Dreaming research published in 2026 (page 6)

The Distressing Dream Content Inventory: Development and Initial Validation in Acute Trauma Patients.

Journal of Sleep Research March 17, 2026

The Distressing Dream Content Inventory: Development and Initial Validation in Acute Trauma Patients.

Inducing Lucid Dreaming Based on a Contemplative Practice of Compassion

Brain Sciences March 16, 2026 Daniel J Morris, Susana Gabriela Torres-Platas, Karen R Konkoly et al. 1 citation

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Lucid dreaming-dreaming with the awareness that one is dreaming-has been explored from many perspectives, including those of cognitive neuroscience and various ancient cultural traditions. Lucid dreaming appears within the Tibetan-Buddhist literature together with dream yoga, a set of contemplative practices aimed at cultivating lucidity during dreams along with other...

DOI: 10.3390/brainsci16030315 Lucid dream Mindfulness Contemplation Compassion +8

Dream content and slow waves benefit prey against predator in a video game confrontation

Scientific Reports March 13, 2026 Daniel Soares Brandão, Rafael N. B. Scott, Ernesto Soares et al.

Every studied animal species exhibits some form of sleep, a state evolved under the sustained influence of prey and predator behaviors. Dreams have been proposed to have evolved as offline mental simulations able to warn against impending threats from the environment, such as predators. To assess how the ecological roles of prey and predator interact with sleep and dreaming, we used a...

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-42759-7 Full text Lucid dream Predation Proxy statistics Content measure theory +7

Effects of Prazosin and Other Alpha-1 Adrenergic Antagonist Drugs on Nightmares and Sleep Disturbances in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology March 12, 2026 Olga Y. Ponomareva, Sean R. Stetson, Bruce Meltzer et al.

PURPOSE/BACKGROUND: Chronic insomnia causes malaise and is associated with depression, irritability, cognitive impairment, impaired alertness, and substance abuse. Individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often have both inadequate and fragmented sleep, putting them at elevated risk for these consequences. Sleep abnormalities in patients with PTSD include frequent trauma-related...

DOI: 10.1097/jcp.0000000000002164 Prazosin Posttraumatic stress Adrenergic antagonist Sleep system call +3

The evolution of sex differences in competitive and social dream content.

Hormones and Behavior March 9, 2026 Zachary B. Grant, Aisha Mir, Lampros Perogamvros et al.

Why do we dream? Evolutionary theories suggest that dreams may confer a fitness advantage by simulating real-world challenges. Simulation-based models suggest that dreams serve adaptive functions, including resolving emotional stress and enhancing readiness for waking encounters. From this perspective, evidence of evolutionary pressures reflected in dream content would support the view that...

DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2026.105916 Full text

When the Dream Setting Becomes Frightening: Validation of a Oneiric Scenario Scale for Dreams and Nightmares. [Cuando el Escenario del Sueño Da Miedo: Validación de una Escala de Escenarios Oníricos para Sueños y Pesadillas]

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) March 6, 2026 Iñigo Saez-Uribarri preprint

Introduction: Evolutionary threat simulation theories posit that dreams and nightmares recreate risk scenarios that activate cognitive systems with potential clinical implications. Having a scale to assess these scenarios—or “oneiric settings”—could help to understand and test these theories, while also proving useful for the assessment of dreams and nightmares. Objectives: To examine the...

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18926117

Brain Temperatures, Activation Patterns, and Dreaming

March 5, 2026 G. William Domhoff

This chapter demonstrates exactly how well the adaptive inactivity theory of sleep explains several unusual features of human sleep, which were not fully known and understood before the publication in 2015 of a longitudinal study of sleep in three indigenous societies without electricity. These indigenous groups sleep on average only 5–7 hours a night, and they sleep longer in the winter than...

DOI: 10.4324/9781003732969-7 Central nervous system Perspective graphical Feature linguistics

Dreaming and Waking Consciousness

March 5, 2026 G. William Domhoff

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...

DOI: 10.4324/9781003732969-9 Lucid dream Consciousness Neurocognitive Context archaeology +9

Effect of Bedtime Mobile Phone Scrolling on Sleep Latency and Dream Recall among Paramedical Students

National Board of Examinations Journal of Medical Sciences March 5, 2026 S Sudharsan, NR Hemalatha, R Vidya

Background: Excessive use of mobile phones before bedtime has emerged as a growing concern among young adults, particularly students, due to its potential impact on sleep quality and circadian rhythm. Exposure to screen-based light and cognitive stimulation during the pre-sleep period may delay sleep onset and alter sleep-related experiences such as dream recall. Objectives: To assess the...

DOI: 10.61770/nbejms.2026.v04.i03.007 Full text Dream recall Mobile phone use Sleep latency Sleep quality +2

Technologies of Hypnagogia: Altered Perception and Religions in Avant-Garde Electronic Music

Religions March 5, 2026 Jason Bivins

One important element of twentieth-century avant-garde composition is the intersection between advances in technology and transformations in religious consciousness and experience. This piece argues that the lineage from John Cage through Pierre Schaeffer, Pauline Oliveros, Alvin Lucier, Eliane Radigue, and William Basinski make for a compelling addition to the study of religion and sound/music.

DOI: 10.3390/rel17030324 Perception Consciousness Element criminal law Intersection aeronautics +6

明晰夢の体験頻度と悪夢の頻度、夢見における感覚別、感情別体験頻度との関連 ―大学生を対象とした24年間の調査結果をもとに―

Institutional Repositories DataBase March 2, 2026 Hitoshi Okada

I investigated individual differences in the frequency of lucid dreams experienced by university students and related factors. In Study 1, approximately 700 university students were surveyed regarding lucid dreams, nightmares, the frequency of sensory experiences in dreams, vividness and control of imagery, fantasy proneness, and nightmare distress. Results indicated that the frequency of lucid...

