Lucid Dreaming in Television vs. Reality

Whether you agree or disagree with the validity of astrology, you have to acknowledge that science and astrology have, at some point, acquainted themselves with each other and have borrowed concepts, and are interested in the same things. One of the commonalities between these two fields is the aspect of lucid dreaming. Simply put, this refers to a moment during your sleep time wherein you are fully conscious that you are dreaming. However, this only happens when you are in rapid eye movement sleep (REM) sleep because your brain is fully active. For astrology, lucid dreaming is an exploration of the human subconscious mind. Thus, it is how astrology answers the unexposed truths about oneself.

With numerous pieces of literature surrounding the topic of lucid dreaming, there is no doubt that the subject has made its way into popular culture. Talk about how lucid dreaming is portrayed in TV shows such as Anamnesis and films like the very popular Inception. Lucid dreaming has always been a sought-after central plot or supporting event in every science-fiction movie.

However, try to break the third wall, is lucid dreaming accurately portrayed in movies compared to how it happens in real life? Well, if that's your question, here's a simple analysis of the differences and similarities between the portrayal of lucid dreaming in the media and the real thing.

Lucid Dreaming on the Big Screen

Spoiler alert: there is a big difference between lucid dreaming in films compared to the real thing. Most of the discussion on the portrayal of lucid dreaming in media will focus on science-fiction movies, mainly explained through the lens of Inception, the most successful movie that is loosely based on the concept of lucid dreaming. However, you could check out several movies that have been released in the past fifteen years that focused on the concept of lucid dreaming and its abilities, including Waking Life (2001), Vanilla Sky (2001), and Paprika (2006).

While Walking Life may have introduced lucid dreaming as a subject of entertainment to the public, it was during Inception wherein there was a heightened interest in wanting to partake in the act of lucid dreaming.

A quick summary on Inception reads:

Inception focuses on a protagonist named Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), a specialist in dream manipulation and "extraction," which refers to entering others' dreams and stealing information from their minds. His skill has made him a hot commodity in the world of corporate espionage but has also cost him everything he loves. Cobb gets a chance at redemption when offered a seemingly impossible task: Plant an idea in someone's mind.

As seen above, you can say that the movie heavily borrowed an idea from how lucid dreaming happens. Still, psychoanalysts and even film reviewers have often called out Inception for its 'unrealistic' standard of lucid dreaming.

The Unrealistic Side of Lucid Dreaming in Films

The main issue that psychoanalysts have with films that try to portray lucid dreaming is that they view dreams as how it is "constructed" by science fiction technology. In particular, Mark Fisher, a psychoanalyst, states that Inception wires dreams similar to video games rather than how psychoanalysis views dreams. In the movie, a "dream architect" meticulously modifies the way dreams turn out in a person's mind. However, this is not true because lucid dreams are known to be moments wherein dreamers express their creative freedom.

Following that, movies like Inception also portray dreams as something that should be avoided. However, lucid dreamers have often described their experiences as liberating and vivid, rather than it being a negative one.

Lastly, and probably the biggest issue with films that portray lucid dreams, there is often a disjunct from how times flow in reality. In Inception, times move differently in a lucid dream compared to the real world, but scientists say that this is not true. Lucid dreams closely correspond to the real-life passage of time in several accounts.

The Accurate Portrayals of Lucid Dreaming in Films

At the end of the day, films that portray lucid dreaming are still based on existing knowledge on the subject. Yet, due to the need to stylize, the truth often gets lost. However, there are some instances wherein movies like Inception got it right.

For starters, it is common across lucid dreaming-themed movies to do reality checks. In Inception, this is done through a "totem" wherein people can refer to this item to distinguish if they are in their dream state or whether they're in real life.

Another aspect that movies also get right is when they portray that external stimuli affect the lucid dream state. Though Inception goes overboard with the crossovers, there is some truth to how the external surroundings of a person affect the dream state.

Final Thoughts

With recent developments in artificial intelligence and higher sciences, the media is only expected to grow more well-versed on the topic of lucid dreaming. Though opinions may be divided on how lucid dreaming is portrayed in media, one thing is for sure; it does give the publicity that lucid dreaming needs to spread more interest and awareness for the given activity.