New Study Tests Lucid Dream Induction Techniques

Jul 20, 2020 by Enrico de Lazaro

A study done by Dr. Denholm Aspy from the School of Psychology at the University of Adelaide provides the strongest evidence to date that Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams (MILD) and Senses Initiated Lucid Dream (SSILD) techniques are effective for inducing lucid dreams.

Aspy investigated and compared the effectiveness of five different combinations of lucid dream induction techniques. Image credit: Stefan Keller.

“In a lucid dream, the dreamer is aware that they are dreaming while the dream is still happening,” Dr. Aspy said.

“According to a recent review study, 55% of adults have experienced at least one lucid dream and 23% experience lucid dreams regularly (once per month or more).”

“Recent research indicates that deliberate control is possible in approximately one third of lucid dreams. Examples include changing location and deliberately waking up.”

“Lucid dreaming has many potential benefits and applications, such as treatment for nightmares, improvement of physical skills and abilities through dream rehearsal, creative problem solving, and research opportunities for exploring mind-body relationships and consciousness.”

“However, to date the effects reported in most studies have been weak and inconsistent, and more research is needed into the applications of lucid dreaming.”

In the new study, Dr. Aspy investigated and compared five different combinations of lucid dream induction techniques:

(i) Reality Testing (RT), a technique that involves checking your environment several times a day to see whether or not you’re dreaming;

(ii) Wake Back to Bed (WBTB) — waking up after five hours, staying awake for a short period, then going back to sleep in order to enter a REM sleep period, in which dreams are more likely to occur;

(iii) MILD, a technique that involves waking up after five hours of sleep and then developing the intention to remember that you are dreaming before returning to sleep, by repeating the phrase ‘The next time I’m dreaming, I will remember that I’m dreaming;’ you also imagine yourself in a lucid dream;

(iv) SSILD, a technique that involves waking up after five hours of sleep and then repeatedly focusing your attention on visual, auditory, and physical sensations for 20 seconds each before returning to sleep; this technique is similar to mindfulness meditation but involved repeatedly shifting your focus;

(v) hybrid technique combining elements of MILD and SSILD — which, like the SSILD technique, involves repeatedly focusing attention on visual, and physical sensations; participants also repeat the phrase ‘The next time I’m dreaming, I will remember that I’m dreaming’ every time they shifted their awareness.

The study involved 355 participants (mean age – 35.3 years) with an interest in lucid dreaming and was conducted entirely via the internet, allowing people from around the world to complete the study at home.

Most participants were employed non-students (71.8%), with 69 (19.4%) students and 31 (8.7%) unemployed or retired.

They completed a pre-test questionnaire and then a baseline sleep and dream recall logbook for one week before practicing the lucid dream induction techniques for another week.

The results showed the MILD technique and the SSILD technique were similarly effective for inducing lucid dreams, while predictors of successful lucid dream induction included superior general dream recall and the ability to fall asleep within ten minutes of completing the lucid dream induction techniques.

The hybrid technique showed no advantage over MILD or SSILD.

In contrast, RT appears to be an ineffective lucid dream induction technique — at least for short periods such as one week in the present study.

“One of the applications of lucid dreaming is that it provides a way to have vivid, life-like and fulfilling experiences while dreaming that are not possible for some people while they are awake,” Dr. Aspy said.

“This could be due to debilitating medical conditions, but also due to circumstances like self-isolation or quarantine when daily habits are disrupted and emotional stressors are high.”

The findings were published July 17, 2020 in the journal Frontiers in Psychology.

_____

Denholm J. Aspy. Findings From the International Lucid Dream Induction Study. Front. Psychol, published online July 17, 2020; doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01746