Drastic improvement in remembering to R.C.

**Avalanche** · 01-27-2012 07:52 PM

Ever had the problem where you just don't remember to R.C. during the day? You get up and tell yourself "Ok, today I'm really going to concentrate and remember to do them!" Then almost within the hour you haven't even done one. Well that's how it was for me.

So I found a rubber band and I wear it around my wrist. I don't know why, it's just nice to have one for some reason, I don't know.

I wore it for a few days, then I thought about adding it to my lucid dream studies. So I came up with an idea:

I keep an eye on the clock. At every 15minute interval I snap the band on my wrist, which hurts a little bit (as much as a rubberband would) and then do an R.C.

Sounds like nothing much, I know, I thought so too. I did this all day today and I did not miss one 15minute period. Even at times when I couldn't watch the clock in class, I would just suddenly remember, and I would be within 3-5mins of the interval.

The reason why I posted this is because;
1. I just remembered to do one out of the blue and after digging out my phone it was bang on quarter to the hour.
2. I tried this this morning and within one day I am remembering to do 4 R.C.s an hour- thats about 50 a day, maybe more.
3. I have not seen anything like this posted anywhere before, and I tried this out for a bit before just posting it like I had discovered the holy grail or something.

This is just for people who can't seem to remember to Reality check during the day. It would probably have some variants but so far a rubberband is a great way to make yourself remember to do them, and on time too.

**dms111** · 01-27-2012 10:40 PM

That's a really good idea. Adding a minor shock of pain will certainly keep the RC's fresher in your mind. But every 15 minutes seems a bit excessive.

**Avalanche** · 01-27-2012 11:10 PM

Well the more the better right? You can certainly overdo R.C.s, where you do them so often you don't think of them anymore and they just appear all the time in dreams but you never notice them- but every 15 mins is hardly enough to make them blend in with you dreams. I started at 9:00am this morning and it is now 10:15pm. I have not missed one this whole day, even when there was no clock. I did one in the shower just before I got out because it felt right and when I looked at my phone it happened at the correct time.

**Avalanche** · 01-29-2012 04:57 PM

I got a lucid dream out of this method, after the second day of doing it. I don't have lucid dreams often, my last one before this was in october, and before that was july, so I would bet it's because of this.

**ShadowOfSelf** · 01-29-2012 10:06 PM

Good work avalanche, keep at it

**Avalanche** · 01-29-2012 10:19 PM

I'm not trying to boast here you know (5 ld's in almost a year? Yeah right, boasting), I'm just pointing out something that seems to have worked for me. Instead of keeping it to myself. For the better of the community.

**ShadowOfSelf** · 01-30-2012 10:20 AM

Originally Posted by Avalanche

I'm not trying to boast here you know (5 ld's in almost a year? Yeah right, boasting), I'm just pointing out something that seems to have worked for me. Instead of keeping it to myself. For the better of the community.

Yeh no one implied you were boasting, keep doing your technique and let us know.

**Avalanche** · 01-30-2012 08:29 PM

Ok well I'm keeping up with it still, doing them more or less every 15 mins, counting fingers and trying to stick my finger through my palm. So far it's going ok, got a lucid out of it on the second night, last night though I wasn't tired so I didn't have one then, but I'm still hopeful.

**CallmeSkarr** · 01-30-2012 11:57 PM

its pretty similar to just trying to remember to do an RC just this time round there is pain! but i see how it could work, im going to give it a try.

**Zyangur** · 01-31-2012 04:24 AM

Yes, me too. I will try this because I can never remember to do checks during the day, and this seems like it will help.

**thewolfsam** · 01-31-2012 04:59 PM

what other technique do u use? WBTB or do u just sleep normally? thanks

**Avalanche** · 01-31-2012 07:22 PM

Well right now I just use the rubberband. Further proof that this works is that I was in the shower today, when after a while in there I suddenly just remembered about reality checks and stuff. I got out 10 minutes later, looked at the clock and it was 4:55. I remembered to reality check at quarter to the hour, which is right on time to do it every 15 mins. So it does ingrain it into your head, using a rubberband. It helps to get you out of whatever you are doing and to focus on the check. If you do it without the rubberband then you are likely to just go right back into (un?)awareness, where as if you have the slight pain on your wrist, you remember it more.

Glad some other people are doing this now, keep it up and post results.

**CallmeSkarr** · 01-31-2012 11:17 PM

Originally Posted by Avalanche

Ever had the problem where you just don't remember to R.C. during the day? You get up and tell yourself "Ok, today I'm really going to concentrate and remember to do them!" Then almost within the hour you haven't even done one. Well that's how it was for me.

So I found a rubber band and I wear it around my wrist. I don't know why, it's just nice to have one for some reason, I don't know.

I wore it for a few days, then I thought about adding it to my lucid dream studies. So I came up with an idea:

I keep an eye on the clock. At every 15minute interval I snap the band on my wrist, which hurts a little bit (as much as a rubberband would) and then do an R.C.

Sounds like nothing much, I know, I thought so too. I did this all day today and I did not miss one 15minute period. Even at times when I couldn't watch the clock in class, I would just suddenly remember, and I would be within 3-5mins of the interval.

