Part Three: Dream and Consciousness
What is the difference between dreaming and being awake? Can I become aware that I am in a dream? And when that happens, who becomes aware and who dreams? If there is no consciousness during dreamless sleep, how can I know that I was sleeping?
These are just some of the questions that occupied the minds of ancient Indian philosophers at bedtime. For centuries, they have been examined through increasingly refined meditation practices, incorporated into yoga and Buddhist schools.
And here I thought meditation was for relaxing, focusing, and being more productive at work! Well, forget the much-coveted nights of absence in Morpheus’s arms, because meditative exploration never stops, even during sleep. In truth, sleep is considered an optimal workspace to apprehend the subjective nature of perception, increase the malleability of mental habits, and explore subtle aspects of consciousness.
Unsurprisingly, these questions have also interested Western philosophers, and I know some neuroscientists who would give a finger or even two to be able to answer them with biological models. However, Western science is only just beginning to scratch the surface of what dreams and sleep might reveal to those who study the self, consciousness, and cognition. This may be due to the widespread belief that one is unconscious when sleeping, that dreams are hallucinatory states induced by the brain, and, in any case, it is difficult to collect reliable data in this field because it would be completely subjective and therefore not empirically valid.
In this context, the phenomenon of lucid dreaming represents an emblematic case of how different investigative traditions have accorded more or less importance to sleep-related processes.
Lucid Dreaming in Western Science
Lucid dreaming is defined as such when the dreamer becomes aware of being in a dream. It can be associated with various degrees of control over the dream content.
Although generally considered quite unique events, lucid dreams are actually very common within the population. A recent meta-analysis showed that 55% of people reported at least one case of lucid dreaming during their lifetime, and 23% have lucid dreams at least once a month. If these figures are to be believed, the percentage of “frequent lucid dreamers” is actually twice as high as that of “self-handers”!
Lucid dreams have been mentioned by Western philosophers and writers (such as Aristotle or Proust) for centuries, but they have only been the subject of scientific research since the late 20th century. Even Freud (who was probably not a lucid dreamer), in his foundational work The Interpretation of Dreams, only mentions lucid dreams a few times, dismissing them as an ego strategy to escape embarrassing dream content.
Research on lucid dreaming made a leap forward thanks to the work of Stephen LaBerge. He provided empirical evidence of this phenomenon by recording actual eye movements in participants whom he asked to move their eyes from right to left during a lucid dream. LaBerge and others also developed techniques to induce and maintain lucidity in a dream, starting from the idea that lucid dreaming is a skill that can be developed. Different training strategies have been studied, from the habit of performing “reality checks” during a dream and recording characteristic dream signs in a journal, to triggering an alarm during the night to read about lucid dreaming before going back to sleep. Although these methods are not all reliable, their common point is to develop an intention and motivation throughout the day to become aware of being in a dream when sleeping.
Research on lucid dreaming conducted by Western science has revealed a fundamental truth: we are not totally unconscious when we sleep. But, apart from this established fact, the field of investigation is only in its infancy regarding deeper questions about modes of consciousness and mental processes underlying perception. This is where it becomes interesting to engage in dialogue with contemplative traditions that have considered sleep and dreams as a playground and companion for centuries.
Lucid Dreaming and Meditation
Let’s start with empirical elements: according to a recent study, long-term meditators have lucid dreams more often (1.1 times per month on average) than people with no meditation experience (0.45 times per month). This result is interpreted as reflecting the increased meta-consciousness resulting from continuous meditation practice. Meta-consciousness is defined as the ability to be aware of one’s own thoughts, feelings, and perceptions, and is a necessary condition to become aware of being in a dream.
In contemplative practices, cultivating open and sustained present-moment attention throughout daily life is not only a goal but also a tool to explore habitual mind patterns as well as processes underlying subjective experience. It is therefore not surprising that specific practices, particularly in yoga traditions and Tibetan Buddhism, have been developed to maintain consciousness and develop its acuity during dreams and, ultimately, dreamless sleep. These practices are part of what is called “Yoga nidra,” or “Dream Yoga.”
