PROJECTS
My research investigates how conscious experience emerges during dreaming and how it can be experimentally induced and studied. During my PhD under the supervision of Daniel Erlacher and Martin Dresler at the LucidLabBern (ISPW, University of Bern), I used sleep laboratory methods, sensory stimulation, and virtual reality, and developed tools to investigate and modulate dream experience.
Dream Incorporation
Dream incorporation refers to the integration of external sensory information into ongoing dreams, providing a window into how the sleeping brain constructs experience. I apply precisely timed vestibular, tactile, and muscular stimulation during REM sleep and examine how these signals are reflected in dream reports. This work reveals how bodily signals shape dream experience and establishes methodological foundations for the targeted modulation of dreams.
Dream Communication
Lucid dreams enable real-time interaction between researchers and dreamers using physiological signals such as eye movements. I develop experiments in which lucid dreamers respond to sensory stimulation and cognitive tasks and rate their real-time experiences while remaining asleep. These methods allow precise investigation of perception, cognition, and bodily experience as dreams unfold.
Virtual Reality
I use immersive virtual environments to create controlled sensory and cognitive experiences that can influence subsequent dreams and increase the likelihood of lucid awareness. This approach extends experimental control beyond sleep itself and enables systematic investigation of how waking experiences shape dream formation and conscious awareness during dreaming. Using the DidiK grant awarded by the University of Bern, I bring digitalization to eduaction and research using VR and sleep wearables.
Sensory Stimulation
Lucid dreaming occurs when individuals become aware that they are dreaming while remaining asleep, enabling the study of conscious awareness during sleep. My research develops methods to induce lucid dreams using precisely timed sensory stimulation during REM sleep. This work establishes experimentally controlled induction techniques and advances research on consciousness and perception during dreaming.
Agency and Control
Lucid dreamers are able to intentionally influence their actions and experiences within dreams, a capacity referred to as dream agency and control. My research develops theoretical frameworks and validated questionnaires to measure different dimensions of dream control and investigates its practical limits experimentally. Agency and control are key in the clinical and practical applications of lucid dreaming.
