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J Camosun Psyc Res. (2021). Vol. 3(1), pp. 82-90.
Submitted Fall 2020; accepted July 2021.

What Causes Lucid Dreams and How Can I Control
Them?
Authors: Nikki Lapadat*
Supervising Instructor & Assistant: Michael Pollock and Kristina Andrew, Psyc 110
(“Experimental Psychology”)
Department of Psychology, Camosun College, 3100 Foul Bay Road, Victoria, BC, Canada V8P 5J2
*Corresponding author email: nikki.lapadat93@gmail.com

ABSTRACT
In this paper, I explore the causes of lucid dreaming in the aim to understand how to prevent,
control and manage these dreams. Previous research suggests that multiple awakenings in the
night and experiencing wakeful dissociation can increase lucid dream frequency, while
implementing mindfulness during waking hours can enhance lucid dream control. In my
correlational study, I tested the strength of these relationships by examining naturalistic daily
changes in their variables longitudinally over a two-week period. I measured the number of
awakenings each night, the degree of wakeful dissociation each day rated on a scale from 0-10,
the level of wakeful mindfulness achieved each day using the Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory,
the number of lucid dreams recorded each night, and ascertained the level of control of lucid
dreams each night based on degrees of awareness of the dream, control of the dream body, and
control of the dream environment. Data from the study showed significant correlations between
nightly awakenings and lucid dream frequency, between wakeful mindfulness and lucid dream
control, but not between wakeful dissociation and lucid dream frequency.
1. Introduction

1.1 Research Problem
Lucid dreams and nightmares can inhibit
restful sleep and be undeniably frightening.
They frequently entail a battle with the inner
consciousness to gain control. This can feel
extremely dire in the context of a nightmare
and thus does not constitute a good night’s
sleep. In concurrence with lucid dreaming,
sleep paralysis often occurs. Sleep paralysis
commonly includes hallucinations of
intruders and ghosts, which is altogether
terrifying in the setting of one’s own

bedroom. In severe cases, this can trigger a
fear of going to sleep at all. In this paper I
intend to uncover the causes of lucid dreams
in order to find pragmatic ways to control
them for achieving consistent restful sleep
and abolishing nighttime fears.
1.2 Literature Review
One causal factor for lucid dreaming is
the amount one wakes up in the night. A
study conducted by Smith and Blagrove
(2015) demonstrated how the number of
times a person hits the snooze button in the
morning correlates significantly with the
likelihood of inducing a lucid dream. Using
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an online survey of 84 participants, they
compared the frequency of lucid dreams
with the average number of times
participants hit the snooze button on their
alarm in the morning. Frequency was
measured on a scale ranging from 1-7, with
1 being never lucid dreaming and 7 being
lucid dreaming 4-7 nights per week. Alarm
clock use was measured on a scale from 1-7,
referring to how many days per week
participants used an alarm clock. Next,
participants who used alarm clocks were
asked how many times on average they hit
the snooze button each morning. Results of
this study showed that higher snooze button
use correlated positively with the number of
lucid dreams one has. Thus, falling in and
out of sleep is a significant contributing
factor toward lucid dream frequency.
In addition, sleep paralysis often occurs
in conjunction with lucid dreaming, both of
which can be correlated to and exacerbated
by dissociation during wakefulness. Denis
and Poerio (2017) measured 1928
participants’ frequency and intensity of lucid
dreams and sleep paralysis against the
percentage of time spent in a dissociative
state in the past month. Frequency and
intensity of lucid dreams were measured on
scales ranging from 0-6, with 0 being never
and 6 being multiple times per week. The
percentage of dissociation was measured
using a 28-item Dissociative Experiences
Scale-11. The results from the study suggest
that lucid dreaming does not cause restless
sleep, however sleep paralysis, which was
shown to frequently happen in combination
with lucid dreaming, can impact the quality
of sleep. More significantly, dissociative
states in wakefulness are commonly
correlated with dissociated sleep states
including lucid dreaming and sleep
paralysis. Thus, taking steps to reduce
dissociation in day-to-day life, may decrease
lucid dream and sleep paralysis recurrence.

