Dreamsigns - Tips how to use

[Placebo]

I recently posted some advice on dreamsigns in 2Fruit's thread, and figured it'd be a good place for it here. This is it:

Dreamsigns are useless by themselves, you condition yourself to use reality checks instinctively for them to be effective.
How?
1) Do RCs for every dream sign you experience in waking life, for weeks, until it's thoroughly imprinted on your habits
2) A course of hypnosis or self hypnosis - YMMV
3) Excitement & constantly dwelling on lucid dreams with dreamsigns. If it's on your mind it'll be like dreaming of a computer game you've been playing non-stop.

Often people do this, and end up having lots of LDs that weren't caused by the dreamsign.
Why?
Because of (3) - obsessive lucid dreaming on the mind = lucid dreaming in your sleep (not always the case, but not unusual)

Remember to use more than one RC. It's hard to predict which RCs will work correctly for you, even after using them before.
If ANY (not all) of the RCs fail (i.e. not reality) then you're dreaming.
If you're still not convinced, try some more RCs to 'prove' it.

RCs I like:
- Counting your fingers and noticing something unusual
- Putting your finger through your hand
- Breathing through your nose when you've pinched your nose closed
- Not remembering what you ate last (or something nonsensical)
- If you have good dream control: Do something supernatural. E.g. Lift both your legs up and try to float in midair. (NB: Be suspicious of this RC - test it out first. Its a false positive for most people due to lack of dream control)

Bad RCs:
- Any that require objects or situations that you aren't guaranteed of. E.g. 'Look in a mirror', 'Bounce a ball', 'Flick a light switch'
What if none of those things are around, eh?

If you want me to banter on about how to find or create dreamsigns, just ask. But sounds like you have the dreamsigns and just need to use them

[Sunshine]

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[pj]

If you want me to banter on about how to find or create dreamsigns, just ask. But sounds like you have the dreamsigns and just need to use them

Actually, I would love for you to go on.

Would you consider turning this whole thing into a tutorial on dream signs and posting it to the Techniques forum?

[Placebo]

If you want me to banter on about how to find or create dreamsigns, just ask. But sounds like you have the dreamsigns and just need to use them

Actually, I would love for you to go on.

Would you consider turning this whole thing into a tutorial on dream signs and posting it to the Techniques forum?

Sure, but give me a few days - I've got a lot of things going on, and technically I'm on holiday too.

[pj]

Thank you!

[2Fruits]

Okay so I think probably about half the times I have done reality checks, they have failed Usually things like pinching my nose and thinking that I have holes in my fingers, or that I'm not pinching it hard enough etc. Also once when I did the finger through the hand RC, I assumed that my finger went through because my hand was made out of rubber?

What do you suggest for people whose reality checks fail often? 

Great thread by the way 

[pj]

Isn't it amazing how bizarrely we reason when dreaming?  If that wasn't so, we would always be lucid, I suppose.  We're gullible dreamers, the lot of us, except maybe the naturals.

I don't know an answer to this, other than to make a habit of REALLY thinking about what you are doing every time you do an RC in waking life.  If we can be exceptionally discerning when questioning our state of consciousness when awake, perhaps it will carry over to our dreams.

I have had the nose RC fail a number of times - that's the only one that has ever failed for me so far.

[2Fruits]

I don't know an answer to this, other than to make a habit of REALLY thinking about what you are doing every time you do an RC in waking life.  If we can be exceptionally discerning when questioning our state of consciousness when awake, perhaps it will carry over to our dreams.

I have had the nose RC fail a number of times - that's the only one that has ever failed for me so far.

Agreed with failing the nose RC. I've only failed the finger through hand once, and now I am doing more than one RC at a time (nose plus finger plus quesioning conciousness etc.)

I just realise that O has made an indepth topic about this:content:
http://www.mortalmist.com/forum/index.php/topic,473.0.html

[Placebo]

For me, when I RC, I always question whether the result was what normally happens as well, not just if it worked.
Same goes for e.g. 'What did I eat last'. Either you can't remember, or it makes no sense where or what you ate.

[SKA]

I know a pretty firesure RC:
Try to remember how you got where ever it is you are right now.
In dreams you are most likely to find holes in your memory: You remember having been at a party in a large castle before,
but you can't remember how you got from there to the beach you're now at.

Making a habit of retracing your experience will be a very good RC: Also no one will ask you what you are doing

[Clairity]

Making a habit of retracing your experience will be a very good RC: Also no one will ask you what you are doing

Good point! 

[Placebo]

Thats why one of my RCs is to remember what I ate last, and question how bizarre it is