Hi there, some newbie questions

First of all, congratulations with Obama!! i'm excited!!

My name is Martijn, i'm from Amsterdam and trying to learn lucid dreaming since a couple of months. I am keeping a dreamjournal and I'm reality checking all the time. Only had a couple of dreams where I was lucid but that fact alone awoke me right away. I also have more and more false awakenings..
my main problem right now is reality checking in dreams, I just never think of it even while the weirdest things are happening.

so some questions:

-I'm doing the reality checking every hour, I have my phone bleeping every hour to remind me, is this bad? I mean am I to dependent on my phone and should I try to do it randomly when I think about it?

-is it ok to vary the style of RC during the day or week? or should you stick to one method only? (holding your nose, rereading text etc)

and although it's going very slowly for me, I do stay positive and motivated. Before I started the DJ I rarely could remember my dreams so my intent already has proven that I can learn..:P

ok that's it for now!

cheers..

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MraJaRaC

-is it ok to vary the style of RC during the day or week? or should you stick to one method only? (holding your nose, rereading text etc)

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I would like to know an answer to this question, as well. I tend to do just 2 RCs throughout the day-- holding my nose and trying to breathe, and looking at my hands. I'd like to know if it's better to vary them more, as well.

Using the phone is an effective strategy, just don't rely on it completely. Use it as a reminder to do an RC, and eventually you'll get to the point where you don't need it. As for your other question, I have a routine that I do whenever I RC; I look at my wristwatch and remember the time. Then, I look at my hands and count the fingers. Then, I try to stick my finger through my other palm. Then I recheck my watch. Finally, if all of those tests said I was awake, I would hold my nose. I do this:
1)whenever I think about lucid dreaming or just dreaming in general.
2)When My phone rings
3)When I wake up
4)Spontaneously throughout the day


Hope I helped :)

1) Maybe. If you can't hear the beep in your sleep, I suggest you should turn it off.

2) Not necessarily. I always perform only 4 reality checks in order so they are easier to remember though.

ok thanx, I'll try that!

Yay for President Obama!

:welcome: to DV.

Doing RCs with your phone is good, but also do them randomly if you think about it. For me, usually if I think about that I might be dreaming, I usually am. So do them whenever you think of doing one.

Varying the style should work fine for starting out, but sometimes certain ones fail for certain people. Varying them should let you know which ones work for you and which ones don't.

you wake up right away because your brain doesn't understand what is happening and needs the logical part of the brain to figure it out. Turning that on wakes you up. This will go away shortly once your brain is used to lucid dreaming.

Don't worry about how slowly it's going, it went slowly for me at first too.

Ehhh on the Obama comment. :(

I find that it really helps to have a little arsenal of reality checks that you can whip out when something strange happens. When you begin to suspect that you are dreaming, pick out the ones that you like best and that are the most reliable for you. Do a few of them, at least three. Reality checks do not work in dreams every so often, even if they have worked perfectly fine before. And sometimes they will continue to work properly after a failure. So it's good to always have three.

"Hmm, I think I'm dreaming." *looks at hands* "Nope, five normal fingers. But still... I'm pretty sure this is a dream..." *pushes finger into palm, while slightly doubting that it really is a dream* "Nope, no go... but that's so weird! I could swear this is a dream..." *looks at clock, looks away, looks back* "Nope, time's still the same. I know this is a dream though, it's just too weird! *looks at clock again* "AHA!! I KNEW IT!! I'M IN A DREAM!"

^Happens more often than you'd like to believe!

so some questions:

-I'm doing the reality checking every hour, I have my phone bleeping every hour to remind me, is this bad? I mean am I to dependent on my phone and should I try to do it randomly when I think about it?
I do this also!! but with a watch! My watch beeps every hour, than I do a series of reality checks, and I really really really ask myself am I dreaming.. I look around for dream signs also.. then eventuly Ill hear it in my sleep! and Ill do a reality check! Just dont get lazy (Like I do) and really check everytime it beeps


-is it ok to vary the style of RC during the day or week? or should you stick to one method only? (holding your nose, rereading text etc)
I Geuss it wouldent hurt, but I stick to a same routine, and I do a bunch of reality checks



and although it's going very slowly for me, I do stay positive and motivated. Before I started the DJ I rarely could remember my dreams so my intent already has proven that I can learn..

ok that's it for now!

cheers..

good job! and glad to hear :D

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and although it's going very slowly for me, I do stay positive and motivated. Before I started the DJ I rarely could remember my dreams so my intent already has proven that I can learn..

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NOBAMA,-- hey I thought this was a non political place, lol.
Me too I get about 5-6 hours tues-friday during the week so I could only remember dreams on the weekend but since I started journalling the recall has improved quite a bit - so much that I've got a bit lazy writing down dreams I need to stay with that I just had a false awakening this week I think RC's are close. I was really frustrated before because I would wake up and nothing nada zip :embarrassed: couldn't get anything sometimes from the dream I was just in but it's definatly coming along.

No, you won't develop a dependance on the phone. The phone will carry over into your dreams eventually. Although, I do recommend doing them more often, any time that you see something strange.

I tend to stick to one kind of RC, but for starting out you may want to vary them. Certain ones don't work for certain people.