Have you ever wondered what your subconscious is capable of, what it can do or know?
Our visceral brain is responsible for the involvement in the neurophysiological control of our emotions and thoughts, this part of our limbic system contributes to the plot of the uncanny and strange dreams most of us have.
About 20% of our world's population have experienced lucid dreams, dreams in which we are aware and lucid that we are in a dream while we are dreaming. Sometimes the dreamers might even be capable of controlling the dream, revealing the secrets of our subconscious.
Research shows that activity in certain areas of the brain during a confused state of consciousness is associated with greater awareness; It includes attention, processing, memory, planning, and self-awareness. These brain regions are the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, bilateral frontopolar prefrontal cortex, precuneus, inferior parietal lobule, and supramarginal gyrus.
This proves that the freedom we experience in lucid dreams is very similar to the freedom that people feel when they are awake, a state of complete sobriety.
Studies show that lucid dreams occur in the front part of the brain and trunk with "gamma waves" with a frequency of 20 to 80 cycles per second. This gamma activity is associated with the heightened consciousness seen in sleepers. This could be one of the reasons leading to the formation of our magical hallucinations.
The reason behind this intriguing consciousness phenomenon is not yet fully understood, but ways to increase lucid dreaming have been found. This type of dream can increase our mental health and self-confidence but ironically is triggered by stress, anxiety, and other psychopathologies. Lucid dreaming could be classified as healthy or it could have negative consequences, either way, it is an astounding phenomenon and function of our body, which could be experienced by anyone.
In conclusion, we know that lucid dreaming is a unique state of consciousness separate from any other mental state. It is a rare and fascinating experience in which we control what happens as these dreams reflect on our own subliminal and subconscious state.
“It is in our idleness, in our dreams, that the submerged truth comes to the top.”
Virginia Woolf
