LaBerge (1990) states that lucid dreamers have the ability to recall waking life, think clearly, and act intentionally while immersed in a vividly realistic dream realm. Lucid dreaming enables individuals to realize they are dreaming, empowering them to alter their ongoing dream.
According to many researchers, lucid dreams are not typical parts of dreaming thoughts but rather brief arousals (LaBerge, 1990). These arousals were frequently observed during REM sleep and led to the understanding that they form the basis for lucid dreams. In the late 1970s, evidence emerged indicating that lucid dreams occur during REM sleep. To test this hypothesis, an experiment was conducted by four scientists named LaBerge, Nagel, Dement, and Zarcone. The objective of the experiment was to determine the precise time when a lucid dream occurs using a signal or response.
The study involved five subjects who were observed for two to twenty nights depending on the researchers’ judgment. In total, 34 nights of observation resulted in recording 35 lucid dreams from various sleep stages. Out of these 35 lucid dreams, 32 occurred during REM sleep while the remaining three took place during other stages of the sleep cycle. Further analysis with two additional subjects and 20 more lucid dreams yielded identical results (LaBerge, 1990). Based on these findings, LaBerge and the three other researchers concluded that lucid dreaming predominantly happens during REM sleep.
Multiple researchers, such as Keith Hearne, Alan Worsley, and Olgilvie, conducted studies on lucid dreaming and its timing. In Hearne and Worsley’s study, the subject spent 50 non-continuous nights in the Hull University sleep lab while the experimenter monitored the polygraph. They discovered that all eight reported lucid dreams during their experiment happened during REM sleep. Similarly, Olgilvie also examined lucid dreaming and found that in 12 out of 14 cases, the physiological state preceding the signals of lucidity was identified as REM sleep. In the remaining two cases, one was uncertain if it was REM sleep while the other seemed to be wakefulness. Olgilvie concluded that although lucid dreams typically occur during REM sleep, there is a slight possibility of them occurring at other times. Numerous other research laboratories studying lucid dreaming support LaBerge’s findings alongside those of Hearne, Worsley, and Olgilvie concerning the occurrence of lucid dreams during REM sleep.
There are two ways lucid dreams occur. The first type is called Dream-initiated Lucid Dreams (DILD) where people become aware that they are dreaming while in REM sleep. This occurs in 80% of all lucid dreams. The second type is less common and known as Wake-Initiated Lucid Dream (WILD). In WILD, people briefly wake up during a dream but quickly fall back asleep and continue the dream without any interruption in consciousness. According to LaBerge’s research from 1990, a minority of lucid dreams (WILDs) start with moments of brief arousal during REM sleep and continue undisturbed thereafter.
Out of body experiences (OBEs) refer to perceiving the world from a perspective beyond one’s own physical body, while still maintaining a sense of having a body. These experiences can evoke various emotions in individuals, ranging from profound and significant to disconcerting.
There are different theories about the nature of OBEs. One theory states that OBEs happen when the conscious mind separates from the physical body and freely explores the physical world. Another perspective suggests that OBEs are hallucinations, but this does not explain why they are common. On the other hand, some people believe that OBEs are natural events caused by regular brain activities and can occur in any healthy person. Psychologists support this explanation by stating that those who have OBEs represent the overall population of healthy Americans.
Out-of-body experiences (OBEs) are akin to dreams, but they possess a higher level of realism and happen less frequently. According to LaBerge and Levitan (1991), typical characteristics of OBEs encompass the sensation of existing in a separate body from the physical one, sensing energy, encountering vibrations, and perceiving unusual sounds. Some scientists contend that OBEs manifest during the initial phases of sleep when individuals lose sensory input from their organs yet remain conscious. OBEs can arise during periods of rest, sleep, dreaming, illness, and even while under the influence of medication or drugs. Numerous researchers propose that individuals who undergo OBEs also tend to experience lucid dreams as well as dreams involving flying or falling.
Lucid dreams and OBEs have distinct differences. OBEs are less frequent compared to lucid dreams. In a lucid dream, the dreamer is aware that the event is a dream, whereas in OBEs, the person believes the experience is real. In OBEs, the person often dreams about being in their bedroom, while lucid dreamers do not. After waking up from a lucid dream, the dreamer accepts that it was not real; however, after waking up from an OBE, the person believes the experience was real.
Sexual content is common in many lucid dreams and feels realistic but rarely involves sexual content in OBEs. Lucid dreamers struggle to remember their dreams while OBEs are easily remembered. DILDs typically trigger lucid dreams while WILDs initiate OBEs.
Lucid dreams are more common than OBEs with 50-70% of the population claiming to have had at least one lucid dream in their life whereas only 14-25% of people claim to have had an OBE. According to their definitions; a lucid dream occurs during sleep while an OBE takes place while awake.
In a lucid dream, the dreamer remains connected to their physical body while in an OBE;the person sees themselves as separate from their physical body. The physical body of a luid dremar is not visible whereas someone experiencing an obe usually sees thier own phyiscal body
People who experience obe’s tend ot have stronger and more frequent positive emotions compared
individuals who have ldreamd
To sum up, lucid dreams and out-of-body experiences (OBEs) are different from each other. Lucid dreams involve the dreamer staying connected to their physical body, while OBEs involve individuals perceiving themselves as separate from their physical form. However, there are also similarities between these two phenomena. Many researchers see OBEs as a type of lucid dreaming because studies on lucid dreams often include experiences similar to OBEs. Nevertheless, it is important to recognize that OBEs and lucid dreams are ultimately distinct.
LaBerge (1990) conducted a study on the correlation between consciousness and lucid dreaming while in REM sleep. The study can be found at www.lucidity.com.The online source “Other Worlds: Out-of-Body Experiences and Lucid Dreams” by LaBerge, S. and Lynne Levitan (1991) can be accessed at www.lucidity.com.
Wilson, I. (1994) writes about lucid dreaming and out of body experiences in a web article titled “A Look at Lucid Dreaming and Out of Body Experiences.”
The article is available online at www.spiritweb.org/Spirit/obe-wilson.html.