Finally, a factor that has been found to
correlate positively with lucid dream control
is achieving mindfulness during the day. In
an anonymous online survey conducted by
Stumbrys and Erlacher (2017), they
measured the amount of control participants
had in terms of their dream body, dream
setting, and awareness while in the dream
state. This was measured in conjunction
with an evaluation of dispositional
mindfulness using the Freiburg Mindfulness
Inventory (FMI; Walach et al., 2004). The
level of control participants attained was
measured using percentages that the
participants expressed following their
dreams. The FMI rated 14 questions on a
scale from 1-4, with 1 being rarely mindful,
and 4 being almost always mindful. Results
from the study suggest that lucid dreamers
are most likely to achieve control over their
dream body (~two thirds of lucid dreamers)
and less likely to establish awareness of the
dream or assume control over the setting of
the dream (>half of lucid dreamers).
Furthermore, the study suggests that
increased wakeful mindfulness may result in
greater control while dreaming.
1.3 Hypotheses
Based on the above literature review, I
predicted the following hypotheses:
• If the number of times one gets up in
the night increases, then the frequency of
lucid dreams will increase.
• If dissociative states increase, then
the frequency of lucid dreams will increase.
• If wakeful mindfulness increases,
then lucid dream control will increase.
2. Methods
2.1 Participants

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The author of this paper served as the
participant in its studies. At the time of this
study, the participant was 27 years old,
Caucasian and female. The participant was
an undergraduate student at Camosun
College who completed the current study as
an assignment for Psyc 110 (“Experimental
Psychology”) and chose the topic of lucid
dreaming as a point of personal interest.
This interest stems from the participants
ongoing experience with lucid dreaming
throughout adolescence and adulthood.
2.2 Materials and Procedure
I performed a correlational study to test
concurrently all three of my hypotheses by
examining naturalistic daily changes in their
variables longitudinally. The participant kept
a study journal with them at all times over
this study’s two-week period in order to
record self-observations of the following
five variables: (1) number of nightly
awakenings, (2) wakeful dissociative states,
(3) degree of wakeful mindfulness, (4)
frequency and (5) control of lucid dreams.
The participant slept with a notepad next
to their bed. The number of nightly
awakenings was recorded throughout the
night on the notepad. These awakenings
included the number of alarm clock snoozes
in the morning, the number of times the
participant got up to use the bathroom or for
other reasons, and states of brief awakenings
in which the participant went back to sleep
immediately. If no awakenings were
recorded throughout the night, the number of
nightly awakenings was scored at zero.
Wakeful dissociation was recorded by the
participant each day on a scale from 0-10,
with 0 being no dissociative experience and
10 being dissociated all day. Dissociation
was defined as experiences of “how did I get
here?”, “what I am doing right now?” and

experiencing a disconnect between thoughts
and actions.
The participant measured mindfulness
using the Frieburg Mindfulness Inventory
(FMI; Walach et al., 2004). The FMI rates
14 questions on a scale from 1-4, with 1
being rarely mindful, and 4 being almost
always mindful (see Appendix). To establish
a daily mindfulness score, the question
scores were totaled for each survey. The
participant completed one survey per day to
ascertain the level of mindfulness achieved
that day.
The two outcome variables, being
frequency of lucid dreams and control of
lucid dreams, were measured by the
participant on a nightly basis. Frequency
was recorded throughout the night, as lucid
dreams occurred, and in the morning,
through recollection, on a notepad next to
the bed. Control was measured on a scale of
1-10: 1 meaning brief moments of
awareness of the dream state as it occurred,
but no control of the dream body or
environment; 10 being complete and
enduring awareness of the dream state,
dream body, and dream environment.
To assess the strength and statistical
significance of associations between
variables predicted by the three hypotheses,
I performed Pearson product moment
correlations of their predictor variables
(number of nightly awakenings, wakeful
dissociative states, wakeful mindfulness)
with their outcome variable (frequency of
lucid dreams and control of lucid dreams).
For testing Hypothesis #1, I correlated the
number of nightly awakenings with the
number of lucid dreams that occurred each
night. For testing Hypothesis #2, I correlated
the degree of wakeful dissociation each day
with the frequency of lucid dreams that
occurred each corresponding night. For
testing Hypothesis #3, I correlated the level
of wakeful mindfulness achieved each day
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with the level of control assumed in the
lucid dream state each corresponding night. I
performed all of the above correlations
separately using raw data. A correlation
coefficient was considered statistically
significant if the probability of its random
occurrence (p) was < .05 (i.e., less than 5%
of the time expected by chance alone).
3. Results
The results from the concurrent
correlational studies proved to be
statistically significant in the cases of
number of awakening as a predictor of lucid
dream frequency and for wakeful
mindfulness being a predictor of lucid dream
control. However, wakeful dissociation was
not determined to be a statistically
significant predictor of lucid dream
frequency (see Table 1). The number of
nightly awakenings proved to be the
strongest and most statistically significant (r
= 0.91; p = 4.6x10E-07; see Figure 1).
Wakeful mindfulness was determined to be
a weaker predictor but still statistically
significant (r = 0.62; p = 0.02956; see Figure
2). Wakeful dissociation was not a strong
predictor, nor was it found to be statistically
significant (r = 0.06; p = 0.84254; see Figure
3). Based on a comparison of the correlation
coefficients, the number of nightly
awakenings was found to have the strongest
correlation with lucid dream frequency.
4. Discussion
4.1 Summary of Results
Based on previous research, I
hypothesized that two predictor variables
would correlate positively with lucid dream
frequency: number of nightly awakenings
(Hypothesis #1) and level of wakeful
dissociation (Hypothesis #2); I also

