Can reality checks be just as effective without dream signs?

Hi,

People often say it’s good to reality check when you see a dream sign, because it would increase your chances of lucidity, but if you don’t really have dream signs, is it still possible to get frequent lucid dreams from just doing regular reality checks throughout the day?

Thanks! :)

I also don't have solid dream signs. There are some, but I don't see those in waking live often / at all.

For me, just knowing that clocks and light switches behave odd in dreams caused me to get two lucids. I suspect I was basically on the verge of lucidity before - both LDs were DILD, but from a botched WILD attempt - I assume that I already had an idea I was dreaming before flipping the light switch / looking at the clock thrice. I did not really train to do those reality checks, I just noticed the presence of a light switch, flipped it and since it was not working I became lucid.

If I do see a digital clock in waking life I now look at it twice to ingrain a habit, but thats it.

Yes having some common dream signs would be an advantage. They can give you specific triggers to do reality checks to, but as for just reality checking ‘generally’, I’m not sure if it would be as effective.

I've enjoyed lucid dreaming on and off for many years, and have never used dream signs (well, only once, after I visited this forum I tried it, but don't like it).

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Originally Posted by Eamo24

Yes having some common dream signs would be an advantage. They can give you specific triggers to do reality checks to, but as for just reality checking ‘generally’, I’m not sure if it would be as effective.

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True. And although it's an advantage to have dream signs to trigger a RC(this method relies on the prospective memory), performing RCs without DSs is still effective. You are still providing the subconscious with materials it can use to give you a LD( materials here being RCing), since the subconscious may choose RCing you did during the day to place inside your dream. So yes, it's still effective to do RCs without DSs, but coupling it with DSs will give you both the chance that your subconscious will incorporate a RC to your dream, and the chance that a DS might pass, trigerring your prospective memory to trigger your lucidity.
Hope I helped :)

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Originally Posted by LouaiB

True. And although it's an advantage to have dream signs to trigger a RC(this method relies on the prospective memory), performing RCs without DSs is still effective. You are still providing the subconscious with materials it can use to give you a LD( materials here being RCing), since the subconscious may choose RCing you did during the day to place inside your dream. So yes, it's still effective to do RCs without DSs, but coupling it with DSs will give you both the chance that your subconscious will incorporate a RC to your dream, and the chance that a DS might pass, trigerring your prospective memory to trigger your lucidity.
Hope I helped :)

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Thanks, Louai!

Yes it makes sense. I’ve done reality checks in dreams where there were no oddities or dream signs present at all, but I still did them (didn’t become lucid from some of them though). I think it was simply the habit of frequently doing reality checks which caused them to occur in dreams. Having some dream signs would be an advantage, but they’re probably not that necessary.

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Originally Posted by Eamo24

Thanks, Louai!

Yes it makes sense. I’ve done reality checks in dreams where there were no oddities or dream signs present at all, but I still did them (didn’t become lucid from some of them though). I think it was simply the habit of frequently doing reality checks which caused them to occur in dreams. Having some dream signs would be an advantage, but they’re probably not that necessary.

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Yes exactly!
You're welcome :)
Also, just to point out a little piece of information, which is not very important or makes a different at all, but you do RCs inside a dream not because of "out of habit". Indeed, habits seem to be in-functional in dreams. You just do RCs in dreams the same reason why you, for instance, dreamed of kissing your Partner after actually kissing him/her during the day. That is why you should do RCs meaningfully. Indeed, one meaningful RC a day is better than 100 mindless RCs a day.
So you just dream about doing a RC because you did one during the day and the subcomsciounce found it interesting and placed it inside the dream. Nothing to do with force of habit. :)

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Originally Posted by LouaiB

Yes exactly!
You're welcome :)
Also, just to point out a little piece of information, which is not very important or makes a different at all, but you do RCs inside a dream not because of "out of habit". Indeed, habits seem to be in-functional in dreams. You just do RCs in dreams the same reason why you, for instance, dreamed of kissing your Partner after actually kissing him/her during the day. That is why you should do RCs meaningfully. Indeed, one meaningful RC a day is better than 100 mindless RCs a day.
So you just dream about doing a RC because you did one during the day and the subcomsciounce found it interesting and placed it inside the dream. Nothing to do with force of habit. :)

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Interesting! It definitely makes sense. I’ve actually found that if I do reality checks with not enough mindfulness or in a rote or habitual way, I tend to just “dream” of doing them, without actually doing reality checks in dreams.

