Lucid Dreaming Experience in the Context of Meditation Experience

Introduction

By "lucid dreams" we mean dreams in which the sleeper is aware that he is experiencing a dream, and is able to influence the course of sleep to one degree or another. In Western philosophical thought, mentions of this phenomenon can be found as early as the IV century BC. Aristotle in the treatise "On dreams" in "Parva Naturali" writes the following: "Sometimes, when a person is asleep, something in his consciousness allows him to understand that everything that is happening is just a dream" ^{[6; C. 624]}. In Tibetan Buddhism, dream yoga, the goal of which is to achieve awareness in a dream state, has been practiced for centuries. In the alchemical tradition of Taoism, there is also the practice of controlled dreams ^[5]. In the Hindu tradition, yoga nidra practitioners have also developed practical ways to become aware in a dream.

The term "lucid dreaming" was coined by the Dutch psychiatrist Frederik Van Eeden in his 1913 article "The Study of Dreams" ^[12]. One of the reasons why traditional science did not show much interest in lucid dreaming was the interest of parapsychologists in this phenomenon, which in the eyes of academic scientists put the phenomenon on a par with ghosts and flying saucers ^{[3; C.69]}.

 The real interest in the topic of the academic community was aroused by the work of Stanford University Professor Stephen Laberge in the 80-90s of the XX century, in which he proved the reality of the phenomenon of lucid dreams experimentally.

 In the XXI century, the practice of lucid dreaming has become a really popular movement in the West, largely removed from any specific religious and philosophical ideas ^[18]. Today, lucid dream practitioners may be motivated to simply experience unusual sensations, have fun. Often, as a motivation to experience lucid dreams, respondents indicate the possibility of having sex in this state with a complete imitation of real sensations ^[26], which, of course, would be difficult to imagine if the practice of lucid dreaming remained accessible only to religious practitioners. The experience of experiencing lucid dreams at the initial stage is primarily an interesting and exciting entertainment ^{[5, p. 300]}.

Thomas Snyder in his study "Individual differences associated with lucid dreams" ^[25] concluded that 57.5% of the population had lucid dreams at least once in their lives.

The Nature of Lucid Dreaming

A number of researchers of the phenomenon of lucid dreams tend to compare lucid dreaming with a waking state that combines the cognitive elements of waking consciousness with the hallucinatory quality of dreaming ^[28], representing a unique combination of waking consciousness and dreaming.

However, at the same time, many researchers note the fact that the quality of perception during lucid sleep may actually be higher than in the normal waking state ^[15]. The descriptions of the lucid dream experience often note a higher degree of awareness in a lucid dream than in a normal waking state: "I have never experienced such clarity and perception" ^{[20; C. 1-2]}, "I have never felt so good, with such a clear consciousness, with such an inexpressibly "free"" ^{[14; C. 32-33]}.

There is also a hypothesis that some types of lucid dreams can be considered as a type of spontaneous meditative state that occurs during dreams ^[17]. It is believed that some of the skills developed in the practice of meditation, including the stability of attention and the ability to track your current state, are useful for experiencing lucid dreams ^[5]. Mindfulness meditation training can improve cognitive skills such as attention ^[21] and metacognitive abilities ^[8]. Recent studies have confirmed that people who have been meditating for an extended period of time are more likely to have lucid dreams compared to people who have no experience of meditation. These studies also confirm the link between increased awareness during wakefulness and during sleep ^[9].

If we look at this phenomenon of lucid dreaming from the point of view of the concept of mindfulness, lucid dreaming is the meta—awareness of the stream of consciousness in the dream state. The difference, therefore, is only that the stream of consciousness in the rem sleep phase is built into a bizarre plot and an abundance of visual images and other sound, tactile, olfactory and other vivid experiences. During wakefulness, this is usually an internal monologue, emotional reactions and sensations received by the senses.

 In this context, the comparison of lucid dreaming experience with meditative experience is of considerable interest. 

The connection between meditative experience and lucid dreaming experience

         Different schools of meditation combine two common components, which in the terminology of Buddhist psycho-culture are described as: samatha, which can be translated from Pali as "serenity", "peace", "inner peace" and vipassana, from Pali can be translated as "awareness", "seeing the world as it is".  These components are certainly also necessary for the successful practice of lucid dreaming.

From April 22, 2022 to May 12, 2022, 116 respondents practicing lucid dreaming were interviewed. The respondents were from the USA, Mexico, Great Britain, Sweden, South Africa, Denmark, the Netherlands, Romania, France and Brazil. To the question "Do you practice any mindfulness meditation techniques on a regular basis?" 64% of respondents answered positively, 36% - negatively.

