Lucid Dreaming Flashcards
Current perception does not equal memory
Lucid dreaming allows the observation of a dream while it’s happening
Dreams are always memories
Lucid dreams phenomenology
Realising one is dreaming while in the dream state
Not one from which one wakes
Not to be confused with vivid or bizarre dreams
Key features
Recalls are very long compared to normal dreams
Absolute realism
Moments of insight
Lucid dreams frequency
Occasional- 82% at least once
Frequent- 19-37% at least once a month
Spontaneous vs practiced lucid dreamers
- explicit techniques
- meditation
- intensive gaming
Frequent in children
Lucid dreams triggers
Incongruence- 19% (identification of abnormalities) e.g. unusual sensations
Dreamlike quality/just knew- 67%
Out of nightmares- 14% (emotionally charged)
Novel lucidity triggers
Identification of physical anomalies
Act of self-comforting/denial
Deja reve ( already dreamed something you’re already experiencing)
Emotional arousal
Found that nightmare-induced lucidity can arise via diverse paths
Emotionally-driven denial- some pp reported having reached lucid insight by denying the reality of the nightmare & telling themselves it was only a dream I.e. through the act of self-comforting/denial
Problem-solving- whilst other reports showed lucidity to be triggered because of the dreamer attempting to escape or confront a threat, such attempts seemed to promote logical thinking that then allowed for the identification of abnormalities or dream-like qualities in the surrounding environment
Multiple triggers are often needed
34% of lucid insight followed co-occurring of 2-4 triggers
Incongruencies see with waking life not incongruencies within the dream
Lucid insight appears not to arise due to the dream experience, or s particular dream element, being especially strange/unrealistic
Rather, lucid insight occurs when the dream experience is incongruent with what typically, or invariably, occurs in waking life
Recognition of abnormalities requires access to remembering what is normal
Dream-like quality also requires access to memory
The memories do not have to be explicit
For the trigger deja reve, the dream-like quality is recognised because of the dreamer feeling a sense of, having experienced the set of events within a dream previously
To recognise a dream-like quality or familiarity require access to implicit memories
Are there any enduring dispositions that carry through to the dream state?
Personality disposition
- internal locus of control
- subdued/independent, linked to field dependent
- motivation
Cognitive disposition
- Rod & Frame test as a measure of field independence (similiar to lucid dreaming, not being deceived by illusion, break free of apparent reality)
- embedded figures task
- Idaho gambling task (complex cognition)
- attentional abilities (maintaining separate representations)
- metacognition (mind wandering to internal or external thoughts)
Lucid dreams insight
The problem in becoming lucid is overcoming the overwhelming reality of the dream hallucination
Some independence from the apparent reality, some reflection on ones own thought processes helps
But a moment of insight is required when you don’t even know there is a problem to solve
How to measure insight
- Fix the lit candle to the wall so that it will not drip wax onto the table below
- 9 dots problems
These problems are typically solved in a moment of insight- an a-ha experience
- compound remote associate problems
Those particularly successful are those who show high levels of divergent thinking & the ability to overcome fixation on habitual associations
Likewise dreamers must overcome the deep-seated tendency to accept the dream world as reality
Links to cognitive dispositions
Lucid- field independence (not rely on environmental stimuli)
Lucid- locus of control (belief that you have control over events)
Lucid- meditation & gaming (engage with, while remaining separate from, alternative virtual realities)
Lucid- metacognition (reflect on rather than simply experience thoughts)
Brain areas
Increased activity in dorso-lateral pre frontal regions
Same area where brain damage does not eliminate dreaming
Right dorso-lateral pre-frontal cortex (working memory), bilateral frontal polar (evaluation owns thoughts & feelings), preceneus (feeling of agency)
