Reality Check's don't work, can anyone help me?

Hi, I’m pretty new to lucid dreaming. After I watched the movie Inception, i remembered i used to be lucid a lot when i was a kid, only back then it scared me so much forced myself to wake up quickly :happy: Anyway, it got me curious and i wanted to try it on purpose so i found this forum :grin:
The last couple of nights i tried. I didn’t want to get lucid too much, that’s not the point. i didn’t stress myself. I started off by doing a Dream Journal, And i found out that i actually dream everynight, in colour, pretty realistic and it’s always one very long dream that pretty much has a story line. Only before i always used to forget them. now that i focus on my dreams more, i remember everything every morning! :boogie:
but getting lucid just doesn’t work. After I woke up the last 2 nights i just thought “how stupid can you be, how OBVIOUS was that, of course it was a dream.”
not because i have the ability to fly or everything’s blurry or such, but because of things like tv characters or pets who died that appear in my dream. only when i dream it seems to be completely natural.
i tried doing reality checks in my everyday life. i actually have an old fob watch on a chain that i wear and do RC’s with during the day. Such as opening it, looking at what time it is, etc. I thought it could be my totem or something, only it doesn’t appear in my dreams. I think it’s because in my dreams i don’t really process my actions but more my subconscious feelings.
has anyone got an idea that would work better for me? maybe? :help:
sorry this post is so long. and also sorry about my bad english.
i’m german and sixteen, i’m still learning. :write:
thank you! :smile:

Hello! Your English is great, there’s no need to worry about that.

Have you tried a wide variety of different kinds of reality checks or have you been concentrating on just the one? Try pinching your nose shut with your fingers and then trying to breathe through it, examining your hands and counting the fingers, flipping a light switch on and off, and so on. Different RCs works for different people, it really depends on the individual which ones carry on into your dreams the best.

I’ve personally tried all sorts of RCs and the one that seems to work for me the best is drawing a symbol on the back of my hand. In the lucid dreams I’ve had it has either disappeared or turned into a different picture. It really depends on the person. Just try experimenting a little and you should find the best RC for you! Also, every now and then, simply stop to observe your surroundings in the waking world, really pay attention to the details around you. This will make it more likely for you to become aware in your dream and question the dream’s logic, which will lead you toward lucidiy.

For some extra boost, try combining the reality checks with the MILD method; when you lie down in your bed in the evening, try to repeat a mantra like “Tonight I will realize I am dreaming” in your head.

Good luck! I hope you succeed.

Thank you so much! :good: I’ll try to vary my RC’s more during the day. I really hope that this time i will project them in my dreams. i guess that’s the major problem, projecting it. i guess that when i suceed in doing that, i’ll realize the surrealism pretty quickly. so thank you for the reply, i’ll post it if i suceed! :yes:

As Kore said, you may want to consider try using a lucid induction technique. There are quite a few that have developed over the years and you can find them in the knowledge base forum here.

The other thing in your case is that you haven’t been trying to become lucid very long and it hasn’t worked thus far. However, this is to be expected since you’re just starting. In order to become better at lucid dreams and have them regularly, you need a lot of patience. Keep up with the dream journal and RC’s, maybe try out some other techniques, but most of all, just keep thinking about lucidity. Keep at it. Eventually you’ll be rewarded.

:welcome: Josephine
Make sure you use the same 2 or 3 reality checks consistently for at least a month. Don’t go changing them every few days thinking they don’t work. The RC has to become a habit in RL, which will in turn show up as a habit when you dream. Be patient!

Exactly, it’s not a matter of varying the reality checks you do, but simply applying them to certain situations - For instance; Every time you look at a clock you do the Clock RC. It’s about cues. I’ve noticed a lot of the times I get lucid is when I’m near a bathroom or toilet, so I’ve actually begun doing RC’s when I’m in or near by bathroom (Or any other bathroom o.O).

It’s also important to know that it takes TIME. For reality checks to become a true habit you have to do it regularly for at least a month.