Experiences of self-continuity and self-discontinuity in dreams and its relation with the body and affectivity.

A stronger sense of self-continuity between dreaming and waking life is linked to positive dream emotions carrying over into waking life, and to a weaker experience of having a body distinct from one's waking body. More frequent experiences of being another person in dreams are associated with more frequent emotions felt as inappropriate to the dream context. No significant links were found between being another person in dreams and lucid dreaming, observer perspectives, or dream recall frequency. The findings point to connections between self-continuity and bodily and affective aspects of dreaming.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Research on the continuity and discontinuity between the waking and dreaming minds has largely focused on similarities and differences in waking and dream content. The present study expands this debate by examining another dimension: the relationship between the dream self and the waking self at the phenomenal level. Specifically, it investigates how bodily and affective dimensions of dream experience relate to individuals' experiences of self-continuity and self-discontinuity across wakefulness and dreaming. A sample of 302 participants completed self-report measures assessing experiences of self-(dis)continuity, including experiences of being another person, dream embodiment, dream affectivity, observer perspectives, lucid dreaming, and dream recall frequency. Results showed that stronger felt self-continuity between dreaming and waking was positively associated with experiences of positive-but not negative-dream emotions carrying over into waking life, and negatively associated with experiencing a body distinct from one's waking body. Conversely, more frequent experiences of being another person in dreams were associated with more frequent experiences of emotions perceived as inappropriate to the dream context. Contrary to expectations, no significant associations were found between experiences of being another person in dreams and lucid dreaming, observer perspectives, or dream recall frequency. These findings suggest convergent associations between experiences of self-(dis)continuity and bodily and affective dream phenomenology.