RCILD - Several questions

Hello everyone,

I have several questions about reality check induced lucid dreams (DILDS) and would greatly appreciate any advice/comments.

1) I am using an LD induction method where I do reality checks every hour throughout the day (8:00 am, 9:00 am, etc...until I go to bed). I have a very good body clock (for example, if I wake up to an alarm at 6:30 am for several days I will naturally begin to wake up right before my alarm goes off) and after several days of this RC practice, I naturally remember to do RCs every hour. My hope is that my body gets in this habit of doing RCs and this carries over into the dream state.

My question is, am I just making something up or has this been done before? Will it work? I have been doing this simple technique and keeping a dream journal and have had 4 lucids in 19 days.

2) Has anyone had long term success with a technique like this? It seems easy enough, and while one might think 1 reality check an hour seems a lot (~16 times a day), each check requires only seconds of effort. If this technique works longterm, it seems a minimal amount of effort for a large reward.

Just hoped to hear someones thoughts, thanks.

answer one. This is pretty common.

two. Yes reality testing does work in the long term. Over a period of time, when you become proficient, you will need to do them less. Many people have remarked that after enough lucid dreams it becomes nearly automatic, it is my assumption this results from a actual physical change in the brain, the reflective method becomes a ingrained habit of the mind.

Valis1, thanks for your insight. I guess I should've been more detailed about my first question. I knew reality checks were common, but I was wondering if it is common to do them on a schedule like I am (once an hour). Don't most people just do them in certain situations (encounter a dreamsign, feel a strong emotion, etc)?

But that is good news to hear of long term success. I feel very optimistic about this technique as it's already been giving me results after just several weeks of trying. In terms of overall 'bang for your buck' it seems the way to go. WILD would be great, but I just haven't ever had success with it, and to do so would require a considerable amount of effort.

jay. I can not be sure but I think doing reality checks on a schedule is indeed relatively common, over a period of time I have seen it mentioned here and there, seems like a reasonable way to go about it.

Yes, I think reality checking specifically in the face of strange situations is the most common way people do it. One does not need to pick one or the other, just depends on the person.

No success yet with WILDs? I understand your concern of wishing to get the most out of you effort. There is no doubt attempting WILDing often results in disappointment, there is no way of taking into account the many factors which lead to failure or success, it is a role of the dice in a manner of speaking. On the other hand, it is a common view which I have found mostly true that WILDs are usually more intense than DILDs, generally speaking. Also once one gets good at them, gets a feel for them, they become very reliable in producing the desired effects. So the WILD method has its short comings, but there is also a lot of potential there given enough practice.

Valis, I agree completely with your comments on WILD. If one could master it, it would be the 'holy grail' of techniques because you are inducing Lucids at will. My problem is that I have a very hard time falling asleep, I've always been that way. I might even say I have slight insomnia. Every time I try WILD I just end up lying there for a long time until I eventually give up. For me, the little effort that I must use to remain focused during WILD is enough to prevent me from falling asleep and I have not heard of a way around this. I could be wrong, but dont most successful WILD practitioners have in common the ability to fall asleep easily?

And by the way thanks for your advice, I really appreciate you taking time to answer my questions.

"My problem is that I have a very hard time falling asleep"

I can see how this could be a problem. This being the case I think there are some things I can think of that may help.

When you wake up in the morning before attempting a WILD be sure to avoid bright lights, especially blue lights, moving around too much, and anything that is too stimulating, this will get your waking neurotransmitters revved up.

If this does not fix the problem try some simple breathing or meditation methods like following the breath. Some have suggested reading, but only things that wont get your mind racing, like the dictionary, encyclopedia, or something like that perhaps, something boring.

"For me, the little effort that I must use to remain focused during WILD is enough to prevent me from falling asleep"

I have had good results using the amino acid L-theanine, it relaxes your mind and makes you more focused at the same time. So you can remain calm without becoming 'out of it', or losing your concentration. Amino acids are nice because they are used by the body/brain to make neurotransmitters, L-theanine increases GABA, Serotonin, Dopamine, and Norepinephrine, it also increases calming alpha brain waves. If your insomnia/anxiety is related to sub-optimum neurotransmitter levels of these four mentioned, this could potentially be very helpful.

There are some pretty good herbs out there that may help, such as chamomile or passionflower, if you do take these before attempting a WILD I would suggest using them in small amounts because they tend to make one too tired and unable to concentrate and taking too much of these particular herbs may depress REM sleep, but everyone is different, it may come down to a process of trial and error on that point.

If it is your body which bothers you try some light stretching or a magnesium supplement.

"dont most successful WILD practitioners have in common the ability to fall asleep easily?"

I have not thought about this, but it does makes sense. You said that you have had trouble going to sleep and have for a long time. I am sorry to hear of your problems with insomnia, I know first hand how annoying that can be. I think your brain is wired a bit on the over active or anxiety side of the spectrum, I am just guessing on this point of course. This can be fixed, the brain is very capable of changing. One would in that case need to put into practice some life style changes like daily exercise and meditation. Then one can look into various amino acids, minerals, and vitamins, which can push your brain more toward the middle where it ideally should be.