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Terrifying nightmares
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linked to inexplicable deaths.
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Unconscious visions
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that foretell
of unspeakable tragedies.
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And emerging technologies
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that can engineer
our wildest dreams.
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Just like breathing,
everyone dreams.
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We might not always remember it,
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but it happens every night
of our lives.
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Some believe our sleeping
thoughts are nothing more
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than nonsensical concoctions
of the mind,
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while others claim
our dreams and nightmares
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could be messages from beyond,
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premonitions of the future,
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or even secret signals
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that have the power
to transform mankind.
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Could there be more
to our subconscious stories
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than we realize?
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Well, that is what
we'll try and find out.
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It is said
that the average person dreams
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between one
to two hours per night,
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which adds up to about six years
over a lifetime.
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And while it might be easy
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to dismiss
these involuntary images,
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thoughts and sensations
that are conjured during sleep,
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it's clear that dreaming is
as hard-wired
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into the human experience
as breathing.
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Yet, the meaning and purpose
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of these enigmatic
mental expressions
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remains one of
the longest-standing mysteries
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of the mind.
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Throughout history
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and cultures
all around the world,
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people have turned
to their dreams for reassurance,
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wisdom, guidance and warnings
of dangers to come.
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People generally agreed
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that dreams are valuable
and important.
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There's something about
the intense visual qualities
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of dreaming.
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We are asleep.
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And yet,
our imaginations can create
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these marvelous
visual experiences.
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Dreams hold so much influence
over humans
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because they're just inherently
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a dramatic,
attention-grabbing experience.
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And in some cases,
are very fantastic
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and surreal and adventurous.
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They just inherently grab us
from childhood onward.
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You've had experiences
that didn't really happen,
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but it's a piece of your life.
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It appears
we've been trying to make sense
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of what happens when we slumber
since the dawn of civilization.
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The first documented dream
was recorded
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in 2500 BC in Mesopotamia.
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The Egyptian Dream Book--
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written on ancient papyrus
over 3,000 years ago--
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compiled 108 different dreams
and their proposed meanings.
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And in all this time,
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we've yet to answer one
very basic question.
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What is the purpose of dreams?
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There's a lot of disagreement
among dream researchers
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about why we dream,
whether dreams have any meaning.
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People will speak of God.
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They'll speak
of evolutionary wisdom.
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Sigmund Freud was
a medical doctor
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and psychiatrist
in Vienna, Austria,
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who, in 1900, published
The Interpretation of Dreams.
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And in this book, Freud taught
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that dreams are the royal road
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to a knowledge
of the unconscious mind.
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By studying our dreams,
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we learn about
the deepest wishes and desires
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and fears and instinctual drives
within each of us.
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Some of the theories
about what happens
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while we're dreaming
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is, we're consolidating
our memories.
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Being able to take all
of these different things
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that have happened to us
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throughout our lifetimes
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and create
a coherent self-identity.
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That that's where our sense
of self comes from.
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Is that true?
We don't know.
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Inside this century-old hospital
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lies the Dream
and Nightmare Laboratory,
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one of the few facilities
in the world
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trying to reveal
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what is really happening
while we sleep.
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The Dream
and Nightmare Laboratory
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was founded in 1991.
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And we're really trying
to form links between
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what's happening during sleep
and during dreams.
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In the sleep lab, we measure
these through brain activity
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and eye movement activity
and muscle activity.
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You go through
four different stages of sleep.
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And when we first fall asleep,
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that's called stage-one sleep.
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This stage is very short.
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Even in stage one,
people will have dreams.
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Then someone descends a bit
further into a stage-two sleep.
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They also will have dreams
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that can sometimes be mundane
or thought-like.
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And then they descend
even further
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into a deeper stage:
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stage-three sleep.
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Dreams are very vague
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and very hard to recall
when people wake up.
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And then, stage-four sleep,
the deepest state of sleep,
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where finally
you enter REM sleep,
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rapid eye movement sleep,
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which is really
the main stage of interest
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for a dream scientist.
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The brain practically wakes up.
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We have more activation
of emotional areas of the brain.
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The eyes are moving,
the muscles are twitching,
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and people are usually
in very vivid and elaborate
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and wake-like dreams
in this stage.
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Let's say dream science
has uncovered, like,
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25, 30% of what's going on,
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but there's still
a lot to learn.
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Like, 70% is completely unknown.
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It's actually very,
very difficult to study dreams
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because we do not have
direct access to them.
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Oh, here we got some
eye movements. -Yeah, there.
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So, in all
of our scientific studies,
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we wake people up, sometimes
repeatedly during the night,
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so that they can report
some of their dreams.
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- Sit up when you're ready.
- Okay.
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But probably 95%
of dream activity
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is still completely forgotten.
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Apart from scientific curiosity,
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you might wonder,
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why should we even care
about dream research?
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Well, many of mankind's
greatest ideas and innovations
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are said to have been inspired
by brain activity during sleep.
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There are many great minds
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whose dreams have helped them
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to formulate some
of their greatest work.
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So, for example, Russian
scientist Dmitri Mendeleev,
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actually dreamt
the periodic table.
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That's the table
of all the elements.
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Einstein claimed that dreams
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helped him to realize
the theory of relativity,
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and how the observer
perceives time and space
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according to where they are.
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The Google search engine, uh,
was invented in a dream.
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Larry Page describes
that he woke up from a dream
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and immediately started
scribbling out a plan
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that was to list and rank
all Internet sites.
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But there are breakthroughs
in every field of endeavor.
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Another example
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would be Paul McCartney's song
"Yesterday."
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He dreamed that he was listening
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to this just beautiful
piece of music,
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and he persuaded
the Beatles to perform it,
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and it became
their all-time hit.
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Famous people
like Edison and Tesla
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really wanted to access
the creative sleep state
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as you're falling asleep.
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They thought
that was the kind of key
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to creativity and invention.
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And so, they developed
this steel ball trick
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where they would hold
a steel ball in their hands,
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and then, as they fell asleep,
as their muscles relaxed,
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the steel ball would drop,
and it would wake them up.
