I may have found my Dreamsign. HOw do i realize I'm dreaming from it?

[giogoMoget2]

My dreamsign that i've seen after practicing dream recall for like 2 months now is not an object, not a weird thing. rather, it's fear. yeah, it's like the social phobia fear I experience in my real life, and in dreams it appears in the form of scary nightmares. i went through my dream journal and i have many scary dreams. where either I'm afraid of some devilsh thing, or fear because someone is gonna get mad at me, or fear of disease. The question is how do i use those dreamsounds to turn lucid? because genrally a dreamsign would be something that would tell you it's not real life. like being able to fly or go through walls. But my sign seems to be a common feeling: Fear.

[Arra]

Aren't the dream signs that you experience in real life the best kind? In real life, next time you feel the type of fear you do in dreams, do a reality check. I'm having the opposite problem. My dream sign is something that almost never happens in real life, so I won't get a chance to practice doing reality checks in response to the sign in real life.

[Puffin]

You won't recognize a dream sign unless you're aware enough to begin with. Usually dream signs and reality checks don't cause people to become lucid, but they're rather used afterwards, as a confirmation that you're dreaming. You become aware that you might be dreaming, and look around to see if things really do look like a dream - or you do a reality check. It's good you know your dream signs, so you know what to look out for next time you become conscious in a dream.

[lucyoncolorado]

I've been having lots of stress dreams lately, and in the dream I get so stressed that I'm looking for a solution to the problem (whatever crazy dream problem it is, no shoes, can't find something, etc). Then I usually realize I'm dreaming as a solution to the problem. This has not helped me attain anything more than a very fleeting lucidity, but I'm working on that. The difference between stress and fear is that when you are stressed, you are usually trying to figure something out and that will lead to you wondering all sorts of things (including- am I dreaming?) whereas when you are afraid, you might just be trying to get away. I wonder if you can train yourself to think about dreaming as an escape from the fear. I'm scared, I want this to stop, maybe I'm dreaming? Oh yes, I'm dreaming, nothing to be afraid of, this isn't real! Realizing this about my stress feelings makes me less stressed - those stressful dreams usualy end when I realize I'm dreaming. But it hasn't helped me stay lucid. Oh well.

[Binsk]

@Puffin, I don't know if this is completely correct, as dream signs have worked as a trigger for me personally. @Giogo, the dream sign doesn't have to occur in real life for it to be effective in a dream (though it is allot easier if it is). Since you said your dream sign was fear, just make sure to create the habit of doing a reality check every time that fear comes about in real life. This way the habit will carry over into your dreams. Or, if it is a unique fear that only occurs in your dreams, just the knowledge of that can act as a reality check in itself and give you awareness that you are dreaming, given you are looking out for it. (Which in this case, Puffin is right where you won't recognize it if you aren't already aware enough to notice it)

[cctxbmx]

When I run in a dream I tend to run like a dog, I use my hands then feet hands then feet. I am new to LD too and learned this dream sign of mine last week. Since I do not run like a dog in waking life there is no way for me to practice doing RC during this dream sign. What I do is think about running like a dog, I imagine how it would feel on my hands, feet, back, speed, and etc. After thinking of running like a dog I tell myself I'm dreaming and do a RC. I practice this a few times a day and so far has worked out great. Since discovering this dream sign I have become lucid in 2 out of 3 dreams when I run like a dog haha Maybe you can try and imagine yourself in a fearful situation and tell yourself your dreaming and to RC a couple times a day. I hope this information is useful to you lol.

[NrElAx]

You can just do a reality check everytime you feel fear. But I know if I'm feeling anxiety or something, I wouldn't even be thinking about doing a reality check.

[Binsk]

You can just do a reality check everytime you feel fear. But I know if I'm feeling anxiety or something, I wouldn't even be thinking about doing a reality check. Exactly. That is why he has to turn it into a habit, which is also why it will be very effective.