Was it a vision or a waking dream?

A commentary argues that dreaming is not a unique state of consciousness but rather a form of imaginative experience that shares core features with waking imagination. The author contends that dreams and waking fantasies are both products of the same cognitive processes, specifically the default mode network and memory consolidation mechanisms. The piece suggests that the vividness and narrative structure of dreams arise from the same neural dynamics that generate daydreams and creative thought, challenging the traditional view of dreaming as a separate or altered state of consciousness.

Study at a glance

Abstract

GENERAL COMMENTARY article Front. Psychol., 04 April 2014Sec. Consciousness Research Volume 5 - 2014 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00255