Thread: Lucid in the void.

Hi i think the void don't mean you are going to wake up, but if this what i am saying is incorrect:
I once was having problems with the sun she was moving so fast and day night cycle was going fast, so i sad: i don't want the sun, so every think snapped to darkness. I got angry and said: RESET! I was teleported to my kitchen and the dream started again.

Like Nikakwa nicely said, lack of visual input doesn't mean that the dream is about to end. In fact, a much common characteristic of "about-to-collapse" dreams is when you start feeling your waking body (and still, that doesn't mean will/has to end!).

The most likely obstacle here is your excitement, which is causing your body to evoke a stress response that wakes you up. Knowing this, you can start to practice mindfulness by being aware of these moments of "anxiety" and calming yourself down: in a dream, a good way to do this is by reality checking with your hands, as looking at them will decrease your visual field and hopefully help you ignoring what's around you.
At the same time, I'd advise you to look into DEILD: it's a great technique to use when you want to continue with a lucid dream. Do notice though that dreams do come to an end when your REM cycle ends, so an alternative explanation for your issue is that you're becoming lucid quite late in the dream. Still, that is something that you will improve naturally with experience!

so the plan is to hang out and chill out? Maybe stabilize?

Originally Posted by tblanco

so the plan is to hang out and chill out? Maybe stabilize?

- Always stabilize/reality check when you feel to anxious...in other words, focus on keeping yourself within the dream.
- If you experience the void, just wait and try to visualize a scene emerging from it.
- If you still wake up, DEILD.

What I've found works best for me is flying my way out. If I find myself in the void I launch myself forwards superman-style imagining the sensations of flying (air moving, etc.). Others like to do silly dancing -- keeps your attention on your dream body. But the most important thing is not to expect it means the end of the dream: it does *not*. The important thing is to keep fighting to stay in the dream, and to expect that you will remain in the dream.

Grab something or rub your dream hands! Keep feeling it and keep your mind on the feel. In 30 to 60 seconds your dream vision may "pop" back on. Last three dreams this worked for me.

Originally Posted by Rothgar

Grab something or rub your dream hands! Keep feeling it and keep your mind on the feel. In 30 to 60 seconds your dream vision may "pop" back on. Last three dreams this worked for me.

I usually do what Rothgar does, or I'll even just wander around until I see light. Usually I end up in a room of some type and the dream can continue. Just don't give up in the void. Think of it as a scene change, rather than a "Uh oh, gonna wake up now."

And if all else fails, there's always the "Full Xanous" technique.

Reading some robert Waggoner. . He talks about this very thing



"Lucidly aware now, I start flying up the street, looking at the people sitting in candle-lit cafes and walking down the street. The detail is incredibly vivid. I sing a funny rhyming song as I look at things. I keep flying farther and end up outside of town with a strong inclination to fly to the right. But then in a moment of conscious choice, I exercise my right to change the direction of the dream and decide, no, I'm going into the darkness, and I turn left. As I move forward in the darkness, the visual imagery disappears. For a very long while, I feel that I'm moving without any visual imagery—there's only a foggy dark-gray void. I keep moving in this visually empty space and begin to wonder if I am going to wake up. But suddenly a scene appears, bit by bit. First a bush, then a tree, then another tree. Soon the dream fleshes out nicely, and I stand, lucid, on a gently sloped hill, like something you'd see in Britain, with small leafy trees and lots of green grass. I notice that right next to me is a small bush with berries on it"

Originally Posted by OpheliaBlue

I usually do what Rothgar does, or I'll even just wander around until I see light. Usually I end up in a room of some type and the dream can continue. Just don't give up in the void. Think of it as a scene change, rather than a "Uh oh, gonna wake up now."

And if all else fails, there's always the "Full Xanous" technique.

i listened to that podcast yesterday..lol. talk about a last resort.

Originally Posted by tblanco

i listened to that podcast yesterday..lol. talk about a last resort.

Right!

I enjoy the quietness of the void and I see it as just an intermission before the next scene. *What really helped me is something Sageous said about when feeling a dream fading: not following the normal path back to your waking body...it clicked for me and a number of times I remembered this and sort of stayed in the ether...in the dream realm and it seems to work quite well.

Damn I love Sageous

What i usually do while in the void, pick any direction and run like you have never ran, push your self beyond normal means, i even try to bend the void so o can move even faster, as i run i keep my vision ahead untill... imagery starts to form ahead of me, its normally a neighborhood at night. Another way i left the void, i turned my self to fire and got thrown out, but i only did that once so do not know how relieable it is.

Originally Posted by acillis

Another way i left the void, i turned my self to fire and got thrown out, but i only did that once so do not know how relieable it is.

I love this!!

This might sound weird, but I go all Genesis-style when that happens, since the void reminds me of Genesis (It says "Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep") If "Let there be light!" doesn't work, though it usually does for me, I just keep going through all six days and build up the world from there.

I feel so blasphemous.

Haha guys, these suggestions are so cool and creative!

These are awesome. The main takeaway I'm having is that step one is remain calm and be patient. after that.. you have imagination and some great starter ideas for what comes next.