Lucid dreams and how
| to control them
Lanaeny pp arte l Wives pe nan
Dr KEITH HEARNEDr Hearne’s original chart-record of the first
ocular signals from a lucid-dream, and his
‘dream-machine’ invention are now on
permanent display in the
Science Museum, London.
se ook ok aoe
NB.
Regarding Keith Hearne's discovery of the ocular-
signaling technique for communicating from within
lucid dreams, on the next page is what eminent
Professor Allan Rechtschaffen of Chicago
University wrote in September 1975 when Hearne
sent him copies of ocular signals he had recorded
in the sleep- laboratory at Hull University, England.
At the same time, Hearne sent the same copies to
Dr William Dement at Stanford University.
=THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
DEPAICIMENL OF BSYCHIATEY
om Cast Orn etyte
curence
Soptesher 5, 1975
Mr. Keith 4. Ts Hearne
Depattcent of Psychology
‘the Untveroity of Hull
Wut) HUG TRY, ENGLAND
Dear Mr. Hoayno:
‘hanks much for your recent letter on your Jueld dream venearch. 1
certalaly think thie research 19 {mportant because {t is the one occasion
when the dreamer can eritfeally evalunte his drone consciousness while
it is in progresn. You have added the ingenfous and important elenent
of having the dreamer comunieate hie observations to you at the kame
Une. There is, of course, good reason to ure eye novencats for this
communication since wo kno the oye muscles ate certainly not inhthiced
during RIM sleep whereas other muscle groupe are--nt leat those in the
head and neck region, J have had sinilar luck with eye eovenents as
a mode of comunleation during slocp in the study of anarcoluptte Jady
Guring sleap paralysis, She could respond to my questions while in
slecp paralysis with clear eye novenonts in the requested dfrection,
‘fa you may know, 1 think of sleep paralysis an a REY variant tm which
waking convelousness $2 not yet conpletely dizsntohed. (That is why
the hypnagogie ha}1ucinations wh{ch waunlly accompany sleep pura)
ase viuved us hallucinations rather than dreacs, t.0., there is a
wixture of realfey perception and dveann.) Enclosed is an {lluxtvarion
which shows both the opontancous and “conzand" eye tovenente during
an attack of sleep paralysis.
Tan convineed by your evidence that lucid dreana do indeed occur
during RIM periods, I would algo guess, intuitively, that they do
not oseur during KREM oleep. Uowaver, the failure to communicate with
eye movenents does not necassarily ean that lucid dreams de nor occur
in WREN leap, There might be a "slugelshnese” of aye movement control
tn BREM sleop which would prevent chefr communication by that technique.
Do noe worry about wy spreading your findings around. Keep up the good
work.
Sincerely youre,
Qe Rodos Shelf
Allan Rechtschaffen, Ph.D.
Profesuor, Dapartmants of
Payehiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Director, Sleop Laboratory
Job
Enclosure