Microdream Neurophenomenology

Nielsen, Toré

doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190464745.013.11

Cited by 5 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…The predominance of dream movement in our data also seems to be in line with a recent suggestion that kinesthesia is central to the generation of dream experience, at least during sleep onset (Nielsen 2017). At the same time, in our study, 36.9 % of dream reports following tDCS contained no movements.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Modulating dream experience: Noninvasive brain stimulation over the sensorimotor cortex reduces dream movement

Noreika

Windt

Kern

et al. 2019

Preprint

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27Recently, cortical correlates of specific dream contents have been reported, such as the 28 activation of the sensorimotor cortex during dreamed hand clenching. Yet, the causal 29 mechanisms underlying specific dream content remain largely elusive. Here, we investigated 30 how alterations in the excitability of sensorimotor areas through transcranial direct current 31 stimulation (tDCS) might alter dream content. Following bihemispheric tDCS or sham 32 stimulation, participants who were awakened from REM sleep filled out a questionnaire on 33 bodily sensations in dreams. tDCS, compared to sham stimulation, significantly decreased 34 reports of dream movement, especially repetitive actions. Contrary to this, other types of 35 bodily experiences, such as tactile or vestibular sensations, were not affected by tDCS, 36 confirming the specificity of stimulation effects. In addition, tDCS reduced interhemispheric 37 coherence in parietal areas and altered the phasic electromyography correlation between the 38 two arms. These findings reveal that a complex reorganization of the motor network co-39 occurred with the reduction of dream movement, confirming spatial specificity of the 40 stimulation site. We conclude that tDCS over the sensorimotor cortex causally interferes with 41 dream movement during REM sleep.42 43

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Modulating dream experience: Noninvasive brain stimulation over the sensorimotor cortex reduces dream movement

Noreika

Windt

Kern

et al. 2019

Preprint

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“…Recently, Nielsen (2017) proposed two distinct processes on how external stimuli might shape the content of hypnagogic experiences, expanding on Silberer's (1951) study of autosymbolic images: autosensory imagery and exosensory imagery. Autosensory imagery arises through self‐generated stimuli, such as muscle twitches or jerks, or snoring.…”

Section: Direction 3: the Individual's Capacity To Process The Enviro...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The hypnagogic state: A brief update

Ghibellini

Meier

2022

Journal of Sleep Research

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The hypnagogic state refers to a transitional stage between wakefulness and sleep, in which sensory perceptions can be experienced. In this review, we compile and discuss the recent scientific literature on hypnagogia research regarding the future directions proposed by Schacter (1976; Psychological Bulletin, 83, 452). After a short introduction discussing the terminology used in hypnagogia research and the differentiation of hypnagogic states with other related phenomena, we review the reported prevalence of hypnagogic states. Then, we evaluate the six future directions suggested by Schacter and we propose three further future directions. First, a better understanding of the emotional quality of hypnagogic states is needed. Second, a better understanding of why hypnagogic states occur so frequently in the visual and kinaesthetic modalities is needed. Lastly, a better understanding of the purpose of hypnagogic states is needed. In conclusion, research has made great progress in recent years, and we are one step closer to demystifying the hypnagogic state.

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“…The twilight zone between sleep and waking teems with subjective experience, and experience changes in characteristic ways as we move from waking into sleep. During sleep onset, there is a progression from simple, unimodal, and snapshot‐like imagery to fully formed imagery involving visuospatial scenes and spanning longer episodes that tend to be dynamic and narratively organized (Nielsen, ; Windt, ). Sleep onset imagery is often accompanied by changes in bodily experience (e.g., the dampening of sensations from the body and the bedsheets), movement illusions (such as sensations of falling, floating, or separating from the physical body), and feelings of paralysis (Cheyne & Girard, ).…”

Section: Unifying Subjective and Objective Sleep: How Sleep–wake Tranmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The later stages of sleep onset experience are often immersive and dream‐like, leading to their description as oneiragogic experiences, or literally, experiences leading into dreams (Windt, ; this is in contrast to the more common term of hypnagogia, which describes sleep onset, or the period leading into sleep as well as associated experiences). Nielsen () refers to sleep onset experiences as microdreams and suggests that by disentangling the factors underlying their formation, we can gain insights into the formation of full‐fledged dreams. In addition, research on sleep onset is also a model of how research on sleep staging and its relation to dreaming and dreamless sleep experience could progress, namely by identifying finer‐grained sleep stages that are both polysomnographically defined and phenomenologically salient.…”

Section: Unifying Subjective and Objective Sleep: How Sleep–wake Tranmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The ability of simulation views to focus on different aspects of dreaming (and dreamless sleep) means they can be rendered more precise. For example, immersive (and hence dreamful) but static experiences lacking movement sensations and narrative progression (Noreika et al, ), such as quietly sitting on a bench, might be unique to certain types of NREM sleep dreams, whereas dreams at sleep onset or during REM sleep might be consistently dynamic (Nielsen, ; Windt, ). Even the transition from non‐immersive and hence dreamless to immersive and hence dreamful experience might be gradual, and the spatial and temporal dimensions associated with here and now experience might come apart (Windt, ).…”

Section: Unifying Subjective and Objective Sleep: How Sleep–wake Tranmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Consciousness in sleep: How findings from sleep and dream research challenge our understanding of sleep, waking, and consciousness

Windt

2020

Philosophy Compass

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Sleep is phenomenologically rich, teeming with different kinds of conscious thought and experience. Dreaming is the most prominent example, but there is more to conscious experience in sleep than dreaming. Especially in non‐rapid eye movement sleep, conscious experience, sometimes dreamful, sometimes dreamless, also alternates with a loss of consciousness. Yet while dreaming has become established as a topic for interdisciplinary consciousness science and empirically informed philosophy of mind, the same is not true of other kinds of sleep‐related experience, nor is it true of sleep itself. I argue that this is a mistake. Conscious experience in sleep is more diverse than dreaming and we need to explain its different forms as well as the alternation between conscious and unconscious sleep states. We also need to ask how different kinds of sleep‐related experience relate to foundational issues about sleep and wakefulness as well as sleep stages. I survey recent findings and theoretical developments from sleep and dream research to show how the traditional view of sleep and its relation to wakefulness and consciousness is flawed. I then suggest that by refining our frameworks of sleep‐related experiences and sleep staging in tandem, we can work toward a better view. As we are only beginning to understand the diversity of consciousness in sleep, an important aim is programmatic: We need a philosophy of sleep and of consciousness in sleep, not just a philosophy of dreaming, and a future theory of sleep needs to integrate phenomenological considerations with neuroscientific and behavioral evidence. Working toward such a theory will radically transform our understanding of sleep, wakefulness, and our conscious minds.

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Microdream Neurophenomenology

Cited by 5 publications

References 59 publications

Modulating dream experience: Noninvasive brain stimulation over the sensorimotor cortex reduces dream movement

Modulating dream experience: Noninvasive brain stimulation over the sensorimotor cortex reduces dream movement

The hypnagogic state: A brief update

Consciousness in sleep: How findings from sleep and dream research challenge our understanding of sleep, waking, and consciousness

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