Benefits and concerns of seeking and experiencing lucid dreams: benefits are tied to successful induction and dream control (2024)

Statement of Significance

The unpredictability of dream content hinders scientific progress and leads to suffering in nightmare patients. Controlling dream content through lucid-dreaming has been hailed as a solution to these problems, though it is increasingly clear that this approach is not without limitations. This study identified and characterized benefits and concerns of seeking lucid dreams by utilizing social media. Negative experiences, such as sleep paralysis and restlessness, were associated with failed lucid-dreaming attempts rather than lucid dreaming itself. Positive experiences, such as enhancing dream content and mood benefits, were associated with high amounts of dream control. These findings define the terrain of potential outcomes of lucid-dreaming practice and illuminate ways to promote positive outcomes in future applications.

Data source

Reddit is one of the most visited websites globally and is frequently used for psychological studies [41, 45]. The self-proclaimed “front page of the internet”, Reddit is an anonymous discussion forum where users can create and self-moderate sub reddits dedicated to specific topics of interest [46]. For example, on the chess sub reddit, users are only allowed to post content related to chess. Each sub-reddit consists of topically relevant posts, where users attach comments to discuss the post. We analyzed posts from the most active subreddit focusing on the topic of lucid dreaming¹ (hereafter r/LucidDreaming), which had approximately 419 000 members as of October 28th, 2021. The average monthly post rate was 943 from January 2015 to December 2019 (Figure 1A). Though we don’t have demographic information for r/LucidDreaming users, the general Reddit user demographics from a 2016 PEW study² are 67% male, 64% between the ages of 18 and 29, 70% white non-hispanic, and 82% with some college education (see also [45]).

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Figure 1.

Dataset and methods. (A) The lucid-dreaming subreddit (r/LucidDreaming) activity over time. r/LucidDreaming became active in late 2010 and has remained active with roughly 1000 posts per month. Note that a subset of 400 posts was extracted for the current analyses. (B) Deductive/inductive content analysis procedure. Three coders developed an initial set of positive and negative themes based on prior lucid-dreaming literature and a cursory glance at r/LucidDreaming, and continued to adjust themes as the analysis proceeded.

Data collection

Public Reddit data is viewable and available for access through a variety of sources. We extracted all r/LucidDreaming posts from the Pushshift dataset [47] using the PSAW Python package.³ For the current analysis, we extracted a subset of 400 posts (first 200 in April 2019 and first 200 in July 2019). Reddit posts were analyzed—as opposed to comments—as posts are more representative of the topics discussed on a given sub reddit. Importantly, there is far more topical content on r/LucidDreaming than we were interested in for the current investigation into positive and negative themes (e.g. lucid dream-induction methods, requests for help with lucid dreaming, scientific articles, videos, etc.). All 400 posts were coded, and before resolving coding disagreements, 213 of them contained >1 of our themes as identified by >1 coder. After resolving all coding disagreements, 174 posts remained as containing >1 theme identified by all coders. This remaining sample size of 174 posts is consistent with prior Reddit content analyses [48] and was included in all further analyses.

Data analysis

Three authors (R.M., L.S., R.R.) performed all stages of a content analysis [49, 50]. Following prior related work [48], we used a combination of deductive (top-down) and inductive (bottom-up) approaches to the theme development stage of analysis [49] (Figure 1B). We also placed a valence restriction on theme development by only including themes that had an inherent positive or negative sentiment. Thus, posts were not coded for valence explicitly, but were coded for each of the themes that had either positive or negative sentiment. Note that while each theme itself is valenced in the broad sense, each post contributing to a theme did not necessarily match the valence. For example, a post about a neutral sleep paralysis experience would still fit under the “negative” sleep paralysis theme, since in general sleep paralysis is viewed as a frightening, unwanted, and negative experience [27].

We developed an initial codebook of specific coding guidelines and initial themes for each coder to use for analysis. Posts were coded in batches and then all coders would reconvene to resolve minor discrepancies and make adjustments to the codebook if necessary [49, 51]. At intermediate stages of coding, we calculated inter rater reliability for each theme as the percentage of all posts where all raters were in complete agreement. Ultimately, any of the posts where there was not complete agreement were resolved through group discussion (thus, final percent agreement was 100%). Posts were coded using Doccano⁴ and aggregated for summary statistics using Python. The final themes, along with a brief description and example for each theme, are presented in Table 1. Posts could include more than one theme, though we used a subset of single-valence posts to compare the frequency of positive-only (containing >1 positive themes and zero negative themes) and negative-only (>1 negative themes and zero positive themes) posts using a proportion z-test.

