EPISODE 4 - JARROD GOTT

“Virtual reality training of lucid dreaming”

EPISODE 4

Jarrod Gott

Jarrod Gott is currently a researcher at the Donders Institute Sleep and Memory Lab.

Direct link to episode research paper

Direct link to the Donders Institute Sleep & Memory Lab

Direct link to Jarrod's Google Scholar page

Direct link to Jarrod’s ResearchGate page

Direct link to Jarrod’s LinkedIn profile

In this episode, Kristian speaks with Jarrod Gott about the potential Virtual Reality has as a training aide to simulate dream-like experiences where memory cues can be developed to enable a higher frequency of lucid dreaming. In this particular research, Jarrod and his team explore the incorporation of VR content in dream-like imagery to enhance the development of memory cues and the role of synthetic dream-like experiences as it relates to lucid dreaming.

RESEARCH PAPER EXTRACTS

“To the extent that the brain is capable of generating its own sensory content (divorced of external stimuli), lucid dreaming comprises a delicate centrepoint in a neurobiological balance: retaining wake-like levels of reflection and volitional control, but vastly surpassing waking imagery in its immersion and depth, while circumventing the myriad of hazards associated with psychopathological and pharmacological hallucination. Lucid dreaming therefore holds the mantle of being the closest thing the brain has — in terms of safe, endogenous capability — to experience fully immersive, authentic and convincing virtual reality (VR), delivering aesthetic and emotionally salient content that can approach waking life in its authenticity.”

“Since volitional motor activity performed within one's dreams can recruit the same cortical regions as when waking, it stands to reason that volitional thought processes performed within one's dreams may also be capable of operating by this logic. In other words, reflecting upon the authenticity of one's environment while asleep can produce the necessary state changes in neurological activity as to generate lucidity as an explicit psychological endpoint.”

“VR training led to statistically significant increases in dream lucidity compared to the passive control group, as evinced through both dream lucidity self-ratings in the DLQ and LuCiD questionnaires. Contrary to our hypothesis, we did not observe significant differences between the passive and active control conditions, nor between the active control condition and VR training.”

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