Awake in Deep Sleep: The case of Lucid Dreamless Sleep 26 th May 2019 First-Person Science of Consciousness Adriana Alcaraz Sánchez
Background questions Can consciousness be preserved during deep sleep? ∙
Background questions Can consciousness be preserved during deep sleep? ∙ If so, what do we experience during this period of consciousness? ∙
Introduction Indian philosophical school of Advaita Ved ā nta ∙ Mandukya Upanishad and the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali ∙ Four states of consciousness: deep sleep ( sushupti ) one of them ∙ Recall upon awakening about this period
Introduction Advaitin explanation: ∙ State of absence : Senses occluded, nothing to perceive or cognise. ∙ No awareness of anything – not of oneself , not of a lack of an object , not of an absence ∙ Nonetheless, consciousness remains and upon awakening, we experience a felt absence of this period
Introduction Tibetan Buddhism account ∙ We can gain awareness during deep sleep an recognize this state. ∙ Practice of Yoga Nidra or Dream Yoga (Norbu, 1983; Rinpoche, 1998; Rinpoche, 2002; Wallace, 2012; Holecek, 2016) ∙ Practitioner reaches a state of self-luminosity. Nothing else is perceived except the nature of our own mind (Ponlop, 2006, Rinpoche, 2008)
Background questions
Background questions How can we situate these descriptions of consciousness during ∙ deep sleep within the sleep phenomena spectrum? Is this a sui generis phenomenon? ∙
Introduction ∙ Windt et al. (2016): ∙ Dreamless Sleep: Sleep phenomena that cannot be classified as dreams since they lack the immersive character of dreams
Introduction ∙ Windt et al. (2016): ∙ Dreamless Sleep: Sleep phenomena that cannot be classified as dreams since they lack the immersive character of dreams ∙ Different kind of dreamless sleep phenomena. ∙ Selfless and Contentless Sleep Experiences. : “ Any mention of sleep experience lacking subjective immersion, imagistic and propositional content ” (p. 873). ∙ Lucid Dreamless Sleep (LDS) :
1.Methodology and procedure Pilot qualitative study on Lucid Dreamless Sleep (LDS)
1.1. Research Question ∙ How does the experience of LDS unfold? ∙ Which are its different components?
1.2. Method – (MPI) ∙ The Micro-Phenomenological interview ( MPI ) ∙ Pierre Vermersch (1994); Claire Petimengin
1.3. Participants ∙ ‘ individuals that recall episodes of awareness during sleep in the absence of dreams ’ ∙ N= 6 [from which only 5 analysed] ∙ Mean age: 46 ∙ No current history of mental illness nor sleep disorders ∙ Previous experience of meditative practices (Vipassana, mindfulness, breathing practices)
1.4. Procedure ∙ Screening Questionnaire: Inclusion/Exclusion participants ∙ Demographic data ∙ Medical information ∙ Sleep quality and experiences
1.4. Procedure ∙ Interview 1. Pre-Interview Quick memorizing task (list of words) 2. Main Interview Description of a specific experience of awareness in dreamless sleep 3. Post-Interviews Participant’s questions Average total: 1h30min
2.Results Pilot qualitative study in Lucid Dreamless Sleep (LDS)
2.1. General Diachronic Analysis ∙ Two diachronic structures ∙ Type 1 : Participants #01, #03 and #06. ∙ Type 2: Participants #02 and #04
2.1. General Diachronic Analysis ∙ Type 1: Participants #01, #03 and #06. Phase 5: Phase 1: Phase 2: Phase 3: Phase 4: Other dreamless sleep Non-Lucid Dream Lucid Dream Dream Dissolution No scenery phenomena
2.1. General Diachronic Analysis Dreamless Sleep Experiences Phase 5: Phase 1: Phase 2: Phase 3: Phase 4: Other dreamless sleep Non-Lucid Dream Lucid Dream Dream Dissolution No scenery phenomena
2.1. General Diachronic Analysis P#01 P#03 P#06 “… the scene “ … the dream world “ So I shouted out started to fade around me folded the same phrase and all of it faded as quickly as I was [‘dissolve this Phase 3: away ” falling” dream in the Dream Dissolution ultimate state’] and the room started to spin ”
2.1. General Diachronic Analysis P#01 P#03 P#06 “It was just image “ I dropped into “ The next thing and it’s fading nothing . A space that happened is and there’s of nowhere” that there’s Phase 4: nothing ” empty space ” No scenery
2.1. General Diachronic Analysis P#01 P#03 “ some colours “ I felt myself moving into a different […] and shapes Then I started to Phase 5: started to Other dreamless sleep think, ‘I wonder if I’m appear ” phenomena still in bed’
