Some of the most marvelous yet peculiar of experiences can occur within our dreams. However, what is even more extraordinary than the realms one may conjure up, is the ability for some humans to consciously influence their dreams through lucid dreaming. Lucid dreaming occurs during REM sleep and may be followed by eye-movement signals that indicate the dreamers’ awareness of being in a dream yet continuing to dream (Konkoly et al., 2021). It is theorized that lucid dreaming is in part due to cognitive features of perception and introspection (Gott et al., 2021). However, the rare occurrences of lucid dreaming have served as a significant barrier towards further establishing its study and parameters. While it has been suggested that the frequency of lucid dreams may be induced through cognitive training, no one method has been proven to be superior (Gott et al., 2021).
As a result, scientists have been searching for strategies geared towards optimizing and influencing the frequency of lucid dreams. Recently, a study demonstrated two-way communication between lucid dreamers and experimenters in three different participant categories. Using the TLR (targeted lucidity reactivation) method, Konkoly et al. 2021 showcased dreamers’ abilities to communicate in and out of dreams in response to acoustic and visual cues prompting tasks ranging from analyzing new information to maintaining working memory to sharing voluntary responses while in a deep sleep. However, as described in the study, a limitation of the procedures is that they did not always produce interactive dreaming (Konkoly et al., 2021).
In the race to find the best training methods for inducing lucid dreams, another study tested the use of virtual reality (VR) assisted training. Here, Gott et al. presented a variety of games to VR-group participants, from which they selected games based on how “dream-like” each of them appeared. The experimenters then analyzed participants’ eye signal-verified lucid dreams and questionnaires to determine the influence of VR-assisted training on their dreams and whether they resembled the selected VR scenarios (Gott J et al., 2021). Overall, the study showcased that VR-assisted training led to significantly more substantial lucid dreaming incidences than the no-training condition (Gott J et al., 2021). However, there were no significant differences between the VR-assisted training and classical training reports (Gott J et al., 2021). Although the VR-dream incorporation did not lead to statistically significant increases in dream lucidity compared to classical methods, it is worth noting that it may serve as a ground for producing more dream-like training environments that can optimize future studies and enhance two-way communication between experimenters and dreamers.
Although the efforts to optimize lucid-dreaming training remain, it is also imperative to address the potential impacts of these methodologies. For instance, the dissociative effects of VR use have been well documented, and other symptoms such as headaches, nausea, and negative emotions (Lee et al., 2020). In disorders such as bipolar and schizophrenia, where dissociation is a part of core symptomology, greater control in lucid dreaming has been reported (Mota et al., 2016)(Gott et al., 2021). Therefore, the effects of VR-assisted training should be further explored in the context of lucid dreams and different patient populations (Mota et al., 2016)(Gott et al., 2021). While it cannot be determined whether or not VR-assisted lucid dreams result from an extended dissociation effect (Gott et al., 2021); going forward, cognitive training procedures for lucid dreams must be approached with caution as the intent is not to exacerbate nor induce any adverse side effects in patient populations.
Works Cited
Gott J et al. 2021 Virtual Reality Training of Lucid Dreaming. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B 376: 20190697.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2019.0697
Mota NB, Resende A, Mota-Rolim SA, Copelli M, Ribeiro S. 2016 Psychosis and the Control of Lucid
Dreaming. Front. Psychol. 7, 294. (doi:10.3389/ fpsyg.2016.00294)
Lee, Chun-Chia, et al. “Exploring the Benefit and Sacrifice Factors of Virtual Reality Gameplay.”
Frontiers, Frontiers, 1 Jan. 1AD, https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00251/full.
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