Continuity in studying the continuity hypothesis of dreaming is needed

Abstract

The ten commentaries to my discussion with J. Allan Hobson about the continuity and discontinuity between waking and dreaming (Hobson & Schredl, 2011) are very stimulating and I would like to thank all contributors. This reply will focus on four aspects: Defining continuity and discontinuity, how does the relationship between waking and dreaming work, possible functions of dreaming, and how to study the continuity (or lack of) between waking and dreaming empirically. Even though the question about possible functions is the most interesting one, I believe that much research is needed before this enigma can be solved. As dream research is such a small field, it is necessary that researchers discuss their theories openly and replicate each other’s findings, applying different methodological approaches for studying the same phenomena.