To investigate any difference in popularity between positive and negative themes, we analyzed theme frequency in relation to up-votes and comments. For each theme, we identified the median up-vote ratio (up- to down-votes) of posts and the median number of comments attached to posts. Each of up-vote ratio and comment frequency were compared between positive and negative themes with a Mann–Whitney U test using the Pingouin Python package [52].

Based on inductions from the main content analysis, we analyzed what factors distinguish positive-only from negative-only posts. For this analysis, positive-only and negative-only posts were stripped of all prior coding assignments, shuffled in order, and coded along two dimensions by two authors (L.S., R.R.). Posts were coded as to whether they involved a lucid dream experience of any kind (yes/no) and the presence of dream control (high/little-to-none). Degrees of dream control can be defined in various ways, though we simplified our analysis by defining high dream control as “the ability to successfully execute an intention to its intended outcome” (c.f. [12, 53]). Posts that did not include a dream experience at all, or had no identifiable level of control were removed from this analysis. Both of these factors were tested for a relationship with the valence of a lucidity-related theme (positive/negative) with a chi-square test using the Pingouin Python package [52].

Table 2.

Paraphrased positive theme examples

Table 3.

Paraphrased negative theme examples

Positive themes

The most common positive theme was dream enhancement, with positive waking mood and nightmare resolution roughly similar in second. Themes creativity/insight and rehearsal were barely present at all on r/LucidDreaming. Total counts and representative examples of positive themes are presented in Figure 2A and Table 2, respectively.

Negative themes

The most common negative theme on r/LucidDreaming was sleep paralysis by far, followed by lucid dysphoria, poor sleep, and reality confusion themes, which all had similar counts. Total counts and representative examples of negative themes are presented in Figure 2A and Table 3, respectively.

Contributors to post valence

Inter rater reliability was high for both lucidity attainment (91%) and dream control (80%) codings. The following results were qualitatively similar when either set of codings was used, so one was selected for presentation arbitrarily (L.S.).

Attaining lucidity

There was a significant relationship between attaining lucidity and the valence of a post, X² (1, N = 148) = 17.4, p < .0001 (Figure 3A). Posts that included a lucid dream experience were more likely to be positive than those without.

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Figure 3.

Contributions to post valence. (A) The relationship between the presence of a lucid dream and post/theme valence. A post was more likely to be positive if it included a lucid dream experience. Each of the four mosaic plot tiles are sized proportionally to the number of observations. A greater size difference between tiles indicates a stronger relationship between lucidity and valence. (B) The relationship between dream control and post/theme valence. A dream experience was more likely to be positive if it involved a high level of dream control. A greater size difference between tiles indicates a stronger relationship between lucidity and dream control.

Benefits

Dream enhancement was the most prevalent theme among r/LucidDreaming posts, consistent with nearly all prior survey studies of lucid dreaming. Dreams were enhanced via lucidity in a variety of ways. We observed many accounts of enhanced dreams stemming from increased vividness and deliberate dream control. Many posts described the use (or desired use) of dream control to promote flying or sex [16]. Other positive uses of dream control were unique and personalized, such as performing magic spells, traveling to specific locations [8], or recreating events from a favorite video game.

In addition, dreams were enhanced despite lacking deliberate dream control. Some users would, upon lucidity, start to “actively look” or investigate the lucid dream to appreciate “how much detail” and “how realistic” it was. Here, a sense of awe was instilled from the observation of a vivid perceptual dream experience while knowing they were asleep. Some reported intense positive dream emotions that coincided directly with lucidity (e.g. a “feeling of freedom” upon the realization of dreaming). Together, these low-control lucid dreams suggest that full control over the dream environment is not a necessary precursor to the positive emotions that co-occur with lucidity [7–11]. In at least some cases, positive emotion might arise from observing the vividness of the dream first-hand. These and related “clear light” lucid dreams [55, 56] suggest that people derive benefit from witnessing their dream content, even in the absence of control. An interesting future direction would be to perform an in-depth analysis on posts with the dream enhancement theme. It’s possible that there are variable strengths of enhancement across these different approaches.

