Some effects of posthypnotic suggestion on the process of dreaming

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Abstract
Two highly hypnotizable 5′s were studied for a total of 43 nights in order to assess the feasibility of controlling various aspects of their stage 1 dreaming: (a) causing them to awaken at either the beginnings or ends of their stage 1 dream periods; (b) causing them to dream all night; and (c) causing them to not dream at all. The Dement-Kleitman technique for detecting stage 1 dreaming was employed, and posthypnotic suggestions were the method used to bring about these desired behaviors. The results indicated that the experimental procedure was effective in producing awakenings at the beginnings and ends of stage 1 dream periods. The effect of the procedures on stage 1 dream time was unclear and, if present, was rather small. Earlier reports of the efficacy of posthypnotic suggestion in affecting stage 1 dream content were confirmed. The results encourage the further development of techniques for controlling stage 1 dreaming, particularly those employing posthypnotic suggestion.