Is this a good way to RC ?

**spoocky2005** · 12-22-2014 11:06 PM

Still did not have the lucid that i am looking for but had some experiences to learn from.
This is usually how i do my RC i'm opened for tips or anything to improve
So i usually do a RC either in the morning when i wake up , random times during the day ,strange things , random felling , when i daydream (10 times)
I do the 5 finger RC . So i ask myself "am i dreaming" look at my fingers for 2s makes sure they good , do a quick count , look away , count again. Well they look normal , its not a dream but if it was i dream i could stick my hand trough my other hand , this fails so , not dreaming .\
Then i do the XYZ , where am i , where am i going , where was i . Make sure my surrounding look real , check my thoughts , feelings all good .
And then i tell myself : "next time i will dream i will look at my hands" and "next time i dream ill remember to look at my hands".

**ThreeCat** · 12-22-2014 11:51 PM

Hey, spoocky!

RCs tend to either fail or succeed based on your level of lucidity. If you are highly aware, and already suspicious of your state, many RCs will work (including the ones you mentioned). On the other hand, if you are going through the motions (and therefore lack awareness), or doubt whether or not you are dreaming, some RCS may be prone to fail (particularly ones involving dream control--like pushing fingers through hands, flying, etc.).

I'm a huge fan of the noseplug. I also have a digital watch that I check after I plug my nose. That being said, the most important thing is that you perform your check mindfully--bring all of your awareness to the present moment and to the serious question of "Am I dreaming?" If you can do this consistently, then most RCs will succeed.

**Zoth** · 12-23-2014 12:02 AM

Hey spoocky2005, how's it going

?

Picture reality checks as a concept that you express in words: Portuguese people say the word "gato", english people "cat", german "katze", etc etc. It's not so much the word we use, but the fact that we can easily be drawn to the concept we're talking about. That said, while reality check is a near-infallible way to determine your state of consciousness, the large majority of times will act as a cue itself: if you've grown the right mindset, the moment you think of doing a reality check in a dream will be enough to trigger lucidity.

Your way of question reality has all the necessary requisites for lucidity: it's direct, long enough, dynamic, and black-and-white. You're also performing it in a combination of both random and specific conditions: random reality checking is good to induce the behavior on residual content (increasing your chances of making it show up in a dream) and also as conditioning tool (which increases your chances of subconscious applying it towards certain cues). Lastly, you're also engaging in a future-intention pattern, which is great.

My only advice would be to make sure you don't act it out as some kind of protocol towards lucidity: remember, you don't know when you are dreaming, so it's counter-productive to reality check in an attempt to find out if you're dreaming. What you're trying to figure out is if you're NOT dreaming. Once you grow used to see every part of your day as a dream, your dreams will no longer resemble part of your waking life, but they will resemble pseudo-dreams (since you're considering every part of your waking life as a dream right ^^?). I hope this didn't sound confusing, because it's a really important distinction: whatever the scenario, always assume you are dreaming, and then reality check to confirm it. If it fails, it's not because you're not dreaming, it's because you're not dreaming YET. And that attitude will help you quite a bit with lucidity ^^