Reality Checks

[BridgetJones09]

Hello everyone! I am new here and I have had only 3 LD. I am using the reality checks technique, as the other ones don't suit me well. I was wondering how many reality checks I should do during the day? As much as one per hour? Only a few, like, five per day or so? Any help will be appreciated! PS: Befriend me if you wish! BJ09

[grischkaja008]

Hello an welcome to DV One reality check per hour is a good start. The only thing which really matters is, that you must do your RC consciously. This means: don't simply do a RC and forget about it. When performing a RC, take also a few seconds to look around you and see if everything looks like in reality (Is it too dark or too bright, etc.). If not it's a dream (obviously).

[Puffin]

Hi, welcome to Dreamviews! Grischkaja008 is right; it's extremely important to become conscious and aware during the day, either all the time or at random periods of time. You have to be skeptical of whether or not you could be dreaming at that instant. Since you don't normally question reality in your dreams, it's important to do this during the day so your overall awareness gradually increases. Me, I tend to elevate my awareness of what's around me, along with doing a reality check, at least ten times a day.

[Cacophony]

Hey, welcome to DV! Sometimes it's helpful to make a list of times when you're going to do reality checks. The following example is taken from Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming by Stephen Laberge (an excellent book that I recommend). This is called Prospective Memory Training: 1. Read the day's targets This exercise is designed to be practiced over an entire week. Below is a set of four target events for each day of the week. When you get up in the morning, read only the targets for that day. Memorize the days targets. 2. Look for your targets during the day Your goal is to notice the next occurence of each event, at which time you will perform a state test (reality check): "Am I dreaming?" So, if your target is, "the next time I hear a dog bark," when you hear this next, note it and do a state test. You are aiming to notice the target once - next time it happens. 3. Keep track of how many target events you hit At the end of the day, write down how many of the four targets you succeeded in noticing (you can make a space in your dream journal to record your progress with this exercise). If you realize during the day that you missed your first chance to notice one of your targets, then you have failed to hit that target, even though you may notice its occurence later in the day. If you are certain that one or more targets did not occur at all during the day, say so with a note in your dream journal. 4. Continue the exercise for at least one week Practice the exercise until you have tried all of the daily targets given below. At the end of the week, if you are still missing most of the targets, continue until you can hit most of them. Make up your own list of targets, keep track of your success rate and observe how your memory develops. Daily Targets SUNDAY The next time I see a pet or animal The next time I look at my fice in a mirror The next time I turn on a light The next time I see a flower MONDAY The next time I write anything down The next time I feel pain The next time I hear someone say my name The next time I drink something TUESDAY The next time I see a traffic light The next time I hear music The next time I throw something in the garbage The next time I hear laughter WEDNESDAY The next time I turn on a television or radio The next time I see a vegetable The next time I see a red car The next time I handle money THURSDAY The next time I read something other than this list The next time I check the time The next time I notice myself daydreaming The next time I hear the telephone ringing FRIDAY The next time I open a door The next time I see a bird The next time I use the toilet after noon The next time I see the stars SATURDAY The next time I put a key in a lock The next time I see an advertisement The next time I eat anything after breakfast The next time I see a bicycle

[VividMan]

I've been sucking at RC lately.. need to step up my game!

[Serenity]

I tend to make my RC an all-day awareness sort of deal. There are certain things that tend to be constant for me in waking life (like body aches and feeling gravity) that generally don't transpire in my dreams. As I maintain awareness, I ask myself once in a while "What are the chances of this being a dream right now?" My RC's serve as more of a purpose to prove why this isn't a dream, at this moment. I find that lately, I'll randomly ask myself this very question while dreaming, too

[BridgetJones09]

Cacophony: Thank you for posting part of Stephen Laberge's book! Do you think I could get to have a LD per night or at least every other night only with the Reality Checks technique? That is my goal... If the answer is yes, is it only a matter of practicing and not getting discouraged, or something else I need to know, or do? BJ09

[BridgetJones09]

I've been sucking at RC lately.. need to step up my game! I just bought myself a wristwatch, those that beep every hour. Every time it beeps I do a reality check.

