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Brain Sciences
Special Issues
Recent Advances in Dreaming and Sleep-Related Metacognitions
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Recent Advances in Dreaming and Sleep-Related Metacognitions

A special issue of Brain Sciences (ISSN 2076-3425). This special issue belongs to the section "Behavioral Neuroscience".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 April 2024) | Viewed by 5068

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Sergio A. Mota-Rolim

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Brain Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal 59078-970, RN, Brazil
Interests: sleep; dreams; lucid dreaming; consciousness; philosophy of mind
Dr. Brigitte Holzinger

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Institute for Consciousness and Dream Research, Vienna, Austria
2. Sleep Coaching, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Interests: sleep; sleep research; sleep disorders; insomnia treatment; dream research; lucid dreaming research; nightmare research; nightmare treatment
Dr. Michael Nadorff

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Psychology, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS, USA
Interests: nightmares; nightmare treatment; suicidal behavior; aging; behavioral sleep medicine
Prof. Dr. Luigi De Gennaro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Roma, Roma, Italy
Interests: sleep; local sleep; aging; homeostasis; cortico-hippocampal networks; Alzheimer's disease; sleep onset; dreaming
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Dreams have always fascinated humans. The first civilizations interpreted dreams in a supernatural way, such as the Oracle of Delphi, and most religions recognize dreams as a way to communicate with God to understand the present and predict the future. This changed with Freud´s book “The Interpretation of Dreams”, which was the first attempt to understand dreams as a natural brain process. Nowadays, dreams can be defined as any mental activity that occurs during all human sleep stages, with specific characteristics.

Despite the scientific advances, we still do not know why we dream, and why some people remember dreams every day, while others only rarely. Modern theories such as the continuity hypothesis and the threat simulation theory cannot explain all oneiric features. Recently, an increase in nightmares was observed after the COVID-19 outbreak. Alongside that, in modern societies, smartphones force people to sleep later, but they still need to wake up early. Since REM sleep happens mainly in the final hours of sleep, we are deprived of it. Recent studies have shown that REM sleep is associated with emotion regulation, thus the recent increase in anxiety and depression may be associated with dream deprivation.          

In this Special Issue, we aim to provoke and articulate ideas to foster a broad discussion on dream research. We encourage authors to submit original research, reviews and essays, from basic research to clinical studies analyzing all kinds of dreams, such as nightmares, false awakenings, lucid dreams, recurrent dreams, etc. We believe that this interaction can be positive and foster our understanding of dreams and human consciousness.

Dr. Sergio A. Mota-Rolim
Dr. Brigitte Holzinger
Dr. Michael Nadorff
Prof. Dr. Luigi De Gennaro
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Brain Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sleep
  • dream
  • lucid dreaming
  • nightmare
  • recurrent dream
  • REM sleep
  • false awakening
  • REM sleep behavior disorder

