Stimulus-response hand technique

Has anyone heard about the technique, where you right before going to
bed look at your hands for 10 minutes, while repeating to yourself
that you want to look at your hands in your dreams (and thus setting
up a trigger for becoming lucid)?

Has anyone tried it with consistent succes?

What’s your experience with this technique?

Thomas

It’s one of many techniques that works for some people and not for others. And like all techniques, all you can do is try it out for a couple of weeks and see if it works for you. Good luck. :wink:

I use this technique in a lucid dream to keep if from fading and it works well for me

To test this technique I have abandoned all other techniques (except
for napping, which I sometimes will use in combination with this
hand-technique).

I started doing a few days ago…the 9/8-2003. Yesterday in a nap and
tonight, I was lucid.

I were in a building which where placed on a beach out to the ocean. A
big window made it out for a wall, and big golden waves from the ocean
moved against it. Some exotic looking creatures came in on the beach
from the ocean in a boat and came inside the building with evil
intentions. I used magic on them - lightning, etc.
Later on I flew about snow-covered mountains and small villages. It
was great!

I will continue doing this technique to see how consistent the succes
is.

Maybe I will even make a project out of it - I have done that in the
past with Reality Checks (on alt.dreams.lucid), where I wrote the date and the result.

I like this Hand-technique due to its simplicity.

Thomas

Hi!

Had another lucid dream this night, using the hand-trigger technique.

The funny thing is, I don’t look at my hands in order to become lucid - I just become lucid. I think it’s because my intention to become lucid is focused greatly by using this technique, where I look at my hands for 10 minutes before going to bed, all the while repeating that I want to remember to look at my hands and become lucid in my dreams in the night.

I began with the hand-trigger technique 9/8
Had 2 lucid dreams 11/8
Had 1 lucid dream 13/8

Thomas

Wow, had another 2 lucid dreams this night, using the technique!!

Before going to bed I look at my hands for 10 minutes and tell my self that I want to remember to look at my hands and become lucid in the night’s dreams.

I also think lucid dreaming can be facilitated this way:

  • Have enough sleep (7+ hours)

  • Go early to bed (I think this gives a better quality sleep)

  • Wake up in the night doing the technique again; in this way you mix sleepeness with wakeness. And you have the chance to strengthen your intention. In addition you will be dreaming very soon.

  • Take a nap during the day. Again: You will be outrestet and have a clear head, but still be able to sleep. In addition you will be more outrested when going to bed and thus be able to sleep with a more clear head.

I began with the hand-trigger technique 9/8
Had 2 lucid dreams 11/8
Had 1 lucid dream 13/8
Had 2 lucid dreams 14/8

I looked at my hands the other day before going to bed. Not for 10 minutes though, only about 2. They didn’t look like my hands at all (sleep deprivation can do that).

I had the coolest dream I have had in a long time. Won’t go into detail here but it was quite an adventure. Not lucid though and in my dream I didn’t look at my hands.

Will try this next time I go to sleep!

Last night I planned to try WBTB. During the wake period I browsed through the forum and found this hand-trigger technique. I decided to give it a try along with WBTB.
Well, to make long story short, this combination gave me the longest LD I ever had :smile: It was wonderful experience and I was screaming with joy all the time :grin:

Gjedde, your da man! :thumbs: Thanks for mentioning the technique here in the forum!

jtk

You’re welcome jtk, and congratulations with your LD!!!

I had another 2 lucid dreams this night using the technique!

For those who have missed it I just want to say it again + and update for how it worked:

Just before going to sleep I look at my hands for 10 minutes and repeat to myself that in tonight’s dreams I want to remember to find my hands and, when I see them, become lucid.

If I wake at night I do it again.

I also think lucid dreaming can be facilitated this way:

  • Have enough sleep (7+ hours)

  • Go early to bed (I think this gives a better quality sleep)

  • Wake up in the night doing the technique again; in this way you mix
    sleepeness with wakeness. And you have the chance to strengthen your
    intention. In addition you will be dreaming very soon.

  • Take a nap during the day. Again: You will be outrestet and have a
    clear head, but still be able to sleep. In addition you will be more
    outrested when going to bed and thus be able to sleep with a more
    clear head.

I began with the hand-trigger technique 9/8
Had 2 lucid dreams 11/8
Had 1 lucid dream 13/8
Had 2 lucid dreams 14/8
Had 2 lucid dreams 15/8

Regards,
Thomas
Denmark

Gjedde, that record seems amazing there! I have to try this tonight…
Anyway, how many LDs do you tend to have normally, using your other techs and such? Just don’t wanna get my hopes up too much. Doesn’t mean I can’t try though! :happy:

Good question Nazca!

