LUCID DREAMING

1
LUCID DREAMING

• Ngan Diep
• Kim Fleck
• Stephen Johnson
• David Yoshida

2
Outline

• Discussion Questions
• Introduction
• History
• Characteristics of Lucid Dreaming
• Physiological Aspects
• Usefulness of Lucidity
• Methods of Induction
• Conclusion

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Discussion Questions

• Could there be consciousness during sleep?
• Do we have deliberate control over our actions in
  dreams?
• What is the nature of imaginary worlds?
• Is lucid dreaming an altered state of
  consciousness?

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Introduction

• What is lucid dreaming?
• Dreams in which you know that you are dreaming.
• Levels of lucid dreaming and awareness
• High-level lucidity
• Low-level lucidity
• How common are lucid dreams?
• "About 58 of the population have experienced a
  lucid dream at least once in their lifetime,
  while about 21 report it with some frequency
  (one or more a month). Jayne Gackenbach

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History

• 415 AD written in a letter by St. Augustine.
• Practiced by Tibetan Buddhists for a thousand
  years through a form of dream yoga
• 1913 Term coined by Frederick Van Eeden
• Modern research- Stephen LaBerge and Lynn Nagel
  of Stanford University

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CHARACTERISITICS

• The beginning of lucidity is marked by distinct
  eye movements
• Occurs late during the REM sleep cycle
• Induced by some sort of cue
• Recognition of this cue is made possible by
  higher cortical arousal
• Waking up from a lucid dream feels more real than
  waking from a normal dream
• This is due to the higher cortical arousal
  experienced during lucid dreaming

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PHYSIOLOGICAL ASPECTS

• Is there a correspondence between actions of the
  dreamer and muscle activity and electrical
  responses?
• Dream Actions
• (Schatzman, Worsley, and Fenwick 1988)
• Dream Sex
• (LaBerge, Greenleaf, and Kedzierski 1983)

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Usefulness of Lucidity

• Adventure and Excitement
• Practice/Rehearsal
• Creative Problem Solving
• Therapeutic

What is the nature of the dream world?
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Methods of Induction

• Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreaming (MILD)
• Mindfulness
• External Signals
• Electric Shock to the wrist
• Dream Light (LaBerge 1985)

How long do dreams last?
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Conclusion

• Is lucid dreaming an ASC? YES
• How long do dreams take? About 13 sec
• Is there a correspondence between actions of the
  dreamer and muscle activity and electrical
  responses? YES
• What is the nature of the dream world? We dont
  know.

11
References

• Blackmore, Susan. Lucid Dreaming Awake in Your
  Sleep? Skeptical Inquirer, 1991. 362-370.
• Conscious Mind, Sleeping Brain Perspectives on
  Lucid Dreaming. Ed. Gackenbach, Jayne and Stephen
  LaBerge. New York Plenum Press, 1988.
• Holt, Doug. LUCID DREAMING. Philadelphia. 1998.
• http//serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro98/202
  s98-paper1/Holt.html
• LaBerge, S., Greenleaf, W., Kedzierski, B.
  (1983). Physiological responses to dreamed sexual
  activity during lucid REM sleep.
  Psychophysiology, 20, 454-455.
• LaBerge, Stephen and H. Rheingold. EXPLORING THE
  WORLD OF LUCID DREAMING. New York Ballantine.
  1990.
• http//www.lucidity.com/EWLD6.txt
• LaBerge, Stephen. Lucid Dreaming. New York
  Ballantine. 1985.
• http//www.lucidity.com/LD8DFM.html
• Schatzman, M., A. Worsley, and P. Fenwick. 1988.
  Correspondence during lucid dreams between
  dreamed and actual events. In Conscious Mind,
  Sleeping Brain, 155-179, ed. J. Gackenbach and S.
  LaBerge. New York Plenum.
• Sparrow, G. S. LUCID DREAMING, DAWNING OF THE
  CLEAR LIGHT Virginia Beach A.R.E. Press, 1976.
• Wallace, Benjamin, and Leslie Fisher.
  Consciousness and Behavior. Waveland press. 2003.