…Perception and memory processing in the lucid dreaming state were found to be different from non-lucid REM sleep. The consciousness of existing in a dream was associated with with beta waves in the right central lobe (which controls spatial awareness and nonverbal memory) and parietal lobe (which controls the sense of touch and spatial awareness). Beta waves are a type of high-frequency electromagnetic activity in the brain involved in conscious thought processes like solving problems or making decisions. Our consciousness is dominated by beta waves when we are awake.
This might explain why there is so much cognitive control in lucid dreams. Dreamers deep in REM sleep have no sense of control over factors like thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, but those in lucid dreaming states do.
…Demirel also linked gamma waves with lucid dreaming. These are the fastest brain waves, which become visible on an EEG at times when the brain is especially alert and focusing on something. When lucid dreaming begins, gamma waves increase in the right precuneus, which is involved in self-referential thinking—thoughts about ourselves and our lives. When we are awake, we often drift into this type of thinking when our minds wander.
Maybe the most mind-bending thing about lucid dreams is that they are, according to the study, similar in the brain to the effects of psychedelic drugs such as LSD and ayahuasca. These types of psychedelic experiences are also associated with the precuneus, whose activity is modified when waking imagery is seen despite having closed eyes (something usually only experienced with psychedelics).
Lucid dreaming and lucid sleeping are important practices in the Buddhist tradition. There is a lot of literature on it and it’s worth the time learning how to do it. For dreaming, napping in a slightly awkward position can help. I spent a year or so napping at noon on a couch with one foot on a table beside the couch, the other on the arm of the couch. That was enough to keep my bodily proprioception semi-conscious so when dreams started I was already slightly lucid. Sleeping on a bus or train is another place to practice. I had an extended period of becoming lucid during deep sleep, or so it seemed to me. Consciousness has many facets and angles. The original title of this article called lucid dreaming a ‘new’ state of consciousness. It is not new at all. It has been part of the samadhi traditions for millennia. ABN
American Buddhist Net 