Those Who Walk Beyond the Threshold
Dreams, Narrative, and Liminal Cognition February 10, 2026 DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780198878117.003.0007 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Survey-based comparative analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Lucid dreamers, spiritualists, and tulpamancers |
| Key findings | Lucid dreaming may be associated with a general propensity to hallucinatory states involving the body, via a changed relationship to the bodily self. |
Abstract
Abstract Lucid dreaming refers to the awareness that one is experiencing a dream, which for some may also include being able to control actions in events in the dreamworld. In recent years there has been growing interest in the experimental possibilities of lucid dreaming, and its potential benefits for health and wellbeing. But who are the lucid dreamers, and how do they have (or learn) this proclivity? This chapter draws on the data from the Threshold Worlds survey, alongside comparisons with two other groups of people who traverse the typical boundaries of self, other, and agency: spiritualists and tulpamancers. It argues that lucid dreaming may be associated with a general propensity to hallucinatory states involving the body, via a changed relationship to the bodily self.