To confirm lucidity in dreams, researchers typically use the pre-agreed eye movements (PAEM) method (for example, left-right-left). This gold standard method in laboratory experiments was introduced by Keith Hearne in 1975. However, it requires a minimum of three sensors: EEG, EOG, and EMG. In 2021, Michael Raduga presented the PACM method by which lucidity is confirmed through chin movements in a dream using a single EMG sensor, which also measures muscle atonia.
Researchers from REMspace Michael Raduga and Andrey Shashkov conducted a new experiment to find a simpler and cheaper way to register lucid dreams, this time using only one EEG sensor.
They recruited five experienced lucid dreamers. Participants had to enter a lucid dream, give a classic eye signal, and then raise their eyebrows three times. The researchers hypothesized that the EEG sensor would be able to detect not only the characteristic rhythms of sleep but also artifacts from the intentional tension of the frontal muscle in the dream.
The results are inspiring: the new method, called the pre-agreed frontalis movements (PAFM) method, can be used to confirm lucidity in dreams. Success requires focused tension of the frontal muscle, and the lucid dream must be stable (otherwise, there is a risk of waking up). But it allows lucidity to be confirmed using a single EEG sensor, which could make future research and devices more convenient and affordable.
The article was published in November 2023 in Sleep Science.
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