I'm Dreaming!... Wait... NOOOOO!

[Licity]

Okay, I have a problem. I have been getting lucid a lot lately, most notably twice in the last week. The problem is I get lucid when the dream has about 5 seconds to go. I just randomly realize I am dreaming, but then everything starts to literally fade to black. I know the usual tricks for stabilizing and extending a dream, such as spinning, rubbing your hands together, feeling random objects, etc. The problem is that I have found that these take time to work. When I am in control long enough to start touching things for the texture, it takes a few objects to really ground myself. Would someone mind providing any personal tricks for stabilization that take almost no time to start working? It obviously won't be the ultimate be-all-end-all of techniques, just something that buys me enough time to start twirling in place. Also, seeing the transition from sleep to waking obviously calls for a DEILD attempt, but I am having trouble there too. Just last night, I watched the usual fade to black and eventually got my closed eyelids. I was there, unmoving for a few minutes before I performed a reality check to prove that I was not, in fact, dreaming. I think I might be failing because I get too excited when this sort of thing happens. Could someone please tell me about any visualizations or mental exercises they use when transitioning during a DEILD? Thanks in advance!

[Reality's Flaw]

You could try looking at your hands, or looking down at your feet. That helps some people. But don't worry, as I've said in my blog, eventually after you've been lucid enough times, the problem of the dream ending too soon after the event of lucidity slowly goes away.

[magical mike]

rub your tounge on the roof of your mouth

[mustbe18]

The fastest way to stabalise and atain better clerity for me was yelling out clerity 3 times really loud. The effect was instant and incredible to watch.

[drewmandan]

Also, seeing the transition from sleep to waking obviously calls for a DEILD attempt, but I am having trouble there too. Just last night, I watched the usual fade to black and eventually got my closed eyelids. I was there, unmoving for a few minutes before I performed a reality check to prove that I was not, in fact, dreaming. I think I might be failing because I get too excited when this sort of thing happens. Could someone please tell me about any visualizations or mental exercises they use when transitioning during a DEILD? Thanks in advance! You're doing DEILD WAY wrong. The two keys to a proper DEILD are speed and visualization. If it's taking minutes, then forget it, it won't work. You have to act within seconds of waking up. But it's not that hard. Next time you go to bed, decide on a place you will visualize on your next DEILD attempt. It might as well be your room, but it could be any place. But actually decide on it, so you don't have to decide later when you need haste. You might want to also self-talk telling yourself to remember to DEILD before going to sleep. Also, if you fail a DEILD, tell yourself to remember to do it faster next time. It seems silly and magical, but talking to yourself does work sometimes. Now, for the actual DEILD, this can't really be explained in words, but I'll try. You have to use a certain kind of visualization that can't really be done when you're wide awake. It's not daydreaming. Daydreaming uses another brain process that will actually keep you awake and probably lose you an entire night of sleep. In fact, you should never daydream in bed. What your goal should be is first person visualization combined with simulated touch and perhaps auditory sensations. But the vast majority of your brain power should be devoted to creating the visual and tactile. What you need to do is place yourself in the place you decided on before, and start walking around touching things. Again, this is not something that's easy to imagine right now as you're reading this, but it will be quite easy in the seconds when you first wake up. And basically keep doing this, walking around touching things, until you feel yourself go through the looking glass, as they say. And again, this must all be done within seconds of waking up. And don't move a muscle, either. You will never need to do a RC in or after a DEILD. It's hard to explain why, but it's sort of like watching a movie and wondering whether the characters are real. You just know they aren't. The other thing about DEILDs is that the first few require faith. When you begin the visualization, it will feel very artificial and pointless, but it does work. And faith that they will work becomes easier and easier as you gain experience.

[Licity]

Thanks for the replies everyone! I will try these next time I catch myself unmoving.