Reality Checks: What If It Never Fails?

So I've been doing reality checks a lot, and because of that, I've had three lucid dreams so far! Two of them were just a few seconds long (before adrenaline kicked in and i woke up), but last night I had a ND where I was driving my car through a forest road, and all of a sudden, I got this inkling in me that it was a dream. So I said, "this isn't a Hyundai, this is a Porsche." And I gassed it and sure enough it was a Porsche, and I was zooming down the road knowing I was in a dream. I decided to test myself to be more calm in my lucid dreams, so I said, "this is a lucid dream." While I got a kick of adrenaline, it was very managable and not enough to wake me up.

Anyways, I'll be having an ND, and I'll think to myself, "I should do a RC." Usually, just by having this thought, I'll realise I'm in a dream, and by the time I bring my finger into my hand, I'm already fully aware that it's a dream. Somehow, my reality checks have always passed. Even in a dream, my finger never goes through my palm. Is the point of doing an RC just to test if it's a dream? Or if I try to fail these reality checks, and get my finger to pass through my palm, will I have more vividity as well?

thx!

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Originally Posted by talleyrand06

So I've been doing reality checks a lot, and because of that, I've had three lucid dreams so far! Two of them were just a few seconds long (before adrenaline kicked in and i woke up), but last night I had a ND where I was driving my car through a forest road, and all of a sudden, I got this inkling in me that it was a dream. So I said, "this isn't a Hyundai, this is a Porsche." And I gassed it and sure enough it was a Porsche, and I was zooming down the road knowing I was in a dream. I decided to test myself to be more calm in my lucid dreams, so I said, "this is a lucid dream." While I got a kick of adrenaline, it was very managable and not enough to wake me up.

Anyways, I'll be having an ND, and I'll think to myself, "I should do a RC." Usually, just by having this thought, I'll realise I'm in a dream, and by the time I bring my finger into my hand, I'm already fully aware that it's a dream. Somehow, my reality checks have always passed. Even in a dream, my finger never goes through my palm. Is the point of doing an RC just to test if it's a dream? Or if I try to fail these reality checks, and get my finger to pass through my palm, will I have more vividity as well?

thx!
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Hey tallyrand06! That's really interesting, and I am by no means an expert with LD or RC, but I can tell you what I initially thought.

You say that you already know you're dreaming when you do a RC. Maybe that's preventing the RC from failing? Does that make sense? Follow my logic - you are SO sure it's a dream that your mind is not letting you assume reality. What do you think (and anyone else)?

As for a dream being more vivid, that would mean there are "levels" of lucid dreams. I've never heard of that, has anyone else? For example, you are lucid enough to drive a Porsche (niiiice) yet not lucid enough to defy the laws of physics?? Perhaps, but I am not exactly sure. Maybe people LD with different specificities. For example, someone who is very literal minded (such as me) may never be able to stick their finger through their palm since I would always think, "That's impossible!"

Thoughts??

Good luck in the future

(...and enjoy the Porsche ;-)

yeah it seems to me there are different levels. i've had 3 lucid dreams within the past 2 weeks (before that i never tried to have lucid dreams), and some of them seem more "real" than the others as far as vividity go. and yeah, usually just me thinking to do a reality check makes me realise i'm dreaming, i usually don't need more proof than just wondering if i'm dreaming. i think if i really tried, i could make my finger go through my hand, but since i know it's a dream, i just think to myself, "oh, i'm going to touch my palm," which of course translates into my dreamself touchign my dream palm and nothing weird happening.

Some reality checks seem to not work for some people. Maybe try another reality check? It seems you can realize you're dreaming just by questioning it, rather than performing the check, so maybe you don't even need to try anything else.

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Originally Posted by haimmortal

Some reality checks seem to not work for some people. Maybe try another reality check? It seems you can realize you're dreaming just by questioning it, rather than performing the check, so maybe you don't even need to try anything else.
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ugh so two nights ago i had a dream that i was having lucid dreams. yes, i know, it's weird. it definitely was a normal, non-lucid dream, but in that dream i kept having lucid dreams... hard to explain. anyways, i woke up in my bed, and it seemed very realistic, but i was at my dad's house instead of my mom's house. so i said, "hmmm... now why the hell am i at my dad's?" i did a rc and flicked on the bedside lamp and it worked! so i decided it wasn't a dream. then i woke up. what the hell happened to that reality check?

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Originally Posted by talleyrand06

ugh so two nights ago i had a dream that i was having lucid dreams. yes, i know, it's weird. it definitely was a normal, non-lucid dream, but in that dream i kept having lucid dreams... hard to explain. anyways, i woke up in my bed, and it seemed very realistic, but i was at my dad's house instead of my mom's house. so i said, "hmmm... now why the hell am i at my dad's?" i did a rc and flicked on the bedside lamp and it worked! so i decided it wasn't a dream. then i woke up. what the hell happened to that reality check?
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I had a dream once where I was describing to someone the different RC's you can do to see if you are dreaming and did each reality check as I described it. It never dawned on me the whole time that I was dreaming. I was kicking myself when I woke up. So don't get discouraged, reality checks don't always work. IMHO I think the main purpose for doing RC's is to get your mind focused on actively guaging whats real and what isn't. Lucid dreamers are probably one of the most aware groups of people.

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Originally Posted by Mickeys_Elbow

I had a dream once where I was describing to someone the different RC's you can do to see if you are dreaming and did each reality check as I described it. It never dawned on me the whole time that I was dreaming. I was kicking myself when I woke up. So don't get discouraged, reality checks don't always work. IMHO I think the main purpose for doing RC's is to get your mind focused on actively guaging whats real and what isn't. Lucid dreamers are probably one of the most aware groups of people.
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very good point, that's kind of what i'm thinking. a RC is a physical task that kind of represents mental questioning of reality.

edit: see you, space cowboy

I cannot remember where I heard this but here goes anyways, don't do reality checks to see if you are awake, do reality checks to prove you are dreaming. In other words, don't flick on a lamp and it worked and say "Oh well I'm awake." instead say, "Hmm... well the lamped worked the first time, but if I am dreaming it will do something weired next time I try." And then try again. Or better yet, before you try it once think/say "when I turn on this lamp my windows will shatter and my dog will come to talk with me." It doesn't really matter if you have a dog or not because, as I stated earlier, you are trying to prove that you are dreaming :D

My favorite reality check is pinching my nose and trying to breathe through it, it will (for me at least) always work. of course you could make up a reality check like... If my neighbor's house explodes, then I am dreaming!! :evil:
but don't jump out a window yet! you never know when terrorist will attack your neighbor :wink: