Dreaming and Waking Consciousness

Autonoetic (self-knowing) consciousness is distinguished from noetic (fact-knowing) dreaming within the Multistate Hierarchical Model of Consciousness. The two develop in tandem in children aged 5–7 and 9–11, revealing both similarities and differences. Lucid dreaming—awareness of dreaming while dreaming—is explained as a small atypical expansion of the neurocognitive network supporting dreaming. Because that network lacks the capabilities of the consciousness network, three unexpected findings from quantitative dream studies are explained: the rare inclusion of episodic memories in dreams, the apparent absence of figurative thinking and symbolism, and the relative infrequency of emotions compared to waking thought and traditional beliefs.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This chapter provides a detailed explanation for self-knowing (autonoetic) consciousness, based on the Multistate Hierarchical Model of Consciousness. This full statement of the theory makes it possible to explain more fully how autonoetic consciousness differs from dreaming, which is a form of noetic (fact-knowing) consciousness. The relationship between autonoetic consciousness and noetic dreaming is further demonstrated by showing how they develop in tandem in children between the ages of 5–7 and 9–11, which further establishes both their similarities and differences. Within the context of the multistate hierarchical model of consciousness, the rare occurrence of awareness that one is dreaming while still dreaming—called lucid dreaming—can be explained in terms of a small atypical expansion in the neurocognitive network that supports dreaming. The fact that the neurocognitive network that supports dreaming does not have the same capabilities as the consciousness network has, which provides a pathway for explaining three unexpected and contentious findings in quantitative studies of dream content—the rare inclusion of episodic memories in dreams, the apparent absence of figurative thinking and symbolism from dreaming, and the relatively infrequency of emotions in dream content, when compared to waking thought and traditional beliefs about dreams.