Many posts referenced a positive waking mood, suggesting that the aforementioned dream enhancements translate to a more positive waking life [14, 22, 57–60]. Positive waking mood posts primarily referred to the mood immediately following a lucid dream, and the phenomenology of these accounts offers insight into what might drive a similar effect in empirical studies [1, 10]. For example, many posts contained overlapping themes of positive waking mood and dream enhancement, suggesting that dream enhancements led to enhanced morning-mood. These posts included some form of exhilaration or excitement upon awakening after controlling or witnessing the dream. Thus, one plausible mechanism behind a morning-mood benefit of lucidity is a positive emotion carry-over from the dream into waking [61]. By comparison, the induction of a sense of awe during waking can promote positive emotions and prosocial behaviors [62], so a similar experience during lucid dreaming—or a memory of the dream [63]—might inspire the same [60]. Another possibility is that a positive mood results from a sense of achievement when a lucid dream ultimately occurs after a prolonged series of failed attempts.

Another benefit identified was the reduction of nightmares with lucid dreaming. This finding adds to mounting subjective reports and case studies of successful nightmare reduction through the use of lucid dreaming [18]. Notably, users reported self-prescribing lucid-dreaming therapy. Though nightmares are common, they are often left untreated due to a lack of emphasis in sleep medicine [64]. Some users described lasting impacts from the use of lucid dreaming, even experiencing no nightmares for years (see also [65]).

Concerns

The frequent topic of sleep paralysis was unsurprising given its prior association with lucid-dreaming frequency [26, 28, 29]. Sleep paralysis is typically viewed as a negative and unwanted experience, and we observed this perspective often, including users who had never experienced it but were afraid it might occur. However, we also found that—in the context of lucid-dreaming practices—the experience of sleep paralysis was occasionally sought out rather than feared, mostly as a vehicle to induce lucidity. Some posts even referred to sleep paralysis as a pleasurable experience and offered advice on overcoming potentially unnecessary fears.

Reality confusion occurs in many forms, and in the context of dream research often refers to source confusion over whether a memory was originally experienced while asleep or awake [66]. However, we observed very few source confusions. Most reality confusion could be traced back to instances of false awakenings, which are instances where someone incorrectly believes they’ve woken up, only to later realize the awakening was dreamt. False awakenings have shown prior positive associations with lucid-dreaming frequency and sleep paralysis [29, 67]. In the current study, isolated incidences of single-series false awakenings were largely benign, and occasionally even used to promote lucid dreaming. In contrast, long-series false awakenings—where a user was repeatedly wrong about waking up—occasionally digressed into dream-reality confusion while awake (see anoneirognosis [68]). The current dataset suggests this effect might only last a single morning, though future work could help identify to what degree reality confusion after false awakenings persists into waking life.

Our results offer accounts of sleepless nights after failed (and sometimes frustrating) induction attempts. Notably, the sleep loss here was rarely reported as persistent over time, but instead was linked to lucid-dream-induction methods. Similarly, not all accounts of sleep loss were described as negative, since it occurred prior to successful induction attempts. Users also reported spontaneous lucid dreams occurring after a natural bout of disrupted sleep, consistent with prior work suggesting that fragmented sleep might lead to a lucid dream [69, 70]. Sleep loss due to induction methods is consistent with prior concerns and a motivating factor for improving induction methods via alternate approaches.

Another topic in posts about poor sleep was that lucid dreams may interfere with the restorative role of sleep, given that they might be more active than non-lucid dreams [71]. One user claimed they would “wake up more tired than before the sleep started”, and another claimed their lucid dreams “were exhausting”. These few posts came almost exclusively from natural and high-frequency lucid dreamers who were unable to avoid becoming lucid. Sleep with lucid dreams might result in the perception of reduced restorative sleep for high-frequency lucid dreamers because of the dream awareness, as they suggest. Alternatively, the unique neural features of lucid REM sleep [72, 73] might interfere with some REM sleep functions. Another idea is that sleep fragmentation surrounding the lucid dream [69, 70] might promote subjective tiredness. Of course this possible concern would not be relevant for those who lucid dream infrequently, but it raises the intriguing possibility that there may be a need for approaches to reduce lucid dream frequency. Future work might prospectively investigate whether lucidity prevents some restorative role of sleep and dreaming, as there is little empirical support for this relationship currently [10, 34–37].

Our observation of lucid dysphoria extends recent reports of lucid nightmares [24, 25] by suggesting that—while small in numbers—such experiences can be very frightening and should not be dismissed. Users offered accounts of terrifying lucid dreams that they were unable to control, despite strenuous efforts in some cases. It might be that the increased vividness and heightened emotions often associated with positive lucid dreams also apply to these negative experiences. The lack of dream control was the most consistent feature of lucid dysphoria, suggesting that effective methods to increase dream control would be valuable.

