By Anna Leroux
“I swear I told you that,” a sentence I have said countless times in conversation with friends and family. I say it with conviction, racking my brain to when the discussion was held. Only later do I realize in reality the conversation did not happen. Lucid dreams have often left me fully convinced that I have participated in entire discussions due to their vividity. Similarly, there are moments where “I swear I did that,” echoes in my mind, only for me to realize later I had dreamt my actions and my brain had temporarily stored them as the memory of actually doing them.
My personal lucid dream experiences often include extensions of conversations or interactions I have had with people, which is what makes them so easily become a memory. Especially if I have been replaying an experience in my mind, I can almost guarantee I am gonna dream about it later. I rarely have dreams that are fantastical or that I have complete control over, and often it sometimes takes me a while to figure out I am dreaming. Once I come to the conclusion that I am dreaming, it is easiest just to let it happen because if I try to wake myself up it can cause sleep paralysis, which is a disgusting feeling.
These experiences have made me wonder about the nature of consciousness itself. If I can be aware enough to control a dream while still asleep, what does that say about our normal waking consciousness? Perhaps our everyday awareness exists on a spectrum rather than as a simple on-and-off switch.
Dreams have always captivated humanity, from the sensation of floating effortlessly through space to the familiarity of childhood memories resurfacing. They seem to tap into our deepest emotions, desires and fears. For centuries, the meaning of dreams has been the subject of speculation and intrigue, from the worship of Morpheus, the Greek God of Dreams, to the theories of Sigmund Freud. But what if these nightly experiences serve a deeper purpose? What if they actively shape how we solve problems, fuel creativity or even influence our most important decisions?
For some, lucid dreaming—the state where the sleeper becomes aware they are dreaming and, in varying degrees, can influence their dream—has been reported to have a profound impact on people’s daily lives and creative processes.
In my experience, when I am deeply stressed by a creative block my brain turns to lucid dreaming. If I have been stressed about a creative block enough it is possible my dream will try to fix it. However, attempting to utilize complete control over my dreams in these situations leaves me feeling less rested because I was never fully able to “shut my brain off”. The absence of regulation is part of what confuses me throughout my day —blurring the line between what I actually did and what my mind may have fabricated.I can usually rely on lucid dreams to give me a constant sense of deja vu throughout my week.
From a scientific perspective, dreams are far more than mere random brain activity during sleep. While much of the dream world remains mysterious, the growing body of research into sleep, lucid dreaming and brain science sheds light on how these surreal experiences shape our waking lives.
We spend about one-third of our lives asleep, and during this time, our brains are far from dormant. As we sleep, our brains cycle through different stages of sleep, including the well-known REM (rapid eye movement) phase, when most vivid dreaming occurs. During REM, the brain is almost as active as it is when we are awake, processing memories, consolidating information and making connections between seemingly unrelated ideas. This stage of sleep is when we are most likely to experience lucid dreams, though not everyone has.
According to the Clinical Neuroscience of Lucid Dreaming from the Neuroscience and Behavioral Reviews journal, “A recent meta-analysis on the prevalence of spontaneous LD estimates that 53 % of people have experienced it once, while 23 % can be considered regular lucid dreamers.” Additionally, this journal describes lucid dreaming as a “learnable ability”, which begs the question how much control we have over our brains in dreams.
These statistics reveal something fascinating about human consciousness. With over half of people experiencing lucid dreaming at least once, it appears to be a natural potential of the human mind rather than an anomaly. Yet the drop between one-time experiences and regular occurrences from 53% to 23% suggests mastering this state requires more than just natural ability according to the journal.
Like meditation or emotional regulation, it seems we can develop greater control over our sleeping consciousness through practice. Just as playing an instrument or speaking a new language requires consistent practice, maintaining the ability to lucid dream demands consistency. It seems our consciousness is not just something that happens to us, it is something we can actively shape even in our sleep.
It took me a long time to figure out I was a lucid dreamer. It was not something I was familiar with nor something I had ever tried to practice. Once I discovered that it was irregular for people to be able to wake themselves up or influence their thoughts while dreaming, I became curious and started looking into what could be my cause. While I can fully shape my dreams, it usually only happens at the very beginning or end of the dream, and is easiest if it is the topic of something I have spent the day thinking or stressing over. If I did not remember going to bed, lucid dreaming can leave me feeling like I never slept at all.
