Hello,
since more than 6 months now I make 12+ Reality Checks each day, each one lasting a minute, including seriously asking myself if I dream, trying to convince myself THAT I dream, making 3-4 techniques (breathing with closed nose, pushing my fingers through the palms of my hands and watching at my hands / fingers) and even afterward investing further 15-20 seconds to remember why I’m here, what I did before etc.
I also meditate twice a day, 30 minutes each time, and try to be aware as often and long as possible throughout the day (that part belongs to my spiritual practice, but should enhance the daily work of lucid dreams, I assume).
Well, despite that daily work and awareness (and a dream recall pf 2-4 dreams each morning) I only remember 2 dreams where I indeed managed to make Reality Checks.
in both cases I had thoughts like „come on, that’s unreal - this MUST be a dream!“ and then made the techniques, as I do when awake.
In both cases all techniques didn’t work, they showed the same result like in awaken state. I even remember the first of those two dreams where I was totally confused afterwards and said to myself „unbelievable - I could swear that I dream!“ and repeated the breathing-with-closed-nose technique again, of course with the same result (I couldn’t breathe through the nose).
My question now is: are there people who just aren’t able to lucid dream?
How is it possible that a Reality Check inside a dream, practiced intensely and even convinced (of proving dream-state) doesnt work? In 2 dreams in a row?
And is it normal that this (2 dreams with Reality Checks) is the only meager result after over a half year with daily practice, meditation and all-day-awareness?
Thanks!
@bullwey1975 in my experience, a reality check is just one of the possible options for a "final step" before becoming lucid but not your only option (for example WILD doesn't require it, the "hands technique" doesn't require it and arguably SSILD). In other words, reality checks only work (for me at least) as the very final step - after I already entered the pre-lucid state (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-lucid_dream) using other means. During normal dreams reality checks can fail without triggering lucidity and the normal dreaming self can "think" about dreams and such without becoming lucid. It happened to me that reality tests failed in dreams (and even in waking reality) and I simply rationalised it somehow (ah, this light switch is faulty) and move on. Also, I have found that the dream renderer "learns" to produce the correct results for, at least for some reality checks, with time. For example text looks fine in my dreams now. I used to be able to try to bend my fingers backwards but last time I tried I could feel the normal pain and had to try flying - which still works. My recommendation - focus on intention and on becoming pre-lucid (which requires your critical thinking self to become present) and give wake-back-to-bed, the hands technique or SSILD a shot.