I'm Not Sure What to Think of This

[Jarame]

So, this morning I had a VERY short dream. I blame it on the fact that a friend of mine kept texting me every 30 minutes to an hour, and each time I received the message I was JUST drifting off into sleep. Until finally I just passed out. In the dream I was talking to some man in the middle of a street. The only things I could see behind him was a shopping strip, and tables outside with a very cliche red/white striped overhang. The man said something to me, but I don't remember even hearing ANYTHING he said, BUT I remember saying to myself "what? that didn't make any sense." So I performed my very first Reality Check (rubbing my hands) but the moment I did it I woke up :[ then a couple of minutes later my alarm went off to get up for the day. I don't feel I was aware of anything until the moment I tried rubbing my hands. The fact that I even thought of doing an RC surprises me. It was like my dream self decided it was the logical thing to do rather than letting the dream just play out. So maybe I'm finally getting closer to attaining Lucidity? Any thoughts?

[Buhl]

I am not overly qualified to answer if you are or not. But i experienced the same thing a couple of weeks back. I had a false awakening wherein i performed a reality check and woke up to a loud bang, and that was my second lucid. So by the sound of it your thoughts of reality checking is bleeding through to your dreams, just keep it up, and it will come eventually. Believe me.

[MasterMind]

Uhm I just need to ask you, how does rubbing your hands works as a reality check? Reality checks are impossible actions like counting your fingers and see that you have more than five fingers on a hand, or plugging your nose and still be able to breathe through it, or any action that makes you realize that something is strange. So how do you achieve that by rubbing your hands? The belief that that action would make you more aware seem to have been enough intention for you to realize something, but if you want to really realize that you are dreaming, you have to make the impossible happen.

[Jarame]

I am not overly qualified to answer if you are or not. But i experienced the same thing a couple of weeks back. I had a false awakening wherein i performed a reality check and woke up to a loud bang, and that was my second lucid. So by the sound of it your thoughts of reality checking is bleeding through to your dreams, just keep it up, and it will come eventually. Believe me. I've yet to have a false awakening, I HAVE however thought I was still in a dream and tried shooting a rainbow from my hand, only to find out that I woke up for real, haha. Uhm I just need to ask you, how does rubbing your hands works as a reality check? Reality checks are impossible actions like counting your fingers and see that you have more than five fingers on a hand, or plugging your nose and still be able to breathe through it, or any action that makes you realize that something is strange. So how do you achieve that by rubbing your hands? The belief that that action would make you more aware seem to have been enough intention for you to realize something, but if you want to really realize that you are dreaming, you have to make the impossible happen. In dreams things might have different feels than they normally would. So rubbing your hands together might produce a metallic feeling rather than the usual flesh. Reality checks can be performed many different ways, mine happens to be that one specifically because I normally rub my hands together when I'm awake anyways, so why not? You CAN try to make something impossible to happen, but that kind of falls into the "dream control" category because you have something visualized that you want to be performed. Counting fingers is the same as rubbing your hands. The method is just based on preference.

[MasterMind]

OK then as long as it works and you are happy with it I see no harm in doing it. I was just surprised to hear that it could work as a reality check. But if it is both your reality check and stabilization method you're achieving two goals with one action. That's great!

[Jarame]

OK then as long as it works and you are happy with it I see no harm in doing it. I was just surprised to hear that it could work as a reality check. But if it is both your reality check and stabilization method you're achieving two goals with one action. That's great! That's actually the farthest I've gotten with trying to lucid dream. But what surprises me is that I didn't actually try an induction technique on my own, so I think the fact that I kept drifting to sleep and then being awaken by my phone is what helped. But my dream wasn't very vivid. This is all so confusing. When I try a technique: nothing happens except a few vivid dreams. When I don't try: My dreams aren't very vivid but I have enough sense to perform a RC...what?!

[Buhl]

Well, i would advise you to maybe use multiple reality checks, because as MasterMind says, rubbing your hands ain't really a reality check. Well, it might make you lucid, but if you counted your fingers, looked at a digital clock, blocked your nose and tried to breathe, pinched yourself etc. you might have a higher chance of getting lucid. Rubbing your hands together is a stabilization technique which i used myself in my first lucid dream to make my vision clear (I believe this is because of you forcing the brain to fabricate sensory input, thus enhancing the dream). If i were you i would do additional RC's when you rub your hands together in real life, maybe then the event of rubbing your hands in the dream will remind you of your newly aquired habbit of doing more RC's.

[Jarame]

Well, i would advise you to maybe use multiple reality checks, because as MasterMind says, rubbing your hands ain't really a reality check. Well, it might make you lucid, but if you counted your fingers, looked at a digital clock, blocked your nose and tried to breathe, pinched yourself etc. you might have a higher chance of getting lucid. Rubbing your hands together is a stabilization technique which i used myself in my first lucid dream to make my vision clear (I believe this is because of you forcing the brain to fabricate sensory input, thus enhancing the dream). If i were you i would do additional RC's when you rub your hands together in real life, maybe then the event of rubbing your hands in the dream will remind you of your newly aquired habbit of doing more RC's. I'll keep that in mind when practicing my ADA. Hopefully one of these days I'll break that lucidity barrier that's in my way, haha. Thanks, you two!

[Buhl]

You are so very welcome. You can PM me in the future if you have any questions and i shall try to answer them. ^^ I know i ain't the most experienced guy around, but i have done my fair share of asking around on this forum. You could also try looking at this thread: http://www.dreamviews.com/f12/help-o...reamer-138008/ Happy dreams and good luck attaining lucidity! It will come eventually!