Bernard Werber’s novel The Sixth Sleep depicts dreams as a tool for self-discovery and even time travel. The protagonist, Jacques Klein, the son of a neurophysiologist, explores the world of dreams to unravel the mystery of the sixth phase of sleep. The first five are drowsiness, light sleep, deep sleep, very deep sleep, and REM sleep (during which we experience vivid dreams). But, according to Jacques’ mother, there is also a mysterious sixth phase.
The book’s plot contains scenes where the characters interact with their dreams. Jacques receives advice from his future self and explores lucid dreaming techniques learned from the Senoi tribe in Malaysia, who call themselves the “dream people.” The author describes oneiro-rooms where dreams are broadcast on screens and experiments are carried out to achieve the sixth stage of sleep, where the boundaries between reality and fiction blur.
The book mentions several techniques for controlling dreams:
1. Dream analysis—the characters look for recurring symbols and markers that indicate they are dreaming.
2. Reality checks—during the day, Jacques habitually checks whether he is in reality so that he can repeat this in his dreams.
3. Meditation, concentration, and intention.
Have you read the book? Have you integrated any of its ideas into your practice?
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