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And then they would record
whatever that creative,
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imaginative idea and dream was
that had happened.
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What these stories
of creative insights
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and inventions through
dreaming tells us is that
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if we devote ourselves
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to a task, to a challenge,
to a problem,
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and we throw ourselves at it,
our dreams will help us.
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And I think that that if
you can tap into that resource,
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nothing will stop you.
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Could a better
understanding of dreams
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help us unlock our greatest
innovations and achievements?
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Perhaps.
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And as scientists continue
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to probe
our sleeping subconscious,
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what might be revealed?
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Dream science is still seen
as peripheral and weird.
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But your dreams 15 years out
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can predict the onset
of Parkinson's.
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But nobody knows that.
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Your nightmares are a huge part
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of post-traumatic
stress disorder.
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Nobody's asking questions
about that.
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We are dreaming
in every stage of sleep.
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This is a lot
of your lived experience.
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You wouldn't walk around all day
just ignoring your thoughts
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and saying, "Oh,
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those don't have
any influence on my behavior
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or my emotional well-being."
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But that's what
we're doing at night.
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But dreams are in touch with
more than the science can see,
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and that is fine with me
as a scientist,
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and makes it
so much more interesting
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to work on as a challenge.
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In a working-class section
of the city,
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a quiet yet unsettling epidemic
starts to unfold.
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A group of young
Southeast Asian immigrants
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belonging to an ethnic group
known as the Hmong
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succumb to a truly
nightmarish fate.
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They are dying
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in their sleep.
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In January of 1987,
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the L.A. Times published
an article about
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over 140 Hmong men
dying in their sleep
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with no real explanation.
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The CDC did autopsies
on the individuals,
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they couldn't find any reason
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on why these individuals
passed away.
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There was no sign
of a heart attack or a stroke.
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They were young,
they were healthy,
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they didn't have prior
existing health conditions.
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Looking at the surface
of the story,
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there's no reason
for these men to have died.
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There's still a lot
that we don't understand
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about why this happened.
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But one thing that's really
interesting about these cases
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is that a lot
of these men reported
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that in the days
preceding their death,
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they were having
terrifying nightmares.
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It was really a mystery.
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Public health
officials coined the term
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"Sudden unexplained
nocturnal death syndrome"
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to at least categorize
these bizarre deaths,
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but it doesn't
explain the cause.
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And it certainly begs
a truly haunting question.
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Could bad dreams
actually cause healthy men
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to suddenly die in their sleep?
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According to Hmong culture
and belief, nightmares can kill.
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In the Hmong tradition,
dream is how the spirit world
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and deceased
communicate with the living.
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And so, they come to us
in our dreams,
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and they communicate their needs
and how they're doing.
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There are many spirits.
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There are good spirits
and evil spirits.
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The poj dab pob,
for example, are evil spirits.
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So, dreams are a place
to receive communication.
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Uh, however, if you don't
listen to the spirit,
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it can come to your nightmares
and kill you.
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This is
something which is not unique
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to this particular population.
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Um, in East Asia,
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for instance,
there was a strong belief
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in a creature
that could invade dreams
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known as the Leyak.
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The term "nightmare"
has its own origin,
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and it comes from
this supernatural creature
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in East European tradition
called the mara,
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that could shape-shift
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and enter into the dreams,
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and could even
bring about death.
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Demonic entities
and evil spirits
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that prey upon their victims
in the dream world
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can be found in folkloric
traditions around the world.
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But what is so confounding
about the nightmare deaths
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that ravaged the American
Hmong community in the 1980s
259
00:13:11,042 --> 00:13:13,167
is that, inexplicably,
260
00:13:13,375 --> 00:13:15,417
these men all seemed
to experience
261
00:13:15,542 --> 00:13:17,833
the same horrific dream.
262
00:13:18,042 --> 00:13:19,333
There are some men
who survived,
263
00:13:19,458 --> 00:13:20,833
and they shared with us
264
00:13:21,042 --> 00:13:23,875
that they had nightmares
for many nights in a row.
265
00:13:24,042 --> 00:13:26,292
They would see
these evil, dark figures
266
00:13:26,458 --> 00:13:29,083
come and sit on their chest,
that would suffocate them
267
00:13:29,208 --> 00:13:32,708
and kept constricting their body
so they couldn't breathe.
268
00:13:32,875 --> 00:13:35,000
They could not scream,
they could not move.
269
00:13:35,208 --> 00:13:37,583
Spouses of-of the men
who passed away
270
00:13:37,708 --> 00:13:39,042
shared similar stories.
271
00:13:39,208 --> 00:13:42,208
So, we believe
that in these dreams,
272
00:13:42,375 --> 00:13:44,792
evil spirits
called the poj dab pob
273
00:13:44,958 --> 00:13:46,333
was visiting the person,
274
00:13:46,458 --> 00:13:48,500
causing the sudden,
unexplained death.
275
00:13:49,833 --> 00:13:51,958
Was the same
supernatural entity
276
00:13:52,167 --> 00:13:54,000
really squeezing the life
277
00:13:54,208 --> 00:13:56,375
from these men
in their nightmares?
278
00:13:56,542 --> 00:13:59,375
The Hmong community
certainly believes it's true,
279
00:13:59,542 --> 00:14:02,917
but how might
the scientific community
280
00:14:03,083 --> 00:14:05,375
try to interpret
this phenomenon?
281
00:14:06,375 --> 00:14:08,958
This reminds me a lot
of other phenomena
282
00:14:09,125 --> 00:14:10,667
that we've studied, such as,
283
00:14:10,875 --> 00:14:12,833
in sleep paralysis,
a specific type
284
00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:16,083
of usually very terrifying
dream experience
285
00:14:16,250 --> 00:14:20,125
that happens right at the onset
or the offset of sleep,
286
00:14:20,292 --> 00:14:23,583
and most of our body
is paralyzed.
