Thread: Reality Check PASSES Every Time...

I've always thought the "finger through the hand" reality check was a little silly myself. Of course you can do this ONLY in a dream, but it's also something we are pretty hard wired to expect NOT to happen. It's not a reliable reality check in my opinion.

The best reality checks are the ones that CANNOT pass because they are working with the limitations of the dreaming mind.

The nose pinch test should never pass in a lucid dream, because how on earth can blocking your dream nose effect your physical breathing?

Also, the light switch test, is based on the concept that the mind struggles with dramatic lighting changes in the dreamscape. So if you try and turn a light on or off, normally something will happen that stops it occuring (a blown light bulb for instance.)

My personal favourite (and always has been) is the reading text/digital watch, looking away, and then rereading it. As the dreamscape is unstable, i've yet to have an experience where the clock, or text remains stable.

Most importantly, are you seriously asking yourself "am I dreaming?" or do you just say it with the expectation that you're awake?
Because if you are, then that's your problem.

Best reality check question would be something like "which reality am I in? how can i prove that?"

It dosn't allow for a simple yes or no answer.

Originally Posted by spaceexplorer

Also, the light switch test, is based on the concept that the mind struggles with dramatic lighting changes in the dreamscape. So if you try and turn a light on or off, normally something will happen that stops it occuring (a blown light bulb for instance.)

I'd say lights work more than 50% of the time for me.


I feel the best RC is the nose RC. For some reason it failed me the first couple times I tried it, but never after that.

The hand RC where you just look at your hand has been the second most reliable one for me, but as I have had more LDs, it has become less reliable.

I Tried Plugging my nose too...but I fell in fake lucidity(I believe i'm lucid, but really, i'm not, and I know this when I wake up from the dream)
but...are you doing the RC right? you have to doubt about what you are doing...I mean...plug your nose and say "if this is a dream, I will breath, if not...well.., but if this is a dream, when was the last time I went to bed?"

try it

bye

Personally, the reason I feel that reality checks DO work is because, when I do RC, I do it will the full-on expectation that I might be in a dream. I don't just do it as a habit going, "Oh I'm in RL, I'm awake." I think, "Wait, what if everything so far is a false awakening and I'm still asleep?! " With that attitude I start to fervently push my finger into my hand, read all the text around me, check the time, count and pull on my fingers, etc. AS I'm doing it, I'm expecting them all to work because I think I'm dreaming, I'm even visualizing my finger popping out the other end. Usually if I take on an attitude like this I will find that my RCs do show I'm dreaming, and that the impossible things will work because I'm standing there expecting them to and directing them to.

I finger-through-palm, count the fingers, read the text, etc. And they rarely fail me, I have a harder time actually RCing in dreams than getting an RC to work.

Read, look away then read again always works for me.

Originally Posted by spaceexplorer

I've always thought the "finger through the hand" reality check was a little silly myself.

Works every time for me. Its truly freaky seeing your finger pop through the top of your hand.

I often find it far easier to try and push my finger through walls.
Its often cool with glass. Sometimes it simply goes through, sometimes the glass bubbles, and some time the glass cracks up in a completely unatural way.

what i do for a rc is look at the tattoo on my wrist (moms name) and ill turn my wrist around and look at it again if it looks the same i know im not dreaming beause it was defenitly become blurry if i was dreaming

I use the digital watch RC and don't just see if it has changed or is an imposible time (33:33) I think if trying to make it change. I try to think of a time and make that apear on my watch. One time I did this RC and my watch said "hello" so now I try to make it say that sometimes.

How does the nose pinch RC fail? You can't suffocate in dreams. It always works for me.

The hand RC check does not work, counting my fingers/looking at my hands do not work.

The ones I found that works is Text and Nose pinch, without fail.

text and the finger through hand usually works for me

What I've been doing recently is trying to remember what I did an hour ago...two hours ago...four hours ago. If I have trouble remembering, or I don't know how I got 'here', chances are I'm dreaming. But the bottom line is like others have said...don't make it a simple habbit of doing an RC. Really question your state. When I question my state, I observe things closely. "Does this fit in this environment?" "Is this how my workplace should look?"