Science of lucid dreaming
The information we present at Lucidipedia concerning lucid dreaming is based on psychological and physiological research. Because research articles are not publically accessible to everyone (subscription fees), we can only list references to our own literature study. Fortunately, The Lucidity Institute offers a number of core articles that we have bundled into a downloadable document. Feel free to start downloading! We also offer reviews on other material like books and movies related to lucid dreaming.
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Lucid dreaming (written by Tim Post)
Although we are not usually explicitly aware that we are dreaming while in a dream, a remarkable exception sometimes occurs overnight in which the dreamer attains a clear cognition that he or she is dreaming (LaBerge, 2000). During such "lucid" dreams (the term is derived from Van Eeden, 1913), one can think and reason clearly, is able to recall circumstances from waking life and can intentionally act upon self-reflection while experiencing it all within a dream world that is often not distinguishable from the "real world" (Green, 1968; Kahan et al., 1997). Phenomenologically viewed as being awake while dreaming, lucid dreams are physiologically defined as a form of dissociation in which one part of the brain is in the waking state while the other is in the dreaming state (Hobson, Pace-Schott & Stickgold, 2000). Although lucid dreaming is a form of high cognitive functioning that is commonly argued to be solely associated to the waking state, lucid dreams can be used as test cases for theories of dreaming to investigate the nature of consciousness and dreaming (Hobson, Kahn, & Pace-Schott, 1994; LaBerge, 2000).
Evidence for lucid dreaming was first found by LaBerge et al. (1981), based on earlier studies showing that some of the eye movements of REM sleep corresponded to the reported direction of the dreamer's direction of sight (e.g., Fenwick et al. 1984; Roffwarg et al., 1962). Subjects were asked to carry out distinctive patterns of voluntary eye movements at the onset of lucidity while they were dreaming. The polygraph records during REM showed the prearranged eye movement signals, proving that the subjects had indeed been lucid during uninterrupted REM sleep (Kahan & LaBerge, 1994; LaBerge 1990; LaBerge et al., 1981).
A number of studies have been carried out to classify different personality traits that are concerned with people who seem to have a natural talent for lucid dreaming. A comparative study of Gackenbach (1994) showed that frequent lucid dreamers are less stressful and are more able to focus their attention as to the gross of the population (see also Schredl & Erlacher, 2004). Lucid dream frequency is also positively related to one's search for controlling situations from waking life (Prescott & Pettigrew, 1995), and related to higher levels of 'need for cognition' than people who have never experienced a lucid dream before (Blagrove & Hartnell, 2000). This means that natural lucid dreamers have a relatively high amount of intrinsic motivation to enjoy demanding cognitive activities and have a tendency to look and search for the 'reality' in their personal life circumstances.
The reason why more people are attracted to the practice of lucid dreaming is because dream awareness enables a form of control in which the dreamer can intentionally manipulate and direct any element of the dream experience to his or her personal desires (LaBerge & Rheingold, 1990). It offers an opportunity for adventure, unhampered by the laws of physics or society, and is free of risk. This flexibility enables a vast range of personal applications that with the high level of realism of the dream state, ranges from exhilarating adventures, rehearsing problem-solving situations for improving waking life circumstances and even to overcome personal fears and recurrent nightmares (e.g., Kuiken et al. 2006; LaBerge & Rheingold, 1990; Spoormaker, Schredl & Van de Bout, 2006). Although the therapeutic value of employing lucid dreaming in psychiatric practices is relatively absent, studies show the potential of lucid dreaming for personal gains. However, a prerequisite for conducting additional research and carrying out the application of findings is an effective form of educational support in which lucid dreams can be frequently and reliably induced.
Learning lucid dreaming
A study conducted by Snyder & Gackenbach (1988) shows that only about 20% of the population reports having lucid dreams spontaneously once a month or more. Lucid dreaming is however learnable, but difficult to master (LaBerge, 1980a). Initiated by a dedicated research institute founded by Stephen LaBerge and located at Stanford University, the Lucidity Institute has made lucid dreaming not only accessible to academic but also to non-academic practices around the world by publishing grounded techniques by which lucid dreams can be systematically induced. The internet has in addition provided the means in which large communities of lucid dream enthusiasts can easily share their lucid dream experiences worldwide. Like here at Lucidipedia.
Educational support for learning lucid dreaming has expressed itself in two distinct approaches: (a) reflection-intention techniques (LaBerge & Rheingold, 1990) and (b) induction devices like DreamLight (LaBerge & Levitan, 1995). Reflection-intention techniques rely on prospective memory (in contrast to retrospective memory), a localized memory facility in the brain that specializes on recalling intentions that should be executed at the time of recognizing a predetermined signal (Einstein et al. 2005; LaBerge & Rheingold, 1990). In context of lucid dreaming, this power of recognition is aimed to typical anomalies or "incongruences" of the dream experience which are called "dreamsigns" (e.g., pink flying elephant, being able to walk through walls, meeting your passed away grandmother, etc.). Once a dreamsign is recognized, the dreamer attains the cognition of knowing that he or she is dreaming. DreamLight on the other hand, is a computerized sleep mask produced by the Lucidity Institute that generates light signals during the night at the onset of REM, which will be incorporated by the eyes into the user's own dream experience, contributing to more consistent, predictable and typical dreamsigns (i.e., dream events that are related to light: bright sunrise, reflection of bright light, explosions with bright light, etc.). Both educational approaches (i.e., techniques and devices), though distinct in nature, explicitly aim to support the practitioner's ability to successfully carry out prospective intentions in order to recognize dreamsigns for becoming lucid.
