Induction of a pre-chosen melody inside a lucid dream

Abstract

Objective. Lucid dreams (LDs) are a specific condition of the mind, can happen either spontaneously or intentionally (mostly in the REM sleep phase), and are characterized by consciousness and awareness during sleep. LDs provide many perspective tools to improve real life (e.g., training motor skills, solving psychological issues, and obtaining inspiration in arts). In this study, we show the possibility of identifying or playing a particular melody in an LD to check how well people may reproduce these skills in LDs. Methods. A group of 254 LD practitioners were divided into two groups and asked to induce an LD and then find or hear a particular melody, chosen either by themselves or by the researchers. After that, they wrote reports describing their experiences in detail. Results. Finding a particular melody, either proposed by the researchers or chosen by the participants, appeared to be achievable, as 84% of the obtained reports described successful attempts (p-value < 2.2e-16). In many cases, the participants’ brains were able to reproduce in LDs high quality and very detailed melodies. Interestingly, success did not depend on practitioners’ overall LD experience, meaning the task is achievable for beginners. Discussion. The results add to the knowledge of abilities that can be used inside LDs. Considering a recent study showing the possibility of transmitting music rhythms directly from an LD in real-time, this finding extends an existing view of the creativity capacity of LDs. Further experiments using basic skills like this will expand the list of helpful LD applications.