Interesting question, isnt it? But as we all know, before we do any reality check, we somehow know, we should do it. It is some kind of feeling. I would call it the urge to do reality check. And this makes me wonder if:
If it is more important to perform reality checks, or induce the feeling we know from our dreams just before performing reality check
I believe, this will be an interesting discussion.
I'd say the urge to perform it is more important. Sometimes I just get a strange feeling and suspect I'm dreaming, and that suspicion sometimes leads to some pretty random ways of reality checking. One time to see if I was dreaming, I used the 'force' to grab a loaf of bread from 10 ft away. Another time I made an empty glass bottle levitate in front of me, but I got distracted and it fell after a few seconds so I thought I wasn't dreaming. But the urge to do a reality check usually makes me look at things differently to see if I'm dreaming. The reality checks themselves are just to be 100% certain.
I think they probably need to go hand in hand. The urge to perform the reality check is important because it makes sure you regularly do so and means that you're in a mindframe of making sure you're dreaming or not. However, unless you actually perform it, there are many dreams that at first appear normal until you do a reality check and suddenly realise it isn't that normal. So having the urge means you're in the right mind set and actually doing so makes sure you catch those times were at first everything appears normal but isn't. I don't think you can divorce one from the other until hindsight, but one doesn't usually have that benefit. Hehe, I don't know, interesting question! Curious to hear other's thoughts and experience. :)
Well reality checks are a funny thing. I think there's a very common misconception out there that poking yourself in the hand 10 times a day will result in lucid dreaming. Reality checks are aimed in the direction of becoming more aware. Not questioning if your dreaming when you see a weird thing; or even a dream sign (Although these can trigger the same types awareness depending on the state of mind prior to and after the "question").
My opinion is that personal conditioning through using reality checks on a regular basis (several times a day) will inevitably lead to many many checks during dreams.. However; you still need to train yourself to take advantage of the situation or you will simply not notice or not care and move on (Losing lucidity within seconds).
Reality checks do no good in a typical dream scenario; have you ever noticed that your dream logic is incredibly off already in dreams? What makes you think poking yourself through the hand will stand out among the 500 other things wrong with the environment around you.
For this reason you really need to just learn to be more aware constantly; not when you see a dream sign or whatever. One of the best ways to have an LD is to become lucid in waking life first. I realize that might sound silly but you'd be surprised how much of 'reality' is just background noise. If you miss this much in real life; how much do you think slips by you when "you" aren't paying attention while dreaming.
Being in this state of mind relays into dreaming just as fast/well and is the end result that reality checking strives to accomplish. There are no variables; you are simply aware. The best way I can describe it is consciousness of consciousness; both while dreaming and in waking life. This frame of mind is the key to lucidity for me.
Reaching this takes time and consistency and unfortunately isn't something that happens overnight but comes naturally with effort.
The other thing I don't like about RC's is that after a given amount of time what your consider to be reality might break down.
Not in a negative sense or anything; no harm done. It's just you have to understand that reality isn't a generic experience and is ever changing.
First of all ask yourself..
- "What is reality?"
Its a simple enough question to answer while you are "in it" so to speak. The only problem with that is the second question;
- "Who decides what reality is?"
Well you do; and you weren't born with this knowledge. Your perception of reality is based on what you have experienced... This has happened and will continue to happen forever. The reason you think your finger isn't supposed to go through your hand is because you actively have experienced that as "impossible" for many years. Well when your dreaming its like your running a whole new program; you don't know or believe the same things you do in real life prior to (and sometimes even after) becoming lucid. The "dream world" beliefs tend to take priority while 'there'; making it very hard to determine what you considered right from wrong to be in reality.
I've found that many reality checks lose effectiveness extremely fast due to lucid dreaming because all the sudden this new found knowledge contradicts what you know. Sure they work sometimes but its very hard to trick yourself (At least for a long period of time), and the mind already doesn't care about whats going on when your just blindly doing it. You get to the point where either way; you ignore the end result of the check.
I believe the reason they work is because of the overall increase in awareness of oneself; not the environment around you (This includes your hands/mirrors and stuff in dreams; I do not mean anything "physical"). Quite frankly your dream logic doesn't care if your hand is weird; and simply ignores or soon forgets about that. Even if you make the connection that you are dreaming this can often lead to unstable/extremely short LD's because.. well; "it" doesn't care that your dreaming either.
However, being conscious of being aware and lucid (Hard to explain, sometimes you realize your dreaming but it just doesn't REALLY sink in) tends to lead to an "enhanced" state of mind where you are now actively deciding what you care about. There is no "higher power" deciding to ignore what you were doing to go chase the flying skyscraper outside your window. Its almost as if you control both the dream and yourself in it; as opposed to wandering around inside the dream. This is why I believe WILDs tend to be extremely vivid; there is no loss of awareness and you experience many of these lucids like real life. (Not to say this cannot happen in DILDs and such; its just again a matter of control and perception).
