Deliberate Presleep Control of Dream Content: An Experimental Study
M. L. Griffin, D. Foulkes
Perceptual and Motor Skills October 1, 1977 DOI: 10.2466/pms.1977.45.2.660 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 29 |
| Population | 29 subjects attempting to influence their dreams |
| Intervention | presleep suggestion |
| Duration | 10 nights |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Key findings | Four judges could not identify subjects' target dream suggestions from dream material at better than chance levels, indicating no reliable evidence that conscious presleep suggestions become incorporated into dream content. |
Abstract
29 subjects attempted, over a period of 10 nights, to influence their dreams using techniques described in Garfield's book, Creative Dreaming (1974). A target suggestion was selected from a list of six suggestions compiled by, or for, each subject. Subjects kept daily records during the experiment both of their efforts at dream influence and of the dreams they recalled. Four judges attempted to identify from the dream material the target suggestion on each subject's suggestion list. The results indicated that the judges were unable to do so at better than chance levels. Thus analysis indicated no reliable evidence that conscious presleep suggestions become incorporated into dream content.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on 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 |
| Slow Wave Sleep Dreaming Fifty volunteers sleeping in a sleep laboratory | 1992 | Observational study with counterbalanced within-subject awakenings | n = 50 |
| Incorporation of concern- and nonconcern-related verbal stimuli into dream content. Seven male subjects studied during sleep Stages 2 and REM | 1981 | Experimental study | n = 7 |
| 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 |