General Help Needed

[Loegaire]

First: I perform reality checks religiously. My method is, whenever I check my watch, to check it again, then block my nose and try to breath, then see if either hand passes through the other. It's gotten to the point where I don't even think about it. This is good, right? Second: My dream recall has improved to the point where it's rare that I don't remember at least one dream per night. Is this good enough? Third: Every night before going to sleep, I faithfully repeat the mantra "I will awake from my dreams and completely remember them." This has aided my dream recall immeasurably, but now I'm not sure if this helps or hurts my prospects for a lucid dream. Is there another mantra I might try? Finally: Do things like drinking milk before going to sleep or smacking your arm in the morning to make your brain remember your dreams really work? Are there any other little tricks like this that I might not know of that could prove useful? Thanks for all the help.

[Dew Dust]

I am new at this too, but I believe your mantra could be anything you want it to be--that is whatever goal you are working on. Besides, when you think up your own personal mantra, you are already giving it much conscious thought and that helps greatly with it serving its purpose. So if you want to have a lucid dream then change your mantra to say just that. It's gotten to the point where I don't even think about it. This is good, right? I personally think not because the goal of doing Reality Checks is to become very much aware that your surrounding is not a dream and making that impression. According to the Lucidity Institute: If you are fairly certain you are awake (you can never be 100% sure!), then say to yourself, "I may not be dreaming now, but if I were, what would it be like?" Visualize as vividly as possible that you are dreaming. Intently imagine that what you are seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling is all a dream. Imagine instabilities in your environment, words changing, scenes transforming, perhaps you floating off the ground. Create in yourself the feeling that you are in a dream. I hope this helps