Dreaming, Mind-Wandering, and Hypnotic Dreams.
Peter Fazekas, Georgina Nemeth
Frontiers in Neurology 2020 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2020.565673 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Keywords | Hypnosis Hypnotic analog Hypnotic dreams Mind-wandering |
| Citations | 14 |
| Key points | Argues that hypnotic dreams can be highly relevant for the neuro-cognitive theory of dreaming and mind-wandering, and that comparing them has potential to advance the field. |
Abstract
Hobson's AIM theory offers a general framework for thinking about states of consciousness like wakefulness, REM dreaming and NREM mentations in terms of a state space defined by the dimensions of the level of brain activity, the source of input, and the type of neurochemical modulation. This account inspired theoretical models of other altered states of consciousness-including hypnosis-claiming that studying REM dreaming can advance our understanding of these phenomena as well. However, recent developments showed that hypnosis is not a sleep like stage, and that the REM-centric attitude toward dreaming is mistaken. At the same time, the advancement of the neuro-cognitive theory claiming that dreaming and mind-wandering are on a continuum both underlain by default-mode network activity called many aspects of the AIM theory into question. Our aim in this paper is to show that certain hypnotic states-hypnotic dreams (experiences that subjects have in a hypnotic state as a result of an explicit suggestion to have a dream)-can, nevertheless, be highly relevant for the neuro-cognitive theory, and that their comparison with dreaming and mind-wandering has the potential to advance the field in unexpected ways.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dreaming: a conceptual framework for philosophy of mind and empirical research | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Metaphor and hyperassociativity: the imagination mechanisms behind emotion assimilation in sleep and dreaming | 2015 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Varieties of Lucid Dreaming Experience | 2000 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Experimental Research on Dreaming: State of the Art and Neuropsychoanalytic Perspectives | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Neurobiology of Consciousness: Lucid Dreaming Wakes Up | 2009 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- Self-caught reports of dreaming and mind wandering in a naturalistic environment: an online questionnaire study Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences June 11, 2025
- Spontaneously reported dreams and mind wandering in a naturalistic environment: An online questionnaire study April 29, 2024
- Sleeping in a Creative Dream-Land: A Duo of Meta-Analyses on Sleep, Dream-Recall, and Creativity May 1, 2023
- Cognitive States while Mind Wandering and Associated Alterations in Time Perception August 1, 2022
- Studying dream experience through dream reports: Points of contact between dream research and first-person methods in consciousness science
Cites 11
- Dreaming as mind wandering: evidence from functional neuroimaging and first-person content reports. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2013
- The cognitive neuroscience of lucid dreaming Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews March 14, 2019
- The neurophenomenology of neutral hypnosis. Cortex February 1, 2013
- A new neurocognitive theory of dreams. Dreaming March 1, 2001
- A Comparison of Mental Activity During Sleep Onset and Morning Awakening Sleep August 1, 1998
and 6 more in the library