The best RC

[Appe96]

Hi! I where thinking today when I was about to do a RC. Everyone says that it depends wich RC that are the best, and stuff. Then i thought "why is that?" This is my conclusion: RC's are like controlling a dream. It's up to you if the RC works or not. Like someone maybe thinks that the "look on hand RC" wont work. Well what happens? It will never work cause you have told yourself so. "But the 'plug nose RC' works for everyone" you may ask. Thats because you belives that it will work cause it is more "scientific" or something. Well the thing i want to say is that you can do anything as a rc and it will work if u belive in it! Anyone with me? ~Anton

[Arch]

Yes, although simple actions like looking at your hands are easier because you are clarifying that you are dreaming when you RC.

[Pandabear]

You're right, it's wrong to think that way.

[Avalanche]

You don't mean doing anything as long as you believe it will make you lucid will work? Well yes and no. If you knew, as in had no doubt in your mind that scratching you head while in a dream would make you lucid, (and if you were aware enough to notice you scratched your head), it would work. But not EVERYTHING will make you lucid. You may as well just "know" that as soon as you enter a dream you will notice and realize it is a dream.

[Puffin]

RCs like the finger-count and trying to put your finger through your palm, in my opinion, work differently than the nose-plug one. In a dream, it's very hard to recreate the sensation of having a blocked airway, whereas RCs involving your hands are solely sight-based, possibly a bit of touch as well. This could make them easier to fail. I do all my RCs with expectations that something could be off, but the hand-related ones tend to fail quite a bit, whereas the nose-plug hasn't failed me once. I'm also gonna add that dream control can fail, so it's a bit more risky to try using your own original RCs than to use the ones that have been known to work well.

[Appe96]

why it be harder to simulate blocked airways when you it happens everytime you go diving? It's because you think that the nose-plug RC will work because of the fact that you are actually breathing when your sleeping or something. It's the same with dream control; I read on dreamviews wiki that it is hard to have sex in a dream because you risk closing your eyes and wakes up from the dream by that. Well, have you ever heard of your parents that if you have a nightmare then you should close your eyes and you'll wake up? It's the same there you/they have told your mind that it works so that's why many people wakes up when they close their eyes.

[Darkmatters]

The reason the nose-plug is so reliable is because your real body will continue breathing even if your dream body has the nostrils pinched shut (or is underwater or whatever). The other checks rely on the dream body entirely - example the reason you can push your finger through your palm is because it's your dream body and has no corporeality to it. But the only way you could actually stop yourself breathing would be if you happen to experience a bout of narcolepsy at just the moment you're doing a noseplug RC.

[Appe96]

If we put it like this. Can you usually feel your heart pounding when you are sleeping?

[mooseantlers]

RCs like the finger-count and trying to put your finger through your palm, in my opinion, work differently than the nose-plug one. In a dream, it's very hard to recreate the sensation of having a blocked airway, whereas RCs involving your hands are solely sight-based, possibly a bit of touch as well. This could make them easier to fail. I do all my RCs with expectations that something could be off, but the hand-related ones tend to fail quite a bit, whereas the nose-plug hasn't failed me once. I'm also gonna add that dream control can fail, so it's a bit more risky to try using your own original RCs than to use the ones that have been known to work well. I agree with this, it's almost like you become lucid before inhaling, because i actually don't feel my nostrils being pinned together, i just, know they are.

[Darkmatters]

If we put it like this. Can you usually feel your heart pounding when you are sleeping? I've never noticed my heartbeat in a dream, and I never notice my breathing ether, unless I'm underwater or pinching my nose shut. In either case, I notice I'm still breathing and can become lucid because of it. Are you saying the nosepinch doesn't work for you?

[Hukif]

Actually I disagree, I learned about LDing and the techniques long after attaining it throuhg RCs, of course I had to find a "special" RC since all of the common ones (Finger through palm, pain, nose-plug, etc) would fail for me, so I had no previous preconception of "it will fail" it just did, I bet it depends more on the kind of dreams people have.

[USA]

Nose plug has NEVER failed me, because everytime I did it i had a feeling I was already dreaming.

[Appe96]

I'm not saying that it dosen't work. I'm saying that it works so good because we think that it will work!

[Darkmatters]

I agree with Puffin that there's a basic difference with the nosepinch compared to all the other checks, and I submit this as evidence. Recently when I had a bit of a cold I did the nosepinch and noticed that I was still able to breathe through my nose, but it was stuffy - just like in real life. So to me this indicates that there's a real physiological factor at work - the breathing you feel is your actual breathing. Therefore the nosepinch RC is fundamentally different from all other reality checks because it involves the fact that you actually can't stop yourself from breathing - unless as I think I said above you happen to experience narcolepsy at just the moment you do it. I believe the fact of this fundamental difference is responsible, a lot more so than expectation. Can you counter this argument?

[Appe96]

As I've read many times people says that when they cant breath IRL then they cant breath in dreams etc. But this idea has been out for very long so i assume that you once have read so on a forum or something( correct me if youre not) and that way you had it in mind. So I belive that when u do a nosepinch when u are cold then it will feel like IRL

[yuppie11975]

I think that the nose one can't fail. I'd explain why, but I share pretty much the same views as puffin and dark matters. Sometimes, just for fun, I like to ask someone a really stupid question, and if they react normally and answer it, or say something stupid back, I'm probably dreaming. If they give me a funny look, then I'm probably not. I normally follow this up with the nose pinch anyway, but it's pretty funny xD

[Appe96]

I belive thats because it have worked for you one time so you use it because of that. Thats why it's so effective

[VexedVagabond]

My reality-checks: Counting my fingers, this is my most frequently used. I've never had more then five fingers but usually at three I just know I'm dreaming. Works amazingly for me. Light switches. Just flip a couple around your house some time if your bored and tired. Try imagining any number of outcomes from flipping the switch and it will work normally, but in dreams trippy things happen. Jumping and imagining the ability to fly. Sounds goofy looking, it kind of is. Sometimes around the house I'll stop and hop a couple times. This didn't effect my dreams for close to two weeks. Flying in my dreams is a favorite experience I love, now sometimes without even knowing I'm dreaming the ability miraculously induces my lucidity. Reaching for my lighter when I know it isn't in my pocket. This is awesome in my dreams cause there are usually cigs to. My waking life is me eating sunflowers seeds lol. I don't really have many others. Plugging my nose and breathing just doesn't appeal to me. I can imagine how it would work though, practically any ritual can.

[Appe96]

Did you just read the topic or did you actually read what I said?