1st RC failed me. ? questions...

So the first reality check i have ever conducted in a dream did not make me lucid. An old friend that i had fallen out with was in my room, it was emotional, and i explained how they had been in dreams of late and i should check if i am dreaming now. so i tried to push my fingers through my other palm. fingers contacted palm.

My question (not doubting validity just want to improve my understanding). If you are genuinely conducting an RC in a dream then are you not lucid before you even conduct it? to want to check your reality means you have doubted the one you are in? so if it is just acting as confirmation then how do we promote or trigger the want to confirm through RC in the first place? any help would be splendid!

about 5 - 10 minutes later (upon this friend morphing into an ass-hole from an old job that i intensely dislike) i again consider i could be dreaming and this gave me the courage to stand up to him. ( i wont take you through the ensuing violence but his eyes were the hollow black of pure evil) but i was not lucid. kinda momentarily half lucid if that is even anything.

not at all disappointed this is all fresh activity for me and represents progress in the direction im aiming for.

word. :)

Reality checks can fail in dreams. When you reality check through the day, try expecting your finger will go through your palm. Don't expect it to just hit your skin. Because this reality check requires some dream control you need to control your expectations.

All i have to say is don't use that RC. That one only tends to work after you realize you are dreaming and just need confirmation. Do a nose plug RC they don't seem to fail.

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Originally Posted by Yosma

All i have to say is don't use that RC. That one only tends to work after you realize you are dreaming and just need confirmation. Do a nose plug RC they don't seem to fail.

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Every reality check can fail. The finger through palm RC works fine for me.

When I RC it's not as confirmation really. It's sort of automatic when something is odd or theres like a :idea: at the back of my mind, my hand goes straight to my nose to see if I can breathe. I tried the light switch one once, but I just thought they were broken :P. It's hard to explain, like 'that's odd' *grabs nose*...

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Originally Posted by zebrah

Every reality check can fail. The finger through palm RC works fine for me.

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Maybe It's just me. I was never a fan of finger through the palm so I guess my mind just believes it will never work. Regardless nose plug is my personal favorite.

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Originally Posted by Yosma

Maybe It's just me. I was never a fan of finger through the palm so I guess my mind just believes it will never work. Regardless nose plug is my personal favorite.

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Everyone will have their own favorites, use the RC that you like the most :)

thanks bods. i would imagine that the rate of failure would be higher earlier on and more successful as you become more familiar? funny during the day i check with flight rarely with palm. will try the nose.

MEE, my guess is the light doesn't come on to every odd thing in a dream? but more random?

i'm still not that certain how we get ourselves to the point of wanting to do a reality check. it seems there remains a conscious element waiting to pez its head through the thin film of unconsciousness to lead to "i better bloke my nose here, this is fishy" "ah i thought floating on a metal platfrom suspended in space with the twelve rulers of the universe was questionable"

so what happens to those that LD?, you dream away, are you dreaming that you are performing an RC and the failed result causes your awareness to come forward? whats paying attention to the RC to notice it fail? this suggests we are not completely unconscious? it seems to get blurry for a novice trying to pin down the thin line separating the two worlds.

should i just shut up and RC and hope for the best?

:horse:

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Originally Posted by korky

thanks bods. i would imagine that the rate of failure would be higher earlier on and more successful as you become more familiar? funny during the day i check with flight rarely with palm. will try the nose.

MEE, my guess is the light doesn't come on to every odd thing in a dream? but more random?

i'm still not that certain how we get ourselves to the point of wanting to do a reality check. it seems there remains a conscious element waiting to pez its head through the thin film of unconsciousness to lead to "i better bloke my nose here, this is fishy" "ah i thought floating on a metal platfrom suspended in space with the twelve rulers of the universe was questionable"

so what happens to those that LD?, you dream away, are you dreaming that you are performing an RC and the failed result causes your awareness to come forward? whats paying attention to the RC to notice it fail? this suggests we are not completely unconscious? it seems to get blurry for a novice trying to pin down the thin line separating the two worlds.

should i just shut up and RC and hope for the best?

:horse:

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Personally I'm pretty much 85% sure that I am dreaming before I reality check. Lucidity just kinda happens.

While it is true that every reality check can fail in a dream, the finger-through-palm RC has almost always failed me. My dream perfectly reproduces the feeling of my finger pressing against my palm.

The digital watch RC on the other hand, has never failed me. The only times I didn't become lucid by it is when I assumed that the digital watch was malfunctioning.

I recommend the digital watch RC as the perfect reality check: Look at the watch -> Remember the numbers -> Turn around - > Look back -> Repeat once more.

Good luck.

Jakob

I've had an RC fail on me, the day I made a post here talking about how I'd never had an RC fail on me.. :roll:

Ever since then I do all my RC's with complete conviction. You have to ensure you're not just doing them on autopilot, and really question reality. I do 2-3 different checks, just to be sure. Lately though in my LD's I haven't been RCing, I've just been able to 'feel' that it's a dream, and start controlling things :)