Lucid dream

For other uses, see Lucid Dream (disambiguation).

In the psychology subfield of oneirology, a lucid dream is a type of dream wherein the dreamer realizes that they are dreaming during their dream. The capacity to have lucid dreams is a trainable cognitive skill.[1] During a lucid dream, the dreamer may gain some amount of volitional control over the dream characters, narrative, or environment, although this control of dream content is not the salient feature of lucid dreaming.[2][3][4][5] An important distinction is that lucid dreaming is a distinct type of dream from other types of dreams such as prelucid dreams and vivid dreams, although prelucid dreams are a precursor to lucid dreams, and lucid dreams are often accompanied with enhanced dream vividness. Lucid dreams are also distinct state from other lucid boundary sleep states such as lucid hypnagogia or lucid hypnopompia.

In formal psychology, lucid dreaming has been studied and reported for many years. Prominent figures from ancient to modern times have been fascinated by lucid dreams and have sought ways to better understand their causes and purpose. Many different theories have emerged as a result of scientific research on the subject.[6][7] Further developments in psychological research have pointed to ways in which this form of dreaming may be utilized as a therapeutic technique.[8]

The term lucid dream was coined by Dutch author and psychiatrist Frederik van Eeden in his 1913 article A Study of Dreams,[5] though descriptions of dreamers being aware that they are dreaming predate the article.[5]

Psychologist Stephen LaBerge is widely considered the progenitor and leading pioneer of modern lucid dreaming research.[9] He is the founder of the Lucidity Institute at Stanford University.

  1. ^ La Berge, Stephen P. (1980). "Lucid Dreaming as a Learnable Skill: A Case Study". Perceptual and Motor Skills. 51 (3_suppl2): 1039–1042. doi:10.2466/pms.1980.51.3f.1039. ISSN 0031-5125.
  2. ^ Kahan T.; LaBerge S. (1994). "Lucid dreaming as metacognition:implications for cognitive science". Consciousness and Cognition. 3 (2): 246–64. doi:10.1006/ccog.1994.1014. S2CID 54332622.
  3. ^ Adrienne Mayor (2005). Fossil Legends Of The First Americans. Princeton University Press. p. 402. ISBN 978-0-691-11345-6. Retrieved 29 April 2013. The term "lucid dreaming" to describe the technique of controlling dreams and following them to a desired conclusion was coined by the 19th-century Dutch psychiatrist Frederik van Eeden.
  4. ^ Lewis Spence; Nandor Fodor (1985). Encyclopedia of occultism & parapsychology. Vol. 2. Gale Research Co. p. 617. ISBN 978-0-8103-0196-2. Archived from the original on 20 March 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2013. Dr. Van Eeden was an author and physician who sat with the English medium Mrs. R. Thompson and was also ... 431) in which he used the term "lucid dream" to indicate those conditions in which the dreamer is aware that they are dreaming.
  5. ^ a b c Eeden, Frederik. "A Study of Dreams". lucidity.com. Archived from the original on 2019-10-08. Retrieved 2018-04-23.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Prescott, Virginia (2013-12-04). "Lucid Dream Research Goes Mainstream". New Hampshire Public Radio. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  8. ^ Zadra, Antonio L.; Pihl, Robert O. (1997). "Lucid Dreaming as a Treatment for Recurrent Nightmares". Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. 66 (1): 50–55. doi:10.1159/000289106. ISSN 1423-0348. PMID 8996716.
  9. ^ Robb, Alice (November 20, 2018). "Lucid Dreaming: This Retreat Can Train Your Nighttime Visions". Wired (magazine). Retrieved May 21, 2024.