[Aelexe]

I tend to do reality checks constantly when not in the company of others, being that a common theme in dreams is complete lack of conversation with other people. My reality check itself simply exists of questioning whether I am awake or not, and thinking to myself the thought process behind it.

[BmDubb]

If you do a reality check when you hear the beep, I would look into setting it to beep while you're sleeping. Your mind will learn to associate doing a RC with that sound, and even while your sleeping, the sound of the beep will likely trigger your subconscious into doing a RC while dreaming, resulting in a higher chance of having an LD.

[Serenity]

Just remember guys, don't make it an automatic response or habit! We don't want to see a scenario like *Watch beep* "Time for a reality check!" *Nose pinch* "Can't breathe, not dreaming, moving on." <- Don't do this! A) Nose pinching isn't infallible. It may fail. Back it up with another reality check. Test your memory. Do you remember getting dressed and putting on the clothes you're wearing? What were you doing 5 minutes ago? Why isn't this a dream right now? B) Don't fall into the trap of thinking, "It feels too real to be a dream." Dreams feel real. It's what they do!

[Brunor2]

A) Nose pinching isn't infallible. It may fail. Back it up with another reality check. Exactly. There were many times I couldn't breath in a dream. I think it's because my nose was blocked by the pillow or something. I usually use the nose pinch and finger counting RC.

[Alsroge]

Hi BridgetJones09! Welcome to Dreamviews. And wow, you have an amazing list of responses here. All of the above posters really hit the nail on the head when it comes to reality checking. You must be constantly checking reality. Like others have said, this is a whole-day process that you have to be doing. If it's at random times of the day, so be it. If you are able to remind yourself two times an hour (my personal), great! You'll get a feeling for how often you'll need to be doing a reality check by how often you are reminding yourself. If you're having trouble remembering to do them x many times an hour, step it up so that you can get there. The point is to make it a habit so familiar that you're even doing it in your dreams, as it's not likely your dream self is going to decide to question reality for a dream every night. The waking reality checks are just as important as the dream reality checks, since the latter usually cannot exist without the former. RCs are really the key to having a Dream-Induced Lucid Dream. From your response to Serenity, however, it sounds like you're doing a really great job at keeping up with the constant RC. Cheers!

[Cacophony]

Hey! Definitely take Serenity's advice! Do not make reality checks a habit. This utterly and completely defeats the purpose of doing them! As for whether or not you could be able to have a LD every night... Definitely. I believe that with enough practice, patience, etc. we are all about to hone in on our abilities to freely have lucid dreams. However, I think that it is important not to stress out about whether or not you're having them. Are you keeping a dream journal? This is essential. Laberge says that you shouldn't even attempt lucid dreaming until you have at least 12 entries in your dream journal and have figured out at least one or more of your dream signs. Since you seem to be interested in Laberge I'll type up his other reality check exercise: CRITICAL STATE TESTING TECHNIQUE 1. Plan when to test your state Pick five to ten different occasions during the day to test your state. These should be circumstances that are similar in some ways to your dreams. Any time you come in contact with something that resembles a dreamsign, test your state. Whenever anything surprising or unlikely occurs or anytime you experience unusually powerful emotions, or anything dream like, test your state. If you have recurrent dreams, any situations related to the recurrent content are ideal. For example, if you have recurrent anxiety dreams featuring your fear of heights, you should do a state test when you cross a bridge or visit a room near the top of a tall building. For example, Joe Dreamer decides to test his state whenever 1. He steps into an elevator (source of many of his anxiety dreams) 2. He speaks to his boss. 3. He sees an attractive woman. 4. He reads a typographical error. 5. He goes to the bathroom. (he's noticed that bathrooms are often quite strange in his dreams) 2. Test your state Ask yourself the critical question as often as possible (at least the five to ten specific times you selected in step 1): "Am I dreaming or awake?" Don't just automatically ask the question and mindlessly reply, "Obviously, I'm awake," or you will do the same thing when you are actually dreaming. Look around for any oddities or inconsistencies that might indicate you are dreaming. Think back to the events of the last several minutes. Do you have any trouble remembering what just happened? If so, you may be dreaming. Adabted from Tholey's reflection technique.