Sleep scientists have long been interested in the link between dreaming and memory. From the perspective of Dr. Angel Houts, a psychology professor at the University of Arkansas, dreams, particularly lucid dreams, can provide valuable insights into how the brain processes memories and solves problems. In lucid dreams, the dreamer is aware they are dreaming and, in some cases, can exert control over the dream’s direction. This semi-conscious state presents a unique opportunity for researchers to observe how the brain operates between wakefulness and sleep.
“Studying lucid dreaming can give us insights into how the brain handles memory and problem-solving,” Dr. Houts said. “Since you’re partially awake in lucid dreams, it’s like observing the brain working in a hybrid state between dreaming and wakefulness. This could help researchers understand how we organize and retrieve memories and how creative problem-solving might happen without the usual constraints of waking life.”
“This process is very fulfilling to me because I often create pieces I would’ve never made without the idea coming to me in a dream.” said Abbie Ahlbridt, a freshman and artist at the U of A.
Freud, in his work “The Interpretation of Dreams (1900),” said dreams are the “royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious activities of the mind.” Although he did not specifically address or discuss lucid dreaming, as the term was only first coined by Frederik van Eden in 1913, he did theorize there was a direct link between the unconscious mind and dreams that may present a deeper understanding of a person’s psyche. In some ways, lucid dreaming takes Freud’s theory a step further by offering a glimpse into the complex levels of consciousness at the same time.
One of the most intriguing aspects of lucid dreaming is the hybrid nature of the experience. The conscious and unconscious minds seem to coexist in a fluid, overlapping space where you can observe your subconscious thoughts while still maintaining some level of control. This gives rise to the potential for introspection and self-awareness.
According to Dr. Houts, lucid dreaming can be understood as a kind of “conversation” between conscious awareness and unconscious processes. In lucid dreams, the dreamer is aware that they are dreaming while the brain is still engaged in unconscious, automatic functions. This dynamic can offer clues about how we become self-aware, how our unconscious mind informs our waking reality and how different levels of consciousness overlap.
“Lucid dreaming lets us peek into this dialogue between what we know and what we don’t know,” Dr. Houts said. “You’re conscious, but the brain is still in a dream state. It’s a unique experience where you can observe your unconscious mind at work while still having some control over it.”
This intersection of awareness and unawareness suggests that lucid dreaming could be more than just an odd experience, it could be a vital part of how we understand ourselves and how we process emotions, desires, and conflicts that we may not confront directly in waking life. Lucid dreaming may also be a way for us to confront unresolved issues or serve as an emotional outlet for the things that our conscious mind suppresses.
It’s no secret that many of the world’s most groundbreaking ideas have come to people in their sleep. Albert Einstein, for example, reportedly visualized the theory of relativity after a vivid dream. The famous chemist August Kekulé came up with the structure of the benzene molecule after a dream about a snake biting its own tail. The connection between dreaming and creativity is well-documented, and modern science is beginning to uncover how our dreams might help unlock the door to creativity and problem-solving.
“Dreams have a lot to do with my creative process, even though I don’t dream often,” said Emelia Roy, a sophomore pre-graphic design student at the U of A. “My dreams are often in nature, and I channel that heavily in my art.”
Dr. Houts said that lucid dreaming could provide insights into how we solve problems without the mental constraints we experience when awake. By becoming aware of the dream state, we free ourselves from the rigid boundaries of logic and the limitations of waking reality, potentially unlocking new, innovative ways to approach a problem.
“Lucid dreaming allows us to break free of the usual constraints,” Dr. Houts said. “In the dream state, there’s no distinction between what’s possible and what’s not, so the mind can explore ideas without the usual judgments or limitations.”
This has profound implications for how we approach creativity, innovation and even therapeutic techniques. Lucid dreams could serve as a rehearsal space, where we can experiment with ideas and experiences without the fear of failure or consequence. Whether it’s artists looking for new ways to express themselves, inventors seeking novel solutions or scientists struggling to crack complex problems, lucid dreams offer a place to think freely, untethered from reality’s rules.
“There have been many times where I get vivid imagery of objects or ideas in my head while I’m sleeping, and when I wake up I record whatever I can remember,” said Ahlbridt. “Afterwards, when I have time, I go back and create what I saw during my dreams into paintings.”
