Many scientists have argued that if a person engages in meditation or has a high level of mindfulness, then their chances of success in the practice of lucid dreaming (LD) increase. American researchers, Chelsea Geise and Jonathan C. Smith, have decided to test this hypothesis.
Indeed, as the authors note, emotions and knowledge from waking life have a tendency to transfer into dreams. The dream world may lack reality orientation and predictability—for example, a person may dream that he/she is walking on the ceiling—but things such as a fear of heights or the ability to walk will remain the same. Success in LD practice has been associated with such traits as openness to new experiences, perseverance, self-confidence, courage, ability to experiment, sensitivity to inner experiences, rich imagination, etc.
For the study, the authors recruited 221 volunteers: 150 students and 71 meditation practitioners. However, no connection was found between meditation, mindfulness, and lucid dreams. The scientists add that they did not ask subjects to specify how long they had been practicing meditation: it is possible that long-term experience is an important factor.
The current study’s findings, however, imply that the only thing that matters for LD practice is one’s ability to remember dreams. Those who reported frequent lucid dreams remembered dreams better in general, and also had experiences of transcendence (feelings of awe, insights, spiritual/mystical experiences) more often.
Do you have any of the traits that contribute to lucid dreaming?
The article was published in July 2022 in the journal Imagination, Cognition and Personality.
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