Dream Notes

from Meg Bartlett
April 13, 2026

I went ham on dream research this week. Let me share everything I learned with you!

In this week's Dream Notes:

• The 2017 study that proved we actually dream in our sleep (how had we not previously confirmed this?)
• The only fMRI of a lucid dream in existence and what it shows us
• How OBEs may be accessed from lucid dreams
• ​On Lucid Dreaming | A Bridge to Out-of-Body Experiences​

Huzzah!

This is Meg's free weekly Dream Notes newsletter, dedicated to catching you up on her most recent blog posts, project updates, and notable nighttime adventures.

Looking for more on dreams? Subscribe to Dearest Waking Dreamer, a twice-monthly paid newsletter from Meg Bartlett, dedicated to interpreting dream submissions and answering your dream or OBE-related questions.

Dreams Are Actually Experienced... During Sleep. Whoa.

Did you know that it wasn’t until 2017 that dreams were conclusively observed as a brain activity during sleep?!

Some researchers previously suggested that dreams were only created by the mind upon the moment of waking, not something actually experienced in sleep. (How the heck did we not know this until recently?)

WILD

Through that study of over 1,000 people, we learned that during the REM sleep cycle, dreaming consistently activates areas in the posterior cortex of the brain, a region in the neocortex responsible for processing sensory information (visuals, sound, touch, etc.) and spatial awareness (the understanding of where you are in relation to your environment).

Furthermore, when cross-referenced with the subject’s descriptions of their dreams, the researchers were able to match the specific sensory area of the dream to the dream content (i.e. if someone dreamt of other people, the part of the brain for facial recognition lit up).

This confirmed that the brain actively creates scenarios using the senses to experience dreams during sleep!

But wait, there's more...

A Lucid Dreaming fMRI

​A limited lucid dreaming study of 4 participants in 2012 (apparently it's hard to find lucid dreamers and also expensive) produced the only fMRI of a lucid dreaming brain currently in existence. 🤯

In that study, researchers observed a strong activation in the precuneus, prefrontal cortex, and occipitotemporal cortices of the brain—regions responsible for decision-making, planning, personality expression, working memory, AND CONSCIOUSNESS.

They determined that, “This pattern of activity can explain the recovery of reflective cognitive capabilities that are the hallmark of lucid dreaming.”

This suggests that the brains of lucid dreamers turn on additional elements of the neocortex related to conscious awareness while dreaming.

We can physically observe the difference between regular dreams and lucid dreams!

Where am I Going with This?

Lucid dreams have the potential to better your life by positively affecting your mood, helping you to more effectively problem solve, explore yourself spiritually, heal your fears, etc.

But lucid dreaming is only a stepping stone on the road to awareness and consciousness exploration. If you’re curious about experiencing your center of consciousness (and potentially your very soul) first-hand, then you’ll want to use lucid dreams to set yourself up for an out-of-body experience.

In my personal experience, OBEs are the ultimate exploration of awareness and are seated from the perspective of the soul. If you are able to achieve an OBE, you are able to access all of the information you have for yourself about how you wish to live your own life.

You are your own guide AND you have all the answers.

Notably, lucid dreams are one of the most accessible avenues for achieving an out-of-body experience and all of this science-y stuff might be showing us the observable neurological bridge for accessing OBEs...

How to Access OBEs from a Dream

Remember those studies we previously talked about from 2012 and 2017? Through them, we learned that dreaming, itself, regularly activates areas of the posterior cortex in the neocortex and that lucid dreaming further activates the prefrontal cortex, precuneus, and occipitotemporal cortices of the brain.

Adding to this, a research article from 2005 reviewed the data from 142 sources for information on OBEs and proposed that they are a product of lessened activity in multi-sensory processing areas combined with abnormal activity in the temporoparetial junction (TPJ) which is the self-awareness center of the brain.

(Self awareness and consciousness are two separate things.)

Beyond the data, there's a broader implication worth considering:

I personally suggest that a bridge of consciousness activation from regular dreaming to lucid dreaming to OBEs could be observed through brain activity.

The more areas of the neocortex that are activated during sleep and dreams, the greater awareness a dream accumulates and, subsequently, the more your consciousness can be accessed.

How cool would it be to one day observe an fMRI of a sleeping individual who starts to dream, activates their awareness to trigger a lucid dream, and then engages their full consciousness in an out-of-body experience?!

WHOA

I can dream...

If you'd like to read more, click below to access my full article on lucid dreams, including lucid dreaming techniques and actionable steps for achieving OBEs via lucid dreams.

Have you ever experienced a lucid dream? How about an out-of-body experience?

Hit reply to this email and let me know, I'd love to hear about it!

Meg 🐝

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​Click here to read past Dream Notes.

What paid subscribers got in the latest issue of Dearest Waking Dreamer...

Jay's Dream:

"The dream started with [my wife], [sister-in-law], [brother-in-law] and I going out for dinner at a dive bar in NE Mpls. The interior was all old brown paneling, leather seats and booths and tons of neon beer signs. I went into a living room-type room and switched the TV to the Vikings game. Then I discovered that I was able to change all of the TVs in the bar to the game, with my mind. The other 3 had gone with a host to find a booth. I searched the whole bar for them. There were a ton of little rooms on 3-4 different levels. I searched every room and every booth but never found them. I was on my way out the door when I woke up. The bar was very 70s-early 80s style. Very much of the era of the game."

Subscribe to read the full interpretation and dive into reader questions regarding false memories in dreams and the symbolism of teapots.

What I enjoyed doing last week: taking my son for a walk with my friend and her baby.

What I enjoyed reading last week: This article about cognitive shuffling, a technique that can help you fall asleep AND trigger dreams. I tried it out and it actually works pretty well for falling asleep!

What I enjoyed watching last week: This SNL short from Weekend Update. All of the jokes are EXCEPTIONALLY hilarious and well-written. In these trying times I have to find something to laugh about.

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What I enjoyed listening to last week: The sound of the robins waking with the sun. Spring is here!

Who the Heck is Meg? Meg Bartlett is an author, dream interpreter, experienced out-of-body explorer, US Marine Corps veteran, and new mom living in NE Minneapolis. By day, she enjoys writing, disc golfing with her husband, and reading fantasy and sci-fi novels. By night, Meg explores the universe through her dreams and out-of-body experiences. She is currently working on bringing these galactic encounters to the waking world through creative writing projects. Learn More

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