2.1. General Diachronic Analysis ∙ Type 2: Participants #02 and #04 Phase 1: Phase 2: Phase 3: Other dreamless Void/Dream Other dreamless sleep phenomena Matrix sleep phenomena
2.1. General Diachronic Analysis P#02 P#04 So, at this point “ there’s a I’d die and re - sensation of an form. I don’t want opening up into the Phase 1: to be a human, I lucid space. It’s like Other dreamless don’t want a the regular sleep human dominating mind phenomena experience. I and out of sudden chose death to there’s a shift and have this there’s an experience opening up into the lucidity
2.1. General Diachronic Analysis P#02 P#04 P#02 P#04 So, at this point “ there’s a “The whole “ In the dream I’d die and re - sensation of an environment matrix I can’t form. I don’t want opening up into the Phase 1: changes and Phase 2: see any visuals”. to be a human, I lucid space. It’s like there’s a Other dreamless don’t want a Void/Dream the regular sleep darkness ” Matrix human dominating mind phenomena experience . I and out of sudden chose death to there’s a shift and have this there’s an experience opening up into the lucidity
2.1. General Diachronic Analysis ∙ 3 states common to participants P#01, #03, and #06 1. Dream Dissolution 2. No scenery 3. Other dreamless sleep phenomena. ∙ 2 states common to participants P#02 and #04 1. Other dreamless sleep phenomena 2. Void/Dream Matrix.
2.1. General Diachronic Analysis ∙ 3 states common to participants P#01, #03, and #06 1. Dream Dissolution 2. No scenery 3. Other dreamless sleep phenomena. No Scenery/ Void ∙ 2 states common to participants P#02 and #04 1. Other dreamless sleep phenomena 2. Void/Dream Matrix.
2.2. General Synchronic Analysis ∙ Common dimensions in all the participants during the phase: No Scenery/ Void
No scenery/ Void Perception of Perception of absence Self-perception Perception of emotions awareness
No scenery/ Void Perception of Perception of absence Self-perception Perception of emotions awareness
Perception of Absence a) Visual features “there wasn’t any scenery, there are no images ”, P#01 ∙ “was not like the sky or the stars, it was like a void ”, P#03” (ABSENCE) ∙ ∙ “here’s empty space ”, P#04 (EMPTINESS) b) Perception of visuals “there’s a visual sense but it’s like vibrant blackness ”, P#02 (DARKNESS) ∙ “there’s a clarity that this light ”, P#02 (LIGHT) ∙
Perception of Absence c) Quality “there are familiar spaces”, P#02 (FAMILIAR) ∙ “It was like it was beyond any… there wasn’t no need of any constructs of the ∙ mind to have anything to do with that” P#03 (NON -CONCEPTUAL)
No scenery/ Void Perception of Perception of absence Self-perception Perception of emotions awareness
Self-perception a) Bodily-feeling b) Absence
Self-perception a) Bodily-feeling “It’s all very like fluid movements , like being in water or something” P#01 ∙ (MOVEMENT) “I couldn’t move my head around ” P#01 (RESISTANCE) ∙ I didn’t have my physical body”; P#06 (NON -PHYSICALITY) ∙
Self-perception b) Absence “It’s kind of my experience is able to kind of sustain it. I don’t know if there’s an ∙ agency sustaining it” , P#02; “There’s no scenes of self , no scenes of human, no scenes of being”, P#04. ∙ “There was no intellectual content of awareness like ‘I’m X, I’m here’”, P#06 ∙
No scenery/ Void Perception of Perception of absence Self-perception Perception of emotions awareness
Self-perception a) Cognition b) Lucidity c) Content of Awareness
Self-perception c) Content of awareness Just Awareness: ∙ “ it’s emptiness. It’s emptiness but awareness of emptiness. But well, when I say awareness you can say, ‘oh, there’s awareness of emptiness’, but sometimes, it’s like emptiness and awareness it’s the same , there’s no ‘being’ being aware of emptiness, it’s emptiness is awareness ” P#02 ∙ “[…] and start to have an awareness…isn’t you, it’s just an awareness . […] It’s like if we were going to drop a mind in a computer and whatever we drop into the computer it’s what left. It can experience but isn’t saying, isn’t feeling, isn’t tasting…it can’t describe the experience ” P#04 ∙ “ I was aware […] It wasn’t that I was thinking consciously I’m in sleep or I’m in a dream. It was more that it was an awareness ” P#06
Self-perception c) Content of awareness Awareness of awareness itself: “ awareness of awareness being aware ”, P#04 ∙
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