Have you ever had the experience of flying through the clouds or even walking on water in a dream, only to find that it is not real, only to discover that you are still dreaming? This awareness is known as the state of lucid dreaming, which is both weird and exciting, as the dreamer is aware within his or her dream and in other cases it is possible to control the dream. What used to belong to the realm of fantasy has turned out to be one of the most intriguing topics in contemporary sleep research involving psychology, neuroscience, and the unlimited imagination of the human mind.
What Is Lucid Dreaming?
A lucid dream is a type of dream in which the individual is conscious of the fact that he or she is dreaming and still in the dream. Such awareness tends to enable the dreamer to control things about the dream — flying, calling people, altering the landscape, or even facing his or her fears. The concept of the term ‘lucid dreaming’ was coined by a Dutch psychiatrist, Frederik van Eede, in the year 1913, although people have been describing such experiences for thousands of years. Dreams where the dreamer was aware of dreaming were described in ancient writings of Buddhism and in writings of ancient Greek philosophers such as Aristotle. Although all of us dream at night, the occurrence of lucid dreams is rare.
Research indicates that approximately 55 per cent of individuals have at least, at some point in their lives, experienced one or more instances of a dream that was in the state of a complete awakening or full consciousness. Research shows that almost half of the population has had at least one dream while fully awake. Such dreams typically occur during REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, the period when the brain is most active.
What Happens in the Brain During Lucid Dreams
Lucid dreaming is not a figment of imagination; it is a fact that can be measured. Researchers on sleep patterns have discovered that whenever a human being attains the state of lucidity, some parts of the brain are awake, while others are in a dreaming condition. Specifically, self-awareness, decision-making, and logic-related activities, which happen through the prefrontal cortex, are abnormally active during a lucid dream.
This part tends to be mostly closed in most normal dreams, and this is the reason why our dream logic is as senseless as it can be at times — we may believe that a flying cat is our math teacher without even thinking twice about it. However, when experiencing complete lucidity, the prefrontal cortex partially reactivates, allowing the dreamer to realise that their experiences are not real.
Scientifically, the existence of the phenomenon of so-called lucid dreaming was proven by researcher Stephen LaBerge in the 1980s at Stanford University. He taught students, who were trained to enter a state of lucid dreaming upon realising they were dreaming, to perform specific eye movements, such as looking left-right-left-right. Eye muscles are not paralysed during REM sleep; hence, scientists could pick up these movements by putting them on a sleep-monitoring machine. The presence of those signals indicated that the dreamer was awake and was communicating in his or her dream.
The Mysteries Still Unsolved
Although there is a lot happening with the knowledge of the subject of lucid dreaming, there are still numerous questions that are enveloped in mystery. Scientists do not fully comprehend the reason for the occurrence of lucid dreams as well as the possible role of dreams in evolution. Is it just a trick of the mind, a by-product of a hyper-aroused brain or a more profound insight into the mechanics of self-consciousness?
There can be a more primitive explanation by others. Evolutionarily, the dreaming process could have evolved into some form of emotional and cognitive rehearsal. In the dreams, we are exposed to threats, solve problems and have strong emotions in a safe and simulated situation. The dreamer can improve this process by becoming lucid, practising social interaction, practising emotion control, or even by just facing fears. It is similar to the process of updating mental programmes when the body is asleep.
Nevertheless, some mysteries confront science itself. When the brain is in a lucid condition, it appears to be awake and asleep at the same time, which is a paradox. What about the same mind that is entirely engaged in fantasy being able to step out at the same time and see that fantasy is not true? This two-sided consciousness begs profound philosophical questions on the subject of consciousness itself. Does lucid dreaming represent a special state of mind, or does it point towards the possibility that all consciousness is layered, with some part of the brain continually watching the rest of the body we live in?
A Doorway Between Two Worlds
The field of lucid dreaming is on the border of science and imagination. It questions our perception of consciousness — it has no distinction between waking and sleeping, the real and the imagined. To its participants, the process of lucid dreaming is a trip into another dimension where the mind becomes materialised and reality is shaped at will. Lucid dreaming can be applied to creativity, healing or just curiosity, but it reminds us how strong and mysterious the human mind can be.
Each and every night, we build whole worlds with our brains without us noticing; in fact, we are lucky and get the opportunity of walking into one of these worlds when we are awake.