Two psychologists, Elena Gerhardt from Germany and Benjamin Baird, a long-time researcher on lucid dreaming from the US, studied how meditation helps people achieve lucidity. The authors surveyed 635 individuals and found that people who meditate several times a day experience lucid dreams more often than others. Beginners in meditation, however, showed no progress in lucid dreaming after eight weeks of training.
The scientists compared all popular meditative techniques, with open monitoring meditation producing the best results. Practitioners should focus their attention on the feelings, thoughts, and sensations that are present here and now. The goal is to sit still, observe where the mind wanders, and be present in every moment of one’s experience.
As the authors add, metacognition – the ability to clearly understand one’s own mental state – plays an important role in the practice of lucid dreaming. People who meditated daily, as well as those who experienced lucid dreaming at least once a week, even without meditation experience, had the highest levels of meta-awareness.
Can you share your experience with meditation and its impact on lucid dreaming?
The article was published in May 2024 in Brain Sciences.
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