Cognitive training is used to develop the processes of awareness, attention, and memory. They have also been used successfully in the practice of lucid dreaming, when combined with other techniques.
In April 2020, the scientific team of Michelle Carr et al. from the Sleep and Neurophysiology Laboratory of the University of Rochester in England conducted a new experiment using cognitive techniques and external stimulation.
In the laboratory, 20 minutes prior to sleep, the participants in the experiment were exposed to audio and visual cues with an interval of 1 minute between them. Next, they had to practice the cognitive technique of paying attention to their thoughts at the moment of registering the cue. By doing so, the participants trained their self-awareness. The control group, on the other hand, received no signals.
Out of the cognitive training group, 50% of the participants experienced lucid dreams, which were confirmed by a polysomnograph. In the second group, only 17% of the participants had a successful experience. It turns out that upon falling asleep, we need to not only create an intention to enter the phase state, but also “train” our brains to do so.
Will you use this discovery? Do you think it might help you?
The study was published in the journal Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice.
