AERC: Amplified Emotional Reality Check
I. I propose that the amplified emotion reality check may be a highly effective means in attaining lucidity during the dreamstate.
II.
Quote:
The idea of Reality Checking is that you get into the habit of asking yourself to check if you are dreaming or asking yourself if you are dreaming (Dreamviews,Wiki).
In my research, there has been a stable, broad margin of success with both the most popular (i.e. using a computer, mirror check) as well as personally tailored (i.e. Every time I see my dog sparky) reality checks.
A method that spoke loudly to me was emotional analysis.
Emotion, in its most general definition, is a neural impulse that moves an organism to action, prompting automatic reactive behavior that has been adapted through evolution as a survival mechanism to meet a survival need. That being said I feel that this method could potentially be one of the most natural and adaptable reality checks (especially for the beginner). It is hardly difficult to find yourself in a heightened emotional state in these times. One simply turns to a news network of their choice, for a melting pot of ups, downs and oh my!'s.
I propose that we take full advantage of these neurological hills and valleys and see: where, how fast and how efficiently they lead us in the end.
Quote:
Ten Most Common Emotions:
Common Positive Emotions
:awesomed:
Interest, joy and surprise.
__________________________________________
Common Negative Emotions
:parapet:
Anger, contempt, disgust, distress, fear, guilt and shame
from Livestrong.com
III. My proposed method will focus on being conscious of when these ten (possibly more) emotions present themselves, and proceed to carry out a simple (i.e. finger through palm) reality check.
1. Allowing adequate time for exercising/adapting acute emotional awareness.
A. Posting a list of common emotions in areas throughout your living space that you will see and be conscious of.
B. Use television, books, movies and other 3rd party media sources to practice (probably the biggest source of emotion in existence right now).
C. Document the most memorable emotional instances and the appropriate label i.e (anger, joy, fear) in your dream journal.
D. Review results nightly before bed.
Note: I know this is not a new concept but I wanted to tailor a method that could someday be used by beginning LDers. The structure for the method came from my successive failure with reality checks. Looking at my dream journal, it seemed the consistency was not so much in the signs but my feelings toward the action. I seemed to become lucid when there was a problem to be solved time and again. Or when I was crying both happy tears and heartbroken ones. I find a lot of real-life RC's are too hard for my wandering Sagittarius mind to handle. I always forget to look in the mirror, I don't wear a watch. Some of the simplest ones that seem to work so well for many are just too...how can I say...unimportant for me to remember to do them. I don't know if I said that right. I'm the type of person that in order to be motivated, has to have good reason and almost, I hate to say it, incentive. It kind of shows with my dream sign (solving problems), in that I was needed, I didn't just observe, I was being useful and engaged. And naturally, since I feel most emotion when I'm engaged, I decided to put it to the test.
I would love your thoughts, especially anyone who has worked with emotion-specific RC's in the past.
:DKeela
