Thread: Could handedness be linked to the ability to lucid dream? Answer the poll :)

This has been running around my mind for a while and I thought it'd be interesting to make a poll about it. Only about 10% of the population are left-handed or ambidextrous (I'm one myself), and since I have sometimes heard that the brain operates slightly differently depending on its dominant side, I thought maybe it could be linked to the ability to have lucid dreams. I don't know if this has been brought up before, but I wanted to make my own survey.

Let's try and have as many people as possible to vote!

Im righthanded

non lucid dreamer

Originally Posted by EbbTide000

Im righthanded

non lucid dreamer

No worries, come back and vote when you have your first lucid dream the poll will be open indefinitely

Personally I don't think which hand you use would be linked to the ability of having a lucid dream.

I'm ambidextrous but I started lucid dreaming before I could write/draw with both hands and to add
to that the same day I found out about lucid dreaming was the same night I accomplished my first
successful lucid dream.

When I think back on all the best lucid dreams and what were big contributors to them it would be
motivation,will and technique.

Still interesting thought!

brain operates slightly differently depending on its dominant side, I thought maybe it could be linked to the ability to have lucid dreams.

For induction? Possible but unlikely I'd say, as there doesn't seem to be a dominant hemisphere in the neurocorrelates of lucidity iirc. Still, it's an interesting hypothesis. I didn't find any data regarding induction, but this study does mention handedness and it's influence (or lack of) in lucid dreaming tasks.

27 subjects were recruited through an online forum for lucid dreaming. Instructions were
provided through the forum, and if further clarifications were needed they were delivered using
private messages. All tasks were performed without any observer, dream reports were not collected,
and the results were collected through a survey. This survey consisted of difficulty ratings for six
tasks performed in lucid dreaming and two additional questions. The tasks were to read and
understand a sentence (task 1), to observe and understand a painting (task 2), to write a sentence
using a pencil (task 3), to draw a cube using a pencil (task 4), to speak a sentence not previously
heard (task 5), and to hum a song not previously heard (task 6). Once waking from a lucid dream
subjects filled in the survey by rating the difficulty of each task and also providing answers to two
questions. These questions were how many lucid dreams the subject on average had each month,
and with which hand the subject wrote. Following the first survey a second survey was also
provided in which the subjects were asked to imagine performing these same tasks during waking,
judge the difficulty, and write down the results. The first and second survey was then collected over
the forum. Task 1, 3, and 5 were judged as left hemisphere tasks and task 2, 4, and 6 as right
hemisphere tasks. The comparisons carried out were between task 1 and 2, task 3 and 4, task 5 and
6. Data from the second survey was used as a control for the first survey.
LUCID DREAMING, NEURAL CORRELATES AND PHENOMENOLOGY 23
Using an analysis of variance (ANOVA) the data was analyzed with three factors: state,
handedness, and task lateralization. State was divided into lucid dreaming or imagination,
handedness into left hand or right hand, and task lateralization into left hemisphere and right
hemisphere. Results showed a main effect of task lateralization between task 1 and 2, as well as a
significant three way interaction. Right handed subjects rated the left hemisphere task as more
difficult in lucid dreaming compared to the right hemisphere task, the left hemisphere task as easier
in imagination compared to dreaming, and the right hemisphere task as more difficult in
imagination compared to dreaming. Left handed subjects showed the same results, though less
significant, except for rating the right hemisphere task as more difficult in dreams compared to
imagination.

Source

edit: okay, a bit more digging, this study's data point to non-significance in handedness and lucid dreaming induction. Significant sample size I'd say.

(...)The dream survey consisted of 13 questions assessing demographics, handedness,
political and religious beliefs, sleep quality and dream recall. The last question was a
verification measure of lucid dreaming that asked respondents to describe a lucid dream
experience. (...)

(...)Variables that did not yield significant findings included gender, political
affiliation and religious beliefs, as well as hours of sleep and handedness(...)