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 1251 KiB  
Article
Sensational Dreams: The Prevalence of Sensory Experiences in Dreaming
by Anna C. van der Heijden, Jade Thevis, Jill Verhaegen and Lucia M. Talamini
Brain Sci. 2024, 14(6), 533; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14060533 - 24 May 2024
Viewed by 448
Abstract
Dreaming, a widely researched aspect of sleep, often mirrors waking-life experiences. Despite the prevalence of sensory perception during wakefulness, sensory experiences in dreams remain relatively unexplored. Free recall dream reports, where individuals describe their dreams freely, may not fully capture sensory dream experiences. [...] Read more.
Dreaming, a widely researched aspect of sleep, often mirrors waking-life experiences. Despite the prevalence of sensory perception during wakefulness, sensory experiences in dreams remain relatively unexplored. Free recall dream reports, where individuals describe their dreams freely, may not fully capture sensory dream experiences. In this study, we developed a dream diary with direct questions about sensory dream experiences. Participants reported sensory experiences in their dreams upon awakening, over multiple days, in a home-based setting (n = 3476 diaries). Our findings show that vision was the most common sensory dream experience, followed by audition and touch. Olfaction and gustation were reported at equally low rates. Multisensory dreams were far more prevalent than unisensory dreams. Additionally, the prevalence of sensory dream experiences varied across emotionally positive and negative dreams. A positive relationship was found between on the one hand sensory richness and, on the other emotional intensity of dreams and clarity of dream recall, for both positive and negative dreams. These results underscore the variety of dream experiences and suggest a link between sensory richness, emotional content and dream recall clarity. Systematic registration of sensory dream experiences offers valuable insights into dream manifestation, aiding the understanding of sleep-related memory consolidation and other aspects of sleep-related information processing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Dreaming and Sleep-Related Metacognitions)
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21 pages, 590 KiB  
Article
Frequent Lucid Dreaming Is Associated with Meditation Practice Styles, Meta-Awareness, and Trait Mindfulness
by Elena Gerhardt and Benjamin Baird
Brain Sci. 2024, 14(5), 496; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14050496 - 14 May 2024
Viewed by 812
Abstract
Lucid dreaming involves becoming aware that one’s current experience is a dream, which has similarities with the notion of mindfulness—becoming aware of moment-to-moment changes in experience. Additionally, meta-awareness, the ability to explicitly notice the current content of one’s own mental state, has also [...] Read more.
Lucid dreaming involves becoming aware that one’s current experience is a dream, which has similarities with the notion of mindfulness—becoming aware of moment-to-moment changes in experience. Additionally, meta-awareness, the ability to explicitly notice the current content of one’s own mental state, has also been proposed to play an important role both in lucid dreaming and mindfulness meditation practices. However, research has shown conflicting strengths of associations between mindfulness, meditation, and lucid dreaming frequency, and the link between lucid dreaming and meta-awareness has not yet been empirically studied. This study evaluated the associations between lucid dreaming frequency and different meditation practice styles, mindfulness traits, and individual differences in meta-awareness through an online survey (n = 635). The results suggest that daily frequent meditators experience more lucid dreams than non-frequent meditators. However, weekly frequent meditators did not have a higher lucid dreaming frequency. A positive association was observed between open monitoring styles of meditation and lucid dreaming. The findings also indicate that meta-awareness is higher for meditators and weekly lucid dreamers. Furthermore, frequent lucid dreaming was commonly associated with a non-reactive stance and experiencing transcendence. Overall, the findings suggest a positive relationship between specific meditation practices and lucid dreaming as well as the importance of meta-awareness as a cognitive process linking meditation, mindfulness, and lucid dreaming. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Dreaming and Sleep-Related Metacognitions)
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14 pages, 410 KiB  
Article
Personality Functioning Improvement during Psychotherapy Is Associated with an Enhanced Capacity for Affect Regulation in Dreams: A Preliminary Study
by Simon Kempe, Werner Köpp and Lutz Wittmann
Brain Sci. 2024, 14(5), 489; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14050489 - 11 May 2024
Viewed by 660
Abstract
Background: Clinical case illustrations of patients with an impairment of personality functioning (IPF) have repeatedly reported that progress during psychotherapy is reflected by alterations in dream content. However, quantitative studies based on samples of psychotherapy patients are scarce. As a core component of [...] Read more.
Background: Clinical case illustrations of patients with an impairment of personality functioning (IPF) have repeatedly reported that progress during psychotherapy is reflected by alterations in dream content. However, quantitative studies based on samples of psychotherapy patients are scarce. As a core component of both personality functioning and contemporary psychodynamic dream theory, the construct of affect regulation is of specific significance in this context. Aims: To test if improvement in personality functioning in the course of psychotherapy is associated with an increasing ability to regulate affects in dreams. Method: In a longitudinal design, affect regulation was compared in N = 94 unsolicited dream reports from the first vs. last third of long term psychotherapy of ten patients with initial IPF. Dream reports were transcribed from recordings of the sessions. Expert ratings of the level of personality functioning were obtained using the Scales of Psychological Capacities. The capacity for affect regulation was assessed using the Zurich Dream Process Coding System. Group differences were assessed using linear mixed models, controlling for dream length as well as the nested structure of this data set. Results: Patients demonstrated an increased capacity for affect regulation in dreams that was primarily evident in three core features: the complexity of dream elements (cf., e.g., parameter attributes, p = 0.024); the extent of affective involvement in the dream ego (cf., e.g., parameter subject feeling, p = 0.014); and the flexibility to regulate the dynamics of safety/involvement processes (p ≤ 0.001). This pattern was especially prominent in a subgroup (n = 7) of patients with more pronounced improvements in personality functioning. Conclusion: These findings support the hypotheses that decreasing IPF during psychotherapy is associated with increases in the capacity for affect regulation in dreams. Thus, researchers and therapists can utilize dream reports to illuminate the important aspects of treatment progress in clinical practice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Dreaming and Sleep-Related Metacognitions)
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13 pages, 926 KiB  
Article
How COVID-19 Affected Sleep Talking Episodes, Sleep and Dreams?
by Milena Camaioni, Serena Scarpelli, Valentina Alfonsi, Maurizio Gorgoni, Rossana Calzolari, Mina De Bartolo, Anastasia Mangiaruga, Alessandro Couyoumdjian and Luigi De Gennaro
Brain Sci. 2024, 14(5), 486; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14050486 - 11 May 2024
Viewed by 986
Abstract
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic increased symptoms of stress and anxiety and induced changes in sleep quality, dream activity, and parasomnia episodes. It has been shown that stressful factors and/or bad sleep habits can affect parasomnia behaviors. However, investigations on how COVID-19 has affected [...] Read more.
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic increased symptoms of stress and anxiety and induced changes in sleep quality, dream activity, and parasomnia episodes. It has been shown that stressful factors and/or bad sleep habits can affect parasomnia behaviors. However, investigations on how COVID-19 has affected sleep, dreams, and episode frequency in parasomnias are rare. The current study focuses on the impact of the pandemic on a specific parasomnia characterized by speech production (sleep talking, ST). Methods: We selected 27 participants with frequent ST episodes (STs) during the pandemic and compared them with 27 participants with frequent STs from a previous study conducted during a pre-pandemic period. All participants performed home monitoring through sleep logs and recorded their nocturnal STs for one week. Results: We observed a higher frequency of STs in the pandemic group. Moreover, STs were related to the emotional intensity of dreams, independent of the pandemic condition. The pandemic was associated with lower bizarreness of dreams in the pandemic group. There were no differences in sleep variables between the two groups. Conclusion: Overall, these results suggest a stressful effect of COVID-19 on the frequency of STs. Both the pandemic and the frequency of STs affect qualitative characteristics of dreams in this population. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Dreaming and Sleep-Related Metacognitions)
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Review

