Has anyone ever felt like their reality checks are actually becoming part of the dream?
I have been practicing WBTB for about three months now, and while I have had some incredible moments of clarity, something weird is happening. I usually count my fingers to ground myself, but lately, I have had a few false awakenings where I counted my fingers while 'awake' in my bedroom, saw six of them, and then just went back to sleep thinking I was totally fine. It is honestly hilarious but also a bit frustrating because the logic center of my brain seems to be getting lazy. Is this a common plateau in lucid dreaming, or am I just getting too comfortable with the routine? I am curious if any of you have had to switch up your reality check methods after they stopped being effective. Do you guys rotate your techniques to keep your brain on its toes, or is there a trick to making the reality check more visceral so I do not just glaze over it in the middle of the night?
2 Replies
Oh, I have been exactly where you are! It is such a trip when your brain starts hacking your reality checks. For a while, I would look at my hands in a dream, count six fingers, and then my dream self would just shrug and say, 'Yeah, that happens,' then continue the dream like nothing was wrong. It is frustrating! I found that switching up the technique helps. Instead of just counting, try pushing your finger through your palm or checking a digital clock twice. When the brain adapts to one check, it becomes a habit that repeats in the dream state, losing its 'shock' value. Have you tried doing your checks during the day with genuine intent, like really questioning if you are awake? It forces a bit more mindfulness. Don't worry, it is just your subconscious getting clever, which honestly is a sign of progress, even if it feels annoying right now.
That is a fascinating phenomenon, though I definitely empathize with the frustration. As someone who has studied lucid dreaming for years, what you are describing sounds like 'false awakening' loops combined with dream incorporation. When you perform a reality check like counting fingers, you are engaging your prefrontal cortex, but if your dream state is high enough, your brain just scripts a 'successful' count right into the narrative. It’s like your dream is gaslighting you! Instead of the finger count, try something more disruptive to the dream logic, like attempting to read a line of text or checking a digital clock twice. If the numbers change the second time, you will know for sure. Have you tried switching your reality check trigger, or are you worried that your brain will just adapt to incorporate that, too?