Thread: Having trouble at noticing when I'm dreaming even if it's clearly obvious

So I'm definitely a beginner with lucid dreaming, I had one last year when I first started reading about it but have decided to give my full attention to it by researching different methods, keeping a DJ, and constantly doing RCs. Just started my DJ about a week ago or so and have had a pretty good jump in my dream recall. I've mostly been relying on MILD and DILD techniques and have been trying to find a good match that works for me. The problem is I usually am very focused on the intention and sometimes keep myself up longer than I want, which after trying to relax for long leads to a little frustration and just wanting to fall asleep.

My question is that since I've been recalling my dreams more often, I've noticed how often I'm in a situation where I'm obviously dreaming but don't pick up on it. Last night I was in a dream and when I was with my friends at a bar, the lady asked for my ID and I remembered I left it in my car. When I went out to the car I remembered it wasn't in there, so I decided quite logically in my dream that I would remember a place where I parked my car in the past with my wallet in it, travel there, and pick it up. So I get in the car and, using some form of GPS, I pick a spot where I was taking photos in the mountains one day. As I'm driving along a dark street the outside shifts like this digital curtain so now I'm driving along a perfectly cut path through some deep snow on a surreal winter mountaintop... then I realize that if in my car now how could it be there, then remembering I'm in the past I don't sweat it but wake up as I'm driving up a steep hill. I also sometimes do something in a dream that requires a lot of money, but then this feeling comes to me, almost like a halfway awake state of conscious breaks through, where I realize that it doesn't make sense to spend money on that since I'm pretty broke...

Any tips on picking up on these obvious signs of being in a dream? I've been trying to question my reality when something odd or unusual strikes but haven't had much luck with this carrying over in my dreams... Also, one of my recurring dream signs is seeing people from my past that I don't see anymore. The problem with this is that the interactions seem so normal and real so its really hard for these cues to put me into a lucid state. Any good mantras you guys use for these kinds of dreamsigns? Telling myself I will become lucid seeing someone I haven't seen in a while seems too general to get me to perform an RC while dreaming. Thanks for taking the time to read all of this, sorry if it's a little long winded.

have you been trying reality checks?

Yeah, I definitely try to question my reality and if I'm dreaming or not when I do them. I've been looking at my hands to make sure I've got 5 fingers and checking digital clocks... Plugging your nose seems to work really well for a lot of people so I think I might start adding that in a lot more frequently, just seems like it won't be as easy since I have to go out of my way to check rather than just catching a glimpse of my hands or a clock.

Getting your dream recall up is a great beginning. Even if you've been having LDs for years, you'll still wake up and smack yourself on the forehead on occasion because you missed something totally obvious. The dream signs to really look for are recurring images or situations--for me, work-related stress dreams turned into a reliable dream sign a few years back. Maybe your 'big spender' dreams will work out that way for you.

Ya even experienced lucid dreamers don't recognize dream for most of time. It is because the frotal brain is sleeping. You have to check your dream journal for situation who occurs pretty often...
For me: -When I am late, -When I am naked/see an attractive woman, -When I feel pain, -When I see something magnificent, -When I escape from something
And everytime in Waking Life I encounter these situations, I do a Reality check.
You should have atleast 2 favorites Reality check so if 1 fail you got the second one.

You can't really dwell on missed opportunities. No matter how experienced you are, impossible dream logic will still trick you. Try to practice staying in a critical and aware state of mind during the day. This might help a little in your dreams.