Flying dreams stimulated by an immersive virtual reality task.
Claudia Picard-Deland, Maude Pastor, Elizaveta Solomonova, Tyna Paquette, Tore Nielsen
Consciousness and Cognition August 1, 2020 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2020.102958 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 137 |
| Population | Participants who underwent VR-flying and a morning nap |
| Intervention | custom-built virtual reality (VR) flying task |
| Duration | 5 days before and 10 days after VR exposure for home dream journals; laboratory nap immediately after VR |
| Topics | Dreaming Lucid dreaming |
| Keywords | Flight simulation Gravity imagery Immersion Sense of presence Vection Virtual reality |
| Citations | 25 |
| Key findings | VR-flying increased the reporting of flying dreams and changed their quality, with higher lucid-control and emotional intensity, modulated by prior dream-flying experience and VR immersion. |
Abstract
Despite a high prevalence and broad interest in flying dreams, these exceptional experiences remain infrequent. Our study aimed to (1) induce flying dreams using a custom-built virtual reality (VR) flying task, (2) examine their phenomenological correlates and (3) investigate their relations to participant state and trait factors. 137 participants underwent VR-flying followed by a morning nap. They also completed home dream journals for 5 days before and 10 days after the VR exposure. VR-flying successfully increased the reporting of flying dreams during the laboratory nap and on the following morning compared to both baseline frequencies and a control cohort. Flying dreams were also changed qualitatively, exhibiting higher levels of Lucid-control and emotional intensity, after VR exposure. Factors such as prior dream-flying experiences and level of VR sensory immersion modulated flying dream induction. Findings are consistent with a new vection-based explanation of dream-flying and may facilitate development of dream flight-induction technologies.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on lucid dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucid Dreaming Verified by Volitional Communication during Rem Sleep Selected subjects proficient in lucid dreaming | 1981 | Experimental study | n = 5 |
| Lucid Dreaming and Alpha Activity: A Preliminary Report Good dream recallers | 1982 | Experimental study | n = 10 |
| Lucid dreaming during NREM sleep: Two case reports | 2012 | Sleep laboratory study | |
| Time for actions in lucid dreams: effects of task modality, length, and complexity Proficient lucid dreamers | 2014 | Experimental study | n = 21 |
| Combining presleep cognitive training and REM-sleep stimulation in a laboratory morning nap for lucid dream induction. Participants who came to the laboratory for a nap session at 7:30 am or 11:00 am,... | 2020 | Controlled laboratory experiment |
Citations in the library
Cited by 17
- Imprinting: expanding the extra-pharmacological model of psychedelic drug action to incorporate delayed influences of sets and settings Frontiers in Human Neuroscience July 18, 2023
- Enhancing and advancing the understanding and study of dreaming and memory consolidation: Reflections, challenges, theoretical clarity, and methodological considerations Consciousness and Cognition June 27, 2024
- Postural balance in frequent lucid dreamers: a replication attempt. Sleep July 11, 2022
- Impact of Pre-Sleep Visual Media Exposure on Dreams: A Scoping Review Brain Sciences June 29, 2024
- Lucid dreaming of a prior virtual-reality experience with ego-transcendent qualities: a proof-of-concept study. Neuroscience of Consciousness 2025
and 12 more in the library
Cites 23
- Aetiology and treatment of nightmare disorder: State of the art and future perspectives Journal of Sleep Research January 29, 2019
- Typical Dreams: Stability and Gender Differences The Journal of Psychology 2004
- The Phenomenology of Lucid Dreaming: An Online Survey The American Journal of Psychology April 21, 2014
- Applications of lucid dreams: An online study heiDOK (Heidelberg University) 2012
- Combining presleep cognitive training and REM-sleep stimulation in a laboratory morning nap for lucid dream induction. Psychology of Consciousness Theory Research and Practice April 13, 2020
and 18 more in the library