The spinning technique is often used by practitioners to stabilize phase states such as lucid dreams. As Stephen LaBerge, one of the pioneers of the scientific study of lucid dreaming, wrote, rotation helps stabilize or prolong an experience if we notice it starting to wind down.
However, until now, there has been no verified data on the effect of this technique on perception vividness in lucid dreaming. Researchers from the Phase Research Center, M. Raduga, A. Shashkov, and Zh. Zhunusova decided to fill in this gap for practical purposes. Indeed, the success not only of practice, but of most scientific research depends on perception vividness.
The “Project Elijah” experiment involved 123 volunteers who made themselves rotate within the phase state and compared the realistic sensations before and after the experience. Only 46% of the participants reported that their perception became more vivid, although 14% reported it being more vivid than during wakefulness.
The researchers concluded that low phase depth could be improved by spinning. However, compared to other techniques, this approach turned out to have relatively low efficacy. A few more years of similar research will hopefully produce an accurate rating of the effectiveness of phase deepening techniques. We are certainly looking forward to it! What is your method of going deeper into the phase? Share your experiences.
The study was published in December 2020 in the Dreaming journal.
