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Reality ChecksReality checks are the best way to have lucid dreams. They are not the only way - and certainly aren't 100% reliable - but they are incredibly easy to perform and keep your subconscious brain thinking about lucid dreaming. If you are new to lucid dreaming, or have never tried this technique before, you have every chance of experiencing a lucid dream tonight! That is the beauty of reality tests - they can create spontaneous lucidity. Beginners and experts alike can benefit from this exercise. If you are practicing other techniques, you should be performing daily reality tests as well - just for good measure. I can't stress enough the impact that reality checks have on your waking and dreaming life. The Key to Lucid DreamingTo experience lucid dreaming, it is important to be able to tell the difference between a dream and reality. If that sounds weird - stick with me. Because reality is about to get even weirder... How do you know that you are awake right now? You might say:
Using this system, you will never wake up in a dream. Sorry to break it to you. In a lucid dream, all of the above statements are also true. Remember that lucid dreams are incredibly vivid. So in order to have that "eureka!" moment of becoming self-aware, you need to be armed with a set of reality checks that actually work. These checks will tell you for sure whether you are awake or dreaming. Brace yourself for an activity that may seem a little stupid. You're going to perform some simple tasks that rely on basic physics and logic. As you do them, consciously ask yourself if you are awake or dreaming. Perform your reality checks every couple of hours throughout the waking day. It's best to combine two or three together. Soon they will occur in a dream, and when they do, you will become fully lucid!
What happens when you perform a reality test when you are awake? Exactly what you expect to happen, of course. But prepare to be astonished when you do a reality check in a dream! You will find yourself breathing without oxygen, floating and flying, shape shifting, moving through mirror portals - and anything else you dare to try. Any combination of these reality checks will expose the true nature of a dream... and gain you entry to the bizarre world of lucid dreaming! My personal favorite tests of reality are: pushing my fingers through my palm, floating or flying, looking at the time, and testing my vision. (I am very short-sighted so the world is blurry to me without lenses). Sometimes I try to push my hand through the desk or wall. It is a wonderful feeling when you actually can push your hand through a physical object.
Increase Your Self-AwarenessBesides an induction method for lucid dreaming, reality testing is a great way to increase your self-awareness. What do I mean by self-awareness? Most of us mosey on through life without ever questioning the world around us. It is human nature to build up constructs based on our experiences. (I explain neural programming on the page on dream interpretation.) I know that I can't fly and that walls are solid. There should be no reason for me to continually question this. Unless you are a lucid dreamer, of course!
By constantly checking the information your brain is giving you, it will increase your self-awareness. It is like learning all the principles of physics over again. Not only does this provide you with trigger points for having lucid dreams, it provides a greater awareness of the dreamstate. This will make your lucid dream experiences as vivid as possible. There is no doubt about what lucid dreams are - if you have had one, you know about it. But there are varying degrees of self-awareness in a conscious dream. So it makes sense to turn up the clarity as high as you can! That way, everything you see, hear and touch will be as close to reality as possible. And that is why lucid dreaming has such a profound reputation. It is not a form of day dreaming. It is a new reality altogether. Reality Checks: FAQHow often should I perform reality checks? You should always test your reality when you wake up, to be sure that it isn't a false awakening. After that, try to do a test every couple of hours throughout your day. Perform one last check before you go to sleep, while reminding yourself to have lucid dreams tonight! How can I remember to do regular reality checks? Some people decide to write a capital "L" for Lucid on the back of their hand, which reminds them. However a more discreet method is to do a reality check every time you perform a certain action, like opening a door, looking at your watch, getting into a car, or walking down the stairs. Also, put stickers and notes around your workspace, asking "am I dreaming?" and "is this a dream?" You will notice reality check prompts around this website to help you on your way. Why didn't my reality check give me a lucid dream? Sometimes you can do a reality check while dreaming and it gives you a positive result, meaning you wrongly identified your dream as waking reality. That's why it's important to do at least two reality checks together. If one fails, the other will expose the dream for what it is. Sometimes flying doesn't work for me as a reality check, because I simply don't expect it to happen. That is where the importance of self-awareness comes in. Other people have problems with the light switch test. If your chosen reality check doesn't work, just switch to a new one. When your reality check works, you will have the realization that you are dreaming. This is your instant gateway to having lucid dreams!
Lucid Dreaming Techniques
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