287
00:14:23,750 --> 00:14:25,708
And often,
people will hallucinate
288
00:14:25,875 --> 00:14:28,250
some kind of threat
or menacing figure
289
00:14:28,417 --> 00:14:30,167
suffocating them
or sitting on them.
290
00:14:31,375 --> 00:14:34,458
There's some thought
that these could be related
291
00:14:34,625 --> 00:14:36,500
to some extreme form of, um,
292
00:14:36,667 --> 00:14:39,458
sleep paralysis or night terror
that occurred to these people.
293
00:14:39,583 --> 00:14:41,167
I'm not sure that's the case.
294
00:14:41,375 --> 00:14:43,875
Not all of the men died,
necessarily,
295
00:14:44,042 --> 00:14:46,833
of the same exact
physiological process
296
00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:49,167
with the heart
or some other part of the body,
297
00:14:49,333 --> 00:14:51,042
so it makes it
all the more likely
298
00:14:51,208 --> 00:14:55,167
that whatever triggered
their actual dying
299
00:14:55,292 --> 00:14:58,000
was something,
as strange as it might sound,
300
00:14:58,208 --> 00:15:00,333
psychological or even spiritual.
301
00:15:00,542 --> 00:15:03,167
And it sure sounds like
some kind of dream phenomenon.
302
00:15:03,375 --> 00:15:06,125
But how could something
kill you in your dreams?
303
00:15:07,042 --> 00:15:09,500
Could psychological distress
304
00:15:09,625 --> 00:15:11,750
have been the cause
of the nightmare-induced deaths
305
00:15:11,917 --> 00:15:14,875
of around 140 healthy men?
306
00:15:15,042 --> 00:15:17,125
Some believe
it's a distinct possibility,
307
00:15:17,292 --> 00:15:20,625
based on the shared experience
the Hmong had
308
00:15:20,750 --> 00:15:22,583
in their war-torn homeland.
309
00:15:24,125 --> 00:15:26,333
In 1954, the United States CIA
310
00:15:26,500 --> 00:15:28,458
recruited them
to fight against communism
311
00:15:28,625 --> 00:15:30,042
during the Vietnam War.
312
00:15:30,208 --> 00:15:31,208
Ten percent
of the Hmong population
313
00:15:31,375 --> 00:15:33,000
passed away during this war.
314
00:15:33,208 --> 00:15:35,208
And after the United States
left the war,
315
00:15:35,375 --> 00:15:37,208
the Hmong became
enemies of the state
316
00:15:37,375 --> 00:15:39,125
and they were persecuted.
317
00:15:39,292 --> 00:15:42,167
To escape genocide
from the communist government,
318
00:15:42,375 --> 00:15:43,958
they then fled
to other countries,
319
00:15:44,083 --> 00:15:46,125
like the United States.
320
00:15:46,250 --> 00:15:48,833
These men had just survived
a devastating war,
321
00:15:49,042 --> 00:15:50,500
so they were going through
a traumatic,
322
00:15:50,708 --> 00:15:51,958
traumatic time in their life.
323
00:15:52,125 --> 00:15:54,042
Was psychological trauma
324
00:15:54,208 --> 00:15:55,708
from the Vietnam War
325
00:15:55,875 --> 00:15:58,833
connected to these inexplicable
nightmare deaths?
326
00:15:59,042 --> 00:16:02,333
All we can do is speculate.
327
00:16:02,458 --> 00:16:06,125
But strangely,
by the late 1980s,
328
00:16:06,292 --> 00:16:09,458
these unexplained deaths
all but stopped.
329
00:16:09,625 --> 00:16:13,167
And the Hmong believe
it proves this phenomenon
330
00:16:13,333 --> 00:16:16,083
was a matter of spirituality.
331
00:16:17,125 --> 00:16:18,333
As these men were dying,
332
00:16:18,542 --> 00:16:20,250
it was a crisis
in the community.
333
00:16:20,417 --> 00:16:22,125
They didn't know
what was going on,
334
00:16:22,250 --> 00:16:25,250
and so, it took elders
and shamans coming together
335
00:16:25,417 --> 00:16:28,458
and talking to the spirits
to have a better understanding.
336
00:16:28,625 --> 00:16:30,500
And the spirits shared
that these men
337
00:16:30,667 --> 00:16:33,250
were not honoring the spirits
like they had done in the past.
338
00:16:33,417 --> 00:16:35,333
When they came to America,
339
00:16:35,458 --> 00:16:38,750
they were no longer building
an altar to pray to them,
340
00:16:38,917 --> 00:16:42,750
offering animals as sacrifices
to honor and feed the spirits.
341
00:16:42,875 --> 00:16:48,250
So, the spirits were then angry
and causing harm to the living.
342
00:16:48,375 --> 00:16:51,125
Since then, we recognize
that we have to continue
343
00:16:51,250 --> 00:16:53,875
making sure that, um,
the spirits are being honored
344
00:16:54,042 --> 00:16:56,500
as well as, um, supported.
345
00:16:56,708 --> 00:16:59,750
And so, that helped reduce
the number of these deaths.
346
00:16:59,917 --> 00:17:03,250
But we believe that nightmares
still kill even today.
347
00:17:04,250 --> 00:17:07,083
The mere suggestion
that a nightmare can kill
348
00:17:07,292 --> 00:17:09,167
is profoundly disturbing.
349
00:17:09,333 --> 00:17:11,333
It really makes the thought
of dying in your sleep
350
00:17:11,500 --> 00:17:13,708
a bit more unsettling,
doesn't it?
351
00:17:13,833 --> 00:17:15,750
Perhaps less alarming
352
00:17:15,917 --> 00:17:18,208
is the notion
that while we slumber,
353
00:17:18,375 --> 00:17:20,917
our brains may be able
to open a window
354
00:17:21,125 --> 00:17:24,292
and allow us
to predict the future.
355
00:17:30,542 --> 00:17:33,250
Nestled in the hills
of the Peloponnese
356
00:17:33,375 --> 00:17:35,167
lies one of the ancient world's
357
00:17:35,333 --> 00:17:38,208
most remarkable
medical sanctuaries
358
00:17:38,375 --> 00:17:41,333
that has been preserved
for over 2,000 years.
