Another Don't: Thinking too much while in a Lucid Dream

After having more than 3 LD's in the past few weeks, I learned one of the rules to Lucid Dreaming:
DO NOT think about what will be your next move.

Like many mentioned on this site, dreaming is where the subconcious takes over. I've noticed that if I try to take too much control or try to manipulate too much, I end up in either complete darkenss or wake up.

For example, this morning I did some WILD after my son woke me up around 3 AM. In the dream, I was having some fun with some DC's and decided to ask myself, "Hmmm. What should I do next?" It seems like everytime I ask myself that, the dream fades out.

Lesson learned: Go with the flow! Looks like I have some reading up to do on the subject of dream control.

Yeah, focusing on one aspect of anything for too long will kill your lucidity and clarity. Lesson learned, I'll bet.

Wouldn't it sort of imply not being completely lucid though? If you never stop and start really thinking that it's a dream, and just go with the flow instead, are you really that lucid?

WHY DID SOMEONE NOT TELL ME THIS EARLIER!!

Man, I bet that this is exactly the reason that none of my LD's last more than 20 seconds!
:rolllaugh: I must be trying to exert too much control.

Ah, well. Cheers for the little piece of info. Should be interesting to see the results of my future LDs.

Infact, I think I'll just go try it right now. :D

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Originally posted by Night Wolf
WHY DID SOMEONE NOT TELL ME THIS EARLIER!!

Man, I bet that this is exactly the reason that none of my LD's last more than 20 seconds!
:rolllaugh: * *I must be trying to exert too much control.

Ah, well. Cheers for the little piece of info. Should be interesting to see the results of my future LDs.

Infact, I think I'll just go try it right now. *:D

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Good luck. I am sure you'll have more success with this bit of knowledge.

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Originally posted by Wildman
Wouldn't it sort of imply not being completely lucid though? If you never stop and start really thinking that it's a dream, and just go with the flow instead, are you really that lucid?

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I agree with WIldman. "Going with the flow" and not thinking about your actions are what you do in non-lucid dreams. If you're lucid in a dream, it's not even possible to go with the "natural" flow of the dream. By this I mean, you can choose to exert a minimal amount of control over the dream, but the simple knowledge that you're dreaming "unhinges" you from the plot of the dream and causes you to make all your decisions on a conscious level. That's the whole concept behind lucidity. In every single LD I've ever had, I considered my next move. I would go so far as to say that not doing so is the quickest route to losing lucidity.

The idea of "too much dream control," on the other hand, is a completely separate issue. I have heard and read instances of people who woke up when they tried to make a radical change in their dream that they hadn't tried before. Why this happens for some people, I cannot say. Still other people will get "half-results" when they fail at certain things. A common example is when people try to fly, but the best they can do is an enormous leap. For me, I usually either get the desired effect or nothing at all. I remain in the dream, however I have lost lucidity before by becoming too frustrated at my failures.

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Originally posted by David Ames
decided to ask myself, "Hmmm. What should I do next?" It seems like everytime I ask myself that, the dream fades out.

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In conclusion, the only two reasons I can think of right now why this happened to you are that:
1. You started thinking too much about your waking life (a quick way to cause yourself to wake up in most cases).
2. It was just a coincidence.

In my first lucid- what I did was basically just do the first thing they came into my head when i realized i was lucid, and that was to fly. I didnt think too much about it- I sort of just said hey! im lucid- im going to go outside and fly. I found that it would take a lot of effort to really think perfectly straight. (thats probobaly why i got distracted and went back into a normal dream)

I also ask myself what to do when I become lucid. Just because I will have set up a list of things I want to do before then, and I need some time to make up my mind about it. Also, I try to exert a lot of control in my dreams, and, like DuB, I feel not doing so would be more likely to kill my lucidity than it would be to maintain it, seeing as some of the first things I usually think of are clearing my mind, rubbing my hands and solving a couple of mathematical problems (to enhance conciousness and help maintain lucidity).

Also, although I'm not saying anyone who says exerting little control over your dreams is wrong (as what I just said is what applies to me personally, not to the entire world), it's important not to forget that when you "discover" a rule of lucidity like that, you're actually creating it for yourself. That is to say, if you're convinced saying your name while lucid will wake you up, then it will, and likewise, if you're convinced exerting control over your LDs will make you lose them, it will.

In other words, though you might be right in that thinking too much has negative effects on your LD, this isn't true for everyone, and it isn't true all the time, but it will be if you think it is.

That is all :goodjob2:

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Originally posted by Umbrella
Also, although I'm not saying anyone who says exerting little control over your dreams is wrong (as what I just said is what applies to me personally, not to the entire world), it's important not to forget that when you "discover" a rule of lucidity like that, you're actually creating it for yourself. That is to say, if you're convinced saying your name while lucid will wake you up, then it will, and likewise, if you're convinced exerting control over your LDs will make you lose them, it will.

In other words, though you might be right in that thinking too much has negative effects on your LD, this isn't true for everyone, and it isn't true all the time, but it will be if you think it is.

