Spinning problem

[Dreams Rock]

I always heard that spinning was a great way to lengthen a dream if it's fading away. I had my first LD in a long time this morning, so I was kinda disappointed when I ended up waking up after spinning. Do I have to do anything else other than spin, like focus my attention on stuff or something?

[Venomblood]

Try spinning in the other direction.

[Dreams Rock]

Oh right... I forgot to mention that it worked once when I spun clockwise. =/ Does the direction needed change from dream to dream? Do I have to spin clockwise every LD to prolong it, or is it random?

[Venomblood]

I have absolutely no idea. I remember someone asking their Dream guide (in a dream of course) why spinning wasn't working. The DG told them to spin the other direction.

[Serith]

I haven't had much luck with spinning either, but I've had a little success with similar things. First of all, the important thing is feeling movement and focusing on it, not spinning itself. For me, running fast works much better, and if the circumstances prevent you from running, any movement will do, as long as you're moving as much as you can. Second, you should also focus on where you're going to be when the dream returns, since that reduces the chances of just waking up. I've had most success with expecting a false awakening, but you could potentially use this to resume your dream anywhere you choose. Finally, it's best used when you're already lost most of your sight, so if you can still see the dream better than you can see the inside of your eyelids, you should probably try prolonging the dream by just focusing on what you're seeing. When you begin to pay more attention to your movement, naturally you begin paying less attention to your sight. If your sight is fading quick, that takes away some of the importance of that fade, so that the rest of your dream is less likely to fade with your sight, but it also can make your sight start fading if it hasn't already, so I try not to use it unless I'm already halfway awake.

[Amelaclya]

I always wake up from spinning too. There are a couple other things that people say work really well. 1. Rubbing your hands together 2. Staring at your hands or my favorite, 3. Focusing on your surroundings to make them more "real". I personally just think you can do anything that gets more of your senses involved. Like don't take anything in your dream scene for granted. Bend down and feel the ground, feel the breeze, listen to the wind, focus, focus focus! You can practice this IRL too so it becomes more automatic while you are dreaming. Maybe not bending to touch the ground for no reason (otherwise people will think you are nuts ) but actually making an effort to think about the things our brain tends to ignore as "useless information". Like for example, if you concentrate on it, you can feel that you are wearing socks. However, your brain usually filters things like that out because it isn't of immediate concern and you can walk around all day, never being bothered by the fact that you are wearing socks, unless you get a toe wedgie or something. So try making it a habit to notice small sensations, sounds etc that you usually ignore during the day and in your dreams and it will help make your dreams longer and more vivid.

[rookybeats]

What I do to increase vividness, is just to stop. Breathe naturally and calmly, and let everything in. Just relax. Use your 5 senses. Anything, as long as you relax. Usually does the job for me