Maybe the source of the problem is tied to how you do reality checks on a regular basis. When you do the RC, do you spend a moment after it thinking: "Ok, that didn't work, so I'm not asleep/dreaming", and what this really means, or is it just kinda something you do quickly? It's a bit difficult to get into a sort of pattern where you're not just repeating a phrase to yourself like "I'm not dreaming" after having done an RC, but actually thinking about what it means. Otherwise it can just end up being a phrase that has no meaning to you, and therefore won't actually trigger consciousness in a dream, or give you a sort of feeling where you "know" you're dreaming, but aren't really consciously aware. I've had similar problems and I'm always kinda debating on how lucid I was in certain LDs. A nice, helpful post concerning this is
here. Hope this helps for future LDs![/b]