359
00:17:41,542 --> 00:17:45,083
Today, it's a UNESCO
World Heritage Site,
360
00:17:45,250 --> 00:17:47,500
but in the time
of Classical Greece,
361
00:17:47,708 --> 00:17:49,125
it was something more.
362
00:17:50,167 --> 00:17:54,042
A sacred destination
for pilgrims to be healed
363
00:17:54,250 --> 00:17:55,792
in their sleep.
364
00:17:56,958 --> 00:17:58,292
Thousands of years ago,
365
00:17:58,458 --> 00:18:00,958
people were dreaming in temples,
366
00:18:01,167 --> 00:18:03,667
and these were specifically
for healing.
367
00:18:03,833 --> 00:18:05,167
One of the most famous ones
368
00:18:05,333 --> 00:18:07,292
is the Epidaurus,
369
00:18:07,417 --> 00:18:10,249
where people would try
to have dreams
370
00:18:10,250 --> 00:18:13,083
of the Asclepieion,
the serpent god
371
00:18:13,208 --> 00:18:15,375
who would come down
and heal you in your sleep.
372
00:18:15,542 --> 00:18:19,083
And so, people would sleep
surrounded by these serpents,
373
00:18:19,208 --> 00:18:21,250
and they would ask
for a dream visit
374
00:18:21,417 --> 00:18:23,583
from the healing serpent god.
375
00:18:23,750 --> 00:18:27,375
Asclepius
is the Greek and Roman god
376
00:18:27,542 --> 00:18:29,625
of healing through dreams.
377
00:18:29,792 --> 00:18:33,375
You go to his temple,
really, not for diagnosis.
378
00:18:33,542 --> 00:18:36,542
You go in hopes of a sacred
experience of healing.
379
00:18:37,583 --> 00:18:39,667
And we have testimonies,
I mean, written reports,
380
00:18:39,875 --> 00:18:42,333
of what happened
in the Temple of Asclepius,
381
00:18:42,542 --> 00:18:44,083
and they're quite fascinating.
382
00:18:44,250 --> 00:18:46,167
We see people who believe
383
00:18:46,333 --> 00:18:49,042
that they've been healed
of specific physical symptoms
384
00:18:49,208 --> 00:18:53,167
after interaction
with a sacred being.
385
00:18:54,167 --> 00:18:58,249
In the ancient world,
many believed that dreams
386
00:18:58,250 --> 00:19:01,042
offered more
than spiritual guidance.
387
00:19:01,167 --> 00:19:03,542
One of the most
influential voices of the time
388
00:19:03,708 --> 00:19:07,167
argued that dreams
could diagnose illness
389
00:19:07,333 --> 00:19:09,792
from deep within the body.
390
00:19:09,958 --> 00:19:11,667
One explanation comes from
391
00:19:11,833 --> 00:19:14,250
the most renowned physician
of the ancient Greek world.
392
00:19:14,375 --> 00:19:16,625
Galen was the personal physician
393
00:19:16,750 --> 00:19:19,375
of Marcus Aurelius,
the Stoic emperor.
394
00:19:19,542 --> 00:19:22,542
He wrote a number of treatises
on diagnosis through dreams.
395
00:19:22,708 --> 00:19:24,542
And he said
that the reason why dreams
396
00:19:24,708 --> 00:19:26,333
can give you
an accurate diagnosis
397
00:19:26,458 --> 00:19:28,250
of what's going on
through the body
398
00:19:28,417 --> 00:19:31,417
is that there's some function
of consciousness during sleep
399
00:19:31,583 --> 00:19:33,333
that may travel through the body
400
00:19:33,542 --> 00:19:35,167
and bring back
a really exact report
401
00:19:35,333 --> 00:19:37,917
of what's going on
inside the body.
402
00:19:38,083 --> 00:19:40,708
Today, nightmares or visions
403
00:19:40,875 --> 00:19:44,833
that seem to foreshadow disease
before physical symptoms appear
404
00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:47,583
are known as prodromal dreams.
405
00:19:48,625 --> 00:19:53,500
But is this phenomenon
real or imagined?
406
00:19:59,750 --> 00:20:03,417
As night begins to fall
over her suburban home,
407
00:20:03,542 --> 00:20:06,833
43-year-old
Kathleen O'Keefe-Kanavos
408
00:20:07,042 --> 00:20:08,750
heads upstairs to go to bed.
409
00:20:10,708 --> 00:20:13,042
And as she drifts off to sleep,
410
00:20:13,208 --> 00:20:17,000
she is visited
by a strange messenger.
411
00:20:17,167 --> 00:20:19,917
I had gone in
for my yearly mammogram,
412
00:20:20,083 --> 00:20:22,125
and I had gotten
a clean bill of health.
413
00:20:22,250 --> 00:20:26,208
And that night,
I had the strangest dream.
414
00:20:26,375 --> 00:20:29,375
And all of a sudden,
my dream froze
415
00:20:29,583 --> 00:20:32,167
like, like the page
on your computer freezes.
416
00:20:32,333 --> 00:20:35,042
And in the middle
of that frozen page
417
00:20:35,250 --> 00:20:37,625
was a door.
418
00:20:37,792 --> 00:20:39,375
And through that door
419
00:20:39,542 --> 00:20:44,167
walked a Franciscan monk--
in the brown robe--
420
00:20:44,333 --> 00:20:47,625
and this monk took my hand,
421
00:20:47,792 --> 00:20:50,792
put it right on my breast,
and said, "Do you feel that?"
422
00:20:50,917 --> 00:20:52,125
and I said, "Yeah."
423
00:20:52,292 --> 00:20:54,000
And he said,
"That's breast cancer."
424
00:20:54,208 --> 00:20:56,500
You go back
to your doctor tomorrow
425
00:20:56,667 --> 00:21:01,167
and you tell him
you need exploratory surgery
426
00:21:01,333 --> 00:21:03,833
to find this cancer.
