Synesthesia is a phenomenon of perception in which one sensory input provokes a response linked to another sense. A synesthete can see sounds, hear colors, or, for example, taste words. Such a person can say that the C chord is orange or the letter “A” is sour. Many musicians, for example, associate each key with a specific color.
A group of German scientists—Khallieva, Sinke, Zedler, Worthmann, Bleich, and Szycik— decided to analyze how these abilities affect lucid dreams (LD). Synesthetes, as the researchers note, have abnormalities in their perception, increased creativity, vocabulary advantages, and a tendency to conjure vivid images.
Little is known about the behavior of synesthetes during their sleep. Dreams are equated with the unconscious work of the mind. The exception is lucid dreaming, in which a person realizes that they are dreaming. In this state, you can establish a connection with your waking reality, purposefully wake up and control your actions in a dream.
The researchers recruited two groups of participants: synesthetes and ordinary people. The first group was much more likely to report lucid dreaming experiences. However, there were no qualitative differences between the volunteers of both groups. At the same time, the scientists identified a link between the early onset of lucid dreaming and a high level of consciousness.
Have you noticed any synesthetic tendencies? Does this affect your LD practice?
The article was published in March 2022 in the journal Dreaming.
