Phenomenology of lucid dreaming, sleep paralysis, and false awakenings: Encounters with the Self
University Library Heidelberg December 29, 2025 Reean Jyka Purisima Corral
Lucid dreaming, sleep paralysis, and false awakenings are liminal sleep phenomena that may arise from overlapping states of consciousness, yet they are often studied separately. In Filipino culture, such experiences are frequently interpreted through folklore like bangungot rather than scientific frameworks. This paper presents a qualitative, phenomenological analysis of these three phenomena through the first-person account of a Filipina dreamer, integrating personal experience with existing sleep research. The study introduces the concept of the false awakening loop as a proposed theoretical framework describing consecutive false awakenings within a single sleep episode. The findings suggest that these phenomena may form an interrelated sequence rather than isolated occurrences, particularly during intermediate states between REM sleep and wakefulness.