Religious Cognition in Dreams
Michelle Carr, Kennedy Robertson
March 31, 2026 DOI: 10.4324/9781003158189-7 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study |
|---|---|
| Population | Expert lucid dreamers |
| Topics | Lucid dreaming |
| Keywords | Consciousness Religious experience Spirituality Meaning existential Spiritual practice Scholarship Agency philosophy Epistemology Theism Discernment Phenomenology philosophy Embodied cognition Reductionism Subconscious Perception Cognitive psychology Self |
| Key findings | Argues that lucid dreaming offers a natural altered state of consciousness where divine encounters can occur, and that the phenomenology of these experiences is shaped by an individual's intention, control, and interpretation. |
Abstract
Dreams have long served as a bridge between human cognition and the sacred, offering spaces where the boundaries of self, culture, and spirituality are renegotiated. Across history, they have been regarded not only as private experiences but also as vehicles of prophecy, divine affirmation, and symbolic meaning that shape religious worldviews. Whether in theistic traditions, where dreams have conveyed the voice of God, or non-theistic orientations, where they have guided individuals toward meaning or enlightenment, dreaming has functioned as a powerful medium of religious cognition. Contemporary scholarship has extended these insights by exploring how dreams reflect and reinforce pre-existing beliefs. Neurocognitive perspectives have proposed that altered states of consciousness can give rise to experiences of supernatural agency, interactions with otherworldly figures (Peters, 2021). Some suggest lucid dreaming, where a dreamer becomes aware that they are dreaming, offers a natural altered state of consciousness where such divine encounters can occur. Empirical studies demonstrate that the phenomenology of these experiences is shaped by an individual’s intention, control, and interpretation. This chapter considers how cultural frameworks, spiritual practices, and personal belief systems inform dream encounters, and then situates our own qualitative exploration of lucid dream agency within this broader context. In particular, we provide two illustrative case studies of expert lucid dreamers’ encounters with the divine, and further enumerate the broad range of supernatural agents generated within lucid dreams in our study. In doing so, we emphasize the enduring role of dreams as sites where cognition and religion meet, and where individuals make sense of the sacred through the creative landscapes of the dreaming mind.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on lucid dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| High-Level Control in Lucid Dreams Adults who experience at least one lucid dream per year | 2020 | Qualitative study | n = 107 |
| Dreamers as agents making strategizing efforts exemplify core aggregate of executive function in non-lucid dreaming Archived cross-cultural dreams | 2012 | Qualitative study using grounded theory | |
| Lucid music – A pilot study exploring the experiences and potential of music-making in lucid dreams. Musicians who reported lucid dreams involving playing instruments and singing | 2018 | Qualitative study | n = 5 |
| Exploring the range of reported dream lucidity Participants who implemented mnemonic training lucid dream induction methods at home | 2021 | Observational study with qualitative component | |
| Methods of Exploring Transpersonal Lucid Dreams: Ineffability and Creative Consciousness | 2020 | Mixed methods (quantitative, phenomenological, art-based inquiry) |