Sluggishness in LDs

[jumpinjester]

It seems like in about a quarter of my lucids I am really sluggish. I can't move right, my body feels rigid and stiff, I don't move fluidly, etc. It's really annoying because I'm fully aware, but I can't really do anything. The best way I've found around this is to take note of the small things. Just look for details, details, details. Grab the grass beneath your feet, pull it out and smell it. Pick an individual blade from the pile - rip it, taste it. Look at the walls, try and push the walls over or pull something from them. You can do a lot with this and it's really fun for me because I usually end up staring at whatever detail I chose going "OMG I can't believe this is a dream! This is so real! What is reality?" It still doesn't really get me too mobile, though. I'm wondering if there is something like the spinning technique that would pull me out of this soupy duress. Any ideas?

[jumpinjester]

Hmmm...I would think is a somewhat common problem. Nobody?

[Mercen_505]

I had my first LD this afternoon and I noticed that as I started to move around I was very sluggish and felt my body slurring toward a particular corner of the room I was in, as if there was a miniature black hole located there that was trying to drag me in. I stopped what I was doing, tried rubbing my hands together a bit, then spun around for about four seconds, which managed to clear things up and allow me to move around unrestricted.

[Dawn.]

Yeah, that happens to me a lot. Mostly, it happens when I run. When I try to run in my dreams, it feels like I'm walking through quicksand :/ Same thing with walking. I can never run fast in my dreams. I don't know any good ways to fix this, but here's what I sometiems do: (It might not work for you, but it usually does for me) Pretend that there's a magical genie who is listening to whatever you say. In your dream, just yell out something like, "I wish I could run faster!" etc. Your 'wish' should always come true. Hope I helped!

[The Cusp]

Very common. Happens a lot in fighting dreams, where people get stuck with the old Slow Punch. I've actually had a lucid where I was so tired, I layed down and went to sleep!

[Sean999]

Yes, this is quite a common problem. It's been attributed to the paralysis we experience while sleeping that "leaks" into our dreams. But I haven't seen any actual proof that this is the case, it could totally be something purely psychological. Anyways, there are a number of workarounds to this. I think the best method is one you create yourself, but you could try these out: -Flying a short distance to gain speed, landing again, running a short distance, flying again, and so on. All without stopping. Usually, once I gain speed, the problem goes away. -"Power strides". This just means taking very long steps to build up speed. Like a Jedi using Force Speed. Those are meant for running, but for walking normally, I think the best thing is to just not pay much attention to it. Most things in dreams, when given no attention, will disappear.

[Dimethyltrip]

I have some lucid dreams where I literally can not move an inch. It is the most annoying thing and luckily it hasn't happened in a long time. It's almost like being stuck in Sleep Paralysis except for the fact that I'm aware that I'm dreaming. In other cases I have the same problem and I feel like I am moving in slow motion. I actually have no idea how to fix this but I'll try and come up with something!

[Lusense]

Yup, happens to me alot too. Not sure if this is just a coincidence but alot of times I noticed it depends how "awake" I was before trying to LD. Regardless, I rub my hands together, look for any kind of tactile stimulation to engage my senses, and look around for details (just started doing that alot recently). It's kind of annoying sometimes though. This guy kept trying to fight me and put me in a headlock in this LD (a good friend IRL I randomly spar with) and it was super hard to fight back cause of the sluggishness. It seems to make it harder to not just move but interact with things in general.

[jumpinjester]

Thanks for the replies - I'll have to try out some of your methods and see what works. I'm thinking just yelling, as Dawn mentioned, would be best. As we all know, we're in an environment completely created by our minds, and most of us have altered this environment with our mind, so why can't we change ourselves with our mind? I think using my voice will reinforce my desire to change. Normally I can just "expect" to find whatever I want around the next corner or whatever, but I was having trouble doing this with something that I am continuously aware of, but I think yelling out my desire will work through emphasis as I mentioned and also it will temporarily take my mind off of my problem, as Sean999 said. So, I think it definitely is purely psychological. If anyone were to believe otherwise, we would have to assume that the dream environment exists outside of ourselves...which it could...and I'm pretty sure it does to a certain extent, but the rules remain the same as far as I've seen... Is rubbing your hands together a pretty well known trick, like spinning? I've never heard of this before.

[Sean999]

Yes, it's a great trick for many things. It can be used to stabilize the dream at both the start and when it seems to be fading. It's also good for increasing clarity (just like verbal affirmations can do). Though, this has been said to be "better" than affirmations because it actually involves a physical sensation that encourages the brain to create a more realistic experience. I put "better" in quotes because it all comes down to preference.

[Ozzi99]

Very common. Happens a lot in fighting dreams, where people get stuck with the old Slow Punch. Ahhh, good old slow punch. Definately the most frustrating thing in a dream alongside running and falling

[deepsleep]

seems like a pretty common problem, I have dreams where I move very very fast.

[jumpinjester]

Ahhh, good old slow punch. Definately the most frustrating thing in a dream alongside running and falling Hah, had a dream a few nights ago where I was with these people that turned into Goetic demons, so I quickly made my exit, then started running. I crossed a street, jumped as high as I could in the air and dove toward the grass and into the earth. Nothing slow about that escape

[Hype]

I came on here because I've been having a lot of lucid dreams, but it feels like I'm moving in quicksand as well. Very sluggish. I had a couple of opportunities last night, I tried the spinning technique, no luck, I can't speak and I move in slow-mo. I can still think in my dreams, but I have no control over things (even my own body sometimes). Another thing is, if I'm lucky, I'll be able see my environment, but otherwise everything is completely blurry. Can anyone offer any techniques to increase clarity or be able to even summon/create something in the dream? Because I'm unable to do that. :/