Reality Checks and Affirmations

Reality Checks: A simple daily technique to increase awareness in hope of penetrating our dreams

Ask it like you mean it!

To be able to become lucid in dreams, we must train our minds to constantly ask "Am I dreaming?" without hesitation. This seems silly and pointless to some people in the argument that we always know when we are really awake. One of the ways that reality checks will prove successful is to take them seriously. We must always think there is a possibility we can be dreaming at any given moment. Making it a habit in waking life will carry onto dream life where we will also ask if we are dreaming.

How do we know if we are dreaming?

For those of us who lucid dream, or at least have experienced multiple lucid dreams, have probably experienced it because the actions occurring in the dream were just too unrealistic and "we must be dreaming". Increasing self awareness in waking and dream life can prove very beneficial to having more of these moments where we stop and ponder the reality we are in. A very common occurrence in my dreams is the mash up of time. My son was still born and is the age he is now in real life so why am I living with my mother still in high school? 

However, these occurrences don't always seem to be enough. I become "semi-lucid" as I call it. Where something doesn't seem quite right and I'm on the brink of lucidity but it doesn't quite happen, maybe because I am too involved with the story line.

Reality checks are something I am making an effort to make a habit. I believe it's best to select a couple of different techniques and stick with them for at least a week or two to see if they have an effect, doing them periodically through out the day every day. Find what is more effective for you. Here are some common reality checks to make a habit of doing in waking life:

+Looking at the palms of your hands, they often look distorted or abnormal while dreaming
+Try reading time or look at a clock, you will find it extremely difficult in the dream world
+Fly: A favorite one of many dreamers. Jumping off a cliff is a little extreme, but try floating with just a thought.
+Breathing: Try plugging your nose and closing your mouth at the same time while breathing out. If you can still breathe your are dreaming.
+Reading A Book: This has proven to be effective in the past when I was on the ball with reality checks. It's impossible for me to read the same sentence twice while dreaming. Red flag!

The list is endless, there are so many different techniques people come up with I couldn't list them all.

An important thing to remember is that while such techniques can assist us in becoming lucid, another thing to consider is affirmations. Every night before bed, as you are about to drift off in your sleep, visualize yourself becoming aware in your dreams. Also visualize yourself waking up and remembering the experience and writing it down. Don't just think you will do it, know you will do it.