hypothesized that one predictor variable
would correlate positively with lucid dream
control: level of wakeful mindfulness
(Hypothesis #3). Data supported the
predicted relationship between number of
nightly awakenings and lucid dream
frequency (Hypothesis #1) and between
wakeful mindfulness and lucid dream
control (Hypothesis #3). However, it did not
support the predicted relationship between
wakeful dissociation and lucid dream
frequency (Hypothesis #2).
4.2 Relation of Results to Past Research
The significant correlational relationship
between the number of times one wakes up
in the night and the amount of lucid dreams
one has is in line with the study conducted
by Smith and Blagrove (2015). While Smith
and Blagrove measured this relationship
using a survey of random participants with a
specific focus on alarm clock snoozes
(2015), I performed a case study on myself
including measurements of all nightly
wakeups and not limited to morning
snoozes. Despite using different methods,
the results provided the same conclusions,
suggesting that there is a strong universal
relationship between nightly awakenings
and lucid dream frequency.
The present correlational study
measuring wakeful dissociation as a
predictor of lucid dream frequency failed to
support the study conducted by Denis and
Poerio (2017). This could be due to the
differing study methods used. Denis and
Poerio (2017) measured dissociation using a
28-item Dissociative Experiences Scale-11
(DES-11), whereas I measured dissociation
using a scale from 0-10, with 0 being no
wakeful dissociation and 10 being
dissociated all day. In future studies, the
DES-11 could be used to ascertain this
measure of wakeful dissociation captures
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something else that is associated with lucid
dream frequency.
The present correlational study
supported previous research, conducted by
Stumbrys and Erlacher (2017), that there is a
positive relationship between wakeful
mindfulness and lucid dream control.
Applying the research design of Stumbrys
and Erlacher (2017), I also measured
mindfulness using the Freiburg Mindfulness
Inventory. While the participants in the
previous study measured dream control
using a percentage, I used a scale of 1-10,
with 1 being fleeting awareness of the dream
state and 10 being complete and enduring
awareness of the dream state, dream body,
and dream environment. These levels of
dream control were taken from the previous
research. Using similar research methods,
this correlational study supported the
positive relationship between wakeful
mindfulness and lucid dream control

References
Denis, D., Poerio, G. (2016). Terror and
bliss? Commonalities and distinctions
between sleep paralysis, lucid dreaming,
and their associations with waking life
experiences. Journal of Sleep Research,
26(1), 38-47.
Smith, B.V., Blagrove, M. (2015). Lucid
dreaming frequency and alarm clock
snooze button use. Dreaming, 25(4),
291-299.
Stumbrys, T., Erlacher, D. (2017).
Mindfulness and lucid dream frequency
predicts the ability to control lucid
dreams. Imagination, Cognition and
Personality, 36(3), 229-239.
Walach, H., Buchheld, N., Buttenmüller, V.,
Kleinknecht, N., & Schmidt, S. (2006).
Measuring mindfulness--The Freiburg
Mindfulness Inventory (FMI).
Personality and Individual Differences,
40(8), 1543–1555.

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Table 1
Correlation coefficient (r) values, with number of daily trials (n) per correlation in brackets.
Variables correlated
Number of Nightly Awakenings & Lucid Dream Frequency

r(n)
0.91(14)*

Wakeful Mindfulness & Lucid Dream Control

0.62(14)*

Wakeful Dissociation & Lucid Dream Frequency

0.06(14)

* p < .05.

Figure 1
Scatterplot of Number of Nightly Awakenings and Frequency of Lucid Dreams.

Number of Lucid Dreams (0-10)

6
5
4
3

2
1
0
0
-1

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Number of Nightly Awakenings (0-10 )

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Figure 2

Control of Lucid Dream (1-10 (1 being
fleeting awareness of the dream, 10 being
complete awareness and control of the
dream body and environment)

Scatterplot of Wakeful Mindfulness and Lucid Dream Control.
6
5
4
3
2
1

0
0

5
10
15
20
25
Wakeful Mindfulness (1-42 (1 being very rarely mindful, 42 being
extremely mindful))

30

Figure 3
Scatterplot of Wakeful Dissociation and Frequency of Lucid Dreams.

Number of Lucid Dreams (0-10)

6
5
4
3
2
1
0
0

1
2
3
4
5
Wakeful Dissociation (0-10 (0 being no dissociation, 10 being dissociated
all day))

6

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Appendix
Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory

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