Lucid dreams - UCSD Cognitive Science
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Transcript Lucid dreams - UCSD Cognitive Science
Lucid Dreams
Group 10 : Chi-Hang Lau, Anita Leung, Clarisse
Miguel, Elisa Tsan, Alistair Wong
COGS 175
Dr. Pineda
March 3, 2008
Presentation Outline
Introduction : What are Lucid Dreams?
Characteristics
(Anita)
Experimental Evidence and Techniques
Induction of Lucid Dreams
Applications
(Clarisse)
(Alistair)
(Alistair, Chi-Hang)
Conclusion/Discussion
(Together)
(Elisa, Clarisse)
What is a Lucid Dream?
The “Conscious” Dream
Knowing you are dreaming, when you are
dreaming.
An Alternate State of Consciousness?
Becoming conscious during sleep
A Brief History
Aristotle’s On Dreams
St. Augustine, A.D. 415
Tibetan Buddhists
(8th Century)
‘Dream’ Yoga - reaching the ‘light’
The Marquis d’Hervey de Saint-Denys
wrote Dreams and the Means to Direct Them (1867)
Frederik Willems van Eeden
coined ‘lucid dream’ (1913)
Characteristics of Lucid
Dreams
Full awareness of dream state
(consciously and perceptually)
Ability to make free decisions
in the dream
Memory functions as if in
waking life
i.e. Full memory of all lucid dream
experiences in waking state as well as
during lucid dream state
Awareness of the meaning of
symbols
Important Brain Areas
Involved in Lucid Dreaming
Dorsal lateral prefrontal
cortex
Dietrich
While non-lucid dreaming, PET
studies show a large deactivation
of areas in DL
Contrary, in lucid dreaming,
there is DL activation (Hobson 2001)
Inferior parietal lobe
LaBerge
Showed increases in inferior
parietal lobe activity in lucid
dreaming, an area known to
involve consciousness
Stages of Sleep
NREM (non-rapid eye movement)
Stage
Stage
Stage
Stage
1: theta waves
2: sleep spindles and k complexes
3: delta waves (<50% total wave patterns)
4: delta waves (>50% total wave patterns)
REM (rapid eye movement)
Tonic: persistent sleep events (striated and
desynchronized muscle inhibition)
Phasic: intermittent sleep events (rapid eye movements,
muscle twitches)
Polysomnographic recordings
EEG : electrical activity from brain via electrodes on
scalp
EOG (electrooculogram) : resting potential of retina
EMG (electromyogram) : muscular activity
FP (finger plethysmograph): blood flow
Spectral Analysis
delta (1-4 Hz)
theta (5-7 Hz)
alpha (8-12 Hz)
beta-1 (13-19 Hz)
beta-2 (20-29 Hz)
Physiological Differences (Holzinger
et al. 2006)
epochs of lucid dreaming associated with
more beta-1 activity than non-lucid
dreaming
Beta-1 activity ratios
Frontal : parietal
Non-lucid = 1.00 : 1.16
Lucid
= 1.00 : 1.77
Hemispheric differences
highest increase in left parietal lobe (an area associated
with semantic capacity)
Experimental Inducement
Experimental Training
M.I.L.D. Technique (LaBerge, 1981)
“Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams”
Increases occurrence of lucid dreams
Mental and verbal rehearsals upon waking and
before sleeping
Incorporate into Long-Term Memory
“I will have a lucid dream tonight”
Recognizing a Lucid Dream
How do we know ?
Recognizing a Lucid Dream
How do we know ?
REM Sleep
Phasic activity (LaBerge et al. 1986)
Recognizing a Lucid Dream
How do we know ?
REM Sleep
Phasic activity (LaBerge et al. 1986)
Physiological Signals
Recognizing a Lucid Dream
How do we know ?
REM Sleep
Phasic activity (LaBerge et al. 1986)
Physiological Signals
Eye Movement (LeftRight L R)
lucid dream occurring
Recognizing a Lucid Dream
How do we know ?
REM Sleep
Phasic activity (LaBerge et al. 1986)
Physiological Signals
Eye Movement (LeftRight L R)
lucid dream occurring
Hand Clenching (Left and Right)
(Erlacher et al. 2003)
Recognizing a Lucid Dream
How do we know ?
