Realismusprüfungen

Realismusprüfungen, also known as reality checks, are a technique used primarily in lucid dreaming to distinguish between dreaming and waking states. The core idea is to perform a simple, repeatable action while awake that would yield a different result if performed in a dream. By consistently practicing these checks throughout the day, the habit can carry over into dreams, prompting the dreamer to question their reality and potentially achieve lucidity.

Common examples of realismprüfungen include trying to push a finger through the palm of one's hand, looking at a clock or text, looking away, and then looking back to see if it has changed significantly, or attempting to fly or levitate. In a dream, the laws of physics often do not apply, so these actions may produce impossible results, thus revealing the dream state. Another common method is checking one's hands for a normal number of fingers, as hands can often appear distorted in dreams.

The effectiveness of realismprüfungen varies among individuals and depends on the consistency and conscientiousness with which they are performed. Some practitioners find that integrating them into daily routines, such as upon waking, before eating, or whenever a particularly strange thought occurs, increases their likelihood of success. The goal is to make the act of questioning reality an automatic behavior.