Vedic traditions and Tibetan Buddhism describe a special state of consciousness that occurs during deep sleep called sushupti. This is a kind of lucid dream (LD) without the dream as such, that is, there are no objects, no plot, no bodily sensations. Adriana Alcaraz-Sanchez, PhD researcher in Philosophy from the University of Glasgow (UK), conducted a pilot study on this topic.
The participants were five people who have experienced “objectless awareness during sleep” in the last six months. They described a vacuum or emptiness, which, for some took the shape of darkness, while for others, on the contrary, solid light. One of the respondents said that he saw a massive grid surrounding him on all sides. Two mentioned feeling a lack of self, and three talked about their body disappearing.
After analyzing the participants’ reports, the author identified five phases of such a dream:
1. An ordinary unconscious dream.
2. Rising awareness, which is when the LD occurs.
3. The surrounding landscape begins to dissolve or disappear.
4. The person finds themself in a void.
5. The images reappear.
As Alcaraz-Sanchez adds, these experiences are also called “imageless lucid dreams,” LD without scenery or complex visuals. However, in Vedic and Tibetan practices, this state is considered “pure awareness,” and indeed, the study participants noted a sense of peace that engulfed them.
The author herself calls her research a pilot, confirming that this area is still severely understudied.
Have you ever experienced a lucid dream without imagery?
The article was published in August 2021 in the journal Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences.
