Lucid Dreaming: Intensity, But Not Frequency, Is Inversely Related to Psychopathology

Abstract

Lucid dreaming (LD) is awareness that one is dreaming, during the dream state. However, some define and assess LD relying also on controlling dream events, although control is present only in a subset of lucid dreams. LD has been claimed to represent well-being, and has even been used as a therapeutic agent. Conversely, LD is associated with mixed sleep-wake states, which are related to bizarre cognitions, stress, and psychopathology, and have been construed as arousal permeating and disrupting sleep. We propose that previous conflicting findings regarding relations between LD and both psychopathology and well-being, stem from the non-differentiated assessment of frequency and control. The present study aimed to develop an expansive measure of several LD characteristics (the Frequency and Intensity Lucid Dream questionnaire; FILD), and explore their relations with symptomatology. Undergraduate students (N = 187) self-reported trait LD, psychopathology (depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, dissociation, and schizotypy), stress, and sleep problems; 2 months later, a subsample (n = 78) reported psychopathology again, and also completed a dream diary each morning for 14 days. Preliminary evidence supports the reliability and validity of the FILD. Items converged into four domains: frequency, intensity (e.g., control, activity, certainty of dreaming), emotional valence, and the use of induction techniques. We report an optimal frequency cutoff score to identify those likely to experience LD within a 2-week period. Whereas LD frequency was unrelated to psychopathology, LD intensity, and positive LD emotions, were inversely associated with several psychopathological symptoms. Use of deliberate induction techniques was positively associated with psychopathology and sleep problems. Additionally, we demonstrated directionality by employing a prospective-longitudinal design, showing that deliberate LD induction predicted an increase in dissociation and schizotypy symptoms across 2 months. We conclude that lucidity should not be considered as necessarily suggestive of well-being; LD may be positive or negative, depending on lucidity characteristics. Additionally, deliberate LD induction may harbor negative long-term risk.

Dark Triad Traits and Sleep-Related Constructs: An Opinion Piece

“…In the case of classifications, there exists significant variation across studies. For instance, while several use the Schredl and Erlacher (2004) conceptualization (e.g., Denis and Poerio, 2017), others employ different wording (e.g., Sestir et al, 2019), or have devised alternative measures (Aviram and Soffer-Dudek, 2018; the Frequency and Intensity Lucid Dream questionnaire, FILD).…”

Are Lucid Dreams Good for Us? Are We Asking the Right Question? A Call for Caution in Lucid Dream Research

“…On one hand, veterans with PTSD whose nightmare distress decreased exhibited an increase in LD control (Harb et al, 2016). Also, students reporting high LD control reported less psychopathological symptoms than those reporting low LD control (Aviram and Soffer-Dudek, 2018). On the other hand, Mota et al (2016) found, contrary to their hypothesis, that individuals suffering from psychotic symptoms had significantly higher LD control compared to healthy participants.…”

“…LD may occur spontaneously, yet techniques for deliberate LD induction (e.g., LaBerge and Rheingold, 1990) have been gaining popularity. Induction techniques have become so popular that 35% of first-year Psychology undergraduate students had tried to deliberately initiate LD at least once (Aviram and Soffer-Dudek, 2018).…”

“…LD have also been associated with creativity (Blagrove and Hartnell, 2000) and with psychological resilience in the face of traumatic stress (Soffer-Dudek et al, 2011). Although LD may often be triggered by nightmares, they tend to conclude with positive emotion (Aviram and Soffer-Dudek, 2018). According to Dresler et al (2015), neurocognitive evidence suggests that insight into dreaming (LD) may be a model for insight into one's illness in schizophrenia, which is a positive prognostic factor.…”

“…Because control over dream events is considered an inherent part of LD, control items have often been included as indicators of lucidity (e.g., Watson, 2001) or mentioned as part of the LD definition (e.g., Tart, 1988). However, studies disentangling dream awareness from control have shown that uncontrolled LD are more common than controlled LD; this was found in a non-clinical sample of young adult undergraduate students (Aviram and Soffer-Dudek, 2018), a large sample of children and adolescents aged 6-19 (Voss et al, 2012), and a clinical sample of veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Harb et al, 2016). Relatedly, in a preliminary study assessing whether LD may be used to practice a motor task, over half of lucid dreamers were unable to practice efficiently in the dream because of distractions, suggesting limited control.…”