I agree that mindfulness is very important, as well as trying to make reality checks more interesting and meaningful, perhaps by knowing that you will eventually become lucid, or by thinking about your next lucid goals. :)

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Originally Posted by Eamo24

Interesting! It definitely makes sense. I’ve actually found that if I do reality checks with not enough mindfulness or in a rote or habitual way, I tend to just “dream” of doing them, without actually doing reality checks in dreams.

I agree that mindfulness is very important, as well as trying to make reality checks more interesting and meaningful, perhaps by knowing that you will eventually become lucid, or by thinking about your next lucid goals. :)

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I personally like using reflection intention to make my RCs more effective and interesting.

What you do is perform a RC and imagine it worked, and do your usual LD onset stuff like stabilizing and reminding yourself what you want to do, then say to yourself that you want to do a RC, or become lucid, next time you are dreaming.
That makes the RC more exciting. Really try to believe you are inside the dream, even fake it and get that excitement in your belly.
Also it makes the intention stronger, and increases the chance that you will remember your goals and to stabilize next time you LD. Also practice during this saying "I'm dreaming", like add it to your stabilization, so you would keep saying it during the LD. That saved a few of my LD from fading away to NLDs, at least for a few extra minutes!

Also writing down on a piece of paper can really help! Like write down "I will RC next time I'm dreaming", or "I will know I'm dreaming next time I'm dreaming" a few times. That powers the intention. You can do it for RC (like, after you do a RC, or a reflection-intention), or with MILD. I found it very helpful for MILD. Also you can write down what you want to do in your LD, like maybe during a WBTB right before going back to bed. That helps me get excited and powers my intention and helps me remember my goals during a LD too!
These are very beneficial, doing reflection-intention and writing down your intentions, with intention and remembering what to do in a LD, and of course inducing them!

Hope I'm helping :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LouaiB

I personally like using reflection intention to make my RCs more effective and interesting.

What you do is perform a RC and imagine it worked, and do your usual LD onset stuff like stabilizing and reminding yourself what you want to do, then say to yourself that you want to do a RC, or become lucid, next time you are dreaming.
That makes the RC more exciting. Really try to believe you are inside the dream, even fake it and get that excitement in your belly.
Also it makes the intention stronger, and increases the chance that you will remember your goals and to stabilize next time you LD. Also practice during this saying "I'm dreaming", like add it to your stabilization, so you would keep saying it during the LD. That saved a few of my LD from fading away to NLDs, at least for a few extra minutes!

Also writing down on a piece of paper can really help! Like write down "I will RC next time I'm dreaming", or "I will know I'm dreaming next time I'm dreaming" a few times. That powers the intention. You can do it for RC (like, after you do a RC, or a reflection-intention), or with MILD. I found it very helpful for MILD. Also you can write down what you want to do in your LD, like maybe during a WBTB right before going back to bed. That helps me get excited and powers my intention and helps me remember my goals during a LD too!
These are very beneficial, doing reflection-intention and writing down your intentions, with intention and remembering what to do in a LD, and of course inducing them!

Hope I'm helping :D

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That’s great advice!

Yes usually when I do a reality check, it takes a few attempts to be able to get the high level of self-awareness to actually make it effective. Like I might think “am I dreaming now?” But I might have something else on my mind or just can’t seem to question it with enough curiosity. So I have to try again and really focus until it feels like I’m genuinely asking the question….

So it’s definitely good to have things to make it easier and more interesting. I agree that the reflection/intention really helps things. I actually do this after some of my reality checks. I would simply just think, “well what if this was a dream, what would I do”? And then just pretend it’s a LD for a while. Also, I think it really helps to imagine a time when you became lucid in the past from doing a reality check, despite how certain you were it was reality. And yes having some kinds of goals in mind really helps, not only to make the reality check more effective, I think, but it helps with motivation as well! :)

I've never had an LD induced by simply doing an RC, usually when I'm already conscious and want to verify if it's a dream then I do an RC.

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Originally Posted by Eamo24

Interesting! It definitely makes sense. I’ve actually found that if I do reality checks with not enough mindfulness or in a rote or habitual way, I tend to just “dream” of doing them, without actually doing reality checks in dreams.

I agree that mindfulness is very important, as well as trying to make reality checks more interesting and meaningful, perhaps by knowing that you will eventually become lucid, or by thinking about your next lucid goals. :)

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I have often thought, within the dream, "This is strange. I should do a reality check," but then not do one! Still not sure what that is all about. However, I have "stumbled upon" a couple of LD's via rote RC habit--"woke up," did an RC, and realized I was dreaming. Kind of cool. But not something to rely on either.