Printable View
What prevents us from lucid dreaming?
Off the top of my head, I don’t feel that it is a biological/physiological mechanism preventing or enabling lucidity. I think lucidity is more esoteric and psychological, mystic and of the mind and that it, like waking consciousness, is one of the last great unexplored mysteries of existence.
I've said this in other posts, but the logic central of the brain is shut down almost all the time during sleep. Becoming lucid is managing to get the logic central working again while still staying in a dream. Of course we create our own mental barriers based on other people's experiences aswell. However, the logic central being shut down is probably the main problem.
I am curious, could you tell me what part of the brain you are talking about? I would assume that the frontal lobes would be where 'logic' would be, as it is the center of higher mental cognition and reasoning. But I know that the frontal lobes are not shut down durning sleep so you must be refering to some other part of the brain. I am also confused because when we are in REM sleep, where most vivid dreams occur, the human EEG looks identical to that of a fully awake and mentally aware person. Granted, certain neurotransmitters cease being produced (seretonin and NE) and other wash over the brain (acetylcholine) which is always what I have understood is used to explain the bizarreness of dreams and our inability to remember them well. This is all physiological, though and while I have studied the physiology of dreams and sleep extensively, I don't feel that lucidity is at all explained by any of it.
To my knowledge, I would have to agree with LDGuy, but I'm going to do some more research. Here's a bit of information on the frontal lobe:
Quote:
Frontal lobe (3)
Prefrontal cortex (frontal cortex): Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for motivation and foresight to initiate and plan movements, working memory, socialisation and complex problem solving. Broca's area (5) in inferior portion for motor speech. Areas for voluntary motor function, aggression, smell and mood. Motor cortex (4): posterior part of the lobe[/b]
Pretty interesting. Imagine if that part of the brain shut down randomly during the day, and a little fairy flew into your room and turned your lamp into a phone book, and you'd never care. :o
Are you saying that having magical sparkling elves in your room is strange? :lol: But seriously, I didn't really know what part fo the brain was the logic central. Cool to know now though.