How do I reality check in dream? How do I get started?

[haxor]

Hey. I've been reading, reading and reading for a couple of days about lucid dreams. But I still don't undertand how to start... What I know is that I should relax and fall in sleep paralysis. But why? I hate them! They are so scary, I can't move when I'm in it. Let's say I'm in the sleep paralysis... What do I do then? Sleep or wake up? Don't you get terrified when you are in one? Last night I was dreaming about something but I had 0 (zero) control over my body.. How do I reality check in a dream? So, in the morning I thought: damn, why didn't I do a reality check? But I couldn't control myself in the dream. Please, help me to get started. I'm so exited to dreaaam

[Webwyre]

If you're unable to move in your dreams, it sounds like you should try a logic reality check. add up 4+4 in your head, then multiply them. Basic math. I don't usually do this because deep thinking in dreams causes me to wake, but if you can muster the eye movement, check a clock when you wake. If it gives you some sort of bizzare reading (X = , for example, or just gibberish symbols) then you're dreaming.

[Robot_Butler]

Hi, Haxor. If you don't like the weird hypnagogia and sleep paralysis that come from wake initiated lucid dreaming (WILD), you can try dream initiated lucid dreaming techniques (DILD). To start, check out this tutorial on reality checks: http://www.dreamviews.com/community/...ad.php?t=75427 If you pair the tricks mentioned there with a Wake Back To Bed (WBTB): http://www.dreamviews.com/community/...ad.php?t=64626 you should score some lucid dreams without having to struggle through the wackiness of WILD.

[haxor]

Thanks guys But I had no idea of that I were dreaming. Everything just happens automaticly in my dreams. And then when I wake up i think "oh, it was a dream.." How do I know that it is a dream and start to control my movements (look at my hands, clock etc..) Robot, thanks! I'll read some more about DILD! And about the dream journal.. What does that help with? Should I just write down everything I remember from the last dream and just have it in the book? Or should I read it often? How does it work? (I know... newbie questions.. but thanks for help) =)

[Webwyre]

The point is to get into the habit of performing reality checks in real life every hour or two, so you automatically do it in a dream and then realize it.

[Robot_Butler]

Two big things can help you become more aware in your dreams. First, you can practice staying aware while you are awake. Try to develop the habit of constantly being aware of your self and your surroundings. Try not to get too caught up or distracted by your life. Consider what it feels like to be awake, and what it feels like to be in your body. Reality checks can help with this as a sort of ritual. Be sure that any time you do a reality check while awake, you are really pushing your awareness. The other thing that helps is dream journaling. When you recall and record your dreams, pay attention to what it felt like to be in the dream. Don't just focus on what happened, like a story. Try to recreate the sensations of being in the dream. How did you get fooled? What was your thought process like? Did you feel like yourself? Or were you playing a role? Were you watching the action from an omniscient point of view, like a movie? You can also do this when you review your dream journal at a later time. You want to pin down the feeling of dreaming so you can recognize it next time. Basically, familiarize yourself with the differences between being awake, and being asleep.

[haxor]

Thank you very much! Both of you! So, if I do reality checks (let's say every our) and just go to sleep, will I do reality checks in the dream to? Is it just that simple. Will I know the next morning that I've had a lucid dream? Will I remember? Or is that what the point of dream journal is? Thanks guys! I really appreciate the help!

[J.D.]

Somebody once gave me the great idea of doing a reality check every time you walk through a door, that way you don't have to remind yourself to do it at regular intervals. Once you get into the habit of doing it every time, you'll do it automatically in dreams. (that's the hope!) You should remember your first lucid dream, most people tend to wake up right after it first time. It'll be fresh in your mind.

[coopercrue]

I have harsh roadrash on my arm from falling off my bike, I check if I have the roadrash on my arm in my dreams. Look for scars, a watch, shoes, etc.

[Dylan Tinning]

But the thing is you don't have control over your dream body unless you already are lucid so how are you ment to check those things? If i could check a clock when i was dreaming when i wanted i would do it all the time. Haha i still havn't had a LD yet either

[Abra]

But the thing is you don't have control over your dream body unless you already are lucid so how are you ment to check those things? If i could check a clock when i was dreaming when i wanted i would do it all the time. Haha i still havn't had a LD yet either How often you stop and check reality in your dream is directly correlated to how often you check the reality of your own life. Think. Right now. Does what you're doing right now make sense? Does it make sense for the current time? What were you doing before this? Has anything strange happened recently, and can you find a reasonable explanation for the occurrence? What is a "reasonable explanation," anyway? Expand your waking life curiosity, and it shall carry into the dream.

[haxor]

Yesterday I spent all my day thinking about LD and doing RC's. So things morning when I was dreaming, I had a dream where I were sitting on a computer and searching on google. I didn't do any RC because I had no control. But somehow I think I choosed what I wanted to search for.. was that my first LD maybe?

[Sylph]

Yesterday I spent all my day thinking about LD and doing RC's. So things morning when I was dreaming, I had a dream where I were sitting on a computer and searching on google. I didn't do any RC because I had no control. But somehow I think I choosed what I wanted to search for.. was that my first LD maybe? No. LD is defined not as a dream where you have control but a dream where you are aware that you are dreaming (after that you take control - if you want). By keeping a DJ (Dream Journal) you will improve your memory of your dreams and get to know them better, learn to recognise recurrent situations specific to your dreamworld (Dream Signs). The RC routine works by being incorporated into your daily habits. For instance, if you eat a lot of popcorn in your waking life, you're bound to eat popcorn in your dreams too because it's such a common activity for you. Then, when you RC in your dream the same way you do any other thing, you're confronted with the fact that you're dreaming. It also might work (and same for writting a DJ) by keeping you thinking about LDs on a regular basis. You're more likely to a get DILD like that. AND, if by any chance you just happen to suspect you're dreaming, you then use RCs to confirm it and get a better grip on lucidity, not only at the beginning but sometimes throughout the lucid dream. Hope this clarifies things a bit. Good luck.

[haxor]

yes! thanks!

[Abra]

Yesterday I spent all my day thinking about LD and doing RC's. So things morning when I was dreaming, I had a dream where I were sitting on a computer and searching on google. I didn't do any RC because I had no control. But somehow I think I chose what I wanted to search for.. was that my first LD maybe? That assumption will turn out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy if you don't watch it. Why do you feel you have no control? Also, that wasn't a lucid dream. As said, lucid dreaming is dreaming, and acknowledging the fact that you are dreaming, while in the dream. I could have a dream where suddenly I "know" that I am king of the world and as such can control everything. I then morph myself into a giant eagle and fly around completely of my own choice, and it wouldn't be a lucid dream. Not even close, really.