Can a microdynamic approach to sleep-onset imagery solve the overabundance problem of dreaming? Commentary on Tore Nielsen's "Microdream neurophenomenology".
Neuroscience of Consciousness 2019 DOI: 10.1093/nc/niz005 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Keywords | Imagery Sleep and dreaming Sleep onset |
| Citations | 8 |
| Key points | Argues that while a subset of microdreams might not fulfill the conditions to count as even minimal dreams, their investigation can help address key questions in dream research and may constitute a distinctive pathway to the generation of full-fledged dreaming. |
Abstract
Nielsen proposes that a microdynamic approach to experiences occurring in the earliest stages of sleep onset, which he calls microdreams, can shed light on the process of dream imagery formation. I discuss microdreams in the context of simulation views, in which dreaming is defined as the immersive experience of a virtual world centered on a virtual self. I also evaluate his proposal to expand the dimensions included in the oneiragogic spectrum by kinesis. I conclude that while a subset of microdreams might not fulfill the conditions to count as even minimal dreams, their investigation can nonetheless help address key questions in dream research and may even constitute a distinctive pathway to the generation of full-fledged dreaming.
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 4
- How deep is the rift between conscious states in sleep and wakefulness? Spontaneous experience over the sleep–wake cycle Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences December 13, 2020
- Tests for consciousness in humans and beyond. Trends in Cognitive Sciences March 1, 2024
- Consciousness in sleep: How findings from sleep and dream research challenge our understanding of sleep, waking, and consciousness Philosophy Compass April 1, 2020
- Studying dream experience through dream reports: Points of contact between dream research and first-person methods in consciousness science
Cites 10
- The body unbound: Vestibular–motor hallucinations and out-of-body experiences Cortex June 6, 2008
- Dreaming: a conceptual framework for philosophy of mind and empirical research Choice Reviews Online January 20, 2016
- Varieties of Lucid Dreaming Experience Advances in Consciousness Research February 15, 2000
- Microdream neurophenomenology. Neuroscience of Consciousness 2017
- Consciousness and Dreams March 15, 2018
and 5 more in the library