The reason why I posted this is because;
1. I just remembered to do one out of the blue and after digging out my phone it was bang on quarter to the hour.
2. I tried this this morning and within one day I am remembering to do 4 R.C.s an hour- thats about 50 a day, maybe more.
3. I have not seen anything like this posted anywhere before, and I tried this out for a bit before just posting it like I had discovered the holy grail or something.

This is just for people who can't seem to remember to Reality check during the day. It would probably have some variants but so far a rubberband is a great way to make yourself remember to do them, and on time too.

YOU MY FRIEND ARE A GENIUS! i have gone an entire day for the first time ever with consistent RC's i was actually shocked by the amount of times i did it considering i normally on a GOOD day do 2, one before i go to bed and one random on when i just remember and today i must have done 20+

**Avalanche** · 02-01-2012 06:08 PM

Nice job! I wouldn't say I'm a genius, this has probably already been done by someone before, who decided not to post on here or it's buried under years of DV topics. I'm glad it's helped you to remember to R.C., if it helps one person then it's a job well done.

Always remember to be consistent, like if you miss an R.C. by 4 or 5 mins then just leave it. Like if you look at the clock and it's 4:05 or 4:10, wait until 4:15. That way you stick to the 15 minute cycle, and you don't mess it up and ruin the inner cycle you have going. If you do it consistently every 15 mins, then it helps to solidify it into your mind- if you do it every 10 mins or 20 mins it's all over the place and it doesn't work as well.

**Avalanche** · 02-03-2012 02:05 PM

Small update- I think being a little late (by 3 or 4 minutes) actually throws off the timing. I would start off in the morning and do each one on the dot. By the evening I find I miss the times and only spontaneously remember to do them at 20 minutes past the hour, or 36 minutes past the hour. Not the 15, 30 and 45 mins.

So consistency is better than overall count. Even if you miss 5 of them, you still do over 45 R.C.s in the day, which is plenty, almost too much.

Also remember to make each one count, and try to change it up a bit. Don't cheat by just glancing at your hands and going "yup, real life". I found myself doing this so maybe you guys have too.

**Zyangur** · 02-03-2012 02:59 PM

I tried this yesterday. As I progressed through the day, sometimes I just felt like it was time to do that, and I looked at the clock and bam! I was about a minute or two off, and a lot of the times right on. I think this is a good combination with ADA (All Day Awareness) because maybe every hour or something you do this, and then become aware of what is around you.

**Avalanche** · 02-03-2012 04:38 PM

Yeah, people say that every 15mins is too much, but I think for me anyway it's a good amount. I find myself forgetting about them a minute later so it would be more good than bed to do them often. 15mins, 30mins, every hour, it doesn't really matter, only being consistent and on time I think makes the difference.

**Reagan** · 02-05-2012 02:51 AM

Has this method yielded any more LD's for you?

**Avalanche** · 02-05-2012 03:16 AM

Not yet. I have been having a few problems lately so sleeping hasn't been as consistent. It's kinda a big issue so the rubberband has taken the backseat a little, I'm going to reduce it to a reality check every half hour now. Should only be a few more days until I'm back on track though.

I'm still not super great at L.D.ing so I never expected another so soon anyway.

**CallmeSkarr** · 02-05-2012 02:06 PM

i have found myself doing this less and less and i'm not sure why?

**Avalanche** · 02-05-2012 03:26 PM

Originally Posted by CallmeSkarr

i have found myself doing this less and less and i'm not sure why?

I believe the novelty is wearing off, like everything does. Try switching arms to wear the rubberband or only do it at 30 minute intervals. Just mix it up so it's new again but with the same formula. I too experienced the same slump, you just need to become aware of it again and not totally rely on it being automatic.

@ntesler I wouldn't think the lucid I had when I started this was a freak one. I think I was due one anyway, and that the rubberband helped it along (it was longer than any of my previous), but I don't think the rubberband got me a lucid within one day. More placebo than anything else. I'm sure with continued use the R.C.s will more naturally flow in but right now I'm in a slump and I need to change things up a bit.

**ntesler** · 02-05-2012 02:45 PM

Avalanche, I had basically the same experience as you. I was making an iPhone app that reminds me when to do RCs and the first day it was reminding me every 30 minutes. I had a lucid dream within a really short time of starting (probably the longest lucid of my life). But after that, the results haven't been so dramatic. Doing regular checks has still improved my lucid rate by 100 times, but I attribute this freak dream to spending the whole day thinking about the app and lucid dreaming, and that carrying over into the dream at night.

**moSh** · 02-05-2012 04:01 PM

I've just got up, it's 3pm here, and I'm going to try this out for the next few days. I'll let you know how it goes. I haven't had a lucid since joining this site so let's hope it works

**Avalanche** · 02-05-2012 04:06 PM

It could, it proved very effective (maybe) for me, I had one within one day of doing it. My previous lucid dream happened in October, my last one was in January. Good luck and try to stay consistent.

**dms111** · 02-05-2012 06:25 PM

I think some of you might be misreading the purpose of the rubber band. The idea was the snapping of the band would increase the likelihood of remembering to RC through the day. The band does not increase your chance of lucidity. Your heightened awareness of the RC's do. This method could very easily turn into a placebo or an unnecessary crutch if you attribute wearing the band to any LD's you may have.