Dreaming and Reality: A Neuroanthropological Account

Laughlin, Charles D.

doi:10.24972/ijts.2013.32.1.64

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 68 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…We have seen that dreaming invites shamanism (or the shamanic principle), especially under conditions of psychological healing. Most peoples on the planet consider dreaming epistemologically real, not fiction or some “figment of the imagination” (Laughlin, 2013). As such, the prime directive of the brain—make sense of experience—inevitably kicks-in to produce an overarching explanatory framework which in turn renders experiences had during dreaming and other ASPs sensible and thus redundant (to be expected, commonplace).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What can we learn from shamans’ dreaming? A cross-cultural exploration.

Laughlin¹,

Rock²

2014

Dreaming

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Shamanism is a worldwide social phenomenon consisting of a set of practices (e.g., ritualistic drumming, sensory deprivation, the ingestion of entheogens and dream incubation) designed to obtain knowledge from alternative realities for the purpose of benefiting one's social group. The aim of this paper is to provide a cross-cultural exploration of dreaming in the context of shamanism. We proceed by addressing 2 fundamental questions: What is meant by the terms shaman and shamanic principle, and what is the distinction between monophasic and polyphasic social groups with regards to the veridicality and cultural significance of dreams? It will be demonstrated that the kind of society in which shamanism arises (groups having polyphasic cultures) is quite different compared to modern materialistic/technocratic society (those having monophasic cultures). Subsequently, our cross-cultural investigation of shamanic dreaming focuses on the shamanic call, initiation and healing. Finally, we elucidate the major elements of core shamanism as they appear to influence dreaming, dream interpretation and dream culture, and suggest that in fact dreaming invites shamanism.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What can we learn from shamans’ dreaming? A cross-cultural exploration.

Laughlin¹,

Rock²

2014

Dreaming

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Supernal dreams as a form of knowledge (gnosis) are not reducible to a content that is either objectively measurable or reproducible, nor can such dreams be induced, though spiritual practices may enhance a person's capacity to receive such dreams (Laughlin 2013). Mystics of many traditions have written on the topic of their personal spiritual experiences, usually in the context of their specific tradition (Irwin 2015;Marshall 2014), though nature mystics and more contemporary mystical accounts demonstrate a capacity for such experience as being transtraditional, and no longer rooted in classic mystical traditions (Kripal 2010).…”

Section: Mystical-ontological Dreamingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Supernal Dreaming: On Myth and Metaphysics

Irwin

2020

Religions

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The following article is an exploration of supernal dreaming, a type of dream that engages the dreamer as a profound, participatory, and often revelatory event. Dream types are not well developed in dream research; this article contributes to the development of a more typological approach to dream analysis. Four dream types are presented and contextualized with reference to their metaphysical and ontological significance. The types discussed are normative-rational dreams, mythic-imaginal dreams, psychic-intuitive dreams, and supernal-transpersonal dreams. The various types are illustrated with examples from the author’s extensive dream journal in order to highlight the subtle distinctions between the dream types, and how they might intersect or overlap. The dream morphology is placed within a larger context of metatheory based on the ontological significance of agency and its relationship, through dreaming, to a sentient cosmology. This cosmology is based on a creative, process-based metaphysics, in which dreams function to sustain and promote human development. Dreaming is presented as a visionary capacity leading to new enactive and embodied ways of life. The article shows how dreams can act as a stimulus for ontological insights and become a basis for paranormal perceptions and an inspirational approach to dream actualization.

show abstract

“…Their interpretation is no small challenge, since although a number of useful insights into sense of reality (SR) have emerged over the past decades (e.g. Aggernaes 1972, Johnson&Raye 1981, Bentall 1990, Ratcliffe 2008, Laughlin 2013, Farkas 2013, Hobson et al 2014, Dokic&Martin 2017, a truly comprehensive theory is still lacking.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contributions to the Phenomenology of Heightened Reality

Losoncz

2023

PRB

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article analyzes the experience of heightened reality, whereby subjects feel or think that what they are facing is reality itself, or somehow a ‘more real reality’, a hyperreality. My main examples for this specific kind of metacognitive supervision are from reports about the near-death experience, the psychedelic experience and the mystical experience. I will interpret accounts of such experiences using first of all philosophical phenomenology and theories of sense of reality. I criticize and try to complement Martin Fortier’s model of the plural taxonomy of sense of reality. In addition, I propose a triadic model of the experience of reality and, based on the analysis of the testimonies of heightened reality, I have developed a triadic model, according to which one dimension of reality experience is merely heightened reality, the other two being self-evident immersion in reality and the irruptive suspension of ordinary experience.

show abstract

Dreaming and Reality: A Neuroanthropological Account

Cited by 6 publications

References 68 publications

What can we learn from shamans’ dreaming? A cross-cultural exploration.

What can we learn from shamans’ dreaming? A cross-cultural exploration.

Supernal Dreaming: On Myth and Metaphysics

Contributions to the Phenomenology of Heightened Reality

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About