The aim of this article is to envisage possible commonalities between shamanic rituals, incubation, meditation, lucid dreaming, and hypnosis – a well validated therapeutic tool, though misunderstood in the past and still underused. The topic is endowed with huge epistemological implications, calling for a transdisciplinary and transcultural approach, in order to properly understand the...
Chapter 15, “Working with Dreams and Other Non-Ordinary States,” explores gestalt dream work, breathwork, and psychedelic integration. Dream work is the most common non-ordinary state, and by bringing a dream to life in the here and now, we can create space for a client to become each element of the dream. This is a deeply integrative approach to working with dreams that can reveal a client&s;s...
The scientific study of lucid sleep, defined as the ability to retain critical self-awareness during ongoing sleep, has traditionally focused on lucid dreaming and induction techniques that specifically target REM sleep. Recently, interest has grown to include other forms of lucid sleep, such as out-of-body experiences, sleep paralysis, and “witnessing-sleep” episodes described in Indian...
The article explains the approaches of the world's most famous psychologists to dream analysis and discusses the benefits of dream analysis, as well as the difference between dream analysis and dream interpretation. The article primarily focuses on the Jungian approach to dream analysis and the approach in Gestalt therapy, emphasizing that each person's dream is unique and requires individual...
The dreams in Dostoevsky’s great novels provide a window into the consciousness of the characters, revealing the duality and conflict between reason and emotion, as well as deep philosophical and moral implications. From a psychoanalytic perspective, Dostoevsky’s dreams reveal the moral dilemmas and inner conflicts of the characters, and are more than just random manifestations of the...
Diese Dissertation untersucht, wie Realität während des Schlafs und in Übergangszuständen zwischen Wachsein und Schlaf wahrgenommen wird. Sie stellt vor: (1) ein konzeptionelles Modell zu außerkörperlichen Erfahrungen, Schlafparalyse und luzidem Träumen, (2) ein Induktionsprotokoll, (3) phänomenologische Analyse, (4) Schlaf-Staging, und (5) EEG-Korrelate. Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass...
Abstract In this perspectives piece we examine the role of dreaming in memory consolidation, the underlying neurobiological mechanisms of nightmares and the therapeutic potential of lucid dreaming for treating nightmares. Growing evidence suggests that dream content is shaped by both recent and remote memory sources, with non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep favoring the incorporation of recent...
Although mechanistic studies on Yoga and meditation have demonstrated their efficacy over the past few decades, very few studies have focused on the Yogic state of Samaadhi, characterized by an ultimate state of peace and happiness. In this study, we probed electrophysiological correlates of Samaadhi in a Yogi par excellence. This research was conducted in the 1980s and is now being brought to...
Fluctuations in the presence, experiential quality and contents of consciousness occur naturally during sleep and wakefulness and are core features of the healthy human mind. The purpose of this article is to consider the possibility that such fluctuations, including mind wandering and dreaming, which we refer to collectively as spontaneous thoughts and experiences (STE), may also be important...
This study investigated dream characteristics in women during the first trimester of pregnancy compared to a group of non-pregnant women, aiming to identify variables associated with the observed differences. A sample of 100 pregnant women in their first trimester was compared to a control group of 100 age-matched non-pregnant women. Participants completed online questionnaires to assess dream...