Smith 1

Essence Smith
DeBock
English IV H.
4/17/15
Service Narrative
Lucid dreaming has always been something that fascinates me. Knowing that one can
manipulate a dream just by simple meditation techniques or a change in thought process takes
my curiosity to another level. I have always known what lucid dreaming is, but until the Senior
Exploration projects began, that is all that I knew. I had no idea that lucid dreaming stemmed
from a multitude of different things. It starts with the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep cycle.
According to sleep scientist Mahalia Cohen, during REM sleep, the brain literally awakens
internally even as the actual body is completely still and paralyzed causing the dreamer to
become consciously aware of the dream. Although lucid dreams are less frequent than normal
dreams, it is possible to have lucid dreams as frequently as non-lucid dreams with the right
practice.
When it came time to begin the Real World service portion of the project, the work began
to get nerve wracking. I knew that I had to visit a sleep lab for my real world experience, but
none of the sleep labs specialized specifically in lucid dreaming. When I finally found a sleep
lab, the lab itself did not study lucid dreaming, but the technician that I shadowed happened to
study lucid dreaming herself prior to becoming a sleep lab technician. She was a great help in
helping me to understand how lucid dreaming works, when it occurs during the REM cycle, what
it would look like on a sleep study result sheet, and even what the brain activity looks like during
lucid dreaming.

For my Real World Experience service, I served a whole eight hours at the Palmetto
Sleep Lab in Murrells Inlet. My mentor was sleep lab technician Michelle Beerbower. During my
service, I was able to see how sleep labs are set up and what patients go through when they come
into a sleep study. There are four rooms in the lab and the rooms are set up like actual bedrooms.
Each room is equipped with a comfortable bed, a leather reclining chair, and a TV. Once the
patient is settled into the room and comfortable, they are wired and hooked up to a CPAP
machine. The CPAP machine is linked to Michelles office computer where she is able to conduct
the sleep experiments. Wires are connected to the patients head, chest, torso, and legs. Each wire
tracks the activity of the different body parts that they are connected to.
During my service, I learned that lucid dreaming can be both a good and bad thing. Lucid
dreams can cause a dreamer to be more productive and positive during their waking life,
however they can also cause a dreamer to be more violent and corruptive than they normally are.
A sleep disorder called REM Sleep Behavior Disorder causes a dreamer to become physically
violent during sleep. There have even been reported cases of sleepers committing acts of murder
during sleep due to this disorder. Such violent acts can all stem from lucid dreams.
Despite the lack of sleep, I definitely enjoyed my eight hours of service at the Palmetto
Sleep Lab. I have a newly found infatuation with lucid dreaming and sleep study. I am glad that I
chose to do this as my service and would happily do it again without hesitation.