Awake in Deep Sleep: The case of Lucid Dreamless Sleep 26 th May - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Awake in Deep Sleep: The case of Lucid Dreamless Sleep

26th 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 Vedānta ∙ 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 1: Non-Lucid Dream Phase 2: Lucid Dream Phase 3: Dream Dissolution Phase 4: No scenery Phase 5: Other dreamless sleep phenomena

2.1. General Diachronic Analysis

Phase 1: Non-Lucid Dream Phase 2: Lucid Dream Phase 3: Dream Dissolution Phase 4: No scenery Phase 5: Other dreamless sleep phenomena

Dreamless Sleep Experiences

2.1. General Diachronic Analysis

Phase 3: Dream Dissolution

P#01 P#03 P#06

“… the scene started to fade and all of it faded away” “So I shouted out the same phrase [‘dissolve this dream in the ultimate state’] and the room started to spin” “… the dream world around me folded as quickly as I was falling”

2.1. General Diachronic Analysis

P#01 P#03 P#06

“It was just image and it’s fading and there’s nothing” “The next thing that happened is that there’s empty space” “I dropped into

• nothing. A space
• f nowhere”

Phase 4: No scenery

2.1. General Diachronic Analysis

P#01 P#03

“some colours and shapes started to appear”

“I felt myself moving into a different […] Then I started to think, ‘I wonder if I’m still in bed’

Phase 5: Other dreamless sleep phenomena

2.1. General Diachronic Analysis ∙ Type 2: Participants #02 and #04

Phase 1: Other dreamless sleep phenomena Phase 2: Void/Dream Matrix Phase 3: Other dreamless sleep phenomena

2.1. General Diachronic Analysis

P#02 P#04

So, at this point I’d die and re-

• form. I don’t want

to be a human, I don’t want a human

• experience. I

chose death to have this experience “there’s a sensation of an

• pening up into the

lucid space. It’s like the regular dominating mind and out of sudden there’s a shift and there’s an

• pening up into

the lucidity Phase 1: Other dreamless sleep phenomena

2.1. General Diachronic Analysis

P#02 P#04

So, at this point I’d die and re-

• form. I don’t want

to be a human, I don’t want a human

• experience. I

chose death to have this experience “there’s a sensation of an

• pening up into the

lucid space. It’s like the regular dominating mind and out of sudden there’s a shift and there’s an

• pening up into

the lucidity Phase 1: Other dreamless sleep phenomena Phase 2: Void/Dream Matrix

P#02 P#04

“In the dream matrix I can’t see any visuals”. “The whole environment changes and there’s a darkness”

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. ∙ 2 states common to participants P#02 and #04 1. Other dreamless sleep phenomena 2. Void/Dream Matrix.

No Scenery/ Void

2.2. General Synchronic Analysis ∙ Common dimensions in all the participants during the phase:

No Scenery/ Void

No scenery/ Void Perception of absence Self-perception Perception of emotions Perception of awareness

No scenery/ Void Perception of absence Self-perception Perception of emotions Perception of 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 absence Self-perception Perception of emotions Perception of 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 absence Self-perception Perception of emotions Perception of 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

Self-perception c) Content of awareness Awareness of energy: ∙

“I was aware of my energy” P#03

Awareness of being ∙

‘“being aware. Being present”, P#06

∙

No scenery/ Void

Perception of absence

Visual features

Absence Emptiness

Perception of visuals

Darkness Light

Self-perception

Self-representation

Bodily-feeling

Movement Lack of physicality

Absence

Perception of emotions

Emotional features

Perception of awareness

Cognition

Lucidity

Content of awareness

Just awareness Awareness of itself Awareness of energy Awareness of being

• Lucid dreamless sleep experiences present a wider variability than previously

established.

• Windt et al. (2016) LDS part of the cluster Selfless and Contentless

Experiences: “Any mention of sleep experience lacking subjective immersion, imagistic and propositional content” 2.3. Discussion

• Not always lack immersion, imagistic or propositional content.

2.3. Discussion

• Not always lack immersion, imagistic or propositional content.
• Awareness of minimal content: Perception of ‘absence’, of ‘awareness’

2.3. Discussion

• Not always lack immersion, imagistic or propositional content.
• Awareness of minimal content: Perception of ‘absence’, of ‘awareness’
• Awareness of awareness itself: Reflexive awareness

2.3. Discussion

• Not always lack immersion, imagistic or propositional content.
• Awareness of minimal content: Perception of ‘absence’, of ‘awareness’
• Awareness of awareness itself: Reflexive awareness
• Awareness devoid of content: Just awareness

2.3. Discussion

• Not always lack immersion, imagistic or propositional content.
• Awareness of minimal content: Perception of ‘absence’, of ‘awareness’
• Awareness of awareness itself: Reflexive awareness
• Awareness devoid of content: Just awareness
• Possibility that are different phenomena:

2.3. Discussion

• Not always lack immersion, imagistic or propositional content.
• Awareness of minimal content: Perception of ‘absence’, of ‘awareness’
• Awareness of awareness itself: Reflexive awareness
• Awareness devoid of content: Just awareness
• Possibility that are different phenomena:
• Lucid Dreamless Sleep experiences: Some content
• Non-Lucid Dreamless Sleep experiences: just awareness, no content

2.3. Discussion

• 3. Future research

Future approach

• Future approach: neurophenomenology of LDS. Correlation of reports and sleep

stages

• Travis et al. 1994
• Siclari et al 2017

Future approaches Travis et al. 1994 Similar EEG patterns (Peaks of Delta/Alpha power) during:

• SO-NREM, NREM-REM and REM-

dreaming (Travis et al. 1994)

• ‘Witnessing sleep’→ Mason et al

1990, 1997

• ‘Transcendental Meditation’

(Maharishi, 1972)

Future approaches Siclari et al 2017 Dreaming: decrease SWA. Unconsciousness: increase SWA Similar Hot zone was active when participants reported dream experiences without content → Any content during those experiences?

(Fazekas et al. 2018: the experiences are of reduced quality, but still contentful)

Future approaches

• Distinguish between:
• Experiences that had content but was forgotten

Future approaches

• Distinguish between:
• Experiences that had content but was forgotten
• Experiences that had reduced content

Future approaches

• Distinguish between:
• Experiences that had content but was forgotten
• Experiences that had reduced content
• Experiences that had no content

Thanks!

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