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International Journal of Dream Research Volume 4, No. 1 (2011) 31
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Flying dreams
1. Introduction
One of the most exciting dream topics is ying without any
mechanical assistance. Although 30% to 63.5% of the par-
ticipants reported that they had experienced ying dreams
at least once (Brink, Solis-Brink, & Hunter, 1977; Grifth, Mi-
yagi, & Tago, 1958; Nielsen, et al., 2003; Schredl, Ciric, Götz,
& Wittmann, 2004), the actual frequency of ying dreams is
very low: 1.2% of the total dreams (N = 1910 dreams) were
ying dreams (Barrett, 1991).
Even though many researchers have formulated theories
about the origin of ying dreams (overviews: Schönham-
mer, 2004; Schredl, 2008), systematic research about the
phenomenology of ying dreams is scarce. Barrett (1991)
reported that persons with lucid dreams also reported ying
dreams more often, but differences in lucid vs. non-lucid
ying dreams have not been studied. Systematic research
regarding dreams with normal ying, e.g., traveling by air
plane, and their waking-life correlates, has not been carried
out either. Anecdotal evidence that hang-glider instructors
often dream about ying was reported by Van de Castle
(1994), supporting the continuity hypothesis, i.e., persons
with waking-life ying experiences dream more often about
ying. The increase in ying dream frequency from 1956
to 2000 (Schredl & Piel, 2007) also supports the continu-
ity hypothesis because the overall amount of air travel has
increased over the last few decades. Again, systematic re-
search on the effect of air traveling on dreams has not yet
been carried out.
The present study analyzed a series of 6701 dreams re-
corded over a period of sixteen (16) years. In addition to
studying the effect of air travel on the frequency of ying
dreams, the phenomenology of ying dreams was studied
in detail, e.g., emotional content; body position while ying;
and activities that trigger ying. Lastly, lucid and non-lucid
ying dreams were compared. Based on the continuity hy-
pothesis, it was expected that the number of dreams with
normal ying increases after the rst ight experiences in
waking life. All other analyses were of an exploratory nature.
2. Methods
2.1. Dream diary
Starting in September, 1984 the participant has kept an
unstructured dream diary. Dreams recorded to the end of
December 2000 were included in this study (N = 6701; see
Table 1).
2.2. Participant and procedure
The male participant was 22 years old at the beginning of
the dream series of this study. Two events in the life of the
dreamer are important for the topic of this article. His rst
waking-life experience with ying (airplane) was a transat-
lantic trip in the summer of 1996 from Frankfurt, Germany to
San Francisco, California (July, 9 1996) and returning by air
one week later. Secondly, the dreamer attended a workshop
on lucid dreaming given by Paul Tholey and Brigitte Holz-
inger on February, 22 1996. The dreamer started performing
regular reality checks during the day to increase the number
of his lucid dreams (Tholey, 1983).
The dream reports were typed and entered into a data-
base (Alchera 3.72, created by Harry Bosma, www.myth-
well.com). This database has a feature that allows one to
assign key words to his or her dreams, a task carried out by
the dreamer him- or herself. First, whether the dreamer was
ying unaided within the dream – or with mechanical means
(see result section) – was rated. These ying dreams were
scored along the following scales: unaided vs. mechanical
means (e.g., car, bus, house, sitting on a piece of steel);
body position while ying; explicitly mentioned positive feel-
ings associated with ying; explicitly mentioned fear/anxiety
related to ying; occurrence of other persons ying in the
dream; whether other dream characters watch the dreamer
ying; ying techniques (using hands or simple concentra-
Frequency and nature of ying dreams in a long
dream series
Michael Schredl
Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Germany
Coresponding address:
Prof. Dr. Michael Schredl, Sleep laboratory, Central Institute of
Mental Health, PO Box 122120, 68072 Mannheim, Germany.
Email: Michael.Schredl@zi-mannheim.de
Submitted for publication: March 2011
Accepted for publication: April 2011
Summary. Although many authors have speculated about the possible correlates of ying dreams, empirical research in
this area is scarce. In a long series of 6701 dreams, 1.72% (115 dreams) of them included unaided ying. These showed
great variability in characteristics like body position while ying; the activities that triggered ying; the method of ying;
presence of other ying persons and being seen by other dream characters. Dreams with normal ying were associ-
ated with the waking-life experience of ying, whereas non-lucid ying dreams were not. Being lucid in a dream affects
the characteristics of ying dreams. Assuming continuity on an emotional level, large-scale diary studies are needed to
investigate the relationship between the emotions of ying dreams and waking life experiences.
