When i read about the RC technique I thought that it was a very useful one, but i always found some contradiction regarding its use and its time of use.
If i’m not mistaken, you perform a Reality Check during your dream as a mean to become lucid in that same dream (if that reality check works or fails), through practice.
But I said to myself: ‘‘Isn’t the act of performing the reality check (wether it proves succesful or not) an act of taking over the dream?’’ In other words, of becoming lucid by just managing to perform it?
Because I think i read somewhere that if the reality check proves successful then you just became lucid.
Its hard for me to explain what I mean, perhaps someone understands what I’m talking about ?
The point of an RC is to bring a habit out of WL into your dream so it will trigger lucidity.
For instance I do an RC every time I walk through a door. (I jump up when I’m home, try to stick my thumb through my hang when I’m not). Basically what I am doing is making a habit of it, so when I walk through a door in a dream I will do an RC (habitually), I will either start floating after doing my jump RC, or my thumb will go through my hand with the other RC. Either effect will trigger lucidity. Also doing an RC when you recognize a dream sign will verify that you are indeed dreaming.
I do RCs when I see something odd while I’m awake. This way, I’ll start doing RCs when I see something odd while I’m dreaming as well.
You can basically use RCs however you want
You could try to do what KauaiDreamer does (making a habit out of RCs). If you tell yourself “I’ll do a RC when I walk through a door”, you train your memory and it’ll be easier to become lucid when you tell yourself “I’m going to recognize I’m dreaming” or something before you go to sleep.
Another way is to look for dreamsigns in your recorded dreams. For example, if you dream about toilets a lot, you could start doing a RC whenever you see toilets. This way, you’ll start doing this in your dreams too and then you’re lucid
What I do is to simply ask yourself during the day “Am I dreaming?”. Don’t just ask yourself, examine your environment. What are you doing, what are you feeling? Is everything normal? If you see something odd, do a RC. If not, still do a RC You never know.
Ambsi has said it well!
Maybe something from my experience. I also make a RC and ask myself: “Am I dreaming?”. I often know that it’s a dream before making the RC, because a dream “feels” not how RL. I know this sounds strange. Also good luck from me!
i get what you’re saying. the RC even occurring isn’t necessarily your conscious mind doing it, but your subconscious repeating a habit that occurs in waking life. when it works, then comes the realization that you’re dreaming.
i do RCs when i ever even think of lucid dreaming. personally, i don’t have enough odd occurrences in my life to justify waiting for them to happen to do a reality check. and when i did wait, i still didn’t become lucid in my dreams. i’ve had a much higher success rate doing them whenever. for a week i drew a dot right below my thumb knuckle that, whenever i noticed it, i would do an RC (which for me was doing the nose, number-of-fingers, and finger-through-palm RCs). it helped considerably.
I see! And I understand now! I didn’t know that the RC’s where supposed to be done in my waking life but I know understand how it works and how it is connected, so its just a matter of luck 'til I find myself in a ‘‘RC-able’’ situation in my dream I guess?
luck mixed with intent, if you’re using MILD or a similar induction technique. also try to do RCs when you see something related to your own personal dreamsigns. if you have dreams about getting attacked by bugs, then you can do an RC whenever you see a bug. this is easier with some dreamsigns than it is with others… I would also say that it’s not totally luck. There should be at least one dreamsign in almost every dream you have, every dream sign is an oppurtunity. IMO, RCs should be used as verification of whether or not you’re dreaming… i don’t think that they should be considered as their own technique. If we were to consider RCs their own technique, then I suppose we could also consider a habit of good observation a LD tech.
