Skip to content

Highly effective verified lucid dream induction using combined cognitive-sensory training and wearable EEG: a multi-centre study

Claudia Picard-Deland, Mahdad Jafarzadeh Esfahani, Leila Anna Christina Salvesen, Tobi Matzek, Ema Demšar, Tinke Van Buijtene, Victoria Libucha, Cosimo Cecconi, Bianca Pedreschi, Paul Zerr, Nico Adelhöfer, Emma Peters, Sarah F. Schoch, Giulio Bernardi, Michelle Carr, Martin Dresler

bioRxiv June 27, 2024 preprint DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.21.600133 (opens in new tab)

Relevant Not relevant

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Multi-center experimental study with counterbalanced stimulation and sham conditions
Sample size 60
Population Adults with varying lucid dreaming experience (33 female; mean age 26.5 ± 6.2 years)
Interventions visual auditory
Duration Two morning naps
Measures signal-verified lucid dream (SVLD), intentional eye movements
Topics Lucid dreaming
Key findings The combined SSILD and REM cueing method produced signal-verified lucid dreams in 51.7% of participants and subjective lucidity in 52.5% of naps. Cueing did not increase lucidity rates over sham (38.3% vs 28.3%), but lucid dreams were longer and had more eye movements with cues. The authors suggest cues may help prolong lucid episodes, though clear benefits of REM cueing over SSILD alone were not shown.

Abstract

Lucid dreaming occurs when one is aware of dreaming while asleep. While lucid dreaming can occur spontaneously, it remains rare. This multi-center study (Netherlands, Italy, Canada) tested a combined induction approach integrating senses-initiated lucid dreaming (SSILD) with targeted lucidity reactivation in a large sample of participants with varying lucid dreaming experience. Sixty participants (33 F; 26.5 ±6.2 years old) completed two morning naps in the sleep laboratory. Participants received pre-sleep SSILD training paired with visual, auditory, and tactile cues that were then reintroduced in REM sleep, with stimulation and sham conditions counterbalanced. Lucidity and cue perception were verified using intentional eye movements from within the dream (signal-verified lucid dream, SVLD). SVLDs occurred in 31 participants (51.7%) across both naps. Subjective lucidity occurred in 63 naps (52.5%), including 40 SVLDs (33.3%) with no difference between stimulation (38.3%) and sham (28.3%) conditions. However, SVLD duration and number of predefined eye movements were higher with sensory cueing. Cues were perceived within sleep in most cued REM periods (71.1%), sometimes acting as lucidity signals (39.1% of stim SVLDs) and occasionally disrupting sleep (23.7% of cued periods). Overall, our combined cognitive-sensory induction method produced relatively high lucid dreaming rates, even in participants who rarely experience them. While cues were sometimes perceived as lucidity signals and may help prolong lucid episodes, our results do not show clear benefits of REM cueing over SSILD training alone. Further refinement of these methods may support clinical applications and deepen insight into consciousness and sensory processing during sleep.

Comparable studies

Other experimental studies on lucid dreaming, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Lucid Dreaming Verified by Volitional Communication during Rem Sleep Selected subjects proficient in lucid dreaming 1981 Experimental study n = 5
Lucid Dreaming and Alpha Activity: A Preliminary Report Good dream recallers 1982 Experimental study n = 10
Lucid dreaming during NREM sleep: Two case reports 2012 Sleep laboratory study
Time for actions in lucid dreams: effects of task modality, length, and complexity Proficient lucid dreamers 2014 Experimental study n = 21
Combining presleep cognitive training and REM-sleep stimulation in a laboratory morning nap for lucid dream induction. Participants who came to the laboratory for a nap session at 7:30 am or 11:00 am,... 2020 Controlled laboratory experiment

Citations in the library

Cited by 3

Related reading

Explore topics

Lucid dreaming Dreaming Philosophy of mind