From Kevin Wallace
For people with narcolepsy, the lucid dreaming for which Jessica Hamzelou strives can be an undesirable and sometimes frightening intrusion into normal daily life (12 June, p 36).
The hallucinations often experienced at the onset of narcolepsy can take the dream-within-a-dream form Hamzelou describes. For a narcoleptic, these dreams are frequently nightmares in which the dreamer awakes with great relief at the end of the dream only to discover that he or she is still asleep. This nesting of dreams within dreams can be several layers deep, and is frightening.
During a daytime sleep attack, a narcoleptic may begin to dream while fully engaged in conversation. This can be confusing for both the narcoleptic and the other party, as the narcoleptic shifts from the topic in hand to incorporating elements of the dream into the conversation. There are documented cases of people with narcolepsy being misdiagnosed with schizophrenia, due in large part to their appearing to hear voices while in a lucid dream state.
Let’s hope that the search for techniques to initiate lucid dreaming may also lead to associated techniques for those of us who desire the opposite – making it stop.
Advertisement
From Richard Horton
I spontaneously started experiencing lucid dreams in the 1990s. I thought the phenomenon was entirely subjective until I read Hamzelou’s references to the use of PET scans and EEG to demonstrate measurable effects during this state of consciousness.
A particularly interesting aspect of lucid dreaming is the ability to create and manipulate 3D images of previously unencountered objects – certainly not something I can do when awake. On several occasions I have come across a piece of complex electronic apparatus in a lucid dream. On inspection of the equipment, the dials and switches are consistent when I walk all the way around the object.
When awake I cannot create a 3D image in this way, so how do I have this ability while dreaming? In contrast, if I read printed text in a lucid dream and then look away, when I look at the text again it is always different.
Harrogate, North Yorkshire, UK
From John Wellbelove
I recently discovered that my dream states are completely different from the “normal” dreams described in your article.
My dreams are never vivid, let alone lucid – they are more akin to daydreams or visualised memories: fuzzy and indistinct, like watching a bad TV picture. Yet I am fully aware of the fact that I am dreaming, and can usually direct and restage parts of my dream when I don’t like the way the story is going.
Having discovered the unusual nature of my dreams, and the experiences one could have with lucid dreaming, I find myself disappointed at what I have missed out on all these years.
Southampton, UK
Montreal, Canada
