Thread: My Theory and Heuristic

The information presented here is incomplete and interpretive. It is somewhat related to threat simulation theory (TST).

My theory is that, regarding a certain function of dreaming that is at work during a certain phase, there is a 'goal-interference' aspect; the dream creates stimuli that induces desire/avoidance and simulates an associated form of interference. It's sort of twisted together. Each event that unfolds, as a result, follows a pattern, and is fuelled by the dreamer's own stimulus (motivation). Here are some examples:

- Something prompts you to dial a number on a phone, but as your gaze shifts toward different numbers on the keypad, the numbers reorder themselves, causing panic or frustration. You hand the phone to someone else, but you notice that they intentionally dial the wrong number. You ask them to hang up, but they don't listen to you.

- An assailant starts chasing you, instinctively making you want to run away, so you do. A number of problems may occur, e.g., you can't run comfortably or fast enough, the terrain is obstructive and difficult to traverse, the chaser teleports closer and closer to you every time you look behind yourself, etc.

- You are exposed in a public area, so you try to obtain clothing to cover yourself. The clothing you find is too baggy, dirty, tight, or ugly to wear. You settle for the ugly clothes, but become self-conscious, and you want to hide from other people. You're unable to find an area that is unpopulated.

Notice the pattern?

However subtle, the mental force responsible for it is also at work during lucid states. As I've become more familiar with its dynamics, I've learned how to manipulate it; in so doing, I also discovered a reason for why stabilization methods work.

If you become lucid and worry that the dream will end abruptly, before you can accomplish your goal, you're setting yourself up for trouble. As soon as LD'ers become aware that they're dreaming, they often become concerned with this, and thus the following often ensues when they don't know how to handle the situation: the dream fades, causing the LD'er to give up and voluntarily wake. In reality, the dream may not have ended; it can reduce its grip (signal) to a feathery, almost unnoticeable touch as a form of 'interference', because that is what you don't want. On the flip side, people sometimes have lucid nightmares of wanting to wake up, but have difficulty doing so. You see, the reason why stabilization methods work is because you shift your attention toward something the dream can make perceptible and you fuel it with a motivated response, e.g., by rubbing your hands together, demanding and shouting 'clarity now', holding onto an object, and so forth.

How do you avoid focusing on the wrong things? Intentions, associations, desires, and fears can be innate, to a certain degree, so it requires conditioning. Since you're mentally impaired while dreaming, you should imagine these scenarios and prepare/rehearse a response beforehand. Instead of reinforcing counter-productive responses every time you dream, you'll form new connections in your mind by doing this. Resolve it and move onto something else.

Assuming that this theory has validity, it may be more helpful to look at LDing as a way to work out problems rather than a way to fulfill wishes.

With all of that said, here's a snippet from Wikipedia:

Dopaminergic activation

Two main frontal areas have been implicated in the dream process. The first involves the deep white matter of the frontal lobes (just above the eyes). The main systems at work here involve the mesolimbic and mesocortical dopaminergic pathways. There are connecting fibres that run between frontal and limbic structures. A dopaminergic pathway runs from the ventral tegmental area, ascends through the lateral hypothalamus, various basal forebrain areas (nucleus basalis, stria terminalis, shell of nucleus accumbens) and terminates in the amygdala, anterior cingulate gyrus and frontal cortex. Damage to the dopaminergic pathway results in a loss of dreaming. Furthermore, chemical stimulation of the pathway (with L-DOPA for example) increases the frequency and vividness of dreams without affecting REM sleep. It is interesting to note that the mesolimbic and mesocortical pathways are considered the seeking areas or the motivational command centers of the brain. Damage not only results in the loss of dreams but also of motivated behaviour. Transection or inhibition of the dopamine pathway also reduces some positive symptoms of schizophrenia, many of which have been likened to dream-like states. Drugs that block the system have anti-psychotic effects but also reduce excessive and vivid dreaming. Further evidence that dreaming can occur independently of REM sleep is found in the occurrence of nocturnal seizures during NREM that often present themselves as nightmares. Activation here is seen in the temporal lobe, again a forebrain area.

The evidence of the involvement of mesolimbic and mesocortical dopaminergic pathways suggests that dreaming occurs when a motivational component is activated. Only when this pathway is removed do dreams cease to occur. This system can be activated by mechanisms of REM sleep but can also occur independently during NREM stages of sleep.