Thread: Do you still do reality checks?

A question for those newbie lucid dreamers who had lucid dreams but probably not more than 10 - 20 times.

Do you still do reality checks in your non-lucids before ascertaining that you're in a lucid? I did reality checks for my 1st two lucids, but subsequently after the 3rd lucid, I just sensed there is something weird and I told myself "I am dreaming". I'll gain lucidity after that, I no longer need reality checks.

I've had a little more than 20 lucids, but in my experience, reality checks are for confirming and stabilizing dreams. They're also good for testing false awakenings. But reality checks usually aren't how you become lucid in a dream; that can come from thinking of lucid dreaming before bed or training yourself to question your environment (to name a couple). Training your mind to recognize dream state is relatively easy compared to making an RC so habitual that you do it in your sleep. When I use my RC in a dream, I'm already half-lucid, if not completely so.

I do RCs when I stabilize (I still forget to because of my low LD count ), and it works really well on false awakenings if you do it every time you wake up, or at least every time you exit a LD.

I'm like you. I have a sense that something is wrong directly before I go lucid. However, I usually do a gravity check (not always) and find myself leaping to the top of something. As this is impossible in reality I immediately become lucid.

We are all newbies, every night is a new night

I have had lots of lucid moments, that is realizing that you are dreaming but 5-30 sek after that losing it because of dream circumstances.

In my waking life I never do reality checks, but in my dreams I use reality checks to confirm that I am dreaming. And in those few long lasting lucid dreams I have had (30-40 dreamtime) I had to keep doing so otherwise I would lose my lucidity and lose my mind, literally. ^-^

My purpose of this question is to find out whether we find our own ways to lucid dream after a few trial and test or we still stick to the books. Guess we all manage to find our own way.

The reason the books tell you to RC all the time IRL isn't to get into the habit of RC'ing unconsciously, but rather to get you into the habit of suspecting that you're dreaming

I have had 80 LDs and although I usually just realize I am dreaming, I recently had two cases where I did an RC and was surprised I was not awake but in a dream. So I still do them periodically just in case, so I dont miss those opportunities.

Reality checks don't really work for me and with me they're pretty useless, I just realize that something is wrong and become lucid then I stabilize the dream by rubbing my hands on things in the dream.

I myself can't see not using RCs, and I'm over 20 LDs.

the past 4 days i had have a 3/4 success rating due to increasing my reality checks throughout the day. Im like at lucid number 12 right now. 3 of them were because i looked down at my hands and i saw my hands were messed up. 6-7 of them were because i knew i was dreaming.

I've had more than 20 LD's, so maybe I don't qualify here, but I still do RC's in waking life all the time. For me RC's are less a tool for use during a dream (I haven't done that in years) as they are tools for building self-awareness and a "natural" ability to recognize your current conscious state (ie, is this a dream?) in waking life.

Don't sell RC's short -- they're about the best tool for lucidity out there, even if you don't feel a need for them in a dream.

I use RC every time I wake up so I don't get a FA and miss an opportunity tu get lucid. My dream count is a bit more than 20, but I think that if you would just do an RC without questioning reality it wouldn't work, and this is a problem that some encounter. I do the RC to really know if I'm in a dream or not, and I have to admit that I never got lucid by doing a RC, I just knew it, then did a RC.

no i have have just over 10 lucids and none of them were achived throught rcs i just kind of knew something was off no particular thnig ever tips me off i just know

I only ever do reality-checks when I go for DEILDs. Just to make sure and stabilize.

i only do reality checks when I'm actually in a dream, just to make sure I'm in a dream and to keep reassuring/reminding myself while in the dream. During waking life I just try to practice awareness. I find it transfers over to dreams/false awakenings much more effectively then reality checking during the day.

Originally Posted by Carrot

A question for those newbie lucid dreamers who had lucid dreams but probably not more than 10 - 20 times.

Do you still do reality checks in your non-lucids before ascertaining that you're in a lucid? I did reality checks for my 1st two lucids, but subsequently after the 3rd lucid, I just sensed there is something weird and I told myself "I am dreaming". I'll gain lucidity after that, I no longer need reality checks.

I noticed that the more LD's I had , the more I started to transition to just noticing something was off or for no good reason at all just sensing and knowing that I am dreaming and from that point I do a RC to confirm. I rarely am in a non lucid state and do a RC and become lucid anymore but I love the shock and surprise when It does happen.

I reality check here and there. Maybe like once every few days? I just forget and can't be bothered anymore. I still notice strange things in my dreams that probably should trigger me catching on... Like breathing under water, someone who hates me being exceptionally nice to me, yeah.. some of my lucids I dont even know how I become lucid.. I just am

I don't think I've ever done a reality check in a dream. If I am dreaming, as soon as I even consider I might be dreaming it becomes obvious.

Originally Posted by Dianeva

I don't think I've ever done a reality check in a dream. If I am dreaming, as soon as I even consider I might be dreaming it becomes obvious.

That's what I had been doing these few days too. The moment I realised I'm dreaming, I become lucid without any checks or confirmation. It's just like how we know we're awake in reality.

Yeah. I did one right now


Reality checks are more than just checking if you are dreaming or not. They are a notion of questioning your reality. So it's almost a mental exercise to make a habit of questioning what is..... happening?? Be persistent and not lazy. That's how you manifest lucid dreams.

I normally do nose plug and check if I can float. And more than that I may do the check if I can stick my finger through my hand.