REM Sleep
Phasic activity (LaBerge et al. 1986)
Physiological Signals
Eye Movement (LeftRight L R)
lucid dream occurring
Hand Clenching (Left and Right)
(Erlacher et al. 2003)
More accurate experimental methods
Match physiological signal to dream occurrence
Induction Techniques
Induction Techniques
Dream Journal
Write down your dreams
Induction Techniques
Dream Journal
Write down your dreams
Reality Checks
Consciously ask if you are in a dream
Induction Techniques
Dream Journal
Write down your dreams
Reality Checks
Consciously ask if you are in a dream
Meditation
Focus and intend on lucid dreaming
Applications of Lucid
Dreaming
Explore subconscious mind
Overcome mental obstacles
Alleviating fears
Lucid Dream Treatment Pilot
Study
Conducted by Spoormaker and van den
Bout in 2006
Hypothesis: Can exercises in Lucid
dreaming be used to overcome
sufferers of chronic nightmares?
Lucid Dream Treatment Pilot
Study: Subjects
23 volunteers
Excluded people suffering from hypnagogic
hallucinations and/or night terrors
Excluded subjects currently on medication
All reported to suffer from Chronic
Nightmares for over a year
Nightmare defined as a frightening dream to
directly caused a return to full consciousness
(awakening).
Lucid Dreaming Treatment
Pilot Study: Method
Subjects were given the Sleep-50 to evaluate
sleep
Subjects divided into three groups, each
given a different degree of LDT.
<Group1>: Each subject given a one on one LDT
seminar
<Group2>: Subjects given group LDT seminar
<Group3>: No LDT seminar was given
Lucid Dream Treatment Pilot
Study: Method (cont.)
Subjects were reevaluated 12 weeks
later with the Sleep-50
Lucid Dreaming Treatment
Pilot Study: LDT seminar
2 hour seminar
Subjects educated about Lucid Dreaming and
triggering methods
Given imaging exercises the nightmare, while
reaffirming them as a dream.
Instructed Subjects to try to induce nightmares
before sleep to occur during sleep.
Lucid Dreaming Treatment
Pilot Study: Results
Lucid Dreaming Treatment
Pilot Study: Results (cont.)
Lucid Dreaming Treatment
Pilot Study: Discussion
Study had many limitations:
- small sample size
- limited time frame
- LDT seminar limited
- Sleep-50 fail to report more detailed
information on subjects.
- Only 6 subjects successfully reported
full Lucid Dreaming
Lucid Dreaming Treatment
Pilot Study: Discussion (cont.)
Study Headway
- Statistically significant results.
- LDT did target nightmare
specifically, not quality of sleep
- As a pilot study, leaves much room
for further study.
Discussion !
Questions ?
References
1.
Dietrich, Arne. Functional neuroanatomy of altered states of consciousness: The transient
hypofrontality hypothesis. Consciousness and Cognition 12, 2003. pp. 231–256.
2.
Erlacher, Daniel D., Michael Shredl, Stephen LaBerge. Motor area activation during
dreamed hand clenching: A pilot study on EEG alpha band. Sleep and Hypnosis.
Volume 5(4). 2003. pp. 182-187.
3.
Fisher, Leslie E., Benjamin Wallace. Consciousness and Behavior. Waveland Press, IL,
2003.
4.
Gackenbach, Jayne, Stephen LaBerge. Conscious Mind, Sleeping Brain: Perspectives on
Lucid Dreaming. Plenum Press, New York, 1988.
5.
Holzinger, Brigitte, LaBerge, Stephen, Levitan, Lynne. Psychophysiological Correlates of
Lucid Dreaming. Dreaming. Vol 16(2), Jun 2006, pp. 88-95.
6.
LaBerge, Stephen S., Lucid dreaming: Physiological correlates of consciousness during
REM sleep. The Journal of mind and behavior. Vol. 7(2-3), 1986. pp. 251-258.
References (Cont.)
7.
LaBerge Stephen S. Lucid dreaming verified by volitional communication during REM
sleep. Vol 52(3), 1981. pp. 727-732.
8.
Spoormaker, Victor I., Jan van den Bout, and Eli J. G. Meijer. Lucid Dreaming Treatment
for Nightmares: A Series of Cases. Dreaming, Vol. 13, No. 3, September 2003. pp.
181-186.
9.
Wantanabe, Tsuneo. Lucid Dreaming: It’s Experimental Proof and Psychological
Conditions. J. Intl. Soc. LifeInfo. Sci. Vol. 21, No.1, March 2003. pp. 159-165.
10.
Spoormaker, Victor I., Jan van den Bout. Lucid Dreaming Treatment for Nightmares: A
Pilot Study. Psychother Psychosom 75, 2006. pp. 389–394.
11.
The Lucidity Institute. http://www.lucidty.com. (accessed February 2008).
12.
Dr. Susan Blackmore. “Lucid Dreaming: Awake in Your Sleep?”
http://www.susanblackmore.co.uk/Articles/si91ld.html (accessed February 2008).