Lucid Dreaming as a Learnable Skill: A Case Study
Perceptual and Motor Skills December 1, 1980 DOI: 10.2466/pms.1980.51.3f.1039 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | The author |
| Intervention | auto-suggestion |
| Duration | 3-year study |
| Topics | Dreaming Lucid dreaming |
| Citations | 122 |
| Key findings | A mnemonic technique (MILD) produced an average of 21.5 lucid dreams per month, far more than auto-suggestion (average 5.4) or no technique (fewer than 1 per month). |
Abstract
The author was the subject in an investigation of the feasibility of learning to dream lucidly, i.e., while knowing that one is dreaming. During the 3-yr. study, the subject recorded a total of 389 lucid dreams and developed a mnemonic technique for the voluntary induction of lucid dreams (MILD). Without using any induction procedure, the subject reported less than 1 lucid dream per month. Using auto-suggestion resulted in a range of 1 to 13 lucid dreams per month ( M = 5.4), with at most 2 per night. MILD yielded 18 to 26 lucid dreams per month ( M = 21.5), with up to 4 per night.
In the evidence
This study is part of the evidence base for a synthesis in the library. Here is how each one recorded it.
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A mnemonic technique (MILD) produced an average of 21.5 lucid dreams per month versus 5.4 with auto-suggestion and fewer than 1 with no technique.
Synthesized
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on lucid dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucid Dreaming as a Treatment for Recurrent Nightmares People with recurrent nightmares | 2010 | Case study | n = 5 |
| Lucid dreaming: Correspondence between dreamed and actual events in one subject during rem sleep A lucid dreamer | 1984 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Lucid dreaming treatment for nightmares: A series of cases. Participants with nightmares | 2003 | Case series | n = 8 |
| Nightmares in the Context of PTSD Treated with Psychoeducation Regarding Lucid Dreaming 39-year-old male with a history of suicide attempts and psychiatric admissions | 2010 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Epigenetic Repair of Terrifying Lucid Dreams by Enhanced Brain Reward Functional Connectivity and Induction of Dopaminergic Homeostatic Signaling. Patients with known histories of substance abuse, childhood abuse, and PTSD | 2021 | Case series | n = 8 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 67
- Lucid Dreaming Verified by Volitional Communication during Rem Sleep Perceptual and Motor Skills June 1, 1981
- The cognitive neuroscience of lucid dreaming Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews March 14, 2019
- Consciousness, dreams and virtual realities Philosophical Psychology 1995
- The Phenomenology of Lucid Dreaming: An Online Survey The American Journal of Psychology April 21, 2014
- Varieties of Lucid Dreaming Experience Advances in Consciousness Research February 15, 2000
and 62 more in the library