RE: A Conversation on Lucid Dreaming between Stephen LaBerge and Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
No worries! That is great. Definitely keep in touch. The possibilities in lucid dreams are endless and well worth being studied. There are plenty areas that need to be researched. I find that most students who get in touch about wanting to do a thesis want to focus on topics that are a bit grand without much guarantee that it'd help the field progress since there is a lot of basic science research that hasn't even been done yet... Like the differences between lucid and nonlucid dreaming, objective qualitative measures of lucid dreaming, how to enhance induction rates using the techniques we already know work, etc. These more basic areas of study are more urgently needed imo, especially since getting enough data on lucid dreaming in the general or even high-interest populations (with the exception of narcoleptics) is pretty difficult. This makes it hard to come to any strong or meaningful conclusions about things like the healing potential of lucid dreams or more abstract topics). I do find it interesting that you are doing dream journal research with lucid dreamers though...Is that a retrospective study of dream content? I'm interested to hear more and hope you'll keep sharing your ideas in one way or another.
What you're saying is very true. When I often talk to people about lucid dreaming and wanting to research dreaming in general and lucid dreaming specifically, they ask me what the end goal is. I guess the end goal would be to truly understand from all perspectives, if possible, the phenomenon that is called dreaming, and to that extent, the paradoxical nature of active or lucid dreaming.
But in order to figure those things out, if that's even feasible, one must study empirically with objective qualitative measures and methodical approach that can then be replicated and validated numerous times over. (Like LaBerge's famous experiment, for instance)
Since the sample size is always minuscule in regards to the general populations, and since the phenomenon is not as common nor easy to 'synthetically' produce (as opposed to natural occurring LDs) in lab conditions, there is a lot of basic research missing. I aim to bridge some of these gaps, and to make it my life long mission to try and answer these questions or pave the way for others after me.
I would like to know how we could be in touch besides this platform. There is a lot I wish to talk to you about. Thanks!
Hear, hear! I recently created a private discussion group on lucid dreaming on facebook for these kinds of conversations with students, clinicians, researchers, and people who are genuinely interested in the science of lucid dreaming. It is new and kind of quiet, but more private than steemit so I'd love to continue casual discussion on there. If there is a more formal or professional need to contact me, you can get in touch through my website mindfulluciddreaming.com