Good question. If a lucid dream is any dream in which we know that we are asleep and we can train this ability, then why are we not conscious in every dream? Why isn't mindfulness becoming commonplace in sleep? Why do we take dreams of flying pigs and dinosaurs as an extension of real life? What is the mechanism for avoiding unconscious dreams? Scientists view this problem from three different perspectives.
1. Sleep is therapeutic for the brain
In accordance with the psychology of the subconscious, in a dream we must be passive unconscious characters in order for the dream to become a therapy for the subconscious. The ability to perceive sleep as reality is necessary for our subconscious mind for psychological recovery, personality integration or self-purification.
I agree with the essence of this theory, but this is not a mechanism of unconscious sleep. Otherwise, the only way to get a lucid dream would be complete release from any unresolved internal conflicts. But that doesn't match my experience. And yours?
2. The brain perceives everything as reality
An important function of the brain is to interpret sensory information. He receives this information through eyes, ears, nose, skin, nerves and so on. But you can trick the brain into accepting other kinds of information, such as imagination. Or hallucinations. Or dreams.
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This is the nature of perception. The brain does not distinguish between sources of information. Moreover, he himself periodically adds or forgets something. You can observe this effect using optical illusions or experimenting with a mirror in dim light.
Mirror Experiment
In wakefulness (unconscious sleep), sit directly in front of a mirror in a semi-dark room and gaze intently at some point on your face. Within a minute, your facial features may fade or dissolve, your head may throb or move. It will pass as soon as you move your eyes, but this is an interesting experience for assessing your perception of the world. Things are not what they seem.
And that's why our promiscuous brain doesn't notice when you are awake and when you are sleeping. This is a function of consciousness. But during sleep, consciousness is inactive, and therefore the brain perceives sleep (subconscious perception) as reality.
Moreover, pictures from dreams and hallucinations can be as vivid as in reality (which is why the "realism" of lucid dream will not protect you from loss of awareness). This fact seems all the more compelling since the brain invents false memories during sleep to explain what you see. For example, a dream about a talking monkey can be explained by a false memory of an experiment in which it was taught to talk.
This explains why even a tiny, split-second glimpse of awareness in a dream makes it possible to understand that you are dreaming.
3. The dream world has its own rules
Developmental psychology gives its explanation. Imagine that not only children, but also embryos can dream. And it’s true - you have had dreams in your mother’s womb. This happened long before you accepted the laws of physical reality and knew what people look like.
Subconsciously, your brain was programmed to recognize the changing imaginary constructs of the intrauterine dream world even before it saw the rigid logical laws of the real world. Strange dreams have left a mark on your subconscious even before reality. And if this basic memory is still guiding your subconscious mind, then it is not surprising that you do not question your reality and become aware in a dream by a fluke.
In addition, dream differs from reality in the level of your expectations. The waking “I” expects the rigid rules of reality. The theory suggests that the brain distinguishes between the two worlds upon awakening and is able to adapt to different sets of rules.
When this mechanism fails, false awakenings occur. This is the state where the waking "I" is activated while you are still inside the imaginary dreaming world. A tiny step separates you from awareness here after you start testing the false awakening against the logical standards of reality.
So what theory do you hold - and why?
By Rebecca Turner