I tend to have 2-3 a week - sometimes I’m in a great period where I seem to be able to induce them at will.

But a year back LD’s would be rare for me - so it pays to work with it!

I think the hand-technique is good, because your intention to find your hands will be strengthened for every night you use it.

Robert Waggoner has written about it at: www.dreaminglucid.com

Good luck!

Thomas

Holy cow Gjedde, I owe you my deepest thanks. I’ve been having a go at lucid dreaming for months now, with very little success. I’d all but given up hope and was about to resign myself to simply taking up dream interpretation, but three days ago I happened upon this forum and came across this thread. I tried the technique and… what do you know, it worked the very first night I tried. I had a very long, very clear LD for the very first time, and with relatively little effort. No such luck the past two nights… but still, I’m optimistic and very glad for this info.

Wow, everybody’s success and enthusiastic reactions make me very curious! I’ll definitely try this technique tonight. Can’t hurt can it? :content:

Edit: Well, I tried it last night and almost or sort of became lucid. I saw my hands, realised the link to dreams and lucidity, but got confused… I think I eventually interpreted it as part of the dream and didn’t became lucid. I was very very close though, and maybe even lucid for a split second. This is certainly a technique worth pursuing if the effects show up so quickly. :grin:

hmm, this technique has caught my interest… will have to give it a try. amazing success so far Gjedde, 2 a night average

I’m so happy for all of you who have had succes with the method! Congrats!

I don’t use it consistently any more - maybe I should again!

The thing is, before using the technique, I had about 3-5 LD’s a week. Often they were induced by will alone. And in periods I could almost induce them at will.

When I used the stimulus-response technique (as described) I became lucid WITHOUT looking at my hands in the dream. Many “lucid awakenings”, yes - but not by initially (in the dream) looking at my hands. I still credit it to the technique, because I think it’s the strong focus on “looking at my hands and realize that I’m dreaming” that made me lucid.

Could some of you, who have had succes, describe in detail, what you did, and what happened?

Thanks!

Thomas

Well, I haven’t exactly had success yet, because I still have to train my mind to be more alert. Still, the association hands-dreaming did bring me closer to becoming lucid.

The following is what exactly happened:

I was walking down a street of a city I know. At one point, I grabbed something - I’m not exactly sure what, but I seem to recall something of a milk carton. As I held it I looked at my hands. Then it popped into my head; “dreaming” “hands” “I see my hands, I am dreaming”… I dropped the milk carton. Looked at my hands again. Then I picked up the milk carton and somehow squished it together, the milk splashed out. The dream went on before I could hang on to that brief moment of lucidity. ^^ Still, this is the fastest result I’ve had yet and worth practicing.

I suppose for you, Gjedde, the technique works even better because you’re already an excellent lucid dreamer (3 to 5 LD’s a week).

Ever since, I’ve also had less trouble remembering to do RC’s. My mind seems to be more and more thinking about LDing and dreams and I do the looking-at-hands technique more often during the day. I hope I’m making progress… ^^

Alright, I’ve finally got a Saturday where I can get plenty of sleep and maybe even a WBTB…It’s time to give the hands a go!

Well, sitting in bed at night I stared at my hand and mentally repeated, “look at your hands, this is only a dream, remember that you’re dreaming” etc for a few minutes before going to bed. I didn’t time myself but I doubt that it was for ten minutes… I was sleepy and my cat kept head butting my hand when she noticed that my attention was focused on it, so I gave up after what must have been 5-6 minutes and went to sleep.

I didn’t make a point of trying MILD or anything at that point either. I just let my thoughts wander and waited for sleep.

I woke up from about six or seven hours later after having only non-lucid dreams. I remember feeling mildly disappointed, but instead of getting up or trying the hand technique I just rolled over and went back to sleep.

This is when I had a LD. I don’t think that actually looking at my hands cued the lucidity, exactly. Anyway, in the dream I was walking into a convenience store with a companion when I thought to myself, “oh that’s right, I’m supposed to remember to look at my hands in case I’m dreaming”- and then I became lucid, before I looked at my hands. I continued to look hands now and again throughout the dream to remain lucid and stay in the dream, and apparently it worked because the dream went on for a very long time. In the end, it was actually my cat that woke me up.

It hasn’t worked since then (nuts) but it’s only been a few days and I’ve been lapsing on my reality checks, so I’m still pretty optimistic that it will work again for me. Anyhow, if I only get that one good dream out of that technique, I’m still happy about it.

I haven’t had anything the past two nights, despite trying the technique before I go to bed and when I wake up in the middle of the night. My mind’s a bit worn out I think… ^^