Lucid dreaming in lockdown: sweet dreams are made of this?

Being in the driving seat of your wildest dreams can be a thrilling ride - perfect escapism for a world in lockdown. And sleep science research is showing that lucid dreams may be helpful in reducing anxiety and depression in some people. But what if escapism becomes avoidance? What happens when the division between what's real and fantasy is blurred? And would it be okay to condone taking prescription drugs to induce lucid dreams purely for pleasure?

Meet the panellists:

• Dr Nirit Soffer-Dudek, Director of The Consciousness and Psychopathology Laboratory at Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, who has studied the benefits and downsides to mental health from lucid dreaming.
  
• Professor Jason Ellis, Professor in Psychology at Northumbria University and Director of the Northumbria Centre for Sleep Research. His latest study suggests that lucid dreaming can help insomniacs with their symptoms, as well as reduce their anxiety and depression.
  
• Dr David Lawrence, a researcher at Edinburgh University, who works chiefly in the ethics of human advancement and modification by biological, neurological and technological means.
  
• Alice Robb, a science journalist and author of Why we dream, who became hooked on lucid dreaming during an archaeology research trip to Peru. She says her time spent sleeping became every bit as active and entertaining as her waking hours.
  
  
  

This event is part of Life Science Centre's Science Speakeasy programme – a series in which important and often controversial topics are debated. No question or statement is taboo, so these events are not suitable for anyone who is easily offended!

At events held in Life Science Centre, a cocktail bar is available; for Virtual Science Speakeasy, we want you to replicate the experience in your living room, so pour yourself a drink and get comfy on the sofa.

Register your place at our Zoom event by clicking the link below and enjoy a lively night of debate from the comfort of your own home, and even raise a virtual hand to ask our panel a question.

register for this Zoom webinar