History of Lucid Dreaming

Human beings have been trying to understand dreams–their content and significance–all throughout history. From ancient civilizations to modern times, the concept of dreaming and the sleeping mind has always been a topic of interest. One of the most intriguing aspects of this concept is lucid dreaming.

The ability to have awareness while dreaming and even control the dream is a phenomenon that stands out. Throughout the ages, different cultures have tried to interpret and explain it in many ways.

In this article, we’ll dive deeper into the history of lucid dreaming, from ancient cultures, through the Middle Ages, to modern science and pop culture. We’ll discuss how its perception has changed over time, offering you both historical context and some practical insights.

Ancient Origins and Early References of Lucid Dreaming

Humans dream for about two hours every night. Since 50% of people experience lucid dreaming at least once in their lifetime, it’s safe to say that lucid dreaming has been around for as long as humans have.

It’s possible that ancient Egyptians understood and practiced awakening while in the sleep state from their ancient writing system.

There are also manuscripts in other ancient cultures, dating back thousands of years, that mention the idea of lucid dreaming. Some Hindu manuscripts, for instance, talk about consciousness in dreams and deep sleep.

Practices like dream yoga, practiced by Tibetan Buddhists, involve maintaining awareness while dreaming and engaging yoga techniques in the dreamworld. Another ancient Buddhist practice, yoga nidra, involves a state beyond the normal states of dreaming, deep sleep, and waking. The yogi enters into special thoughtless sleep where there is consciousness or conscious sleeping.

Aristotle was an ancient Greek philosopher who lived from 384 to 322 BC. In the Parva Naturalia, a collection of his works, he talks about consciousness in sleep allowing the dreamer to know they’re dreaming.

Lucid Dreaming in the Middle Ages

While still not mentioned explicitly, many works from the Middle Ages reference lucid dreaming.

Sir Thomas Browne was an author and expert in many different fields. He lived from 1605 to 1682. His most famous work is the Religio Medici (Religion of a Doctor). In one passage he says, “...yet in one dream I can compose a whole comedy, behold the action, apprehend the jests, and laugh myself awake at the conceits thereof.” This could be explained as lucid dreaming.

Another good example is René Descartes, known for his famous quote, “I think, therefore I am.” Descartes was a scientist, mathematician, and philosopher. In 1619 he had three vivid dreams in which he believed that a divine being gave him a mission in life. He believed that the dreams were significant in helping him come up with his philosophical ideas.

It has been argued that his second dream was a case of exploding head syndrome. It’s a condition in which one experiences hallucinations while waking up or falling asleep.

Lucid Dreaming in the Modern Era

Marie-Jean-Léon, Marquis d'Hervey de Saint-Denys, a French sinologist, is one of the first oneirologists and some regard him as the father of lucid dreaming. Oneirology is a subfield of psychology and the study of dreams.

Saint-Denys started keeping a journal of his dreams when he was only 13 years old. In 1867 he anonymously published a book, Dreams and the Ways to Direct Them: Practical Observations. The book is about the development of dreams but the theme of lucid dreams is prominent.

The author talks about the dreamer being aware that he is in a dream and the ability to control dreams. There are stories about his own lucid dreams and some of the things he attempts while in the dreamscape. This includes jumping off tall buildings. Experimenting with lucid dreams was a way for him to try and figure out the human dreaming experience.

Scientific Recognition and Frederik van Eeden

Frederik Willem van Eeden, a Dutch psychiatrist, is believed to be the one who came up with the term “lucid dream” in 1913. Talking about his different dreaming experiences, he described one type of dreaming as lucid dreaming–a state of perfect awareness in sleep. The dreamer is aware of his condition and waking life while still asleep and can direct his attention to try different things at will.

This, to him, was the most interesting type of dream, and he considered it worthy of further research.

Van Eeden kept a record of his lucid dreams, which he reported in his paper, A Study of Dreams. He presented his ideas in a way he hoped would “appeal to the scientific mind”. He said that despite being lucid while dreaming, sleep was still deep and refreshing.

Van Eeden claimed to have had his first lucid dream in 1897.

The Work of Celia Green

In 1968, Celia Green, a British philosopher and parapsychologist, combined new data from her research with previously published papers and published Lucid Dreams. She has been at the forefront of pioneering research in lucid dreaming and similar phenomena.

Green associated lucid dreaming with the REM stage of sleep and also made the connection to false awakenings. Other than lucid dreaming, she has published works on out-of-body experiences.  

Stephen LaBerge’s Contributions

Stephen Laberge is a psychophysiologist known for his tremendous contribution to lucid dreaming research. He founded the Lucidity Institute which facilitates lucid dreaming research and offers courses to teach people how to lucid dream.

LaBerge has carried out and supported a lot of studies to help in further understanding of lucid dreaming. One of his greatest contributions is the development of the MILD lucid dreaming technique. People use this technique to train themselves to achieve lucidity while dreaming. It has been used in various studies to induce lucid dreams in participants.

He also carried out a study that supports Celia Green’s conclusion that lucid dreams start in REM.

Lucid Dreaming in Popular Culture

Today, lucid dreaming is a little more popular and you can see it in popular culture. Inception, for instance, is a successful film that contains heavy themes of lucid dreaming and dream sharing. Famous people like Aphax Twin and Billie Eilish have openly talked about having lucid dreams and how these dreams influence their work.

There are countless lucid dreaming communities as well, where lucid dreamers share their experiences. The Reddit lucid dreaming community has over half a million members.

Therapeutic Applications of Lucid Dreaming

Lucid dreaming is now a scientifically proven concept. In fact, studies are showing that it can have therapeutic benefits. One such benefit is the use of lucid dreaming to treat PTSD. Practicing awareness while dreaming and learning to control dreams can help with nightmares, a prevalent problem for many PTSD patients. It can also reduce anxiety and depression.

Conclusion

Lucid dreaming is not a 20th or 21st century phenomenon. Ancient writings from different cultures show that it has been around for a long time.

Tibetan Buddhists practiced dream yoga where they maintained consciousness while dreaming, even practicing meditation within the dream. These phenomena are also mentioned by ancient figures like Aristotle who talked about consciousness while dreaming.

Other thinkers and experts like Sir Thomas Browne and René Descartes talked about vivid dreams and performing certain actions at will while dreaming. Marie-Jean-Léon published a book about dreams in 1867. In the book, he recounts some of his own vivid dreams. Fast forward to the 20th century, Frederik van Eeden came up with the term “lucid dream” in 1913.

Lucid dreaming has since been accepted as a scientifically proven phenomenon. It has made its way into pop culture and studies show that it may offer therapeutic benefits.