Beyond the Labels: Phenomenological Profiles of Lucid Dreams, Sleep Paralysis, and Sleep-Related Out-of-Body Experiences
Abstract
Lucid dreams, sleep paralysis, and sleep-related out-of-body experiences (OBEs) are usually defined by a characteristic feature, although considerable phenomenological variability exists within each phenomenon. We explored how different experiential features were organized across participant-level profiles within these phenomena. Data came from an online survey completed by 389 adults who reported at least one of the three experiences. Separate multivariate analyses were conducted within each phenomenon using multiple correspondence analysis followed by hierarchical clustering on principal components. We examined volitional regulation, predominant affective category, and, for OBEs, embodiment-related features. In lucid dreams and OBEs, voluntary induction, agency, and environmental control did not always occur together. Consistent voluntary induction and consistent environmental control characterized different profiles in both phenomena. In OBEs, predominantly positive emotions characterized profiles with different patterns of induction and agency, whereas predominantly negative emotions characterized a profile with low volition. In sleep paralysis, predominantly negative emotions occurred across several phenomenological profiles, whereas predominantly positive emotions characterized a profile associated with vestibular-motor experiences and out-of-body feelings. Sleep-related OBEs also showed marked variability in bodily experience, including profiles characterized by consistent body ownership, variable embodiment, or no perceived body. These findings provide an exploratory description of how phenomenological features are organized across participant-level profiles within lucid dreams, sleep paralysis, and OBEs. The resulting profiles should not be considered fixed subtypes, but rather patterns to be tested in independent samples using prospective or episode-level assessments.
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BibTeX
@misc{herrero2026beyond,
title = {{Beyond the Labels: Phenomenological Profiles of Lucid Dreams, Sleep Paralysis, and Sleep-Related Out-of-Body Experiences}},
author = {Nerea L. Herrero and Samantha Lee Treasure and Cecilia Forcato},
howpublished = {PsyArXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.31234/osf.io/tvez3_v1},
url = {https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/tvez3_v1/},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Beyond the Labels: Phenomenological Profiles of Lucid Dreams, Sleep Paralysis, and Sleep-Related Out-of-Body Experiences
AU - Nerea L. Herrero
AU - Samantha Lee Treasure
AU - Cecilia Forcato
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/24
PB - PsyArXiv
DO - 10.31234/osf.io/tvez3_v1
UR - https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/tvez3_v1/
AB - Lucid dreams, sleep paralysis, and sleep-related out-of-body experiences (OBEs) are usually defined by a characteristic feature, although considerable phenomenological variability exists within each phenomenon. We explored how different experiential features were organized across participant-level profiles within these phenomena. Data came from an online survey completed by 389 adults who reported at least one of the three experiences. Separate multivariate analyses were conducted within each phenomenon using multiple correspondence analysis followed by hierarchical clustering on principal components. We examined volitional regulation, predominant affective category, and, for OBEs, embodiment-related features. In lucid dreams and OBEs, voluntary induction, agency, and environmental control did not always occur together. Consistent voluntary induction and consistent environmental control characterized different profiles in both phenomena. In OBEs, predominantly positive emotions characterized profiles with different patterns of induction and agency, whereas predominantly negative emotions characterized a profile with low volition. In sleep paralysis, predominantly negative emotions occurred across several phenomenological profiles, whereas predominantly positive emotions characterized a profile associated with vestibular-motor experiences and out-of-body feelings. Sleep-related OBEs also showed marked variability in bodily experience, including profiles characterized by consistent body ownership, variable embodiment, or no perceived body. These findings provide an exploratory description of how phenomenological features are organized across participant-level profiles within lucid dreams, sleep paralysis, and OBEs. The resulting profiles should not be considered fixed subtypes, but rather patterns to be tested in independent samples using prospective or episode-level assessments.
ER -