go on a pedestrian killing spree.
This same thing can be applied to any dream scenario. The moment you get lucid, decide what scenario (ruleset) you want the dream to follow. It can be anything.
If you notice something isn't fitting with your dream scenario, just remember that it has to - in the scenario your in, whatever it is would be totally impossible.
Apply this to create lucids where your on a mission with the USS Enterprise, or where fairies are real, or whatever it is you want to do.
It really adds a whole new side to lucid dreaming.
Remember to use passive control that goes with your scenario in these though.
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What to do when you first get lucid:
Follow the steps laid out in this tutorial.
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Last resorts and dream restarters:
The following techniques are to be used to restart your dreams.
They can be used at any time during a lucid, although I'm listing them here to be used when the dream starts to break down and you can't salvage it.
With me, most of these usually induce false awakenings. Always remember to reality check when you either "wake up", or wake up. False awakening can be tricky little buggers.
The main idea behind most of these, is suddenly making your dream body experience a huge amount of input from the dream environment.
Those are:Then theres the ones that are used before the dream is fading, (but when you know its about to).
- Flexing your dream body's back muscles a huge amount
- Slamming yourself backwards into the ground
- Spinning
- breaking your toes or other body parts
These include:Flexing your dream body's back muscles a huge amount:
- Going to sleep
- Suicide
Self explanatory, at the point where your engulfed in blackness, pull yourself backwards as hard as possible with your back muscles.
As with all of these methods, your going to have to vividly experience the feeling of doing this as much as possible.
Slamming yourself backwards into the ground:
This is how I first figured out the back muscles method.
When your in the dream and its getting all crazy and fading on you, slam yourself backwards to the ground.
Vividly experience both the dizzying sensation, and the feeling you get when your body hits the ground.
This one induces the most false awakenings for me, I usually fall into my bed :P
Spinning:
one of the oldest methods, you spin with all your might either on one foot or both. Vividly experience the dizziness as your doing it.
You can do this either when you enter blackness, or try and teleport to a new scene when your dream begins to fade.
Just make sure you focus on the sensation of spinning here, thats the main thing.
Breaking your toes or other body parts:
Pretty obvious way of making your dream body experience a flare of sensation.
Lift your suddenly barefoot feet and slam your toes forwards into the ground.
You can also use other body parts, just make sure you use things in the environment to break them, so that you don't accidentally break something in the real world (like if you grabbed your finger and snapped it -- that wouldn't be good at all).
___________Going to sleep:
The rest of these can be used at any time during a dream to kind of "restart" the whole experience.
They almost always induce false awakenings for me. Make sure you reality check the second you "wake up".
Just lay down and "WILD" into a new dream.
Or just go to sleep, but then you may just enter a non lucid dream.
Suicide:
Kill yourself in any way you see fit.
Maybe you'll resurrect, maybe you'll enter a false awakening, or maybe something else will happen.
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Well that was my tutorial on lucid prolongation.
Use all the techniques together for maximum effect, or just use them individually.
Hope I helped someone out there out by writing this :D
