In February 2021, the journal “Current Biology” published a study by an international group of scientists led by Karen Konkoly from Northwestern University in the United States, who managed to communicate with dreamers in real-time.
One unique feature of the experiment was that it was performed simultaneously by four independent teams of scientists in different countries – France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the USA. In total, 26% of the sessions in the experiment provided confirmation that the dreamers were having a lucid dream. In 47% of these dreams, scientists received at least one correct answer to an experimental question.
While in the phase state, the lucid dreamers were instructed to perform arithmetic tasks, answer “yes or no” questions, and respond to visual, tactile, or auditory stimulation, all through the use of eye movements or facial expressions. For example, when solving the task “8 minus 6” the correct answer was two left-right eye movements. In another case, a participant was given the task in Morse code with the use of colored LED signals.
The study became a worldwide sensation, gathering millions of likes on social media. However, few people know that similar experiments have already been carried out before. In 2013, Kristoffer Appel from the Osnabrück University (Germany) studied feedback from lucid dreamers. He described the theory behind his methodology, as well as the unsuccessful and successful attempts in detail in his 104-page dissertation.
Later, in 2018, Russian researchers A.Y. Mironov, A.V. Sinin, and V.B. Dorokhov conducted an experiment on two-way communication with lucid dreamers, where the dreamers responded to arithmetic tasks using eye movements and breathing. Their work was published only in Russian, and in a journal that has no international scientific rating (“Environment and Man: Ecological Studies”). As a result, Konkoly et al.’s study mentions these studies in passing as “published in unrefereed sources.”
Who do you think deserves the fame for this scientific breakthrough: Konkoly, Appel, or Mironov?
