Thread: Maintaining Lucid Dreams Indefinitely

My biggest problem with lucid dreams is the fact that they end so easily. When I don't know I'm dreaming they seem fully solid and I never wake up but the minute I realize I'm dreaming I have to concentrate on keeping the dream going and not waking up. I never tried any techniques for inducing LD's but its as if the more you have the more frequent they become. Lately Im having them every single night and Im learning new things all the time.

I've figured out all sorts of techniques of stabilizing the dreams like running, keeping really calm, half pretending the dreams real, never concentrating on anything too long. I've tried techniques I read about like looking at my hands and spinning around. They all work fairly well especially when you combine them but I've stumbled upon a technique to keep a lucid dream going for what seems like hours. Patience and lack of rationality. Its as simple as that.

What happens to me when my dream ends is everything goes black and if I try to move I end up actually moving my body in real life so I fully wake up. What I've noticed is that the second the dream ends and it goes black if I don't move a muscle, keep calm, don't think rationally then the dream comes back.

I think I may have figured out the key to maintaining lucid dreams. Lack of rational thinking. I think what happens when we realize we're dreaming is that we start thinking rationally and rationality doesn't apply in dreams since dreams are limitless and aren't bound by rationality. If you allow yourself to let the incoherent and irrational thoughts flow in your dreams you wont wake up so easily and if you do start to wake up don't move a muscle or open your eyes. Stay in that state of darkness and be patient and the dream will appear again.

Last night I kept a dream going for what seemed like about 2 hours by doing this. I kept waking up but I'd lie in the same position calm and motionless and the dream would reappear with me fully lucid in it. At one point or another I must have forgot I was dreaming and ended the lucid spree but that was the longest lucid dream I've ever had.

My experience is that having a concrete goal in mind often stabilizes a lucid dream at least until the goal is achieved. It doesn't always work, but I've gotten fairly good results with it.

Rubbing of the hands.

Rubbing my hands vigourously together works for me.