Whether you’re fleeing from a sinister figure, wandering the familiar yet disorienting halls of your high school before an important exam, witnessing your own teeth disintegrating, or helplessly losing control of your vehicle, nightmares come in many distressing forms. These unsettling dreams are invariably a part of life, intruding upon our subconscious and often leaving us with feelings of unease.
“I’ve always had a keen interest in dreams, particularly because I experienced numerous nightmares during my childhood,” says neuroscientist Michelle Carr. Unlike many who only endure these bad dreams, Carr dedicates her research to unraveling the science behind nightmares and uncovering methods for mitigating them. She holds the position of assistant professor at the University of Montreal and co-leads the distinguished Laboratoire des Rêves et des Cauchemars, or the “Dream and Nightmare Laboratory.”
One of the earliest documented accounts of a nightmare dates back over 4,000 years to ancient Egypt. A letter from a man named Heni addressed to his deceased father reveals a plea for protection against haunting dreams of a departed servant fixedly gazing at him. Throughout the millennia, diverse cultures globally have endeavored to interpret nightmares and devise strategies to evade them.
However, research centers exclusively focused on exploring nightmares are scarce in today’s world. Established in 1991, the Dream and Nightmare Laboratory stands out as one of the few institutions globally that devotes itself entirely to this compelling subject. “As dream scientists, we find dreams profoundly intriguing, important, and worthy of greater attention,” remarks Claudia Picard-Deland, a postdoctoral researcher affiliated with the lab.
Nestled within Montreal’s historic Sacré-Coeur Hospital, the laboratory occupies a nearly century-old building resembling an old Catholic church, featuring round stained glass rose windows and a striking cross adorning its central tower. Contrasting with the grand exterior, the Dream and Nightmare Lab itself is modest, comprising several small bedrooms designated for research subjects and a control room for the scientists. Here, researchers attach tiny electrodes to the scalps and faces of volunteers before bidding them goodnight. From the control room, they monitor screens that depict the electrical impulses of the subjects’ brains and their eye movements.
“We monitor their brain waves, and we also record video footage of the participants throughout the night,” explains Carr. Through the combination of brain wave data and video observation, scientists face the challenge of determining whether a dream is taking place and, more specifically, if it’s a nightmare. They look for indicators such as spikes in brain activity, erratic movements of the limbs, and variations in breathing patterns. To enhance their understanding of the physical manifestations linked to dreaming, researchers frequently conduct interviews with the subjects about their experiences in the lab.
Carr recalls a significant study she participated in, aimed at establishing a baseline comparison in individuals suffering from intense nightmares versus those who experience less troubling sleep. To their surprise, researchers discovered that even in the absence of distressing dreams, individuals prone to nightmares reported experiences that were markedly unusual. “We found that people who have more nightmares actually have more vivid dreams overall. Just taking a nap in our lab, the nightmare subjects had dreams that had much more sensory experiences, more bodily sensations, more emotional content,” Carr reveals. “It just seemed like their dreaming altogether was more vivid.” She notes that the findings extend to their daydreams as well, which tend to be particularly vivid, bizarre, and imaginative.
There is optimism for those plagued by frequent nightmares, as the heightened vividness of their dreams might hold the key to overcoming their struggles. Carr’s research centers on dream engineering, which aims to empower individuals to reclaim control over their dreams. “Dream engineering is fundamentally about giving people greater agency, allowing them to alter their habitual dreaming patterns,” she explains.
Vivid nightmares could also be associated with sleep paralysis, a phenomenon that occurs when a person hovers between sleep and wakefulness. “During REM sleep, your body is paralyzed, yet your mind may awaken,” Carr elucidates. When the brain tries to interpret this confusing state, it can manifest dream-like scenarios that intrude into waking life. “Often, individuals report dreaming of a malevolent presence within the room, something perilous that feels as if it is restraining them,” Carr notes. “This typically lasts for about 30 seconds, but it can be an experience filled with terror.”
The semi-conscious state experienced during sleep paralysis may provide insight into devising techniques for producing less fearful dreams, particularly through the practice of lucid dreaming. In lucid dreams, individuals become aware that they are dreaming and can actively steer their actions within the dream environment.
When analyzing nightmares, “it appears that dreams selectively present threats to us,” Carr states. The lab’s dream engineering segment is still in its infancy, but Carr emphasizes that its ambition is to innovate improved techniques and methods for interfacing directly with the dreaming mind. The research team frequently employs sensory stimulation, utilizing elements like flashing lights and beeping sounds. These sensory cues may potentially prompt dreamers while they sleep, invoking memories or triggering lucidity. For instance, through preparatory education while awake, subjects can learn that a flashing light symbolizes a dream state. Subsequently, if the dream engineers activate similar light patterns while subjects slumber, “it filters it into their dreams,” Carr describes. This way, when the lights start flickering in the dream, they might recognize, “Oh yes, I’m dreaming; therefore, I can influence how I respond to this nightmare.” For example, a lucid dreamer being pursued by a monster could choose to confront it or even attempt to fly away.