427
00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:06,833
Was the arrival
of this strange visitor
428
00:21:06,958 --> 00:21:10,333
simply a figment
of Kathleen's imagination?
429
00:21:10,458 --> 00:21:13,625
Or did she experience
a real prodromal dream?
430
00:21:13,792 --> 00:21:15,875
An accurate assessment
of her health
431
00:21:16,042 --> 00:21:17,708
delivered during sleep?
432
00:21:17,875 --> 00:21:22,083
Whatever the case,
Kathleen was convinced
433
00:21:22,292 --> 00:21:26,250
it was all too haunting
to ignore.
434
00:21:26,417 --> 00:21:28,333
I said to the doctor,
435
00:21:28,500 --> 00:21:32,000
"I need exploratory surgery
to find this breast cancer.
436
00:21:32,167 --> 00:21:34,333
I know I have it.
437
00:21:34,500 --> 00:21:36,792
I need you to do this.
438
00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:39,833
I'm not leaving without a yes."
439
00:21:41,708 --> 00:21:44,625
And so, long story short,
440
00:21:44,833 --> 00:21:46,792
I had the surgery,
441
00:21:46,958 --> 00:21:48,917
and when I first woke up,
442
00:21:49,042 --> 00:21:53,292
I was told that, yes,
it was breast cancer.
443
00:21:53,417 --> 00:21:56,125
My first reaction was,
I just started crying.
444
00:21:56,292 --> 00:21:58,667
"Well, thank goodness
445
00:21:58,833 --> 00:22:02,333
they found that cancer
early enough."
446
00:22:02,500 --> 00:22:05,250
And so, the monk was right.
447
00:22:06,250 --> 00:22:09,625
Was Kathleen's dream
a miraculous coincidence,
448
00:22:09,792 --> 00:22:12,708
or proof that
the ancients were right,
449
00:22:12,917 --> 00:22:15,374
that dreams really do
have the power
450
00:22:15,375 --> 00:22:18,167
to diagnose and even heal?
451
00:22:18,333 --> 00:22:20,708
This doesn't make sense
of the typical,
452
00:22:20,875 --> 00:22:22,958
traditional, modern,
Western medicine.
453
00:22:23,125 --> 00:22:26,208
And yet, it does make more sense
if we think of dreaming
454
00:22:26,375 --> 00:22:28,667
in its traditional
healing capacity,
455
00:22:28,875 --> 00:22:31,292
as giving us insights
into these kinds of
456
00:22:31,458 --> 00:22:33,875
illnesses and problems.
457
00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:35,583
The mysteries of dreaming
458
00:22:35,750 --> 00:22:38,792
involve our rediscovering things
that earlier people knew,
459
00:22:38,958 --> 00:22:41,500
things like
the healing power of dreams.
460
00:22:42,458 --> 00:22:43,833
I think there's something
in the idea that
461
00:22:44,042 --> 00:22:45,917
amongst all the things
going on in dreams,
462
00:22:46,042 --> 00:22:47,625
dreams can be body talk,
463
00:22:47,750 --> 00:22:51,542
and the message may come
veiled as a messenger
464
00:22:51,708 --> 00:22:53,833
who has our best interests
at heart.
465
00:22:54,875 --> 00:22:57,583
We've been taught
that a dream is just a dream.
466
00:22:57,750 --> 00:22:59,667
You don't really need
to pay any attention to it.
467
00:22:59,875 --> 00:23:04,083
It's just the mind
firing off neurons
468
00:23:04,208 --> 00:23:06,333
when you're asleep.
469
00:23:06,542 --> 00:23:10,625
But I've always said
it has to mean something.
470
00:23:10,792 --> 00:23:15,417
I'm not really sure why
I listened to that monk
471
00:23:15,583 --> 00:23:19,083
other than
it was such an odd dream.
472
00:23:19,250 --> 00:23:22,542
But if I had not believed him,
473
00:23:22,708 --> 00:23:24,250
I believe I'd be dead today,
474
00:23:24,458 --> 00:23:26,750
and you wouldn't
be speaking to me.
475
00:23:26,917 --> 00:23:30,583
If dreams do, in fact,
have the power to heal,
476
00:23:30,708 --> 00:23:32,542
then telling someone
they'll feel better
477
00:23:32,708 --> 00:23:34,542
after a good night's sleep
478
00:23:34,708 --> 00:23:36,708
may have a deeper meaning
than we think.
479
00:23:36,875 --> 00:23:40,083
And there's growing evidence
that dreams
480
00:23:40,250 --> 00:23:43,375
can influence our waking lives
in other ways as well.
481
00:23:43,542 --> 00:23:46,000
Because researchers
have developed a technology
482
00:23:46,125 --> 00:23:50,208
that allows people
to unlock new potential
483
00:23:50,375 --> 00:23:52,125
as they sleep.
484
00:24:00,750 --> 00:24:04,250
This esteemed university has
produced remarkable innovations
485
00:24:04,458 --> 00:24:06,250
in computer technology,
486
00:24:06,458 --> 00:24:09,375
pioneering work
in medical imaging
487
00:24:09,542 --> 00:24:11,833
and advanced robotics.
488
00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:13,625
But recently,
489
00:24:13,750 --> 00:24:17,582
MIT researchers have been
developing technology
490
00:24:17,583 --> 00:24:21,500
to quite literally
engineer our dreams.
491
00:24:21,667 --> 00:24:23,000
Dream engineering
492
00:24:23,167 --> 00:24:25,333
is a pretty new field,
493
00:24:25,500 --> 00:24:27,208
under a decade.
494
00:24:27,375 --> 00:24:31,333
And what it means is if we took
all these technological advances
495
00:24:31,542 --> 00:24:34,833
in sensors, devices, in A.I.,
496
00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:37,750
and we aimed them
at dream science,
497
00:24:37,917 --> 00:24:40,500
how can we help people shift
what they dream about
498
00:24:40,667 --> 00:24:42,583
to better themselves
the next day?