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20 pages, 341 KiB  
Review
The Epistemic Limits of Impactful Dreams: Metacognition, Metaphoricity, and Sublime Feeling
by Don Kuiken
Brain Sci. 2024, 14(6), 528; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14060528 - 22 May 2024
Viewed by 270
Abstract
Taxonomic studies of dreams that continue to influence the dreamer’s thoughts and feelings after awakening have distinguished three types of impactful dreams: nightmares, existential dreams, and transcendent dreams. Of these, existential dreams and transcendent dreams are characterized by recurrent metacognitive appraisal of the [...] Read more.
Taxonomic studies of dreams that continue to influence the dreamer’s thoughts and feelings after awakening have distinguished three types of impactful dreams: nightmares, existential dreams, and transcendent dreams. Of these, existential dreams and transcendent dreams are characterized by recurrent metacognitive appraisal of the epistemic tension between complementary (a) metaphoric (A “is” B) assertions and (b) literal (A “is not” B) assertions. Metacognitive appraisal of such complementary metaphoric and literal assertions is detectable as the felt sense of inexpressible realizations. The poesy of such inexpressible realizations depends upon the juxtaposition of a metaphoric topic and vehicle that are both “semantically dense” but at an abstract level “distant” from each other. The result is “emergence” of attributes of the metaphoric vehicle that are sufficiently abstract to be attributes also of the metaphoric topic. The cumulative effect of successive metaphoric/literal categorical transformations produces a higher-level form of metacognition that is consistent with a neo-Kantian account of sublime feeling. Sublime feeling occurs as either sublime disquietude (existential dreams) or as sublime enthrallment (transcendent dreams). The aftereffects of these two dream types are thematically iterative “living metaphors” that have abstract (but not “totalizing”) ontological import. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Dreaming and Sleep-Related Metacognitions)
23 pages, 1454 KiB  
Review
Neuropsychopharmacological Induction of (Lucid) Dreams: A Narrative Review
by Abel A. Oldoni, André D. Bacchi, Fúlvio R. Mendes, Paula A. Tiba and Sérgio Mota-Rolim
Brain Sci. 2024, 14(5), 426; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14050426 - 25 Apr 2024
Viewed by 976
Abstract
Lucid dreaming (LD) is a physiological state of consciousness that occurs when dreamers become aware that they are dreaming, and may also control the oneiric content. In the general population, LD is spontaneously rare; thus, there is great interest in its induction. Here, [...] Read more.
Lucid dreaming (LD) is a physiological state of consciousness that occurs when dreamers become aware that they are dreaming, and may also control the oneiric content. In the general population, LD is spontaneously rare; thus, there is great interest in its induction. Here, we aim to review the literature on neuropsychopharmacological induction of LD. First, we describe the circadian and homeostatic processes of sleep regulation and the mechanisms that control REM sleep with a focus on neurotransmission systems. We then discuss the neurophysiology and phenomenology of LD to understand the main cortical oscillations and brain areas involved in the emergence of lucidity during REM sleep. Finally, we review possible exogenous substances—including natural plants and artificial drugs—that increase metacognition, REM sleep, and/or dream recall, thus with the potential to induce LD. We found that the main candidates are substances that increase cholinergic and/or dopaminergic transmission, such as galantamine. However, the main limitation of this technique is the complexity of these neurotransmitter systems, which challenges interpreting results in a simple way. We conclude that, despite these promising substances, more research is necessary to find a reliable way to pharmacologically induce LD. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Dreaming and Sleep-Related Metacognitions)
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