How to improve dream skepticism

[bro]

My I.Q drops to...not sure what in my dreams. I don't have really very reliable dream signs, but rather every night is different. I accept virtually everything that occurs, and because of this, even if the dreams are vivid and enjoyable, they are hardly ever lucid. Last night, thanks to Clairity's advisement, to sleep in a different location, I had about 4 fairly vivid dreams all recorded in my journal, with oher tidbits recorded as well. My issue is this: How can I improve my skepticim in my dreams, and not just go with the flow, but rather, bring some intellect with me? I have discovered that Reality checks, at least for me, do not do what they were intended to do unless I am already lucid. What I do think may have some potential, is -Meditation and perhaps, -As opposed to taking moments throughout the day to do reality checks, and expecting to find yourself not dreaming, convincing yourself that this is just as much of a dream as the dream world itself, and feeling the link during waking life, while letting your constant thoughts of "which reality is this?" flow right into the dream state. (I don't claim credit for this concept, I have heard of it, but for the life of me, cannot remember where it came from) lucid living perhaps? Tell me, did you comprehend any of that? I'm sorry If you didn't, I get quite wordy, but what are your thoughts on increasing the chances of lucidity, by questioning more, or almost trying to tie a cord from your waking life to dream's reality, or by anything I mentioned above? Thanks everyone...

[Rainman]

Yes, that would be lucid living, and if you've read "Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming" that's probably where you heard it, as it's in there. That's pretty much the concept of your post. I've always agreed with this method as opposed to or in addition to just doing reality checks. It's a good method, but it's more passive. Reality checks are more...."now" oriented.

[Spartiate]

My RCs are based on the fact that they will wake up my mind in a dream. Basically, I ask myself the following questions throughout the day: "Am I dreaming?", "Is what I'm doing possible?", "Do I remember falling asleep?", "What was I just doing?". For me, just saying "Am I dreaming?" in a dream is enough to become lucid.