Thread: 5 senses, which can you best visualize & their use in anchoring, prolonging, etc during LDs.

I've found that I can best visualize sound and touch, sight is ok, taste and smell not so much.

I've heard some people say "use all of your senses" for doing various things in LDs but I wonder if it matters if it's done one at a time, all at once the best you can, etc?

If sound is the easiest for me to visualize would that be the best thing to use if my LD seemed to be ending since it doesn't take much effort? If it worked for stabilizing would sound be the best if I became lucid and was in a barely formed dream?

I thought that anger was what had helped me turn a wispy, just beginning LD, into a perfect copy of a house but maybe it was the yelling. I yelled "This is my dream!" really loudly because I'd worked hard to have LDs and I thought my subconscious was messing with me . Right now I just remembered a radio playing in a LD and I turned it off with my mind, I think it ended soon after. Who knows maybe my subconscious is trying to help.

I just remembered that one of my longest LDs was one where I walked around eating stuff at a party. Maybe the "clean your plate" thing some parents say or my natural habit of eating everything on it had something to do with it or maybe it was the desserts that were spread around keeping me anchored. I did talk with a lot of DCs though. Maybe you could prolong LDs by carrying around a big plate of food since in your daily routine you probably almost always eat most of it before you leave. When I start having LDs again I'll try pretending I can't leave because dessert is next, or that I dropped my wallet, etc.

Does anyone know how to better remember the conversations you have during LDs? I know I've heard some profound things but I can only partially remember some of them . I haven't tried it yet but I considered converting the words to crazy/exciting/cartoon-like images like in some memory courses I've heard, e.g., the name "Bill Nightengale" would be turned into a giant dollar bill that would explode and a knight is standing in its place and hail is falling on him denting his armor.

What senses have helped you the most during LDs and were they the ones you could most strongly visualize?

You want to try and initiate as many senses as you can - if all 5 are possible, then yes, activate all 5. The two easiest ones to pair together are touch and sight - feel the fabric in your shirt while observing the sky. Listen to the wind while tasting a delicious sandwich.

If hearing something works best with you, use it. Keep experimenting around, maybe you'll find another winning combination.

I had an episode much like that (damn teachers trying to give ME tests in MY lucid dream? I don't think so), where I thought anger made things happen. It doesn't help very much. Much like excitement can destabilize a dream, any emotion taken to extremes can destabilize the dream and may caise you to eject prematurely. Just stay calm, know that this is your dream, and take liberal control.

Hmm, that's an interesting thought - carry around a plate of food to initiate a sense to keep you in the dream. Very nice, though my arms may get tired, so I'll just pull a piece of pizza from out my large coat pocket, thanks. Very nice idea.

You can try a mantra before going to bed - "I will remember conversations better". It should help you out.

Touch has yet to fail me while staying in a LD. Sight and hearing together also help me out.

Hope I helped!

Originally Posted by DreamscapeGoat

I had an episode much like that (damn teachers trying to give ME tests in MY lucid dream? I don't think so), where I thought anger made things happen. It doesn't help very much. Much like excitement can destabilize a dream, any emotion taken to extremes can destabilize the dream and may caise you to eject prematurely. Just stay calm, know that this is your dream, and take liberal control.

You can try a mantra before going to bed - "I will remember conversations better". It should help you out.

Lol were you curious what the test was about?

The anger I had was just a short burst so maybe that's the key, and different things work for different people and in different amounts. A new or returning LDer could have problems if they overdo it, like a couch potato going outside and trying to run a 4 minute mile. Depending on the brain I wouldn't take too much control of certain things at first, I lost a great LD because I wanted to fly and my subconscious distracted me so powerfully that I forgot I was dreaming. If anyone wants to do anything during a LD think about it and visualize it etc first to see if you notice any negative feelings about it etc.

Excitement might've given me problems during a few LDs/dreams, in my case it might be related to heart rate, like when I was being chased and kept running faster and faster and I think when I woke up my heart/breathing felt like I had really run. I don't know if it's similar in humans but when my dog has dreams sometimes it takes deep breaths really fast like he's running around. I wonder if that's really necessary because of potentially increased brain usage or what. I was kissing Jessica Biel in a rookie LD and had to stop and rub her arms because of the excitement , but it worked, for awhile.

Thanks I'll try the mantra and I just remembered I have a subliminal message "text flashing" program on my PC somewhere that I can use in the background.

Touch is always a great way to prolong lucids. Feeling in a lucid dream is, personally, one of the best of the five senses. It really does help stabilize more than people would think.

Sometimes just walking around and touching items can really do it for me.