The MILD-technique (i.e., Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams) has proven to be the most effective means to induce lucid dreams (Laberge, 1980a,b; LaBerge & DeGracia, 2000; LaBerge & Levitan, 1995). A study by Levitan and LaBerge (1989) with 84 subjects showed an average increase of number of lucid dreams per week for each subject by 76 percent (from 0.21 to 0.37 lucid dreams per week) over a baseline condition, using MILD to induce lucid dreams. An integral mental exercise within this same study, concerning Reality Testing in which subjects were asked to continually question the state in which they were present in combined with visualization of dreaming, increased the average number of lucid dreams by 152 percent (from 0.21 to 0.53 lucid dreams per week). LaBerge, Phillips and Levitan (1994) additionally learned that interrupting morning naps with a brief period of wakefulness makes lucidity even more likely to occur. The impact of different lengths of wakefulness were studied (i.e., varying from 10, 30 to 60 minutes) and showed that subjects were significantly more likely to have a lucid dream after 30 or 60 minutes of wakefulness rather than after 10 minutes of being awake. Applying the MILD-technique during a brief interrupted period of wakefulness in morning sleep, is currently viewed as the most effective means for inducing lucid dreams (LaBerge, 2004; LaBerge, Phillips & Levitan, 1994).
For many people however, lucid dreams are still challenging to induce, even while having acquired these kinds of lucid dream induction practices (Paulsson & Parker, 2006). That is why Lucidipedia aims to support the practice of lucid dreaming by providing grounded educational resources for anyone to learn lucid dreaming. We hope you enjoy our passionate work so far!
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References
Blagrove, M., & Hartnell, S. J. (2000). Lucid dreaming: associations with internal locus of control, need for cognition and creativity. Personality and individual differences, 28, 41-47.
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Fenwick, P., Schatzman, M., Worsely, A., Adams, J., Stone, S., & Baker, A. (1984). Lucid dreaming: Correspondence between dreamed and actual events in one subject during REM sleep. Biological Psychology, 18, 243-252.
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Gackenbach, J. (1994). Sleep and Consciousness. Invited address on consciousness in sleep given at the Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C. (The brain and consciousness: Frontier of the 21st Century).
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Hobson, J. A., Kahn, D., & Pace-Schott, E. F. (1994). Consciousness in waking and dreaming: the roles of neuronal oscillation and neuromodulation in determining similarities and differences. Neuroscience, 78(1), 13-38.
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Hobson, J. A., Pace-Schott, E. F., & Stickgold, R. (2000). Dreaming and the brain: Toward a cognitive neuroscience of consious states. Behavioral and brain sciences, 23, 793-1121.
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Kahan, T. L., & LaBerge, S. (1994). Lucid dreaming as metacognition: implications for cognitive science. Consciousness and Cognition, 3(4), 246-264.
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Kahan, T. L., LaBerge, S., Levitan, L., & Zimbardo, P. (1997). Similarities and differences between dreaming and waking cognition: An exploratory study. Consciousness and cognition, 6, 132-147.
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Kuiken, D., Lee, M. N., Eng, T., & Singh, T. (2006). The influence of impactful dreams on self-perceptual depth and spiritual transformation. Dreaming, 16(4), 258-279.
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LaBerge, S. (1980a). Lucid dreaming as a learnable skill: A case study. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 51, 1039-1042.
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LaBerge, S. (1980b). Lucid dreaming: an exploratory study of consciousness during sleep. Ph.D theses, Stanford University, 1980. University Microfilms No. 80-24, 691.
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LaBerge, S. (2000). Lucid dreaming: Evidence and methodology. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 23(6), 962-3. Commentary on target articles by J.A. Hobson et al. and by M. Soms in a special issue on dreaming.
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LaBerge, S. (2004). Lucid dreaming: A concise guide to awakening in your dreams and in your life. Boulder, CO: Sounds True.
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LaBerge, S., & DeGracia, D. J. (2000). Varieties of lucid dreaming experiences. In R. G. Kunzendorf & B. Wallace (Eds.), Individual Differences in Conscious Experience (pp. 269-307). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
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LaBerge, S., & Levitan, L. (1995). Validity established of dreamlight cues for eliciting lucid dreaming. Dreaming, 5(3), 159-168.
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LaBerge, S., Nagel, L., Dement, W., & Zarcone, V. (1981). Lucid dreaming verified by volitional communication during REM sleep. Perceptual & Motor Skills, 52, 727-732.
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LaBerge, S., Phillips, L, Levitan, L. (1994). An hour of wakefulness before morning naps makes lucidity more likely. NightLight, 6(3).
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LaBerge, S., & Rheingold, H. (1990). Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming. New York: Ballantine Books.
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Levitan, L., & LaBerge, S. (1989). A comparison of three methods of lucid dream induction. NightLight, 1(3), 3-12.
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Paulsson, T., & Parker, A. (2006). The effects of two-week reflection-intention training program on lucid dream recall. Dreaming, 16(1), 22-35.
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Prescott, J. A., & Pettigrew, C. G. (1995). Lucid dreaming and control in waking life. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 81, 658.
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Roffwarg, H., Dement, W. C., Muzio, J., & Fisher, C. (1962). Dream imagery: Relationship to rapid eye movements of sleep. Archives of General Psychiatry, 7, 235-238.
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Schredl, M., & Erlacher, D. (2004). Lucid dreaming frequency and personality. Personality and Individual Differences, 37(7), 1463-1473.
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Spoormaker, V. I., Schredl, M., & Van den Bout, J. (2006). Nightmares: from anxiety symptom to sleep disorder. Sleep Medicine Reviews (2006), 10, 19-31.
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Snyder, T. & Gackenback, J. (1988). In J. Gackenbach & S. LaBerge (Eds.) Conscious mind, dreaming brain (pp. 221-259). New York: Plenum Press.
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Van Eeden, F. (1913). A study of dreams. Proceeding of the Society for Psychical Research, 26, 431-416.
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