499
00:24:42,750 --> 00:24:46,292
Historically, the way
that people tried to determine
500
00:24:46,500 --> 00:24:48,500
whether they could
control a dream is
501
00:24:48,708 --> 00:24:51,375
they'd show you a stimulus,
maybe a scary film,
502
00:24:51,542 --> 00:24:54,083
and then you would fall asleep.
503
00:24:54,250 --> 00:24:56,167
And then they'd wake you up,
maybe four hours later,
504
00:24:56,375 --> 00:24:58,667
eight hours later, and they'd
say, "What'd you dream about?"
505
00:24:58,833 --> 00:25:02,125
Well, you'd say,
"I have no idea."
506
00:25:02,250 --> 00:25:06,000
And the really simple shift
that we made was,
507
00:25:06,167 --> 00:25:09,000
we said, "Let's focus on
the whole sleep onset period."
508
00:25:09,208 --> 00:25:12,583
It's where your imagination
starts turning into pictures.
509
00:25:12,750 --> 00:25:14,833
Where you're dreaming,
but you can still hear
510
00:25:14,958 --> 00:25:17,500
the outside world around you.
511
00:25:17,667 --> 00:25:20,125
That's when we try to slip
something into dreams.
512
00:25:20,292 --> 00:25:24,583
If we can control
a small piece of a dream,
513
00:25:24,708 --> 00:25:27,874
then we can run a controlled
experiment on a dream.
514
00:25:27,875 --> 00:25:29,708
Can technology really control
515
00:25:29,875 --> 00:25:31,750
the content of our dreams?
516
00:25:31,917 --> 00:25:35,167
Well, in 2017, that's exactly
what Adam Haar Horowitz
517
00:25:35,333 --> 00:25:38,667
and other researchers at MIT
tried to find out.
518
00:25:38,875 --> 00:25:41,500
And they would create
a groundbreaking
519
00:25:41,625 --> 00:25:44,833
glove-like device
known as Dormio.
520
00:25:45,833 --> 00:25:49,333
This is the Dormio device
that we built at MIT.
521
00:25:49,458 --> 00:25:51,583
This device
is a research prototype.
522
00:25:51,792 --> 00:25:53,500
It works really well in the lab.
523
00:25:53,667 --> 00:25:55,708
This is not built
for consumers at home.
524
00:25:55,875 --> 00:25:59,458
The way this will work
is we put this on
525
00:25:59,667 --> 00:26:01,125
before someone goes to bed.
526
00:26:01,292 --> 00:26:02,667
You have these sensors.
527
00:26:02,833 --> 00:26:05,042
This person's sleep
will be tracked,
528
00:26:05,208 --> 00:26:09,333
and then Dormio looks
for a special moment in sleep
529
00:26:09,542 --> 00:26:11,792
where dreams are beginning
530
00:26:11,958 --> 00:26:14,625
but you can still
hear the world around you.
531
00:26:14,750 --> 00:26:18,000
In that special moment,
that device will talk to you.
532
00:26:20,625 --> 00:26:22,167
"Remember to think of a tree,
533
00:26:22,375 --> 00:26:23,917
remember to think of a fork,
534
00:26:24,083 --> 00:26:26,500
a volcano, Beyoncé," your pick.
535
00:26:26,667 --> 00:26:31,292
And we found that 92%
of people who came in
536
00:26:31,458 --> 00:26:34,500
would have a dream
where directly they would report
537
00:26:34,708 --> 00:26:37,207
the thing that we suggested.
538
00:26:37,208 --> 00:26:41,708
We're hitting this 92% number,
which feels pretty exciting,
539
00:26:41,875 --> 00:26:45,083
and feels like it opens up a lot
of ground for new experiments.
540
00:26:46,125 --> 00:26:48,375
Will dream technology
such as Dormio
541
00:26:48,542 --> 00:26:51,625
one day allow us to live out
our wildest fantasies
542
00:26:51,750 --> 00:26:53,875
while we sleep?
543
00:26:54,042 --> 00:26:56,708
Climb to the summit
of Mount Everest?
544
00:26:58,125 --> 00:27:01,625
Win the World Series
with a towering home run?
545
00:27:01,792 --> 00:27:06,000
Or fly to a galaxy
far, far away?
546
00:27:06,167 --> 00:27:09,167
It's certainly
an enticing prospect,
547
00:27:09,333 --> 00:27:14,500
but how can shaping our dreams
when we first fall asleep
548
00:27:14,667 --> 00:27:17,292
actually help us
while we're awake?
549
00:27:18,250 --> 00:27:19,750
Right when you fall asleep,
550
00:27:19,917 --> 00:27:22,083
the brain is, uh,
what we call "hyperassociative."
551
00:27:22,250 --> 00:27:24,125
And it's kind of like
creative thinking,
552
00:27:24,292 --> 00:27:26,792
that you are making links
between concepts
553
00:27:26,917 --> 00:27:29,000
that you don't normally link.
554
00:27:29,167 --> 00:27:32,000
Recently, there was a study
where they had people
555
00:27:32,167 --> 00:27:35,750
try to do these
hard-to-solve math problems.
556
00:27:35,875 --> 00:27:38,333
They found if people
fell asleep for just one minute,
557
00:27:38,500 --> 00:27:41,167
they were almost three times
more likely to suddenly come up
558
00:27:41,333 --> 00:27:43,833
with the hidden solution
to these problems.
559
00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:46,792
Dormio
is designed to help people
560
00:27:46,958 --> 00:27:49,250
access that state
as you're falling asleep
561
00:27:49,375 --> 00:27:51,875
to try to extend
that period of creativity.
562
00:27:52,042 --> 00:27:53,542
So, imagine
that you are dreaming
563
00:27:53,708 --> 00:27:56,792
about flying, uh,
above the clouds.
564
00:27:57,000 --> 00:27:59,125
And the researchers say,
"What were you dreaming about?"
