Thread: Reality check didn't work or...?

Hey all, not sure if this is the right place to post but if it's not forgive me and relocate if you must.

So, i've been on a sleep schedule for about a week and a half. I am by no means experienced but not a beginner either, more like a novice as i've started LDing since last year. So I have had my 2nd lucid dream last night and to my suprise some of the common reality checks did not work.

It all started when I was trying to WILD. It worked after a good 30 minutes of laying still and I was in my dream enviroment, which is my bedroom. I went ahead and tried to levitate myself to be 100% sure I am dreaming and not ruining WILD. I could not levitate so I risked getting up and try reading the clock. It did not change (it was 5:30 am for about 5 minutes). Flaw to this could be that I was staring it and not taking glimpses.

Anyway, I tried to remember some other RCs, I tried to find a recent cut (due to acidentally cutting my index finger when cutting onion). I found it, then I looked away and look back at it. It was still there (meaning that the reality check failed? I need some clarification on this one).

Afterwards I tried to do the typical "look for the 6th finger at the back of your hand" and it finally worked. But my question remains, why so many failed RC? Maybe someone can shed some light on this.

Many Regards and sorry for any typos or mistakes I made to the post.

Simply put, reality checks are not fool proof and depending on how stable and consistent the dream is, can even be considered unreliable at times. Also some reality checks work better for some than others, perhaps you may need to find one that fits you better.
As a side note, I would recommend having one RC that tests the consistency of the dream (such as reading a clock or book, turning away, then reading them again to see if they change) and one RC that tests the "realism" of the dream (such as rc's that force you to do supernatural things like levitate, stick your finger through your palm, or breath through a closed nose).

There are many possible reasons for this. You might be doing the RCs too quickly, "automatically", without actually questioning reality.

The way I do the digital clock RC is to look at it, remember the time, turn away, then look back expecting the numbers to change. Then repeat.

Hands RC: you don't just look at your fingers, but actually count from thumb to pinky, and then from pinky to thumb.

In my personal experience, the strongest RC is the digital watch one, and the weakest one is the finger through thumb, which failed me many times. But then again, everybody has different experiences.

Wow, didn't expect for those fast replies! You caught me off guard.

I think the problem was the I was doing the RCs without believing in them, like, doing them mechanically. My other mistake was probably thinking that RCs are fool-proof! Thanks a lot for the answers and for solving the confusion, cheers!

Hey. I recommend plugging your nose then trying to breath. I had about 20-30 lucid dreams not counting very short ones where I usually did an RC and wake up seconds after it and it failed me I think only once. It still gave the right
result so I was able to breath through my plugged nose but for some reason I thought it's still reality and not a dream.
It doesn't seem to be very popular but I assure you it's the most fool-proof and easy one at least for me. I tried a few others and they rarely worked.

Hey Blackhammer. I am aware of that method as I was reading through DV the other day but I have never tried it. I guess I will try it tonight and see for myself! Thanks!

One more tip for you ManosL, try doing some RCs during the day. You probably know that already and if so then I'm sorry but that also applied to plugging nose RC. Ask yourself if this is reality or dream and do an RC, several times a day. Especially when you are experiencing something new/surprising or reading something related to LD like posts here. This really helps a lot with remembering to RC during a dream.

There's every chance you just weren't aware enough. Make sure to actually raise your awareness as you do the reality check, practise this throughout the day as well, as Blackhammer has suggested. Make sure you stop yourself with the thought, "I could be dreaming!" Properly entertain the thought and look around you for strange things that may be going on, or things you could notice. Properly survey your surroundings with the thought that it could be a dream. Then carry out an RC. This will carry across in your dream and you'll actually get lucid from your heightened awareness rather than your RC.

Indeed, I RC every now and then but not as frequent as I want. Every day I put a goal to achieve (ex. make 10 RCs across the entire day, each about 30-40 minutes apart of the other) but I always get about 3-4 so maybe that's another problem too. Anyways these type of things improve by experience so the only thing I can do to help speed it up is probably more dedication. Thanks a lot for the help guys!

I just had a very similar experience with last nights dream. I decided to do an RC in my dream, pressing fingers through my palms--and they felt solid. What irked me so bad when I woke up though, was that I didn't follow through with any others! IRL, when I do reality checks, I usually perform 2-3--fingers through the palm, plug nose and breathe, and hand through the wall. In my dream, I ONLY did one--and haphazardly at that! So I missed an opportunity there, which saddens me. At the same time, the fact I did one at all is exciting.

Just thought I'd share that RC experience. They can, and will, sometimes act as if you are awake. Darnit.

~SilverWolf~