Differences in Recumbent, Ecstatic Trance Postures in Terms of Dream Recall, Imagined Interactions, and Heart Rate
James M. Honeycutt
Imagination, Cognition and Personality November 27, 2017 DOI: 10.1177/0276236617743006 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Measures | heart rate, heart rate variability |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Key findings | Ecstatic posture while recalling dreams is associated with changes in both heart rate and heart rate variability, but whether the effect is positive or negative depends on the function of the imagined interaction (II) occurring in the dream. The six II functions examined are rehearsal, relational maintenance, catharsis, conflict-linkage, self-understanding, and compensation. |
Abstract
Research has demonstrated the health benefits of a wide range of spiritual practices such as meditation and prayer, and similar nonspiritual practices like mindfulness. Shamanism is a spiritual practice that uses dream recall during ecstatic trances, and scientific research has shown health benefits of dream recall. Researchers have long realized the importance of intrapersonal communication occurring in daydreams, called imagined interactions (IIs), and recently extended the theory to include night dreams. IIs serve six functions: rehearsal, relational maintenance, catharsis, conflict-linkage, self-understanding, and compensation. This study investigates the health effects of ecstatic posture on dream recall in conjunction with the functions of IIs. Results indicate that ecstatic posture while recalling dreams is associated with both heart rate and heart rate variability. However, the II function determines whether the effect is positive or negative.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucid Dreaming: a State of Consciousness with Features of Both Waking and Non-Lucid Dreaming Student volunteers trained to become lucid and signal lucidity with horizontal eye... | 2009 | Observational study | n = 6 |
| Nightmare Prevalence, Nightmare Distress, and Self-Reported Psychological Disturbance Young adults with a mean age of 20 years | 2002 | Prospective observational study | n = 116 |
| Long-term effects of extreme situational stress on sleep and dreaming Survivors of traumatic events who complained of sleep disturbances, compared with... | 1987 | Case-control study | n = 11 |
| The relationship of nightmare frequency and nightmare distress to well‐being Adults who reported dreams | 2004 | Observational cohort | n = 147 |
| Dreaming in NREM Sleep: A High-Density EEG Study of Slow Waves and Spindles Healthy human subjects | 2018 | Observational cohort | n = 14 |