I did not expect to be dreaming: Explaining realization in lucid dreams with a Bayesian framework

Lucid dreaming—the experience of realizing one is dreaming while still asleep—can be explained through a Bayesian framework, which models how the brain updates beliefs based on sensory evidence. The account proposes that realization occurs when the brain's prior expectation of being awake is outweighed by accumulating evidence of dream inconsistencies, leading to a sudden shift in belief. This framework integrates findings from cognitive science and neuroscience, offering a unified explanation for the phenomenology of lucid dreaming without relying on supernatural or purely introspective accounts.

Study at a glance

Abstract

I did not expect to be dreaming: Explaining realization in lucid dreams with a Bayesian framework