Thread: The PROPER way to do Reality checks.

I think this is more of a technique that will be more effective to increase the detail of lucidity rather than be used as a reality check, because by using your senses you're not really finding a dreamsign (unless you always feel numb during dreams, or something similar, but the dreams I have that aren't really short are realistic).

But this is a brilliant way to get to high lucidity! Thankyou for sharing!

Originally posted by Abstract Fire
I think this is more of a technique that will be more effective to increase the detail of lucidity rather than be used as a reality check,

Doing RCs every hour and a half will theoritically trigger RCs when you enter REM sleep. And you're right, the whole "explore your senses" technique should result in high lucidity! Come to think of it, this may be a terrific way to both trigger LDs and exploring them.
Technically it sounds great, and i hope it will work on practice. That's why feedbacks are very welcome!

Whenever I think about it, I just ask myself things like:
Have I seen the environment I'm in before?
Is there anything/anyone present that's not supposed to be here?
Are things that are supposed to be here missing?
Who am I with? Do I know these people (well enough) and are they normally here when I'm doing what I'm doing? (I focus on context dreamsigns btw)
What would it feel like to realize I'm dreaming right now?

I do this just to become more aware of the environment so that I can learn to recognize dreams by seeing when things are in the wrong context. So it's not really a direct RC, but it does sound more like what you're talking about.
If I just want to do a RC, i use the nose pinching one, it's reliable and convenient. ^.^

This sounds like a cool technique. I might try it myself.

i try to do this often as well (not just every 90 minutes, but as often as possible).

after all, we can only be as aware in our dreams as we are in waking life awareness is the link between the waking state and dream state.

This actually sounds very similar to the buddist way of living. Just being more aware of your surroundings. It's amazing what you can see/smell/hear when you stop living on cruise control

I think its good to practice being more aware.

However as far as RC's go. I find in dreams and FAs that I'm a little brain damaged. I accept many things that would in ordinary circumstance make me say "what the hell is going on? maybe I'm dreaming".

A good RC violates the sense of normalcy. E.g. If I can push my hand through a wall, something strange is going on.

I like the reading text twice RC, cause when it changes thats pretty obvious. But many of my dreams have no text conveniently around. My current RC is can I see clearly without wearing glasses?8)

So I don't think simple heightened awareness is the optimal RC.

Go ahead, knock yourself out !!! The way I suggest is to begin by checking your surroundings to find out if you are where you are supposed to be, doing whatever you are supposed to be doing, such as your job or home. Then check your memory to see if you can remember the events of the last few minutes, how you came to be where you are. Then do a digital clock, writing, or number doubling test, or look for weird objects, or pinch your nose and try to breathe through it. If you conclude that you are not dreaming, say aloud: This is NOT a dream. It's important to bring closure to the RC by actually saying the result aloud.

The entire procedure takes a few seconds. I don't think it's necessary to overdo it. Just check yourself out like you look at the instruments on your car's dashboard to make sure the engine is running properly. Are you where you expect to be? Is your memory working okay? Do printed numbers or letters remain stable if you look away then back to them? Is any weird going on?

As far as the 90 minute time interval,do you really know if that is YOUR unique time period between dream? If not, your timing is almost certainly incorrect. I think it's better to do RC more often. I have a clock program on my computer that chimes every 15 minutes throughout the day. Although I haven't tried this yet, a simple way of triggering a RC during a dream may be to simply leave the clock going so that the chimes come on during the night. Set up a conditioned reflex.

Originally posted by Glorfindel_III
This actually sounds very similar to the buddist way of living. Just being more aware of your surroundings. It's amazing what you can see/smell/hear when you stop living on cruise control

You're right! it's really amazing !!!

Originally posted by Unicorn+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Unicorn)</div>

i'll try to do RCs every hour and a half, which is the time when REM sleep starts. Hopefully i'll be conditioned to do quick reality checks eveytime i start to dream.[/b]

I'd just like to remind you that, not only is 90 minutes a very rough estimate (it varies considerably from person to person, from night to night, etc), but this is the estimated time it takes for your first REM period to begin. Every subsequent REM cycle will be quicker than the last; if your first REM period was after 90 minutes of sleep, your next one might be, say, 60 minutes after the first, then the next one might be 40 minutes later, etc. So basically what I'm trying to say is that you're on the right track by conditioning yourself to RC regularly througout the day, but you should be doing it as often as possible .

Originally posted by Unicorn@
Asking yourself in real life whether you're dreaming or not doesnt seem to be enough. I mean, i simply used to answer by yes or no, and simply move on...

The key to a good RC is to be thorough. Umbrella has the right idea:<!--QuoteBegin-Umbrella
Whenever I think about it, I just ask myself things like:
Have I seen the environment I'm in before?
Is there anything/anyone present that's not supposed to be here?
Are things that are supposed to be here missing?
Who am I with? Do I know these people (well enough) and are they normally here when I'm doing what I'm doing? (I focus on context dreamsigns btw)
What would it feel like to realize I'm dreaming right now?

This is a good RC, personally I add 2 more contemplations:
"Which day of the week is this" and/or "What time is it right now?"
The idea is that in a dream, you may have noticed, you never really have an idea of what time/date it is- you just don't even think about it. Consciously thinking about it is one way to "step back" and really examine what's going on. I might also mention that psychiatrists use the term "lucid" to describe a patient who is well oriented to time, person and place. The other question I ask is:
"How did I get here?"
I try to recall, in reverse, the events that led up to where I am now, perhaps going all the way back to waking up in the morning. This is effective because of the fragmented nature of dreams. When a dream begins, you just "appear" in the dream scene. If you think about it, you won't have any recollection of how you got there, because before that you weren't dreaming! Personally I believe this to be one of the most effective methods of reality checking.
Even if you determine that you aren't dreaming, there are still techniques you can use that will aid in becoming lucid during sleep. Check out this thread.

Good luck and happy LDing!

This is excellent. Get out of cruise control and make sure you know exactly what is going on. I like the new RC questions, what day of the week is it, what time is it? This means looking at a clock, so there is the opportunity to do another RC.

If you get too in tune with your senses then you will easly be distracted in your sleep so make sure there will be no distractions in your room.

Yes! Thats the way to go! Living in the now. Be aware. Acnowlage not only your suroundings and senses but also your thoughts and feelings! in all the layers of the mind and who you are: YOU ARE aware. You gain so more controle and enjoyment over your life! Be aware when you turn the cruise control on and observ it in action. This is the true form of meditation. Your thoughts like a radio on or off. You decide.

I must say that reality checking is something to be done in relation to mental awareness, not physical analysis. You can use physical analysis (senses) and such but the deduction I've made from much thought on the topic a long time ago is that the key to realizing the dream state is in mental awareness, reasoning, etc.