Distinguishing positive and negative themes

We identified two features that distinguish positive from negative lucid-related phenomena. The attainment of a lucid dream and having high dream control were associated with positive experiences. This finding has important implications for applications of lucid dreaming, because by identifying specific features that separate positive from negative experiences, the process can be biased away from valid concerns and towards benefits. Generally speaking, the goal of a lucid-dreaming practice is to go from deliberate induction to positive benefit, but the intermediate steps and mechanisms are largely uncharted. We translated our results into a process model that begins to address this shortcoming.

Our model of lucid-dreaming benefits (Figure 4) is centered around two branch points which determine a person’s success in having positive experiences. The first point occurs during the induction attempt. Based on our content analysis and findings from Figure 3A, a rule emerges where the inductee either becomes lucid or does not. If lucidity is attained, the experience is likely to be positive and the process continues towards a waking benefit. If lucidity is not attained, the process ends, likely with a negative outcome such as poor sleep or sleep paralysis. The second point occurs after lucidity is attained. Findings presented in Figure 3B suggest that the rule here is based on the amount of control. The inductee either has high/sufficient control or does not. With sufficient dream control, a positive outcome such as nightmare resolution or dream enhancement is highly likely. Without such control, the process is likely to end in a negative experience such as lucid dysphoria.

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Figure 4.

Process model for lucid-dreaming benefits. Between a lucid-dream-induction attempt and its waking benefit are two critical branch points (surrounding boxes). The lucid-dream inductee either continues with positive experiences towards the waking benefit (solid arrows) or the process ends in a negative experience (dashed arrows).

In summary, our model proposes at least two critical checkpoints—induction success and degree of dream control—that lie between an induction attempt and its potential waking benefit. We described these stages as a linear process, though the temporal relationship between dream awareness (i.e. lucidity) and control is not clear [74]. Another simplification in our model is that we treated lucidity, control, and emotion all as binary, when they more likely fall along a continuum [1]. We expect a simple variant of this model accounting for degrees of these features to make similar predictions. Thus, the findings from this study and the resulting process model suggest that the successful induction of a high-control lucid dream warrants low concern for negative outcomes and supports reaching a positive outcome.

Limitations

Reddit users are not representative of the general population [45]. However, most psychology studies—including those investigating lucid dreaming—other systematic biases, primarily towards undergraduate student samples [75]. For example, the majority of articles within a recent meta-analysis of lucid-dreaming frequency focused on student samples [3]. With Reddit being used by nationalities and age groups of all kinds, our sample likely contains a wider demographic span than prior research.

While we do not have access to r/LucidDreaming demographics specifically, we can speculate that they follow general Reddit demographics. If so, the bias towards young, white, middle-class males would be consistent with our observation of minimal creativity/insight posts, since the use of lucidity for creative purposes is more commonly reported by older females [13]. It is also possible that Reddit contains a larger proportion of gamers than other social media platforms. It has been suggested that lucid dreaming and specifically dream control increase with video game use [76, 77] (though see [78]), and if r/LucidDreaming follows this trend it might have influenced our theme totals (e.g. inflating dream enhancement and deflating lucid dysphoria).

Another influence on our sample is what motivates someone to post on Reddit. For example, since r/LucidDreaming is a popular place for anyone to ask questions about lucid dreaming, this might have inflated positive or negative themes (though the similar amount of up-votes and comments between themes suggests this did not play a major role). It’s also possible that users were intentionally lying (trolling) for other reasons [79], although online anonymity has historically been viewed as a shield for privacy and is thought to promote overall honest reporting in research settings [80].

The lucid-dreaming sub reddit contains many more discussions of important themes that were not part of the current focus, which was limited to only positive or negative valenced themes. Just over half of all coded posts did not include any of our valenced themes. We did not analyze these posts extensively, but we note that they sometimes contained relevant videos or articles yet mostly focused on lucid-dream-induction methods. People often posted to offer or request assistance in successfully inducing lucid dreams. In the scientific literature, the successful induction of lucid dreams is also a critical focus and is to-date largely unresolved [4, 81]. Though laboratory technology is sometimes involved [82], many cognitive lucid-dream-induction methods can be utilized at home with minimal prior experience. Thus, r/LucidDreaming might contain insights into novel approaches as well as the efficacy of popular existing approaches. Additionally, the frequent requests for help provide evidence of a societal interest in becoming aware during dreams. Future work utilizing this dataset to investigate other topics—especially lucid-dream-induction methods—would likely be a fruitful path.

https://www.reddit.com/r/LucidDreaming.

http://pewrsr.ch/21jq0bC.

https://github.com/dmarx/psaw.

https://github.com/doccano/doccano.

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