As compelling as the science of lucid dreaming is, studying dreams presents unique challenges. Dreams are subjective experiences—what one person dreams about may be vastly different from someone else’s experience. Additionally, as anyone who has tried to recall their dreams knows, details often fade quickly. This makes it difficult for researchers to gather consistent data from a large group of individuals.
To circumvent these challenges, researchers have developed various methods, such as using sleep labs to monitor brain activity, employing brain imaging techniques and encouraging participants to keep dream journals. These tools help scientists collect data and track patterns in dream behavior, but the inherent subjectivity of dreams remains a significant hurdle.
Despite these challenges, the study of lucid dreams offers a unique opportunity to understand consciousness, memory and creativity. Since lucid dreaming allows us to be both aware of and immersed in the dream state, it provides a rare glimpse into how the brain processes information, creates new ideas, and bridges the conscious and unconscious worlds.
For example, “My personal art involves watercolor florals, and many scenes I paint have either been from my dreams or based on the composition of places in my dreams,” said Roy.
It is important to continue discussing dreams since they are so dependent on the person. Personally, I was not aware that nightmares and night terrors were normal until an embarrassingly old age. I thought they were dramatized in film and the media until I was discussing poor sleep with someone who had them.
“Why don’t you just change the scene or wake yourself up?” I thought unknowingly due to my ability to control aspects of my dreams have almost always helped me avoid nightmares entirely.
The way lucid dreams affect my sleep quality has made me think more deeply about the trade-offs between dream control and rest. While I appreciate being able to steer away from unpleasant dreams or explore more deeply the things I imagine awake, there’s definitely a cost. Those mornings after intense lucid dreams often leave me feeling like I’ve been solving complex puzzles all night instead of truly sleeping. It’s as if my brain never fully disconnected from consciousness, keeping one foot in the waking world and the other in dreamland.
This is because lucid dreaming prevents me from reaching deep REM sleep, the restorative stage of the sleep cycle. While the dream may feel vivid and real, it comes at the cost of feeling less rested upon waking. If there was more open discussion, people may find how unique their individual brains are. Continuous research on dreams is a social necessity to ensure people have a more empathetic understanding to them and each other..
Dreams have long been recognized as culturally significant, with many societies attributing spiritual or mystical meaning to dreams. From the ancient Egyptians, who believed dreams were messages from the gods, to modern-day therapists using dreams to help patients uncover hidden emotional truths, dreams have played an essential role in human culture.
In ancient Greek mythology, Morpheus, the god of dreams, was believed to have the power to appear in the dreams of humans, often taking different forms to communicate messages or reveal truths from the subconscious. As one of the Oneiroi, the personifications of dreams, Morpheus influenced not only the dream world but also how dreams were perceived as powerful, sometimes prophetic experiences.
Dr. Houts suggests that it might be worthwhile to continue exploring how different cultures interpret and experience lucid dreams. While lucid dreaming is a phenomenon that can be found across many societies, the way it is understood and approached may vary significantly based on cultural beliefs and traditions.
“Cultural differences could influence how we experience and interpret lucid dreams,” Dr. Houts explained. “In some cultures, dreams might be seen as an extension of spiritual experiences, while in others, they might be understood in more psychological or neurological terms.”
Sometimes it’s as if dreams are a kind of cultural reset button, stripping away our learned assumptions about what’s possible or normal. This might explain why so many societies have treated dreams with such reverence, because they represent one of the few truly universal human experiences.
Perhaps this is why dreams have endured as a subject of fascination despite our increasingly technological world. They remain one of the few experiences that technology can’t fully capture or explain, a nightly reminder that there are still mysteries in being human.
Dreams are more than fleeting mental snapshots. They offer a window into the workings of our unconscious mind, shedding light on how we process emotions, memories and problems. Lucid dreaming, in particular, has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of creativity, problem-solving and the nature of consciousness itself.
“I have also had dreams that push me to create art, such as ones where I’m showcasing my work in exhibits,” Ahlbridt said. “This encourages me to keep going, knowing that it could one day come true.”
Lucid dreaming has always influenced people and I am no exception. While dreaming, not just lucid, has sparked creativity and problem-solving, it is always interesting to see the way reality and the surreality of dreaming uniquely influences people. Our daily lives bleed into our dreams and vice versa. As research dreams grows, I hope more people can appreciate the profound uniqueness of their minds and the expression of that within dreams.