Thread: I hate the finger through hand technique, It only works when I already know I'm dreaming

Originally Posted by Radioshift

I think you guys are missing a big part of a reality check. The goal is to remind yourself to see if you are dreaming, so why not do exactly that? Use the reality check and even if it doesn't work, take the time to look around you and notice things. This works as a safety net to the reality checks and might even save you from missing a lucid dream more than you would expect.

thing is, it's a lot harder to think of reminding yourself in a none lucid to reality check again when one fails because your not in that state of mind. it takes a lot of training to get to that point.. The thing about dreams is that thinking doesn't work the same, in dreams memory is your method of thought. You make reality checks a habit so that it will carrie on into the dream through memory. if it fails, you will most likely never become lucid even if another aspect of the rc worked. Your reality check will need to work exactly how you remember expecting or else illogical dream nuances will overlap it. one example I have for this would be the first time I had an extended lucid dream, I was trying out all the reality checks, after awhile I wanted to try out the light switch reality check and to my dissapointment, the light switch worked, but only for a few seconds. Soon after my subconscious started taking over and people started appearing, I started questioning whether I was dreaming or not (even though I was lucid just 3 seconds ago) and I told my mom, "how could I be awake now when just 3 minuts ago I was lucid dreaming". see the problem here, the logical part of my brain obviously went to sleep and even though I knew I was dreaming a second ago AND the fact I SAW the light not working COMPLETELY like it was suppose to, I was still able to lose lucidity just like that. illogical dream nuances took over convincing myself I wasn't dreaming all because a reality check (in a LUDID DREAM may I remind you) didn't work exactly how I expected it. So you really have to train yourself to get into that state, and it doesn't help when you are using a reality check that only works half of the time due to a highly unreliable belief system.