Source

Originally Posted by Zoth

edit: okay, a bit more digging, this study's data point to non-significance in handedness and lucid dreaming induction. Significant sample size I'd say.

(...)The dream survey consisted of 13 questions assessing demographics, handedness,
political and religious beliefs, sleep quality and dream recall. The last question was a
verification measure of lucid dreaming that asked respondents to describe a lucid dream
experience. (...)

(...)Variables that did not yield significant findings included gender, political
affiliation and religious beliefs, as well as hours of sleep and handedness(...)

This makes sense. I'm not implying anything, only I have read in some occasions (and I know this has nothing to do with dreaming, but it's interesting) that lefties have a greater likelihood of developing certain mental disorders such as schizophrenia. I think this was thought to be because of their right brain dominance. Dreaming is mainly a right brain activity, but then again, lucid dreaming is different. I don't know, I thought maybe there could be some kind of link.

Southpaw here.

Lucid Lefty here, I think creative types are more lucid. And there are actually cognitive differences between ambidextrous ppl and the rest of us

Tesla n Da Vinci are notable ambis

I'm a bit weird, generally quite ambi, stronger with my right side for most things, but I write with my left.
45 LD's , but trying to break a massive dry spell just now.

Originally Posted by Goldenspark

I'm a bit weird, generally quite ambi, stronger with my right side for most things, but I write with my left.
45 LD's , but trying to break a massive dry spell just now.

I hear ya, I'm stuck in a dry spell too although tonight I had a short lucid, after more than two weeks. Not my worst dry spell, thank God, but still...

Right handed. Occasional to frequent lucid ability depending on effort.

As a sidenote I did attend an art class a few years back where about 70 to 75% of the students were left-handed which made me think at the time.

Interesting...I am a lefty too. Seems more than the expected 10% but we will see.

Right Handed and only 41 Lucid Dreams, I had a dream recently that I almost became lucid in, but I got an adrenaline rush just as I was becoming aware and shocked myself awake it was a false awakening and someone smashed in thru the bedroom door, just as they reached me at super speed I recognized them as someone not living, but I was fully awake in 0.01 seconds.

Originally Posted by cooleymd

Right Handed and only 41 Lucid Dreams, I had a dream recently that I almost became lucid in, but I got an adrenaline rush just as I was becoming aware and shocked myself awake it was a false awakening and someone smashed in thru the bedroom door, just as they reached me at super speed I recognized them as someone not living, but I was fully awake in 0.01 seconds.

But don't be discouraged, 41 lucid dreams means you known what you are doing, you don't just get that many out of luck. We have the same count, it seems like just a few compared to people who have hundreds in count, but we'll get there eventually

Ambidextrous here!

I think the poll results so far are interesting! Far more than 10% list non-right-handedness. I'm a lefty as well. I've noticed that both artistic (musical) and scientific/math/computer people tend to be left-handed more than the base 10% level as well.

Interesting fact that I came across, guys. Paul McCartney, who was a lefty, is thought to have composed the song Yesterday in a dream and then transcripted it upon waking. I don't know if that dream was lucid or not, though.

I believe it was a non-lucid, because he said he heard the song in a dream, transcribed it, and then kept doubting if he should release it, worried that it was a song he had heard in waking life, forgot it, and then dreamt about it.
Yesterday is one of the most famous creations of a dreaming mind, together with the Benzene(?) molecule structure, Einstein's e=mc2, or Dali's paintings, but most of the famous dream creations (if not all) came from non-lucid dreams or hypnagogic imagery.
Some of the people who want to get rich selling lucid dreaming books or stuff, and some journalists who did not do their homework, sometimes say those people were successful because they were lucid dreamers, but sadly that is not true.

martakartus

Sorry, I know I'm

... ...

Originally Posted by Bharmo

I believe it was a non-lucid, because he said he heard the song in a dream, transcribed it, and then kept doubting if he should release it, worried that it was a song he had heard in waking life, forgot it, and then dreamt about it.