I guess what I meant to say by that nonsensical rambling is that neither the urge or the execution matters without the proper intent.
who knows. but keep the cool ideas coming.
I have found that there are two ways of thinking or default thinking when you are trying to induce lucid dreams using checks. 1) You can assume that you may be dreaming and do a randome reality check then and there. 2) You know you are not dreaming and do a planned out rehearsal instead that includes the reality check plus what you'd do after the check turns out that you are dreaming. If it's flying then you'd go to the window and the rehearsal stops there.Quote:
Originally Posted by adraw
The first one requires consistency meaning you have to keep doing it even when you already know you are not dreaming. The second one requires that you get familiar with what to do and expect. Once you are sure and confident about the whole thing there's when your urge somes in. You use the urge to do what you had planned out to induce the lucid dream. If the urge is strong you'd get a lucid dream immediately when you sleep I got afew like that. You can refresh the urge every now and then during the day.
IMJ
For me personally, it's definitely performing the RC that's more important as opposed to the urge. This is because I usually do RCs completely out of the blue, as if it's just a habit like.. oh, I don't know, picking your nose. :P
This discussion is getting serious, and I like it. One reason, why I created this topic is, that I never do Reality checks and only the feeling of strong urge helped me to achieve my dreams. So I would say I am somehow more for that feeling. Maybe if I did reality checks, I would become more and more aware of myself, and that brings me even closer to doing reality checks for some period of time and see what happens.
But... One of my first lucid dreams came from random reality check suggested by friend i met in train. We were having random discussion and then we somehow started to talk about lucid dream. He told me about looking at my hands and guess what... Lucid dream. So ... Let me say. Thanx to reality checks. (But maybe this was just my interest in lucid dreaming and beginners luck. Who knows)
Move on people. More ideas, more fun :D
Quote:
Originally Posted by Schmaven
One dream last week I decided to check by using my thumb as a lighter... no idea..
I've already started not actually going through with the actual check irl, I guess I had the same idea you did. For some reason I still feel it would be more sure-fire if you still went through with it though.
I think of a reality check as a multipurpose tool.
1) It trains your prospective memory, which we all know is key to attaining lucidity. You exercise your willpower to remember to do reality checks throughout the day.
2) It makes you stop and take a break from what you are doing to question reality and strengthen your awareness.
3) It proves that you are in a dream. Sometimes this can be surprising. I know I've done reality checks three or four times before really believing that it was a dream. They can seem so real, and you can make excuses for the most bizarre dream content.
4) It gives you time, in the dream, to stabilize your environment. You have a few seconds of rehearsed behavior that helps keep you from getting shocked awake. I like body oriented RCs like hand or nose ones because they help ground you in your dream body.
You will dream lucid when you live lucid.
Good insight. Sometime talking too much doesnt bring much :DQuote:
Originally Posted by TexMurphy
The only time I've ever done RCs is when I already know I'm dreaming. I prefer the whole constant awareness thing to recurring random reality checks and hoping one lands in a dream.
I have done RC's over and over during the day for days on end to no avail.
I found somehow I just notice my hand sometimes and the fingers are wavy and I go Lucid.
I wonder if there is a trick to what the words are to program your RC in better.
I was using "You are dreaming", "Do a reality check" whilst looking at my hand during the day every 15 mins (since my hand RC makes me go lucid).
I wouldn't have LDs for weeks and a random look at my hand in a dream weeks later would trigger a LD.
So this is a point I would like to fine tune too.
In my opinion. Reality checks using words work only for some sort of people, who think more in words. There are also people who use feelings, or images as their primary thinking channels.
There is probably a connection with sensoric channel we use the most. Let me explain. People tend to use some words which describe, which of the senses they use the most to express reality. People who use words like (It sounds good ... ) are using sound channel the most. People who use words like (It feels , heavy) are more kinaesthetic oriented. And finally people who use words like (I see, It seems ....) are visually oriented.
In my opinion. To desing a reality check which suits you, you should first find out, whats is the channel you use the most. It can be done easily, just taking one of the older texts {or journal entries :D) you wrote and find out the words which can be connected with one sensoric channel. If you use words from one channel the most, that channel should be your primary channel.
And this channel should be used to form your your Dreamsigns vocabulary.
For prevalent visual channel -> use guided imagery
For prevalent auditory channel -> use words {classic reality checking}
For prevalent kinaesthetic channel -> use feelings, emotions and sense of body
This could help making the reality checks more effective
Shady, you are a wise dreamer, hardly nonsensical. It's what my teacher is trying to pound in my head.