The efficacy of a lucid dream induction (LDI) technique was evaluated. The results indicated that, among previously non-lucid dreamers, a significantly greater proportion of subjects who had access to the technique reported a lucid dream. This group also reported more lucid dreams overall than the control group. For prior lucid dreamers, the technique was found to increase the number of such dreams reported, relative to baseline levels. The LDI technique was incorporated into a treatment procedure for recurrent nightmares. This treatment method was found to be effective in three individuals, although not all of them achieved a lucid dream state. The empirical and clinical findings reported are discussed with respect to previous findings and future research directions are suggested.

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Six studies are presented whose combined goals were to investigate the relationship between the dimensions of repetition and negative affect in dreams, dream content measures, and measures of well-being. Study 1 presents the results of a content analysis of childhood and adult recurrent dreams. Study 2 showed that recurrent dreamers score lower on measures of well-being and report more negative dream content than both past-recurrent dreamers and non-recurrent dreamers. Study 3 showed that people who experience recurrent dream themes report low levels of well-being and negative dream content, but not to the extent shown by people with recurrent dreams. Underlying assumptions of commonly proposed definitions for nightmares were tested in Study 4. Study 5 showed that people with frequent nightmares score lower on indices of well-being than people with frequent bad dreams, who score lower than control subjects. Study 6 presents five cases of recurrent nightmare sufferers who were treated successfully with lucid dreaming.

abstract: Lucid dreaming occurs in those who become aware they are dreaming, while still in the dreaming state. Although lucid dreaming has been studied with respect to personality characteristics and as a learned cognitive skill to enhance well-being via processes such as mindfulness, less research has been conducted on relationships between lucid dreaming and emotion. I collected self-reports from a college sample of 262 participants to examine the relationships between lucidity experienced in dreams and emotion regulation, dispositional positive emotions, interoceptive awareness, and mindfulness. Pearson correlations revealed that greater lucidity experienced within dreams was significantly related to more positive emotions, greater interoceptive awareness, and greater mindfulness; however, lucidity was not related to emotion regulation. Furthermore, regression analyses revealed that greater lucidity experienced within dreams predicted more dispositional positive emotions above and beyond emotion regulation and interoceptive awareness. It is important to note that these relationships were tested across people who self-identified as lucid dreamers as well as those who identified as non-lucid dreamers. Overall, lucidity may be beneficial for anyone who recalls his or her dreams, in that higher lucidity was associated with more positive affect during waking. Positive emotions experienced during waking also may translate into greater awareness during dreaming. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Psychology 2016

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Dreams play an important role in consciousness studies, because of their ubiquitous presence but ambiguous nature. Dreams can be divided into two categories: non-lucid dreams and lucid dreams (i.e., dreams in which the dreamer knows he is dreaming). Lucid dreams are experiences with features of both waking and dreaming consciousness. In this essay, I review the differences in neural correlates between non-lucid dreams and lucid dreams. While both types of dreams share similar neural substrates, lucid dreams are especially accompanied by more activation in prefrontal areas. These areas are known to be involved in functions of secondary consciousness such as metacognition and volition. These findings are also echoed by verbal reports from lucid dreams. While the relationship metacognition and volition and lucid dreams is not yet fully clear, it seems that increased activation of metacognition and volition cause the dreamer to realize he is dreaming. Based on previous literature, I offer a conceptualization of dreams, in which a continuous variable, lucidity, can measure the degree to which metacognition and volition vary across dream types. I suggest that the transition between non-lucid and lucid dreams is a two-step process. The implications of this are discussed.

Lucid Dreaming (LD) is defined as the phenomenon of becoming consciously aware of dreaming while still dreaming. In sleep laboratory experiments LD has been verified to occur during REM sleep stage by proficient lucid dreamers who have signaled while becoming lucid through specific pre-determined eye-movements. Using this method, (lucid) dreamed activity has been shown to correlate with both psychophysiological and neurophysiological responses to those observable if the same activity was to be performed during wakefulness. LD has also shown potential to be of therapeutic value, in reducing recurrent nightmare frequency. Recurrent nightmare sufferers engaging in Lucid Dreaming Treatment (LDT) show reduced nightmare frequency after treatment. As such, LDT has been suggested to be effective in the treatment of posttraumatic nightmares in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The attitude and feeling of control provided by LDT has been shown to be fruitful also in fearful waking situations, indicating that LDT might be effective in disorders epitomized by fear.

<p>Lucid Dreaming (LD) is defined as the phenomenon of becoming consciously aware of dreaming while still dreaming. In sleep laboratory experiments LD has been verified to occur during REM sleep stage by proficient lucid dreamers who have signaled while becoming lucid through specific pre-determined eye-movements. Using this method, (lucid) dreamed activity has been shown to correlate with both psychophysiological and neurophysiological responses to those observable if the same activity was to be performed during wakefulness. LD has also shown potential to be of therapeutic value, in reducing recurrent nightmare frequency. Recurrent nightmare sufferers engaging in Lucid Dreaming Treatment (LDT) show reduced nightmare frequency after treatment. As such, LDT has been suggested to be effective in the treatment of posttraumatic nightmares in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The attitude and feeling of control provided by LDT has been shown to be fruitful also in fearful waking situations, indicating that LDT might be effective in disorders epitomized by fear.</p>

Lucida drömmar (LD) innebär att drömmaren inser, under drömmens gång, att omgivningen och händelserna runtomkring är en dröm och inger förmågan att kunna påverka och reflektera över händelserna i drömmen. I lucid dreaming treatment (LDT) får drömmaren lära sig att förändra mardrömmars händelseförlopp. Dock blir inte alla lucida och många tror att det är själva känslan av kontroll som ger en effekt. Studien kommer utforska om kontroll utgör en nyckelkomponent i LDT genom att undersöka sambandet mellan LD och locus of control (LoC), depression och subjektivt välbefinnande där LD verkar som en medierande variabel mellan å ena sidan LoC och å andra sidan depression samt subjektivt välbefinnande. Deltagarna (n = 54) i undersökningen har fyllt i formulär gällande frekvens av drömmar och LD samt formulären Rotter’s 29 item internal-external scale, Center for epidemiologic studies depression scale, International positive and negative affect schedule short form, Satisfaction with life scale och Pittsburgh sleep quality index. Undersökningen gav inte stöd för ställda hypoteserna att LD har en medierande effekt i sambandet mellan LoC och depression eller mellan LoC och subjektivt välbefinnande. Dock har den visat på en liten signifikant korrelation mellan högre frekvens av LD och högre grad av negativ affekt. Resultatet antyder att LD korrelerar med känslor, vilket bör undersökas vidare då affekt skulle kunna vara en komponent inom LDT via möjligheten att förändra känslor från negativa till positiva.

Research on the neural correlates of lucid dreaming has recently gained more underlying data. By exploring seven studies that investigated the neural basis of lucid dreaming, this essay sought to examine which neural correlates are associated with lucid dreaming and how proposed neural correlates relate to phenomenological aspects. Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) was judged as the region most associated with lucid dreaming, in support of a DLPFC hypothesis. Support for reactivation of DLPFC in lucid dreaming consisted of data from electroencephalography, functional magnetic resonance imaging, and transcranial direct current stimulation. Phenomenological aspects associated with this region involved meta-awareness, working-memory, decision-making, and conscious perception. Other regions of interest were parietal areas, frontal areas, and precuneus. Data was not always compatible, implying need for further research. The possibility of further research was judged as promising, based on a recent study inducing lucid dreaming in a significant percent of its test subjects.