High-Level Control in Lucid Dreams
Alexandre Lemyre, Lidia Légaré-Bergeron, Roxanne B. Landry, Donald Garon, Annie Vallières
Imagination, Cognition and Personality March 8, 2020 DOI: 10.1177/0276236620909544 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 107 |
| Population | Adults who experience at least one lucid dream per year |
| Topics | Lucid dreaming |
| Citations | 14 |
| Key findings | Five categories of lucid dream control strategies were identified, comprising 35 specific strategies used during dreams and three used while awake. |
Abstract
The objective of the present study is to explore lucid dream control strategies (LDCSs) facilitating the production of outcomes that are impossible in the real world. Participants are 107 adults who experienced at least one lucid dream per year. They completed an online survey including an open question on LDCSs. Responses were analyzed using a content analysis method with a consensus approach. The results revealed five categories of LDCSs used within the lucid dreams: verbal strategies, strategies based on the use of the dream’s objects or environment, strategies based on the use of the oneiric body, strategies based on the management of emotions, and other strategies. Within these categories, 35 LDCSs were identified. These were used individually or in combination. Three additional LDCSs were used in waking. In conclusion, several LDCSs that were identified could be tested in the context of the lucid dream therapy for chronic nightmares.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on lucid dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dreamers as agents making strategizing efforts exemplify core aggregate of executive function in non-lucid dreaming Archived cross-cultural dreams | 2012 | Qualitative study using grounded theory | |
| Lucid music – A pilot study exploring the experiences and potential of music-making in lucid dreams. Musicians who reported lucid dreams involving playing instruments and singing | 2018 | Qualitative study | n = 5 |
| Exploring the range of reported dream lucidity Participants who implemented mnemonic training lucid dream induction methods at home | 2021 | Observational study with qualitative component | |
| Methods of Exploring Transpersonal Lucid Dreams: Ineffability and Creative Consciousness | 2020 | Mixed methods (quantitative, phenomenological, art-based inquiry) | |
| It's like a dance between the dreamer and the dream : supernatural agency in lucid dreaming Rêveurs lucides | 2026 | Thèse de doctorat (recherche mixte quantitative et qualitative) |
Citations in the library
Cited by 10
- Benefits and concerns of seeking and experiencing lucid dreams: benefits are tied to successful induction and dream control. SLEEP Advances 2022
- Partial memory reinstatement while (lucid) dreaming to change the dream environment. Consciousness and Cognition August 1, 2020
- Exploring the range of reported dream lucidity Philosophy and the Mind Sciences April 15, 2021
- Postural balance in frequent lucid dreamers: a replication attempt. Sleep July 11, 2022
- The Future of Parasomnias. Journal of Sleep Research October 1, 2025
and 5 more in the library
Cites 25
- Lucid Dreaming Treatment for Nightmares: A Pilot Study Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics 2006
- Lucid Dreaming as a Treatment for Recurrent Nightmares Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics February 18, 2010
- The Phenomenology of Lucid Dreaming: An Online Survey The American Journal of Psychology April 21, 2014
- Lucid dreaming incidence: A quality effects meta-analysis of 50 years of research Consciousness and Cognition June 20, 2016
- Testing the involvement of the prefrontal cortex in lucid dreaming: A tDCS study Consciousness and Cognition September 8, 2013
and 20 more in the library