DOI: 10.15034/0002002530 Full text Lucid dream Nightmare Synesthesia Distressing +2

“The Persistent Monster.” Coronavirus Nightmares and Capitalist Crisis in New York City

Anthropology of Consciousness March 1, 2026 Sergio Palencia Frener

ABSTRACT In March–May 2020, New York City's college students suffered sudden lockdown due to the COVID‐19 pandemic and a mandatory transition from in‐person classes to virtual meetings. Unexpectedly, my introductory course to anthropology transformed into a collective space to share experiences of the city in times of crisis. This article examines in‐class conversations on nightmares and the...

DOI: 10.1111/anoc.70021

Immersive NREM2 dreaming preserves subjective sleep depth against declining sleep pressure.

PLoS Biology March 1, 2026 Adriana Michalak, Davide Marzoli, Francesco Pietrogiacomi et al.

Perceived sleep depth is a key determinant of subjective sleep quality, traditionally thought to reflect unconsciousness and reduced cortical activation. Here, we combined high-density EEG with a serial awakening paradigm during NREM2 (N2) sleep in healthy human participants to examine its neural and experiential correlates. As expected, deeper sleep was associated with reduced cortical...

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3003683 Full text

Connecting the Dots: How Lucid Dreaming and Daily Behavior Interact

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) February 28, 2026 Ava Sedighian preprint

The focus of this study is to learn how lucid dreaming can be used to change dream content in a way that is beneficial for the participant. The research delves into the benefits of lucid dreaming, as well as common techniques for lucidity. Furthermore, the study analyzes the positive impact of becoming lucid as a way to treat nightmares. Finally, the researcher shows data that was collected...

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18815799 Lucid dream Focus optics Perspective graphical Content measure theory +3

DARC-NESS: a mastery-based cognitive-behavioral model for treating chronic nightmares in youth

Frontiers in Sleep February 27, 2026 Lisa DeMarni Cromer, Emily Kaier Cromwell, Lauren Prince et al.

Theories of chronic nightmare maintenance highlight dysfunctional beliefs about sleep and nightmares, distress and arousal, anticipatory anxiety, maladaptive sleep habits, and sleep deprivation as perpetuating factors that maintain nightmare disorder over time. Theories of nightmare treatment suggest that self-efficacy is a common factor in nightmare mitigation. The current article introduces...

DOI: 10.3389/frsle.2026.1772987 Nightmare Psychological intervention Dysfunctional family Distress +13

Exploring the link between synesthesia and lucid dreaming through perceptual presence

Frontiers in Psychology February 26, 2026 Eiko Matsuda

This study investigates links between synesthesia and lucid dreaming via perceptual presence and counterfactual-richness (abundant possible sensorimotor contingencies). We hypothesized that synesthetes would report more frequent lucid dreams because enhanced counterfactual-richness facilitates dream control and clarity. We surveyed 616 adults using a synesthesia self-report, the Lucidity and...

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1733841 Lucid dream Synesthesia Perception Openness to experience +7

Between Sleep and Liberation in Indian Traditions: Lucid Dreaming, Out-of-Body Experiences, and the Architectures of Liminal Consciousness

Religions February 24, 2026 Youngsun Yang

This article examines the theoretical and practical frameworks surrounding liminal states of consciousness—specifically lucid dreaming and out-of-body experiences (OBEs)—within Indian religious and philosophical traditions. Through a comparative analysis of Vedāntic, Yogic, Buddhist, and Jain systems, the article argues that these states are not merely anomalous psychological events but...

DOI: 10.3390/rel17030279 Meditation Lucid dream Buddhism Liminality +11

Neuroticism and Openness as Predictors of Social Readjustment and Nightmare Distress among Middle-Aged Adults

The critical review of social sciences studies February 19, 2026 Hira Ashiq, Saima Bano, Muhammad Adeeb et al.

The present study examined neuroticism and openness as predictors of social readjustment and nightmare distress among middle-aged adults. A sample of 205 adults aged 35 to 60 years completed the Big Five Inventory (BFI), the Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS), and the Nightmare Distress Questionnaire (NDQ). Correlational findings indicated that neuroticism was positively associated with...

DOI: 10.59075/hhh32813 Nightmare Anxiety Neuroticism Openness to experience +6

Physiological markers of Trauma-related nightmares among military personnel suffering from PTSD: A multicenter home-recording study.

Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences February 14, 2026

Aim: Despite being one of the most disabling symptoms of post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)—disrupting sleep continuity, reinforcing hyperarousal, and worsening psychiatric comorbidity—the physiological signature of Trauma‐related nightmares (TRNs) under naturalistic sleep conditions remains poorly characterized. Methods: We used home‐based, multi‐sensor devices from the SOMMEPT cohort to...

DOI: 10.1111/pcn.70038 Full text

Dreaming Spirits

February 10, 2026 Adam Powell

Abstract This chapter examines the interaction of four variables captured qualitatively and quantitatively in the Threshold Worlds dream survey: religious identity (or religiousness), religious dreams, hypnagogia, and absorption. Drawing on participants’ examples of religious dreams and hallucinatory experiences during liminal states of consciousness, the complex correlations and relationships...

DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780198878117.003.0003 Liminality Dialectic Dream Affordance +9

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