Reality Check Please....

I'm curios as to what some of you dreamers use, or have used in the past, as a reality check. LD experiences are so life-like, that some of us actually perform some sort of test to be able to distinguish an LD state from an actual real life situation.

I never knew such a thing existed. In my own LD experiences I just knew that I was in a dream world. But then I read an article on LDs, and became aware of reality checks- which I consider to be a good thing.

In my own regular dreams, I noticed that if I'd run, it's like running against the wind. If I leaped or jumped, it was like in a slow-motion or floating sensation. So as a reality check for my LDs- I adapted the jumping test and it's never failed.

This is how I use it. If I become lucid in a dream- and I want to make sure it is indeed a dream and not a real life experience, I stand upright, and jump as high as I can straight up into the air. If I can count to at least 3 seconds and I've not landed on the ground yet, bingo..... it's a lucid dream. It usually takes 4-6 seconds before I land back on my feet.

That's the test I use. Has anyone ever used this same method before? If anyone frequents in LDs, try using this method and post your results here for all of us to see.

A reality check, that I've never tried- but found interesting, was one I read in this article. This person would test by attempting to put her hand thru a wall. If any part of her hand would go thru the wall- she knew she was LDing.

Sweet Dreams.

Starflames

I've always attempted to float off the ground when I suspect that I'm dreaming -- that always seems to works for me. But since hearing about the "breathing through pinched nose method", I really like using that one too.

there is a commonly used reality test very similar to the one you described, the only difference is that instead of jumping it's trying to fly, but the idea is basically the same- if you stay in the air longer than normal, you know it's a dream. the other one you mentioned is also fairly common, another version is trying to stick your finger through your palm.

I can't actually recall using any although I'm sure I have, I've probably used the RT were you try to read. (if you read something and then try to read it again, the words usually distort or even change completely)

I think one of the best checks is to look at your surroundings, and ask yourself how and when you got where you are. if you recall going to bed but can't think of anything after that, or maybe if you're in a place you've never even been before, the obvious explaination is that you're in a dream. of course it isn't a good check to use if you've had a false awakening...it's always good to try several different tests to make absolute sure that you're dreaming, because sometimes they may not work. :D