In a lucid dream (LD), the dreamer realizes that they are dreaming. However, the level of control and the depth of awareness in the dream can vary. For example, you may have the thought “this is a dream” flash through your mind, yet remain a prisoner of the dream scenario. Or you might note that the color of the sky differs from reality, but this is where the glimmer of awareness ends. Does that make it a LD or not quite?
Dr. Adriana Alcaraz-Sanchez, a researcher in Philosophy from the University of Glasgow (UK), decided to answer these questions. According to the author, the classic view of LD suggests that the dreamer clearly understands that they are asleep and dreaming. However, if we assume that there are different degrees of awareness, then the dreamer may be conscious without using the words “dream” or “sleep.”
In fact, the researcher considers fleeting sensations of “something is wrong” or “it doesn’t happen that way” to be precursors that can lead to LD. In a full-fledged lucid dream, the dreamer understands that their experience is a product of the mind, or a virtually created world.
The author draws an analogy with other phase states—out-of-body experience (OBE) and false awakening. She calls the latter a case of false lucidity, characterized by striking realism that resembles wakefulness. Sometimes a person can “wake up” many times in a row, and when they finally find themselves awake, they doubt whether they have really woken up.
When it comes to OBE, on the other hand, the person in question feels that they have left the body, but this happens in a state of crystal clear consciousness. As the author adds, such cases need further research and the relationship between OBE and LD should be studied.
What level of lucidity do you most often experience?
The article is forthcoming in the journal Review of Philosophy and Psychology.
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