Table 2.
Dream Engineering Techniques, Technologies and Functional Targets.
| Sense | Technique | Technology | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sound | Targeted Reactivation1 (TMR, TDR, TLR), Dream Direction (DD), Rhythmic Entrainment1 (RE) | Bone conduction, Dormio, Bluetooth speaker | Improving sleep depth and sleep efficiency (RE), alleviating nightmares (TDR, TLR), augmenting creativity (TDR), ameliorating dream valence (TLR, DD), enhancing memory (TMR) |
| Visual | Targeted Reactivation (TLR), Pre-Sleep Priming (PSP), Rhythmic Entrainment (RE) | Light stimulation masks (e.g. DreamLight), Head-Mounted Displays, video monitors | Augmenting creativity (TLR), ameliorating dream valence (TLR, PSP), alleviating nightmares (TLR, PSP), improving sleep depth and efficiency (RE) |
| Temperature | Dream Direction (DD), Rhythmic Entrainment (RE) | ChilliPad, thermal sheet, heated eyemasks, hand warmers | Ameliorating dream valence (DD), alleviating nightmares (DD), reducing sleep onset latency (RE), improving sleep depth and efficiency (RE) |
| Haptic/Proprioceptive | Dream Direction (DD), Rhythmic Entrainment (RE) | Pressure cuff, Electrical Muscle Stimulation, Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation, rocking | Ameliorating dream valence (DD), reducing sleep onset latency (RE), motor learning (DD) |
| Smell | Targeted Reactivation (TMR, TDR), Rhythmic Entrainment (RE), Dream Direction (DD) | Essence, olfactometer, scent diffuser | Enhancing memory (TMR), improving sleep depth and efficiency (TMR, RE), alleviating nightmares (TDR, DD), reducing sleep onset latency (RE), ameliorating dream valence (DD) |
1
Targeted Reactivation includes Targeted Memory Reactivation (TMR), Targeted Dream Reactivation (TDR) and Targeted Lucidity Reactivation (TLR). Rhythmic Entrainment (RE) can act on neural oscillations, respiratory, or circadian rhythms among others. Pre-Sleep Priming (PSP) presents a stimulus prior to sleep intending to influence subsequent dreams, and Dream Direction (DD) applies a stimulus only during sleep to influence dreams.