Yesterday is one of the most famous creations of a dreaming mind, together with the:

Benzene(?) molecule structure,

Einstein's e=mc2, or

Dali's paintings,

but

most of the famous dream creations (if not all) came from non-lucid dreams or hypnagogic imagery.


Some of the people who want to get rich selling lucid dreaming books or stuff sometime, and some journalists who did not do their homework, say those people were successful because they were lucid dreamers, but sadly that is not true.

( ■

https://youtu.be/YYWFwErYoXc

■(1:57) 207,217 views) )

Excellent point Bharmo

I'm a non-Lucid dreamer but often my dream fragments are Gold!.

I have approached many dreamers (on many dream forums) to invite them to have some fun and try my dreamgames. The reply is invariably,

"I promise I will as soon as I learn to Lucid Dream"

I think these people are limiting themselves.

Here is the dream I woke from this morning:

Originally Posted by EbbTide000

I dreamt of our beach at last.

Then music was ringing through my head and now I am crying.

The dream

People were showing me how to fish for food. A young man was using a long piece of string and throwing it a long way into the ocean. Then I saw, things that looked like squarish flat-bread surfing in with the tide. I ran out to grab two loafs of flat bread (unleavened bread) one in each hand.

I saw brain-like thingies coming in too. I asked if I could collect the brains too but the fisherman said ooo no they're living. The flat-bread is for eating.

Then I walked around to a small quiet, private place on the beach, near the water. The dune came very close to the sea and there was an unusual plant growing on the dune.

The plant did not have roots in the dune but had above ground vine-like roots interconnecting. There were some thin grean leaves and long thin blue flowers.

I woke up relaxed

Then two songs came singing through my ming. The first made me cry (real tears) the line
Bread of Heaven feed me Till I Want no more made me cry. It was message one from the "Beach Dream"

Here is the "Bread of Heaven" tune that I cried too.

♥

https://youtu.be/NwvqX4nm2sE

♥(3:40)

Lyrics

Like the woman at the well, I was seeking
For things that could not satisfy.
And then I heard my Savior speaking—
“Draw from My well that never shall run dry".

Fill my cup, Lord;
I lift it up Lord;
Come and quench this thirsting of my soul.
Bread of Heaven, feed me till I want no more.
Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole.

There are millions in this world who are seeking
For pleasures earthly goods afford.
But none can match the wondrous treasure
That I find in Jesus Christ my Lord.

So my brother if the things that this world gives you
Leave hungers that won’t pass away,
My blessed Lord will come and save you
If you kneel to Him and humbly pray—


Then I realised that the Blue plant with no roots in this world (in the dream) represented this Blue Lotus (!!!)

The Lotus Sutra

Uploaded on Jul 3, 2007

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo - The Lotus Sutra is Buddha's most referred to teaching on "emptiness",

it is said to be a central concept and necessary part of enlightenment.

It is professed that understanding and experiencing "emptiness" is something that can not be taught; it is said that one can not try to understand it with the mind.

This is the Lotus Sutra memorized, recited, and chanted by some western Buddhist monks. The lotus sutra is widely considered to be the most sacred teaching of the Buddha.

Use of chant in this video authorized by author Nikko Hansen

***

I was skyping with my wonderful Dream Partner, The late, Dr. Robert Van De Castle, in 2008 when I mentioned this Lotus Sutra Youtube.

Shockingly, Robert Van De Castle, launched into The Sutra. His naturally young-sounding voice dropped several octaves. And he sounded like the singer at the 6 minute point of this Youtube.

Check-out the 6 minute point of this Youtube, it is scary.

The Lotus Sutra

♥

https://youtu.be/r364h19dXio

♥(9:32) 3,954,522 views

It is post number 39 of this thread opened by relevart

★★★

http://www.dreamviews.com/beyond-dre...nvitation.html

★★★