Reality check problems and Stabilizing glitch...

[Talon_Arana]

Oh brilliant, 3rd LD since finding LD4ALL :D~
But anyways, in the beginning of my dream, I kept waking up, over and over and over, one after the other but felt much more natural then I had imagined. All FAs, at least 3-4 I believe. Each time I did my favourite reality check (which had never failed me up until this point) but it didn’t seem to work…

First FA
Sit up, blink, hold wrist up to nose, breathe, but can’t
‘This is real’
Go back to SLEEP

Second FA
Repeat the first time exactly

Third FA
Do the rc, can breathe a bit
‘Oh, my wrist is off by a bit…’

• Move wrist a TINY bit, try again*
  ‘Ok.’
  Still can’t breathe
  ‘So this is real.’
  SLEEP

Fourth FA
Do the rc, and this time can breathe
‘WHAT? I’m dreaming?’
Do the rc again, very successful
‘Oh boy-- ‘
The dream goes odd for what feels like a few hours…

Ok, so y’know the yelling “Increase lucidity/ lucidity X 1000” technique to gain more control and clarity? To make sure it doesn’t faze out and disappear? I believe that’s what it’s for… Well anyways, on the 25th of November, I had my 3rd DILD, but found a glitch in that little yelling thing.

I’ve always had a bit of anxiety about that, fearing I may actually scream it while I sleep in the real world, and freak my dad out (I’ve been told I spaz occasionally in my sleep and talk often…). But this shouldn’t happen because of sleep paralysis, right?

I won’t go into detail about my dream but basically after having a surreal bunch of scenes after becoming lucid, I dreamt my father walked by and annoyedly woke me up to ask what I wanted to eat. I was still partially lucid, but also very confused.

“I am dreaming, I was dreaming, (I’m STILL dreaming?) Go back to sleep, go back to sleep…” it was very confusing, because of the muddled thoughts.

Was my general thought process, I wanted to go back to my “dream” within my dream because I THINK I might I met my spirit guide within it, I’m not absolutely sure what it is but it was “Spiritual-y” enough to me to be…(as I said, a very, VERY odd dream before this point).

So I start to yell “LUCIDTY X 1000!” And my “father” immediately scolded me from the other room for yelling in the house, my thoughts muddled, it startled me and my dream fazed out…Too back the yelling didn’t help stabilize it…

My questions are, In False awakenings, if the reality check doesn’t work, how can you be sure? The finger-through-the-hand RC never seems to work for me, I did it once before in a dream and it didn’t work there. I did the try-to-float one once, failed as well. And I never seem to have mirrors, words (except once, but I was lucid already) or clocks in my dreams, they always seem to be overlooked and generally missed as colour blobs replacing them… Insignificant and unnoticeable.

So the breathing one always seems to be my only choice…

And for the yelling, should I still try to yell “physically” in my dreams, and just hope I don’t in real life? Or should I try to scream inwardly in my dreams (which didn’t work the first time I tried…) so I don’t run the risk of yelling IRL?

SO SORRY for the long post~…
Much thanks to anyone who is willing to help~!
-Talon.

[Zoch]

I have failed my breathing RC before, and immediatly lapsed back into the dream. Gets kinda annoying.

[Vi]

Reality checks often don’t work at all if we’re not expecting to be in a dream. After all, in dreams basically whatever you expect to happen WILL happen.

Two suggestions:

Some people write a letter or put a symbol somewhere on their hand, in real life. They look at it in waking life, and then use it as a reality check. This way you always have writing around when you need it!

As for yelling, perhaps instead of yelling “LUCIDITY A MILLIONS!” you could softly but surely state it, with confidence, because you are so good you don’t even have to yell it.

By the way, how do you know that the first three times weren’t actually real?

[Alextanium]

Quite correct, an RC will only work if you believe you have doubt as to your surroundings, and only if you expect it to work. Dont plug your nose and expect to NOT be able to breathe. Plug it and expect TO be able to breathe. In waking life you will be disappointed, in the dreamworld you will be elated.

And yes, because of sleep paralysis you shouldn’t yell out anything in your sleep. Most of the time that people talk in their sleep is in the moment that sleep paralysis subsides just long enough for the person to roll over onto their other side. Your body rolls to and fro during the night because your blood settles on the lowest side of your body (and sometimes you can give yourself a dead arm).

Should also comfort you to know that a majority of people that sleep talk, talk total nonsense that has nothing to do with what they were dreaming in the first place. I can definitely vouch for that. A few nights ago my girlfriend cried out in her sleep “Squishy squishy banana - kill it, kill it, KILL IT!”. I woke her up with my laughter and she could recall the dream she just had, but it had nothing to do with bananas.

Ive found shouting to increase lucidity and clarity works very well, but i have to shout it two or three times to get the best effort. I usually only do this at the start of a dream, and forget to do it when a dream is fading.

[Talon_Arana]

@Vi

Reality checks often don’t work at all if we’re not expecting to be in a dream. After all, in dreams basically whatever you expect to happen WILL happen.

Two suggestions:

Some people write a letter or put a symbol somewhere on their hand, in real life. They look at it in waking life, and then use it as a reality check. This way you always have writing around when you need it!

As for yelling, perhaps instead of yelling “LUCIDITY A MILLIONS!” you could softly but surely state it, with confidence, because you are so good you don’t even have to yell it.

By the way, how do you know that the first three times weren’t actually real?

I knew the first three awakenings weren’t real because I don’t sit up when I wake up, lay in bed. And I felt nothing when I did so Also, thanks for the advice, I’ll definately try it~!

[Talon_Arana]

@Alextanium

Quite correct, an RC will only work if you believe you have doubt as to your surroundings, and only if you expect it to work. Dont plug your nose and expect to NOT be able to breathe. Plug it and expect TO be able to breathe. In waking life you will be disappointed, in the dreamworld you will be elated.

And yes, because of sleep paralysis you shouldn’t yell out anything in your sleep. Most of the time that people talk in their sleep is in the moment that sleep paralysis subsides just long enough for the person to roll over onto their other side. Your body rolls to and fro during the night because your blood settles on the lowest side of your body (and sometimes you can give yourself a dead arm).

Should also comfort you to know that a majority of people that sleep talk, talk total nonsense that has nothing to do with what they were dreaming in the first place. I can definitely vouch for that. A few nights ago my girlfriend cried out in her sleep “Squishy squishy banana - kill it, kill it, KILL IT!”. I woke her up with my laughter and she could recall the dream she just had, but it had nothing to do with bananas.

Ive found shouting to increase lucidity and clarity works very well, but i have to shout it two or three times to get the best effort. I usually only do this at the start of a dream, and forget to do it when a dream is fading.

Thanks much, as with many of the advice I have received, it all has to do with the mind, expecting and what not.
I will remember that when I’m doing rcs.
Also, I’ll not fear yelling in my dreams any longer…
Much thanks~!