Structural differences between non-lucid dreams, lucid dreams and out-of-body experience reports assessed by graph analysis.
Francisco T Gallo, Ignacio Spiousas, Nerea L Herrero, Daniela Godoy, Antonela Tommasel, Miguel Gasca-Rolín, Rodrigo Ramele, Pablo M Gleiser, Cecilia Forcato
Scientific Reports November 9, 2023 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46817-2 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Lucid dreaming |
| Citations | 5 |
| Key findings | Out-of-body experience dream reports display a condensed and interconnected network structure compared to non-lucid dreams and lucid dreams, with specific nodes playing a more central role. |
Abstract
Dreaming is a complex phenomenon that occurs during sleep, involving various conscious dream experiences. Lucid dreams (LDs) involve heightened awareness within the dream environment, while out-of-body experiences (OBEs) involve the sensation of being outside one's physical body. OBEs occur during sleep paralysis (SP), where voluntary movements are inhibited during sleep/wake transitions while remaining aware of the surroundings. The relationship between LDs and OBEs is debated, with some viewing them as distinct phenomena and others considering them different manifestations of the same underlying experience. This study aimed to characterize non-lucid dreams, LDs, and OBEs by analyzing dream reports' structural properties. OBE reports displayed a condensed and interconnected network structure compared to non-lucid dreams and LDs. Additionally, OBE reports exhibited a specialized network structure, with specific nodes playing a more central role. These findings suggest that OBE dreams may have a more coherent and unified narrative, with certain nodes being pivotal in the network structure.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on lucid dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucid Dreaming: a State of Consciousness with Features of Both Waking and Non-Lucid Dreaming Student volunteers trained to become lucid and signal lucidity with horizontal eye... | 2009 | Observational study | n = 6 |
| Neural Correlates of Dream Lucidity Obtained from Contrasting Lucid versus Non-Lucid REM Sleep: A Combined EEG/fMRI Case Study Experienced lucid dreamers | 2012 | Observational cohort | n = 4 |
| Real-time dialogue between experimenters and dreamers during REM sleep. Individuals during REM sleep, including frequent lucid dreamers, a novice, and a... | 2021 | Observational study | n = 36 |
| Lucid Dreaming in Narcolepsy Consecutive patients with narcolepsy and healthy controls | 2015 | Case-control study | n = 106 |
| Metacognitive Mechanisms Underlying Lucid Dreaming Human participants split into high- and low-lucidity groups based on reported dream... | 2015 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- Out-of-body experiences: interpretations through the eyes of those who live them. Frontiers in Psychology 2025
- Facilitating unusual bodily experiences and out-of-body experiences across wakefulness and sleep: A high-density EEG and neurophenomenology study Consciousness and Cognition February 11, 2026
- Out of body experiences: Scoping review. Explore June 4, 2025
- Sleep and psychosis: An integrative review of conceptual and neurophysiological associations. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry August 14, 2026
- Exploratory study of non-ordinary states of consciousness during sleep show distinct electrophysiological features from wakefulness and canonical sleep stages. Scientific Reports September 29, 2025
Cites 20
- Linking Out-of-Body Experience and Self Processing to Mental Own-Body Imagery at the Temporoparietal Junction Journal of Neuroscience January 19, 2005
- Lucid Dreaming: a State of Consciousness with Features of Both Waking and Non-Lucid Dreaming Sleep September 1, 2009
- Lucid Dreaming Verified by Volitional Communication during Rem Sleep Perceptual and Motor Skills June 1, 1981
- Assessing sleep consciousness within subjects using a serial awakening paradigm Frontiers in Psychology 2013
- Graph analysis of dream reports is especially informative about psychosis Scientific Reports January 15, 2014
and 15 more in the library