The results of surveys of lucid dream practitioners show that most of them (77%) felt a greater degree of awareness in a lucid dream than in a normal waking state ^{[18; p. 11]}.

Mindfulness is the practice of purposefully drawing attention to the present moment without evaluation ^[7]. The Buddhist term translates as "mindfulness, mindfulness" and comes from the Pali term "sati", which is identical to the Sanskrit "smriti". Both terms mean "remember." In the Satipathana Sutta, the term "sati" means to maintain awareness of reality, so that one can see the true nature of phenomena ^[24]. One of the leading experts in this field, Bhikkhu Analayo translates "sati" as "mindfulness" or "awareness", and satipathana as "the presence of mindfulness" ^{[1; pp. 28-29). Bhikkhu Analayo points out that through pure "sati" a person is able to see things as they are, not distorted by habitual reactions and projections. Bringing the process of perception into the full light of awareness, a person begins to realize automatic and habitual reactions to these perceptions. [1; C. 58]}.

As for peace of mind, the practice of maintaining awareness in dreams is precisely related to not being involved in the plot of a dream. Strong emotions or fascination with the plot lead to a loss of awareness.

The most common unusual experiences during lucid dreaming that are not typical of the normal waking state, which are often experienced by lucid dream practitioners, include an intense sense of presence, a desire to fly, a desire to control, a strong sense of joy and euphoria ^[29].

Here are just a few examples. "I have never experienced such clarity and perception" ^{[20; C. 1-2]}, "I have never felt so absolutely good, so clearly, so inexpressibly "free"" ^{[14; C. 32-33]}. "I" seems to be a point of conscious perception floating through all this — joyful, conscious and full of awe" ^{[29; C. 7]}. "I felt a surge of cheerfulness, joy and energy", "I felt euphoria" ^{[29; C. 9]} "I walk a few feet, but I feel an incredible desire to fly — I want to fly!" ^{[29; C. 7]}. "But I control sleep! I'm flying. I make things appear. I dream that the figures disappear, and they disappear. I really control lucid dreaming!" ^{[29; C. 23-24]}.

The research question is whether the modern practice of lucid dreaming is a separate phenomenon that has some characteristics in common with the meditative experience.

In the Buddhist tradition, the next step after gaining sati (awareness of awareness) is to detach one's awareness from "mechanical impulses" in order to make it pure awareness, and the ultimate goal is primordial awareness ^[19].

The sphere that opens with awareness is not limited to the absence of identification with one's thoughts, it is something more. It is through this window of consciousness awareness that joy, peace and love come ^[27].

Eckhart Tolle in his book "The Power of the Present", although not calling it "awareness", actually describes the same process with a deep understanding of the practice as follows: "you distract consciousness from the activity of the mind and create a gap of no-mind in which you are very alert and aware, but do not think. This is the essence of meditation ^{[27; C. 18]}.

The same properties following the establishment of mindfulness can be found in the description of the experience of being in the initial jhanas of Theraveddian Buddhist meditation. The feeling of joy, sukha ^[30]. Much attention is paid to the feeling of "joy" in the Sufi tradition: "Freshness and deep joy are signs of a current." ^{[13; C.54]}. "I broke through another layer of joy" ^{[13; C. 134]}.

We can assume that the euphoria of lucid dreams may be related to Piti na pali (Sanskrit: Preeti), a mental factor associated with the development of jhana (Sanskrit: dhyana) in Buddhist meditation. According to Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, piti is a stimulating, stimulating and energizing quality ^{[10; C. 69]}. Piti is defined as "cheerfulness, joy, fun, pleasant excitement, exultation and contentment of the mind", this state is attributed to the possession of delight and spiritual uplift ^{[2; p. 61]}

 It is interesting to note that the sensation of lifting the body above the ground is also referred to in the jhanas as uplifting delight (ubbega piti) as one of the 5 forms of delight ^{[16; C. 182-183]}.

The desire of lucid dreamers to control the dream plot and actively behave in a higher state of consciousness may be related to the cultural preferences of modern lucid dreamers ^{[18; C. 14]}. It is worth noting that this desire may well be more characteristic of novice lucid dreamers, who later realize that they can control the focus of their attention rather than the entire plot of the dream ^{[29; pp. 22-23]}.

Conclusions

Lucid dreaming is different from simple awareness in a dream state, it is certainly something more than waking up in a dream. Most lucid dreamers experience in lucid dreams a more intense sense of presence, peace, joy, euphoria. This experience is similar to the states experienced in meditation, which is described, among other things, in the sutras of the Pali canon when describing jhanas, as well as in the works of modern spiritual teachers, for example, Eckhart Tolle. A significant proportion of respondents who practice lucid dreaming practice mindfulness meditation.