Throughout the semester of NEUR 300, we had many interesting talks from hand gestures to sleep cells. However, Dr. Gabriela Torres Platas talks about communication during lucid dreaming really stood out to me. Many have heard of lucid dreaming as this phenomenon that can only be experienced by some in rare cases. While this is true, there are now talks to introduce lucid dreaming as a “third space” for therapeutic purposes.
Dr. Torres Platas presented a study from Konkly et al. (2021), where four different research teams conducted a similar study across participants during their REM sleep. Participants were trained to respond to questions using facial movements or eye movements. The participants were connected to EEGs to detect eye movements and confirm REM sleep. Once the participants were in REM sleep, the researchers would ask simple math questions “1+2”. Some participants were able to respond with left-to-right eye movements that usually would be delayed for a few seconds. Confirming that communication during sleep can happen.
Dr. Torres Platas also brought up another interesting ongoing study, where experienced lucid dreamers, who practiced dream yoga, were recruited to explore the abilities beyond what we know about lucid dreaming. Specifically, trying to explore if two lucid dreamers can communicate with each other while in that state. While not much study has yet been conducted, we know that these experienced lucid dreamers would journal about their experiences while also having some of Konkly et al. (2021) experiments conducted on them. Dr. Torres Platas mentioned future therapeutic uses for those who suffer from mental health disorders. Can dream yoga help relieve some feelings? and how can reaching a state of lucidness heal the mind to body connection?
In Carr’s scientific news article, it introduces the idea of “engineering” dreams to reproduce lucid dreaming which has benefits for better sleep quality and overall health. One goal is to treat nightmares that can be linked with sleep disorders and psychiatric disorders. Reducing triggers for those with PTSD as they often retrieve a memory and can be replayed and distorted in dreams. A participant with PTSD stated that “Even just the moment of becoming lucid can sometimes bring immediate relief from a nightmare because you realize you are dreaming and that there is no real danger”. It also doesn’t have to be for treatment; it can be a wellness factor, as lucid dreaming is this “euphoric” experience.
Carr, M. (2024, December 17). The new science of controlling lucid dreams: Engineering lucid dreams could improve sleep and defuse nightmares. Scientific American. Retrieved from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/engineering-lucid-dreams-could-improve-sleep-and-defuse-nightmares/
Konkoly, K. R., Appel, K., Chabani, E., Mangiaruga, A., Gott, J., Mallett, R., … Paller, K. A. (2021). Real-time dialogue between experimenters and dreamers during REM sleep. Current Biology, 31(7), 1417–1427. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.01.026
No comments:
Post a Comment