Lucid Dreaming as a Learnable Skill: A Case Study
Perceptual and Motor Skills December 1, 1980 DOI: 10.2466/pms.1980.51.3f.1039 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractOver three years, a single subject (the author) learned to have lucid dreams—dreams in which the dreamer knows they are dreaming. Without any technique, fewer than one lucid dream occurred per month. Auto-suggestion produced 1 to 13 lucid dreams per month (average 5.4), with at most two per night. A mnemonic technique called MILD yielded 18 to 26 lucid dreams per month (average 21.5), with up to four per night, demonstrating that lucid dreaming can be deliberately induced.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | The author |
| Intervention | auto-suggestion |
| Duration | 3-year study |
| Citations | 122 |
| Key finding | A mnemonic technique (MILD) produced an average of 21.5 lucid dreams per month, far more than auto-suggestion (average 5.4) or no technique (fewer than 1 per month). |
Abstract
The author was the subject in an investigation of the feasibility of learning to dream lucidly, i.e., while knowing that one is dreaming. During the 3-yr. study, the subject recorded a total of 389 lucid dreams and developed a mnemonic technique for the voluntary induction of lucid dreams (MILD). Without using any induction procedure, the subject reported less than 1 lucid dream per month. Using auto-suggestion resulted in a range of 1 to 13 lucid dreams per month ( M = 5.4), with at most 2 per night. MILD yielded 18 to 26 lucid dreams per month ( M = 21.5), with up to 4 per night.