Sleep has long been seen as a state of unconsciousness, but some people experience a peculiar kind of wakefulness during sleep. This phenomenon, known as objectless sleep experiences, is characterized by a quiet awareness without any content or sensory input.
For centuries, Eastern philosophical traditions have described this state as “just awareness” or “pure awareness,” where one remains conscious without thoughts, images, or even a sense of self. Recently, Western science has taken notice of this phenomenon, challenging mainstream theories that view consciousness as always linked to objects.
Researchers have explored objectless sleep experiences through online surveys and in-depth interviews with participants who reported having experienced these states during sleep. The results suggest that there is a spectrum of conscious states that appear to lack an object of awareness, including feelings of knowing that one is aware without any sensory content.
The study also found that people without knowledge of contemplative practices like dream yoga experience this phenomenon, and lucid dreaming seems to be correlated with objectless sleep experiences. However, the rarity of these events makes them difficult to study, and researchers are working on training methods to induce them.
Objectless sleep experiences expand our understanding of consciousness during sleep and challenge traditional views of what it means to be conscious. They offer a glimpse into a form of awareness stripped of content altogether, which could help us better understand altered states of consciousness, including deep meditation and sensory deprivation.
Source: https://www.psypost.org/this-strange-phenomenon-could-unlock-the-secrets-of-the-mind