Mood:  quizzical

Sleep researchers say they have established that many of the visions of angels and other religious encounters described in the Bible were likely "the products of spontaneous lucid dreams."

In a sleep study by the Out-Of-Body Experience Research Center in Los Angeles, 30 volunteers were instructed to perform a series of mental steps upon waking up or becoming lucid during the night that might lead them to have out-of-body experiences culminating in perceived encounters with an angel. Half of them succeeded, the researchers said.

Specifically, the volunteers were told to try to re-create the story of Elijah, a prophet who is referenced in the Talmud, the Bible and the Quran. In one of the stories in the Bible's Book of Kings, Elijah flees to the wilderness and falls asleep under a juniper tree, exhausted and prepared to die. Suddenly an angel shakes him awake and tells him to eat.

Full Story from lifeslittlemysteries.com

Posted by mindpotion Network at 01:01 MEST

Updated: Thursday, 9 August 2012 02:48 MEST

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Mood:  bright

Does your mind wander? During a class or meeting, do you find yourself staring out the window and thinking about what you’ll do tomorrow or next week? As a child, were you constantly reminded by teachers to stop daydreaming?

Well, psychological research is beginning to reveal that daydreaming is a strong indicator of an active and well-equipped brain. Tell that to your third-grade teacher.

A new study, published in Psychological Science by researchers from the University of Wisconsin and the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Science, suggests that a wandering mind correlates with higher degrees of what is referred to as working memory. Cognitive scientists define this type of memory as the brain’s ability to retain and recall information in the face of distractions.

Full Story from smithsonianmag.com

Posted by mindpotion Network at 01:01 MEST

Updated: Saturday, 28 April 2012 01:18 MEST

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Mood:  a-ok

Most of us remember only a tiny fraction of our dreams - but that could soon change.

Scientists predict that we could soon use computers to 'see' what we have dreamed about - and perhaps even record dreams to watch the next day.

Psychiatrists at the Max Planck Institute in Munich, Germany think have already demonstrated that brain scanners can see into the dreams of 'lucid dreamers' - people who can control their dreams.

Full Story from dailymail.co.uk

Posted by mindpotion Network at 01:01 CET

Updated: Friday, 17 February 2012 11:53 CET

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Mood:  bright

The idea of the surreal Hollywood blockbuster Inception, where people travel through someone's dreams to 'plant' an idea in his head may not be so out-there after all.

Researchers at Yale have found that 'lucid dreamers' - dreamers who have 'waking dreams' that they control - are able to learn new skills in their dreams.

A team is now experimenting with the idea of 'training' people by telling them what to dream about.

Full Story from dailymail.co.uk

Posted by mindpotion Network at 01:01 CET

Updated: Sunday, 8 January 2012 02:29 CET

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Mood:  a-ok

When the going gets tough, the tough – have a lie in.

Sleeping and, more specifically, dreaming, act as a ‘soothing balm’ to help take the sting out of bad memories, research suggests.

It is thought that a dip in stress hormones while we are dreaming allows the brain to safely work through bad experiences.

As a result, when we wake up, things really do feel better.

Full Story from dailymail.co.uk

Posted by mindpotion Network at 01:01 CET

Updated: Saturday, 10 December 2011 01:40 CET

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Mood:  cheeky

The ability to dream is a fascinating aspect of the human mind. However, how the images and emotions that we experience so intensively when we dream form in our heads remains a mystery. Up to now it has not been possible to measure dream content. Max Planck scientists working with colleagues from the Charité hospital in Berlin have now succeeded, for the first time, in analysing the activity of the brain during dreaming.

They were able to do this with the help of lucid dreamers, i.e. people who become aware of their dreaming state and are able to alter the content of their dreams. The scientists measured that the brain activity during the dreamed motion matched the one observed during a real executed movement in a state of wakefulness.

Full Story from sciencedaily.com

Posted by mindpotion Network at 01:01 MEST

Updated: Wednesday, 2 November 2011 11:58 MEST

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