Quote Originally Posted by ClearView View Post
Candle, I'm sure your very excited to have a LucidDream. Contrary to what some people think, reality checks are a very important aspect in Lucid Dreaming. Without them, you cannot properly stabilize a dream no matter what method you used to have a Lucid Dream.

Some reality checks that are a NECESSITY to perform, (in my opinion) are the following:

Say you are sitting in class, or working out at the gym, and you feel like time is just dragging on. You will most likely proceed to look at the clock, or your watch. In this case, you must catch yourself doing so. When you do, quickly look away and look back as if the time would be different the second time you look. This way, when your in school in your dream and your bored, you will look at the clock, and remember wait let me look back and see if the time changed. Wala, you have done a reality check in your dream.

Another one which could be done anywhere, and is very simple. The noseplug Reality Check. No matter where you are in the day, and it doesn't matter when you do it, you do this reality check at least twice. You plug your nose and see if you can breathe through it. As stated previously, this should then be reflected in your dream.

Sorry for the wall of text, but I believe this would be of help. If you have any questions, I'm all ears. (well eyes since this is a forum)

~Clearview
Yes, reality checks are important, but these new LD'ers don't know the key thing to having DILDS. Awareness.
This is what Naiya told me. She now lucid dreams nightly, because of awareness.

Awareness is essentially living in the present. Without thinking about where you need to go and what you need to do, you stop and take in what is around you right now. You look at the world objectively. You ask yourself, "how did I get here? Have I been here before? Does everything look normal? Does it all make sense?" In essence, it's like a reality check that you try to keep in the back of your mind at all times.

Keep in mind that also, while awareness is (imo) the best and easiest way to induce LDs once it's mastered, it takes a very long time to internalize this awareness so that it starts to bleed over into your dreams.

For example, when you first learn to drive a car, you have to be conscious of everything you do, right? But after several months, you get into the car and your mind has internalized all the little things you need to do. You don't even have to think about putting your foot on the brake, starting the engine and shifting gears--you just do it without thinking. This is also how awareness works. You must keep practicing it until you are at the point where you do it all the time without needing to think about it or force yourself. Once this happens, you start to do it in your dreams too (since you do it automatically all the time). Then finally, the LDs come, and they come effortlessly.

(All credit to Naiya.)