Interest in phase states (lucid dreaming and out-of-body experiences) is steadily growing. In 2024 alone, 60 scientific papers on the topic were published—25% more than in 2023. The main area of investigation in 2024 was the search for an ideal technique for inducing lucid dreams. Popular methods include meditation, breathing exercises, intention setting, sleep interruption, external stimulation (mostly involving sounds), and even the use of electrical currents. New technologies, including mobile applications and smartwatches, are also being implemented.
The main trend in 2023 was the establishment of communication with lucid dreamers in real-time. This line of research was continued in 2024, primarily by the REMspace team, who published groundbreaking studies on controlling a car and a smart home from lucid dreams, as well as the first study confirming communication between two sleeping people.
In 2024, scientists also began to explore the personalities of lucid dreamers to determine what qualities influence the practice of lucid dreaming. Researchers identified several possible factors, including activity, flexibility, emotionality, neuroticism, conscientiousness, and even schizophrenia.
The discussion on the potential applications of this practice is ongoing. The main strand of this discussion remains the resolution of psychological problems. Various training methods also play a significant role, and while the primary focus was previously on athletes, the focus spread to other professions in 2024. For example, surgeons began learning to operate in lucid dreams, and educators have started talking about using the phase state to improve the lives of people with disabilities.
In 2024, the USA made the greatest contribution to the development of the topic (20 scientific papers / 6 preprints), followed by Australia (8/2). Germany takes 3rd place if preprints are included (7/3), and the UK takes this position if preprints are excluded (6/1). To clarify, a preprint is an article that has not undergone peer review and, thus, has not been entered into scientific databases. But this does not mean that preprints have no scientific merit—even highly renowned scientists have been known to publish their initial (and, often, their most daring) results in this way.
Martin Dresler was the leading author in 2024 (6 scientific papers), followed by Remington Mallett (5), while there was a multi-way tie between Michael Raduga, Andrey Shashkov, Michelle Carr, Karen Konkoly, and Ken Paller for 3rd place (4 articles each). However, almost all of the leader’s works are preprints. If we only count published scientific articles, then all the authors listed above share 1st place, joined also by Daniel Erlacher and Emma Peters.
What task would you like to see researchers tackle in 2025?
List of scientific articles on lucid dreams and out-of-body experiences in 2024:
- How to Achieve Out-of-Body Experiences Using Virtual Reality
- Out-of-Body Experiences via Hypnosis
- Guided Dreaming as Psychotherapy
- Lucid Dreaming for People with (Dis)abilities
- Lucid Dreaming for Entrepreneurs
- Three Methods of Healing Through Dreams
- Philosophers Tackle the Lucidity Problem
- Do Lucid Dreams and Nightmares Lead to Depression?
- What Are Lucid Dream Researchers Working On?
- Treating Nightmares with Lucid Dreaming
- Lucid Dreamers: Anxious, Active, and Flexible?
- Lucid Dreaming as a Safe Space
- Can You Achieve Lucid Dreaming Using Meditation, Breathing, and an Alarm Clock?
- Using Electrical Muscle Stimulation for Communication in Lucid Dreams
- Do Lucid Dreamers Suffer from Sleep Paralysis and False Awakenings?
- Lucid Dreaming: Entertainment or Spiritual Journey?
- Do Schizophrenics Experience Lucid Dreams More Often than Other People?
- First-Ever Communication Between People in Dreams
- Is an Out-Of-Body Experience Not a Lucid Dream?
- Telepathy and Travel to Other Worlds
- How Can You Achieve Lucid Dreaming Using a Smartwatch?
- Do Lucid Dreamers Confuse Dreams and Reality?
- What Do Teenagers Do in Lucid Dreams?
- Sounds of Lucidity
- Is Every Other Child a Lucid Dreamer?
- Do Out-of-Body Experiences Dissolve the Ego and Enhance Empathy?
- Do Near-Death Experiences Create Lucid Dreams and Cure Sleep Paralysis?
- White Lucid Dreaming
- Scientists Are Refining Lucid Dreaming Techniques
- Lucid Dreaming as a Spiritual Practice
- Are People Who Suffer from Lucid Nightmares Nervous and Irresponsible?
- How Can You Get an Answer to a Question in a Lucid Dream?
- Using Creativity to Enter a Lucid Dream
- Half of the Participants in an Experiment Had a Lucid Dream
- How Can Out-of-Body Experiences Be Confirmed in Laboratory Conditions?
- Lucid Dreaming in Haruki Murakami’s “Sputnik Sweetheart”
- Sports Training Simulation in Lucid Dreaming
- How Do You Tell the Difference Between Out-of-Body Experiences and Lucid Dreams?
- How to Achieve Lucid Dreaming Through Open Monitoring Meditation
- The Ideal Diet of a Lucid Dreamer
- How Can You Create the Plot of a Lucid Dream?
- LuciEntry – A New Device for Lucid Dreaming
- Do Conscientious and Calm People Have the Most Bizarre Dreams?
- Is the Brain of a Lucid Dreamer Neither Asleep nor Awake?
- How to Exit the Body and Predict the Future from a Dream
- Surgeons Are Learning to Operate in Lucid Dreams
- Are We All Mozarts in Lucid Dreams?
- How to Control a Smart Home from Lucid Dreams
- Six Fingers – A Common Issue of Lucid Dreams and Artificial Intelligence
- Does Lucid Dreaming Erase Reality Boundaries, and Is It Hazardous to the Psyche?
- Scientists Influence Dream Plots Using Currents
- How to Make Lucid Dreaming Realistic: A Comparison of Eight Techniques
- Sports Training for Adolescents in Lucid Dreaming
- Researchers Drive a Tesla from a Lucid Dream
- Scientists Induced a Group of People into Lucid Dreaming by Deception
- How to Achieve Lucid Dreaming with a Smartphone
- Can Synchronizing Brain Biorhythms Lead to Shared Dreams?
- Can Healing in Lucid Dreams Be Evaluated Through Saliva?
- Are Lucid Dreamers Escaping from Reality?
- Lucid Dreaming: Less Words, More Sex, and Flying
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