A comparison of dream recall in wakefulness and hypnosis.
International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis April 1, 1967 DOI: 10.1080/00207146708407510 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study (three related experiments) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Hypnosis |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Key findings | Dreams from the previous night were recalled more readily under hypnosis than in the waking state, and waking recall was significantly higher when waking followed hypnosis than when it preceded it. The authors suggest that shared thought processes between sleep dreaming and hypnosis account for the improved recall. |
Abstract
The state of consciousness during recall of dreams is an important variable that has not been sufficiently studied, as it might throw light on the recovery process itself. Data from 3 related experiments are presented in which the recall of natural dreams of the previous night is compared for hypnosis and the waking state. The findings support the hypothesis that dreams are more readily recalled in hypnosis than in the waking state. The waking state following hypnosis shows significantly more dream recalls than when waking state precedes hypnosis. This indicates that once hypnosis brings about the recall of a dream, dream memory remains more readily available. It is suggested that the similarity in the nature of the thought processes underlying the dreaming state of sleep and hypnosis is responsible for the improved recall.
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 |
| 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 | |
| The Dream Catcher experiment: blinded analyses failed to detect markers of dreaming consciousness in EEG spectral power. Human participants during sleep | 2020 | Experimental study with blinded classification | n = 9 |