My go-to RC

[Lucidordie]

I am relatively new to this. I have a basic question. What do you think about this reality check: I have a desk job, so I have 4 clocks nearby. Three of them have numbers and are synced. The watch on my wrist is a little ahead and it tells time in a different format. (blanking on the word right now) To RC I would look at my cell, my desk phone, and my pc and make sure that all 3 are the same. I would then look at my wrist watch and make sure that the arrows are pointing to the correct numbers. I then proceed to count my fingers and if I have five I tell myself that "I am not dreaming, but next time I am I would become lucid." If there aren't any clocks around, as is the case with most of my dreams, would it be sufficient to simply count my fingers?

[sparkley]

That sounds good! But you should also do it different places also, as your dream may not be in your office or whatever, lol. But yeah, try do it other places also and also by adding the hand RC makes it better because one RC might not succeed. Do whatever you think is better, that's just what I recommend (:

[DreamscapeGoat]

One of the best go-to RCs is the nose pinch RC. It has never failed me once, is easy to practice, and doesn't require any sort of fancy gadget to use - your nose is always there (I hope). These RCs are good, but are on the constant that you have a false awakening or any of those items around. The finger one isn't bad, but it can sometimes be unreliable. Hope this helped!

[Lucidordie]

I just can't imagine doing the nose thing in a dream. IWL I squeeze my nose and try to breathe until it hurts. Very uncomfortable...

[DreamscapeGoat]

You might be trying a little too hard on the nose pinch - just a brief pinch and breath are all that's needed. I inquire as to why you don't see yourself doing this, but see yourself doing these other two. It's really no different than those.

[gab]

Best RCs are those, that you can do in waking life discretely, and when in a dream, you don't have to go look for them. For example counting fingers and looking at hands, pinching nose, thumb/palm - you have these always on you, no need to go looking for them. Clocks, reading text, light switches - these may not always be there in your dream and they may be less reliable. http://www.dreamviews.com/induction-...hecks-rcs.html

[Lucidordie]

I inquire as to why you don't see yourself doing this, but see yourself doing these other two. It's really no different than those. Probably because I've never done it in a LD. I just picture that I have to try and force myself to breathe in a dream. How can I truly know that I can't breathe if I'm not really trying? If I do this RC IWL and not force myself to breathe can I be really sure that I am not in a dream? Or is it enough to simply pinch my nose and wait to see if breathing occurs naturally? I guess can't knock it until I try it in a dream.

[Fuzzman]

I believe the way the nose pinch works is that when done while awake, you pinch your nostrils and try to breathe through them for a second, but because it's blocked you won't be able to push the air through. When in a dream, you're still physically breathing in the waking world and that sensation is felt while dreaming, but when you pinch your nostrils there is no physical blockage so even though it feels like your nose is pinched, your breathing is still normal. I've done it a couple times and it has worked very well, it's a very weird sensation to plug your nose but still feel the air passing through it, which is why it makes for a good reality check because that sensation can only happen when dreaming.

[AstroFlyer]

My go-to RC is the trusty hand check. It has only failed me once, and then i was skeptical and done a quick levitation and went LD. It has even helped me to stabliize from time to time. If i have a FA in bed i use the digital clock RC but dont get the LD rush / buzz until i follow up with my HC. Havent tried the stop breathing / nose pinch yet. Will give it a try next time i think about it.

[gab]

Probably because I've never done it in a LD. I just picture that I have to try and force myself to breathe in a dream. How can I truly know that I can't breathe if I'm not really trying? If I do this RC IWL and not force myself to breathe can I be really sure that I am not in a dream? Or is it enough to simply pinch my nose and wait to see if breathing occurs naturally? I guess can't knock it until I try it in a dream. You don't have to force any RCs. It's very simple. If you believe that your RC will work in WL when you practicing, meaning: - you are able to breathe through pinchend nose - your thumb will go through your palm - you have abnormal number of fingers - your hands don't look normal - you will levitate - somebody you wish will walk throught the door - something that yout trying to change will change etc... then all these RCs WILL work in your dream. You don't have to pinch your nose hard, or push your thumb hard. Just a small pinch and push and BELIEVE that it will happen.

