Insight and Dissociation in Lucid Dreaming and Psychosis
Frontiers in Psychology November 12, 2018 Ursula Voss, Armando D’Agostino, Luca Kolibius et al. 28 citations
Dreams and psychosis share overlapping features in symptoms and brain activity, offering a testable model for conditions like schizophrenia and delirium. This review examines two key concepts: insight and dissociation. Insight in dreams is central to lucid dreaming, where dreamers become aware they are dreaming and often try to control the narrative, alongside dissociative experiences similar to depersonalization and derealization. These concepts also apply to psychotic illness. While insight may be harmless in lucid dreaming and even beneficial in psychosis, dissociation remains poorly understood. Comparing these phenomena helps clarify their psychological and neurophysiological roles.