That is all *:goodjob2:

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:bravo:

yes very well put, there are no "rules of lucid dreaming" (almost none) all that exists in an LD is what youve created, the only reason gravity exists is because you think "its a rule"
the truth is, thinking about what you were going to do did wake you up, (after you came to the conclusion that it might be the reason you were waking) if you had thought "maybe I woke up because I moved my left toe" and you decided to test it out and move your left toe to see if it messed with the dream, chances are the dream would fade out every time....

remember that in an Ld there are no rules but those you impose apon it (so dont take anything in a dream as a "rule" for every dream you'll ever have)

The best thing for me so far is just going with the flow with the intent to explore. I let the dream come to me. Look at details and listen to what DCs have to say. That is when I have had the most clear lucids ever. Some have felt more real then "real" life. Just mind blowing...

Well, perhaps there is a problem with impromptu and spontaneous wondering what to do next, but many people have had great success with Lucid Dream Checklists that have been solidified by long term suggestion, so that the Checklist operates more like a trigger mechanism for a pre-planned dream. Now, once a dream is triggered by reference to a Checklist, then it probably would be wise to surrender into the Dream Material.

I never think of what to do next.. I just decide what i want to do where i am, then to keep it alive i change the dream to something else by spinning.

This can help to maintain the lucid dreaming, but not the perticular dream itself.

I still have trouble waking up I struggle to wake, and I have to check I am awake cus sometimes the room is my room but the crim reaper or the hounds of hell are hanging over me.

Go with the flow change what you dislike and do what comes natural to you as if its happening in real life.. Your desires become realility when dreaming.

So is it a better idea to think about what your going to do in a lucid dream, before you fall asleep, to help you "go with the flow"?

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Originally posted by Explode
So is it a better idea to think about what your going to do in a lucid dream, before you fall asleep, to help you "go with the flow"?

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Nope.. Thinking about the lucid dream the day before and questioning normal things spotting dreamsigns with make you Lucid, Trying to excert too much control too soon will make you wake up.

Hard to explain so i will just go right out and say it.. Answer this question, When and if you cross the street (road uk), and you see a car comming at you, Do you stand there and think about running away or do you just run away?

This is who you should be in Dreamworld, do everything on instint at first, and basically choose what you prefare.. Thinking in your dream I am dreaming i can do whatever i want basically tips off your subconsious that you are aware.. Its this you have to beat rather than controling your dream.

I never heard about thinking about one's next move causing someone to wake up. I've actually been planning to experiment with stopping to carefully consider what to do at the beginning of the dream to see whether or not it works better than just doing whatever comes to my mind. I haven't yet completely remembered to actually do this, though.

I've found that when I make a mental note of what specifically I want to try in the next lucid dream before falling asleep, I seem to be more likely to try that if I have a lucid dream. Sometimes, I totally forget and do all kinds of other random things without really thinking about what I'm doing or why--but since they tend to be things I've planned to eventually try "one of these days," the time usually isn't wasted.

Strangely enough, you can't really "think" within a dream, because your thoughts ARE your surroundings. So you feel more one and the same with everything around you. It's an exhiliariting experience, I know.

this is why I make my plans in dreams programmed to be reactive, not something I have to mentally recall while in a dream, I just hope my reflex works accordingly. Same with my RC's, can't think about it, gotta be reflexive.

That's never happened to me. I just get bored, hover around, and finally think, "Meh, well, since I can't think of anything to do I want to wake up now."

That, or my attempts are foiled somehow. I decided to go swimming, once, but the pool turned to jelly. Another time I tried to walk through a wall and got stuck halfway through.

Imagining or visualizing other things doesn't usually seem to change my surroundings in a lucid dream, either. I haven't tried doing that much, though.

One exception, though, was a lucid dream I had once where I was hearing a song and I wanted a different one to play, so I tried to play the one I wanted in my mind. It was difficult to concentrate because of the song I was hearing (and I suspect it was probably more distracting than it would be in real life). I eventually managed to get the song I wanted to play, though.

My best lucidity comes when I am not trying to do anything, but it takes some conscious effort to get to the situations where I want to let myself go. However, too much strain can cause loss of lucidity and even loss of dreaming. The effort needs to be gentle, like saying a mantra mentally during transcendental meditation. Give effort, but the effort needs to be very relaxed and postitive. When you get to the desired scenario, stay calm and allow yourself to go with the dream.

In response to an earlier conversation in this thread, it is possible to remain aware that you are dreaming while not trying to change the dream. You can flow through the dream without consciously trying to create new scenarios but still hold onto the fact that you are dreaming.

Something I haven't tried yet but plan to is calmly talking to myself in the dream and describing a desired scenario without trying too hard to visualize it. I tried for a year to go to the Eiffel Tower in a dream to meet a dream character and then tell the real world character that I finally met her there. I had one lucid after another where I would try to run on the ocean and head for Paris, only to wake up from getting too excited and trying to hard to hurry to Paris. Other times, I would try really hard to visualize it. That method finally go me there, but I was not able to stay at the Eiffel Tower for very long. If I had just started calmly describing what the Eiffel Tower looks like, it might have appeared before me and remained without a problem.