Is this a RC?

Sometimes I just cant make an indiscreet RC, like observing my hands without looking like an idiot lol, so I try to read something. But I have other thing that I do often but since I am not an experienced LD 'er, I dont know if its something that works or not. I would like to read the opinion of experienced dreamers.

My trick is just this: calmly, I observe my surroundings, looking for anything strage and trying to feel if I am in a dream or in real life. The bold part of the last sentence is what I do most.

Sometimes I also do a little different thing (in fact, very different), from tibetan dream yoga: I try to feel the reality as a dream, and realize that everything is, in its own way and manner, a dream. I suppose that observing things like this may result in lucidity in a dream, but - again - I would like to read opinions.

Thanks

The main thing while you RC is to just question your state. The RC doesn’t matter until you are in a dream wondering the same thing. In a dream just feeling the world around you will not convince you, if your mind is “resilient” (Sometimes no RC is needed to become lucid). You will remember other RCs like counting fingers and nose plug RC and do those. I just check my hand or hold my nose when I want to RC. Does it really mean that much if someone thinks it looks odd?

Thanks for your reply :smile:

Hello,

I think your method is good. It will give you results. However, i would not suggest you rely entirely on it. Since you said you are new to lucid dreaming, at this point you should be aiming to become lucid as frequent as you could.

I remember my first few lucid dreams came from reality checks like counting the fingers, jumping off the ground, plugging the nose and the like. I couldn’t try them in presence of others, for exact reasons you worry about. :happy: But these methods are “idiotproof” once you are in a dream.

Having said that, trying to observe your waking hours as if it were a dream is an excellent way to rehearse ‘calmness’ and one could learn to keep a ‘steady dreaming mind’. Most often, as a novice dreamer i would do an excellent RC, realize i am in a dream but only then to completely lose my nerves and spoil it.
Your trick is a good remedy!
Now, in real life while you’re at different places you could trick yourself into believing that you are in a dream. I used to do that a lot initially. I might be in a library or a butcher shop, no one will know if I imagine in my mind that i am dreaming. I normally will tell myself ‘I realize this is a dream, and I am lucid’. And I imagine all sort of possible things i will do, at this moment - at this place (had it really been a dream) :content:

All the best! :smile:

The checking your watch twice RC looks completely normal in public just make sure its a digital watch.

This is how I RC. I may also attempt to perform a dream power, and analyze the results.

Well, I´ve been doing the looking at hands tests and a few others when nobody is looking to me, altought some of them are “normal” if you act “normal”. For example, I look to my hands like if I am just seeing something that I felt, etc.

For me, checking my hands or my watch is not a reliable reality check, because both of them are normal in my dreams. One relatively discreet reality is a modification of the “pushing your fingers through your other hand” technique (not sure if it has a better name). Instead of doing that, just make a fist with one of your hands and try to push your fingers back into the hand. You could even try pushing them into your leg.

I think they key part to any RC is to ask yourself if you might be dreaming. It’s not always easy to come to a reliable conclusion though, which is what the little tricks are for.

I check the time twice, saying the numbers in my head, like this: “Eleven, thirty-seven. OK. Look away. Eleven thirty-seven. That’s the same, I’m probably not dreaming.” I think that looks pretty normal(?)

I also know for real it works because I tried reading numbers twice in a dream (when I was already lucid) and they changed. I got very excited about this. Much more excited than I was about being lucid in the first place. :eek:

Anyway, yeah, just question your state. But make sure you really reason out a reliable conclusion, otherwise you’ll be like: Well, I don’t feel like I’m in a dream, and I should really see about this malfuctioning robot cat that’s keeping me from getting to my exam on time…