lately Ive started having lucid dreams after years and years of trying different techniques. The only one that ended up working for me was the ‘doing many reality checks through the day, hoping to do it in a dream’
the main RC that I do is the nose pinching one - if I am dreaming, I can breath even though my nostrils are closed.
so, during my last LD I realized something was off and decided to do a reality check. I could NOT breath with my nose closed, so I tried to double check with pulling my finger, which did not stretch, so I though ‘oh well guess Im not dreaming after all!’
and then I woke up in my bed in the morning, recalling what happened. That was about 2 months ago and since then I havent had a LD
now, has that happened to anyone else? As in, reality checks didnt work
or maybe I had a false LD?
help ;(
The RCs I do are similar to yours Puffycloud. But for the text one I use is to look at some text, look away and look back and see if it has changed in any way. That one worked to get me lucid (only once so far but I’ve only been attempting to LD for about a week and a half ) In the dream I looked at a word (it was “vanilla”), looked away, and looked back. When I looked a the word the second time it was distorted and that made me lucid. Unfortunately it also startled me out of the dream
For some reason text sometimes doesn’t change for me, regardless of how many times I look away and look back. However digital clocks are usually distorted at second glance. Of course that does no good if the dream takes place outside .
The nose RC has failed me before as well. I’ve had the most success with trying to put one hand through the other (or through another solid object).
The important thing to remember with RC’s is not to do them mindlessly. Make sure you REALLY question reality each time. That’s been a major stumbling block for me, but making sure I focus whenever doing an RC really helps. Getting in the habit of remembering how you got to your current location when you do an RC helps as well.
Like everyone else said, there already has to be a conscious thought, now I’m not talking the same utter consciousness that controls it, but just… you know if you’re in a dream.
It’s a completely different feeling than a mindless reality check.
Anyways, one that ALWAYS has worked for me is counting your fingers (without touching) it will come out as a number more or less than 5 (unless you have 6 fingers, but I’m sure you get the point)
Unfortunately, I haven’t had a real LD since the week before my dad went into the hospital in January… (but there was one where I realized if I just miscounted my fingers that it would be very embarrassing)
My two main (and only actually) reality checks are the nose pinch which has NEVER failed me so far. And counting my fingers, which hasn’t failed either. I did the fingers through palm one but that has failed.
Download and Xerosnake, ya’ll are lucky. With counting fingers it’s a little easier to be discrete than with actually trying to put your hand through a solid object .
I’ve always wondered about the light switch reality check - is it really that reliable?
I mean, do not light-bulbs stop working all the time?
I’m sure it can be used as a hint that you’re having a lucid dream, but it’s not exactly a fool-proof clue that you’re actually dreaming.
Being able to randomly levitate and teleport yourself are obviously very reliable signs that you’re dreaming, but the light switch test sounds like a very common inconvenience from real life.
Belief plays a very important role in RC…Throughout the day keep believing that you will start breathing with your nose closed in dreams and it will happen…
) In the dream I looked at a word (it was “vanilla”), looked away, and looked back. When I looked a the word the second time it was distorted and that made me lucid. Unfortunately it also startled me out of the dream 
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