565
00:27:59,250 --> 00:28:01,250
and you say, "I was
in the clouds and I was flying,
566
00:28:01,417 --> 00:28:04,625
but I had this incredible
contraption, this new way
567
00:28:04,833 --> 00:28:07,667
of being able to paraglide
through the clouds."
568
00:28:07,875 --> 00:28:10,874
And the researchers
play audio about paragliding
569
00:28:10,875 --> 00:28:12,833
and clouds and flying.
570
00:28:13,042 --> 00:28:14,874
And then you fall asleep again,
571
00:28:14,875 --> 00:28:16,958
and extend the dream
572
00:28:17,083 --> 00:28:18,958
so that you start
to develop more of it.
573
00:28:19,125 --> 00:28:21,875
And now you're able
to describe that invention.
574
00:28:22,875 --> 00:28:24,375
We can boost
creativity, we can improve
575
00:28:24,542 --> 00:28:25,750
somebody's learning
576
00:28:25,917 --> 00:28:27,875
just by playing
the right bedtime story,
577
00:28:28,083 --> 00:28:29,667
maybe in a foreign language,
578
00:28:29,833 --> 00:28:32,292
which helps them
learn French faster.
579
00:28:32,458 --> 00:28:34,000
That's a study.
580
00:28:34,208 --> 00:28:36,125
How well you learn something
581
00:28:36,292 --> 00:28:38,667
with a 10X difference
is dependent on your sleep
582
00:28:38,875 --> 00:28:40,207
and your dreams.
583
00:28:40,208 --> 00:28:42,083
Devices like Dormio
584
00:28:42,250 --> 00:28:45,875
could have a profound effect
on creativity and learning,
585
00:28:46,042 --> 00:28:47,958
but studies have also revealed
586
00:28:48,083 --> 00:28:51,333
an even more astonishing
application
587
00:28:51,542 --> 00:28:53,542
for dream-shaping technology.
588
00:28:53,708 --> 00:28:56,792
It may have the power
589
00:28:56,958 --> 00:29:00,958
to save millions of lives.
590
00:29:01,125 --> 00:29:03,500
We know that 80%
of people with PTSD
591
00:29:03,708 --> 00:29:08,500
will have recurring nightmares
of the same topic every night.
592
00:29:08,625 --> 00:29:10,917
These are really high stakes
593
00:29:11,125 --> 00:29:13,292
because we know
that if you have nightmares,
594
00:29:13,417 --> 00:29:16,375
it increases your likelihood
of attempting suicide by 4X.
595
00:29:16,542 --> 00:29:19,667
So, if you're working
with folks who are,
596
00:29:19,792 --> 00:29:21,958
for instance,
post-combat veterans,
597
00:29:22,083 --> 00:29:26,000
and they struggle
with suicidal ideation,
598
00:29:26,125 --> 00:29:28,833
one of the most surprising
results that we've gotten
599
00:29:28,958 --> 00:29:32,917
is that just by having people
choose a dream,
600
00:29:33,083 --> 00:29:35,833
instead of whatever
difficult dream comes naturally,
601
00:29:36,042 --> 00:29:38,000
when we follow up a week later,
602
00:29:38,208 --> 00:29:41,000
they significantly reduce
their suicidal ideation.
603
00:29:41,167 --> 00:29:44,000
That just a shift
in the dream landscape
604
00:29:44,167 --> 00:29:46,500
can shift
their waking thoughts so much
605
00:29:46,625 --> 00:29:50,875
has been a big surprise
and, also, uh, really moving.
606
00:29:51,042 --> 00:29:54,958
What happens if at scale,
the three million people
607
00:29:55,167 --> 00:29:58,333
who are struggling with those
specific kinds of nightmares
608
00:29:58,500 --> 00:30:01,208
suddenly aren't scared
to go to bed at night?
609
00:30:02,208 --> 00:30:03,750
The exciting thing
about dream research
610
00:30:03,917 --> 00:30:06,207
in the next ten years
is it being applied,
611
00:30:06,208 --> 00:30:09,917
and the implications for
mental health and for learning.
612
00:30:10,042 --> 00:30:12,083
How would that change the world?
613
00:30:21,833 --> 00:30:24,958
Psychologist Dr. Keith Hearne
614
00:30:25,125 --> 00:30:27,167
monitors a test subject
who has achieved
615
00:30:27,333 --> 00:30:30,333
rapid eye movement sleep,
or R.E.M.,
616
00:30:30,500 --> 00:30:34,458
a mental state when dreams
are at their most vivid.
617
00:30:34,625 --> 00:30:37,833
Suddenly, his test subject
performs a series
618
00:30:38,042 --> 00:30:41,958
of predetermined eye movements
similar to Morse code
619
00:30:42,125 --> 00:30:46,833
and successfully communicates,
"I'm dreaming."
620
00:30:47,042 --> 00:30:49,250
This experiment provides
the first verified
621
00:30:49,417 --> 00:30:52,667
scientific evidence
of a phenomenon called
622
00:30:52,875 --> 00:30:54,958
lucid dreams.
623
00:30:55,083 --> 00:30:58,458
Lucid dreaming
is the kind of rare brain state
624
00:30:58,625 --> 00:31:03,083
when you know you're dreaming
and can steer that dream.
625
00:31:03,292 --> 00:31:05,750
It's kind of this
magical space where
626
00:31:05,875 --> 00:31:08,250
it seems like
anything is possible
627
00:31:08,375 --> 00:31:11,167
and that heightened state
of awareness
628
00:31:11,375 --> 00:31:13,500
is a really extraordinary one.
629
00:31:13,625 --> 00:31:17,833
But lucid dreaming
is a more rare occurrence.
630
00:31:18,042 --> 00:31:19,500
There's probably a reason
631
00:31:19,667 --> 00:31:21,917
that we don't enter
into lucid dreaming every night
632
00:31:22,042 --> 00:31:24,000
and that not everybody
enters into lucid dreaming
633
00:31:24,167 --> 00:31:26,250
and that it's a rare occurrence.