Empowering individuals to control their nightmares can significantly impact their overall quality of life, as frequent nightmares can adversely affect mental and physical health. However, the goals of the Dream and Nightmare Lab extend well beyond merely curtailing distressing dreams. The researchers are also fascinated by the connections between dreaming and various critical brain functions, such as learning, as well as the evolutionary reasoning behind our capacity to dream.
“Currently, scientific approaches primarily focus on understanding how dreams relate to processing lived experiences and memories, and how these connections might prove beneficial,” observes Carr. “Dreams are characteristically social in nature, with over 80 percent of our dreams featuring other individuals, indicating a natural inclination for interaction with others in our dream worlds.”
Interestingly, even nightmares themselves may fulfill an evolutionary role. “Dreams frequently highlight threats more prominently than experiences in waking life, suggesting that dreams selectively prepare us to confront such dangers,” asserts Carr. Nightmares may indeed facilitate a rehearsal of how to cope with threatening scenarios and develop strategies for effectively escaping them.
While the evolutionary significance of nightmares may offer little solace after waking from a nightmarish episode, it’s reassuring to know that dedicated scientists like those at the Dream and Nightmare Lab are actively working on solutions. Carr, who once dealt with her share of vivid nightmares, now enjoys the benefits of lucid dreaming, which has allowed her to escape those troubling visions for quite some time. At present, she admits it’s challenging to even recall the themes of the dreadful dreams that once haunted her: “I don’t have them anymore.”
**Interview with Dr. Michelle Carr on the Science of Nightmares and Sleep Paralysis**
**Interviewer**: Thank you for joining us today, Dr. Carr. Your work at the Dream and Nightmare Laboratory is fascinating. Can you tell us a bit about why you became interested in researching nightmares?
**Dr. Michelle Carr**: Absolutely! My interest in nightmares stems from my own experiences during childhood. I had numerous nightmares, and as I grew older, I wanted to understand what was happening during those troubling dreams. This curiosity eventually led me to pursue research in this area.
**Interviewer**: That must have been quite impactful on your career! You mentioned the concept of “dream engineering.” Could you explain what that entails?
**Dr. Carr**: Sure! Dream engineering is about giving individuals more control over their dreams. Our goal is to help people alter their habitual dreaming patterns, especially those affected by frequent nightmares. By understanding the mechanisms of dreaming, we can potentially empower people to change the narrative of their dreams, making them less fearful and more manageable.
**Interviewer**: That sounds incredibly promising. You also mentioned the relationship between nightmares and sleep paralysis. Can you elaborate on that?
**Dr. Carr**: Certainly! Sleep paralysis occurs when a person is caught between sleep and wakefulness during REM sleep. While the body is paralyzed, the mind may awaken, leading to terrifying experiences that often include feeling a malevolent presence. This state can last for about 30 seconds, and it’s filled with intense fear. Our research suggests that understanding this semi-conscious state can help us develop techniques to reduce fear in nightmares.
**Interviewer**: Interesting! How do you think lucid dreaming plays a role in this?
**Dr. Carr**: Lucid dreaming allows individuals to become aware that they are dreaming and to steer their actions within the dream. This state of awareness can be beneficial for those who experience nightmares, as it provides them an opportunity to confront fears or change the course of their dreams. Our lab explores sensory cues to trigger lucidity, helping dreamers recognize when they are dreaming and empowering them to respond differently to nightmares.
**Interviewer**: That sounds like a revolutionary approach. Are there any common patterns you’ve observed among those who frequently experience nightmares?
**Dr. Carr**: Yes, our research indicates that individuals who have frequent nightmares also tend to experience more vivid dreams overall. They often report heightened emotional content and sensory experiences. This vividness might be a double-edged sword, but it could also provide tools for dream engineering to help mitigate nighttime fears.
**Interviewer**: It’s fascinating to think about how our brains work during sleep. How do you envision the future of nightmare research and therapy?
**Dr. Carr**: I believe we’re just scratching the surface. Our lab aims to innovate methods that interface directly with the dreaming mind using sensory stimulation and other techniques. The ultimate goal is to enhance the quality of life for those plagued by nightmares, as improving sleep quality can also positively impact mental and physical health.
**Interviewer**: Thank you, Dr. Carr. Your insights into the science of dreams and nightmares are truly enlightening, and we look forward to seeing how your research develops in the future.
**Dr. Carr**: Thank you for having me! It’s been a pleasure to discuss this important subject.