For a complete description of Yoga nidra, including its origins and detailed instructions, I suggest reading the work of Buddhist scholar Alan Wallace who has translated and commented on manuals and traditional texts on the subject. I will give here a brief description that can help understand the personal and scientific interest in examining these practices more closely.
Yoga Nidra, Beyond Lucid Dreaming
Like the work of Western researchers, Dream Yoga implements methods to induce and maintain lucidity during dreams. Apart from techniques that may prove unattractive to a Western audience (such as complex visualizations and bodily postures), a common strategy is to develop an intention and motivation to become conscious during a dream. However, unlike the scientific view that clearly differentiates the dream state from wakefulness, Dream Yoga is based on the idea that full awareness of the dreamlike characteristics of ordinary, waking perception facilitates the experience of lucid dreaming.
This is followed by training to actively manipulate dream content playfully, in order to reveal that it is ultimately an imaginative process that is not independent of one’s own mind. Finally, practitioners seek to “pierce” the dream content and reveal the subtle state of consciousness that underlies not only dreams but also all perceptual phenomena. Going beyond the dream and being able to maintain consciousness during deep, dreamless sleep is the ultimate goal of Dream Yoga. Quite a step forward compared to the work of LaBerge and others!
Yoga nidra helps practitioners on the path to “enlightenment” in at least two ways. First, by experiencing how to “wake up” during a dream and manipulate its content, the practitioner realizes the continuity of consciousness from waking to sleep, and that the two worlds of dream and wakefulness are not independent of the mind. Second, the type of consciousness accessible during dreamless sleep is said to also manifest during the transition from life to death. Becoming familiar with this experience is of great importance within Eastern contemplative traditions.
Interesting. Why should I care?
Beyond spiritual goals, which may appeal to some but not all, the dialogue between sleep-related practices and theories from contemplative traditions and Western scientific approaches has, and can have, multiple benefits.
The degree of control developed over dream content (as well as understanding its inseparable nature from the mind) is said to transfer into waking life, thus allowing more flexibility and lightness in how one reacts to negative thoughts and emotions. This proposal certainly deserves empirical research attention.
Moreover, the fact that dream content can be reliably manipulated through training in specific practices challenges the psychological and neuroscientific conception that dreams are caused by brain activity, and not the other way around!
Finally, integrating accounts from Dream Yoga practitioners with empirical data, experimental psychology theories, and neuroscience can greatly expand understanding of processes and modes of self-related consciousness, as well as their biological correlates. An effort in this direction has recently been pursued by the excellent work of philosopher Evan Thompson in his book Waking, Dreaming, Being, which I highly recommend.
We have seen how research on sleep and dreams has followed different trajectories in Western science and Eastern contemplative traditions. Different approaches have led to different conceptions and theories. A dialogue among all these research traditions can lead to more elaborate and refined philosophical, psychological, and biological models of consciousness, self, and perception.
Once again, we have seen that there is more to meditation practices than what is popularized in Western cultures, and that considering the full range of available theories and practices can lead to unexpected results in well-being and personal development.
Sources :
Baird, B., Riedner, B. A., Boly, M., Davidson, R. J., & Tononi, G. (2019). Increased lucid dream frequency in long-term meditators but not following MBSR training., "Psychology of Consciousness" (Washington, D.C.), 6(1), 40–54. Saunders, D. T., Roe, C. A., Smith, G., & Clegg, H. (2016). Lucid dreaming incidence: A quality effects meta-analysis of 50 years of research., "Consciousness and Cognition", 43, 197–215. Thompson, E. (2015). "Waking, dreaming, being: Self and consciousness in neuroscience, meditation, and philosophy". Columbia University Press. Wallace, B. A., & Hodel, B. (2012). "Dreaming Yourself Awake: Lucid Dreaming and Tibetan Dream Yoga for Insight and Transformation". Shambhala Publications.