Marieke McKenna (London, 1994) studied philosophy and history of science at the the University of Amsterdam, the University of Glasgow and Utrecht University. She is interested in metaphysics, phenomenology, philosophy of mind, philosophy of physics, and consciousness studies. Her recent research focuses on historical, cross-cultural and philosophical perspectives on (lucid) dreaming, as well as the history of the scientific & academic study thereof. By combining an interdisciplinary oral history approach, hands on experience in a laboratory setting, historical analysis and philosophical reflection, she hopes to gain a deeper understanding of the spectrum of consciousness, specifically the phenomenology of dreaming (which is related to daydreaming, ideation, and creativity). Outside academia, Marieke, who is based in The Netherlands, works as an artist, creative entrepreneur, curator and programme maker, frequently exploring the intersection of academic and artistic research.
Colloquium Presentation: 13 October 2023 3:30- 5:00pm (WSL 105)
Altered states as contested objects of scientific research: the history of (lucid) dream research as a case study.
Abstract:
Lucid dreaming is a remarkable state in which the dreamer is aware that he/she is dreaming. In the 1970s researchers at Stanford University and Liverpool University successfully demonstrated that during REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep a lucid dreamer could execute specific eye movements in their dream that could be objectively measured in the sleep laboratory. Through the electrodes attached to the dreamer’s body, it was confirmed that the individual was both asleep and communicating with their eyes. It took another 2–3 decades however until the idea of studying lucid dreamers in the lab started to gain more mainstream scientific acceptance. Despite popular interest in lucid dreams as techniques for self-discovery, self-improvement and therapeutic gain, the acceptance of lucid dreaming within the scientific community has been fraught with controversy. As we enter an era in which lucid dreaming research has gone mainstream and cognitive neuroscience promises to transform lucid dreaming into an acquirable skill with applications in basic dream research, therapy, and personal development, it is vital to understand how we arrived where we are today. Lucid dreaming research offers an exemplary case to study how the validity of a contested phenomenon and the methods of sleep research have been debated and negotiated. The project “History of Lucid Dreaming Research” is the first oral historical examination of the emergence of the lucid dream as an object of scientific research. As part of a Junge Akademie funded collaboration between the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science Practices of Validation in the Biomedical Sciences Research Group and the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, this project brings together oral historical methods and hands-on experience in empirical lucid dreaming research. Having led this research project over the past year, I am looking forward to discussing parallels with the history of psychedelic research with Exeter Transdisciplinary Psychedelics Research Group.