Dreaming as a physiological psychosis
Armando D'Agostino, Ivan Limosani, Silvio Scarone
Advances in Consciousness Research October 28, 2010 DOI: 10.1075/aicr.79.29dag (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Key points | Argues that dreaming and psychosis share core features and that inducing lucidity in dreams may help understand and treat acute psychoses. |
Abstract
Periodicity, hallucinatory phenomena and lack of awareness of one’s detachment from reality seem to connect the subjective experience of dreaming to that of psychosis. Both can be considered fully conscious states of the brain/mind, with an immediate influence of non-conscious elements caused by an impaired interaction with the external world. Psychological and pharmacological induction of lucidity in dreams may prove useful in the comprehension of acute psychoses and in clinical practice.