634
00:31:27,875 --> 00:31:30,000
Usually,
lucid dreamers can control
635
00:31:30,208 --> 00:31:32,333
the dream content
to some extent.
636
00:31:32,500 --> 00:31:35,042
And so, we really want
to better understand,
637
00:31:35,208 --> 00:31:37,500
how are lucid dreamers
able to do this?
638
00:31:37,625 --> 00:31:40,750
We found that lucid dreams
are very useful
639
00:31:40,875 --> 00:31:42,667
in the treatment of nightmares.
640
00:31:42,833 --> 00:31:45,083
Lucid dreaming can also be used
641
00:31:45,292 --> 00:31:48,167
to practice real-world skills.
642
00:31:49,375 --> 00:31:52,500
Athletes and musicians can use
the dream world to practice,
643
00:31:52,708 --> 00:31:56,458
say, snowboarding or playing
their musical instrument.
644
00:31:58,042 --> 00:32:00,417
Or someone
who's writing a novel,
645
00:32:00,583 --> 00:32:03,250
they could enter into
a lucid dream and actually
646
00:32:03,375 --> 00:32:05,333
engage with one
of their characters.
647
00:32:06,333 --> 00:32:08,750
So, there's a lot of different
uses to lucid dreaming,
648
00:32:08,875 --> 00:32:10,708
and-and that's why
we study them.
649
00:32:10,875 --> 00:32:14,125
Could lucid dreams
provide the next stage
650
00:32:14,292 --> 00:32:16,833
of personal awareness
and growth?
651
00:32:16,958 --> 00:32:18,500
Perhaps.
652
00:32:18,708 --> 00:32:21,667
Yet, the problem is,
as little as one percent
653
00:32:21,833 --> 00:32:27,500
of the population experience
lucid dreams on a weekly basis.
654
00:32:27,667 --> 00:32:30,417
But what if we all had access
655
00:32:30,583 --> 00:32:34,792
to a device that could trigger
this powerful state?
656
00:32:34,958 --> 00:32:38,125
There's a new
tech start-up called Prophetic,
657
00:32:38,292 --> 00:32:40,417
and they're working on
658
00:32:40,542 --> 00:32:44,167
an idea of a head-worn device
called the Halo.
659
00:32:44,292 --> 00:32:46,375
And the idea is to blast
660
00:32:46,542 --> 00:32:49,000
focused ultrasound
into your brain
661
00:32:49,208 --> 00:32:51,458
and to activate it
while you're asleep.
662
00:32:51,583 --> 00:32:53,958
And their hope
is that that would make you
663
00:32:54,083 --> 00:32:55,708
more likely
to have lucid dreams,
664
00:32:55,875 --> 00:32:58,083
because in lucid dreams,
665
00:32:58,250 --> 00:33:01,208
that part of your brain
is more active.
666
00:33:01,417 --> 00:33:03,792
But so are other parts
of your brain.
667
00:33:03,958 --> 00:33:06,167
So, they have a really
hard job ahead of them,
668
00:33:06,375 --> 00:33:09,000
but I am totally excited
to see more people
669
00:33:09,167 --> 00:33:11,083
entering into
the dream tech space.
670
00:33:12,417 --> 00:33:15,208
If we could all
gain access to lucid dreams,
671
00:33:15,375 --> 00:33:19,125
when the conscious and
subconscious mind seem to merge,
672
00:33:19,250 --> 00:33:21,167
will we be able to not only push
673
00:33:21,333 --> 00:33:23,667
our understanding
of dreams farther
674
00:33:23,875 --> 00:33:29,375
but also, finally answer
the most elusive mystery:
675
00:33:29,542 --> 00:33:32,167
why do we dream?
676
00:33:32,375 --> 00:33:33,958
We tend to depreciate dreams
677
00:33:34,125 --> 00:33:37,208
and treat them
as irrational nonsense,
678
00:33:37,375 --> 00:33:40,833
but dreams reflect
a profound source of wisdom
679
00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:42,874
that is very closely correlated
680
00:33:42,875 --> 00:33:46,083
with people's most important,
uh, emotional concerns,
681
00:33:46,250 --> 00:33:48,500
uh, and interests
in waking life.
682
00:33:48,708 --> 00:33:51,333
But it's something that we just
haven't quite figured out yet.
683
00:33:51,458 --> 00:33:54,167
We should stay open
to the possibility
684
00:33:54,375 --> 00:33:59,500
that the state of dreaming
may give us access to ourselves
685
00:33:59,667 --> 00:34:02,083
and an understanding
of ourselves in ways
686
00:34:02,208 --> 00:34:04,458
that have never before
been thought possible.
687
00:34:04,583 --> 00:34:08,500
There's been a lot learned
over the past couple of decades,
688
00:34:08,667 --> 00:34:12,208
but it's still, in many ways,
a science in its infancy.
689
00:34:15,208 --> 00:34:19,583
Whether it's glimpsing
future events before they occur,
690
00:34:19,750 --> 00:34:21,167
healing the body
691
00:34:21,375 --> 00:34:23,417
or learning entirely new skills,
692
00:34:23,625 --> 00:34:28,000
dreams seem to be far more
powerful than we may think.
693
00:34:28,208 --> 00:34:30,167
But as science continues
694
00:34:30,333 --> 00:34:32,750
to delve deeper
into the mystery of dreaming...
695
00:34:33,917 --> 00:34:36,333
...what else might we discover?
696
00:34:36,458 --> 00:34:39,292
Could we unlock hidden powers?
697
00:34:39,458 --> 00:34:42,625
Or open a new door
to a world of nightmares?
698
00:34:42,750 --> 00:34:44,333
Pondering these questions
699
00:34:44,500 --> 00:34:47,333
will no doubt keep
many of us awake at night
700
00:34:47,458 --> 00:34:50,833
for a long time to come,
because for now,
701
00:34:51,042 --> 00:34:53,500
they continue to remain...
702
00:34:54,625 --> 00:34:56,000
...unexplained.
703
00:34:56,167 --> 00:34:57,500
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