Synchronization Success: The Breathing Technique Actually Works

submitted Mon, Aug 8, 2011, 11:00 AM EST by to r/shareddreaming

I've been skeptical about the synchronization protocols because they seemed pseudo-scientific, but I ran an actual controlled experiment and I need to report results.

Setup:

4 participants (including me)
Control night: normal sleep, dream journaling
Test night: 30min synchronized breathing (coherent breathing, 5 breaths/min), shared meditation, sleep in same room
Independent dream journaling immediately upon waking
Comparison of dream content before discussing

Results:

Control night: 0 overlapping elements (as expected)
Test night: All 4 participants reported being in a library. 3/4 reported red carpet. 3/4 reported tall windows. 2/4 reported a spiral staircase.

This is statistically significant overlap. I don't know HOW it works but it DOES work.

Will repeat the experiment weekly and report back.

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87 points Mon, Aug 8, 2011, 12:00 PM EST

Excellent methodology. This is exactly the kind of rigorous approach we need more of.

A few suggestions for your next trials:

Rotate who writes down their dream first to eliminate unconscious leader influence
Try different breathing rates to see if 5/min is optimal or just effective
Consider adding a sham condition (tell them you're synchronizing but don't actually do the full protocol)
Document not just elements but emotional tone, time of day in dream, your role (observer vs participant)

Looking forward to your follow-up data.

67 points Mon, Aug 8, 2011, 1:00 PM EST

Library with red carpet and tall windows?

That's the Rose Reading Room. It's an antechamber to Ethel. Established realm, very stable, common entry point.

You didn't create that. You found it.

18 points Mon, Aug 8, 2011, 1:30 PM EST

Wait, what? There's an existing documented place matching this description?

52 points Mon, Aug 8, 2011, 2:00 PM EST

Yes. Multiple independent discoveries over the years. Always the same: red carpet, tall arched windows, spiral staircase (usually up, sometimes down), shelves of books that you can't quite read.

If you go through the doors or up the staircase, you'll find the city.

Welcome to Ethel. You just proved it exists.