[Lucidordie]

Thank you for the support!

[fogelbise]

^^I second Gab's important info above! It is also always good to have 2 to 3 reliable RC's. I did the nose pinch last night and was still in disbelief due to the realism and danger that even though I could breathe I still wanted to do one more successful RC (hand=6 fingers) before doing anything crazy...in case my nose wasn't completely plugged!

[FryingMan]

^^I second Gab's important info above! It is also always good to have 2 to 3 reliable RC's. I did the nose pinch last night and was still in disbelief due to the realism and danger that even though I could breathe I still wanted to do one more successful RC (hand=6 fingers) before doing anything crazy...in case my nose wasn't completely plugged! MmmHmm, sounds like somebody needs to be posting a new DJ entry, eh? Can't wait to read it! p.s. remember: always levitate and fly around the room a bit, THEN *fly* out the window! Don't jump out first and find out on the way down one nostril wasn't properly plugged .

[fogelbise]

MmmHmm, sounds like somebody needs to be posting a new DJ entry, eh? Can't wait to read it! p.s. remember: always levitate and fly around the room a bit, THEN *fly* out the window! Don't jump out first and find out on the way down one nostril wasn't properly plugged . Agreed on the levitate! In my particular case I was in hurry to get horizontal on the ground with additional people around (Dad!) that I normally wouldn't want around IWL before taking such action...but levitate still would have (or should have) worked...I just wasn't thinking about flying in this case. I also wanted to mention that I usually don't RC in most LDs anymore (never did a lot anyway) since I often just know that I am dreaming, but it is great for catching LDs where your aren't sure, especially false awakenings. *Even if not used in dreams, it is a great practice you should still do during the day to help you get LDs.

[gab]

p.s. remember: always levitate and fly around the room a bit, THEN *fly* out the window! Don't jump out first and find out on the way down one nostril wasn't properly plugged . Funny. I did this in my lucid. I wanted to jump out of 2nd story window, but I wasn's sure if I'm dreaming. So I thought I'll levitate first. Only, I did that after I steped out of the window. I don't now what I was thinking. Probably not thinking at all.

[Lucidordie]

Thanks guys! Trying to do the self awareness thing. In the only lucid I ever had that is what got me to realize. I had my work clothes on after work hours.

[Sibyline]

If i have a FA in bed i use the digital clock RC but dont get the LD rush / buzz until i follow up with my HC. Havent tried the stop breathing / nose pinch yet. Will give it a try next time i think about it. You don't need the rush/buzz, though. The second you are wondering if you might be dreaming - that's it. You are lucid at that point. Just go about your dream business instead of trying more RCs. Eventually you won't need them at all anymore. I can only remember one instance in a dream where I thought I'd better RC and was surprised when I found out I was actually dreaming. And if you have already done your clock RC, just get out of bed and do whatever you want to do.

[Lucidordie]

You don't need the rush/buzz, though. The second you are wondering if you might be dreaming - that's it. You are lucid at that point. Just go about your dream business instead of trying more RCs. Eventually you won't need them at all anymore. I can only remember one instance in a dream where I thought I'd better RC and was surprised when I found out I was actually dreaming. And if you have already done your clock RC, just get out of bed and do whatever you want to do. And then get a phone call from your boss. Telling you that you are fired because you missed work thinking this was a dream....... And then you wake up, get ready to go work........ And it is a FA and you wasted a dream showering......

[Lucidordie]

Had my first long vivid lucid last night. Thanks for the support!

[fogelbise]

Congrats Lucidordie! It looks like you can update your LD count if you choose to...I think I remember that you already had an LD before last night...though this one sounds like a really nice one!

[Lucidordie]

Congrats Lucidordie! It looks like you can update your LD count if you choose to...I think I remember that you already had an LD before last night...though this one sounds like a really nice one! I'm starting the count with this one. "I'm lucid... and wake up" doesn't cut it for me. Refusing to wake up from a sex dream I'm also on the fence about.