Keywords: Flying dreams; Continuity hypothesis
Flying dreams
International Journal of Dream Research Volume 4, No. 1 (2011)32
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tion); and activities that triggered ying. The dreams were
also rated regarding their lucidity using the common deni-
tion of being aware of the fact that it is a dream while dream-
ing (Schredl & Erlacher, 2004). Several dreams (N = 7) in
which the dreamer thought about the fact that ying is only
possible in dreams but still thought he was awake were also
put into this category.
Secondly, the dreams in which the dreamer is ying in a
way that is possible in waking life (airplane, helicopter, hang
glider, space ship) were also coded. In addition, dreams with
unrealistic ying as a topic (but not including the dreamer
ying in the dream) were also coded.
The Alchera software also provides a word count for each
dream report. A single dream report was used as an analy-
sis unit. The data were entered into an Excel spreadsheet
(Microsoft) and data analysis was carried out using the SAS
9.2 software package for Windows.
3. Results
3.1. Frequency of ying dreams
Overall, 115 dreams of the 6701 (1.72%) included ying
without any mechanical apparatus. The mean word count
of the ying dreams was 201.0 ± 107.7 words. The frequen-
cy of ying dreams over the sixteen (16) years is depicted
in Figure 1. The ying dreams were divided in two groups:
non-lucid dreams (N = 76) and lucid dreams (N = 39). After
the workshop in 1996, the frequency of lucid ying dreams
increased from 0.16% to 2.90% (effect size: d = 0.262; χi2
= 113.8, p < .0001), but the frequency of non-lucid ying
dreams remained unchanged (1.13% vs. 1.16%; effect size:
d = 0.003, χ2 = 0.0, p = .9272).
Overall, twenty-seven (27) normal ying dreams were re-
corded (0.40% of the total dreams): airplane (N = 19); heli-
copter (N = 4); hang glider (N = 2); and space ship (N = 2).
The frequency of dreams including plane travel increased
after the rst transatlantic ight in the waking life of the
dreamer in 1996 (0.14% to 1.32%; effect size: 0.155, χ2 =
36.1, p < .0001). In fact, two (2) ying dreams occurred two
and seven days after that rst ight.
3.2. Nature of ying dreams
In 20.00% of the ying dreams (N = 23), the dreamer used
some mechanical means to support his ying like a car; a
bus; a piece of steel; a juggling ball; a unicycle; even a house.
Body positions were explicitly mentioned in thirty three (33)
dreams: prone positions (N = 12); sitting (N = 10); standing
upright (N = 7); and supine positions (N = 4). Positive emo-
tions were explicitly reported in 46.09% (N= 40) of the ying
dreams; fear (most often mild) associated with ying, e.g.,
fear of falling, was reported in 32.17% (N= 37) of the ying
dreams. In twenty-one (21) dreams, another dream charac-
ter was ying beside the dreamer. In three (3) instances, the
Table 1. Dream series (N = 6701).
Year Dreams Mean word count
1984 20 183.1 ± 94.5
1985 177 156.3 ± 98.2
1986 220 138.5 ± 82.2
1987 308 123.6 ± 88.6
1988 501 121.6 ± 84.4
1989 533 138.1 ± 84.8
1990 531 124.8 ± 77.8
1991 582 115.1 ± 70.1
1992 879 133.9 ± 84.0
1993 836 123.9 ± 75.2
1994 544 107.1 ± 69.4
1995 457 110.3 ± 69.7
1996 484 138.5 ± 99.6
1997 201 136.5 ± 94.4
1998 119 134.6 ± 78.6
1999 230 140.0 ± 99.3
2000 79 164.5 ± 92.4
Figure 1. Percentage of ying dreams (N = 6701 dreams).
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
Non-lucid
Lucid
International Journal of Dream Research Volume 4, No. 1 (2011) 33
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Flying dreams
dreamer carried another person while ying. Interestingly,
the dreamer was being watched by other dream characters
in 38.26% (N= 44) of the dreams. In one dream, for exam-
ple, the dreamer tried to impress a girl with his ability to y
(and he succeeded!). In 35.65% (N= 41) of the dreams he
was alone while ying (no spectators); whereas in 24.35%
(N= 28) of the dreams, other persons were present, but it
was not mentioned whether they saw the dreamer ying. In
two (2) dreams, the dreamer avoided being seen by others
while ying (ying illicitly across a boarder; and fear of being
robbed of his secret of how to y). The triggers preceding
ying in dreams were as follows: deliberately ying (N = 35);
jumping (N = 20); running (N = 17); being chased (N = 9);
demonstrating the ability to others (N = 9); impaired ability
to move (N = 1); and other activities like driving a car, slid-
ing, swimming, and being pushed (N = 10). In thirty one (31)
dreams, a statement was made as to what kind of technique
the dreamer used for ying. Most often (N = 20), he stated
that he used concentration (involving mental effort) to y;
in ten (10) dreams the hands were used (swimming, pad-
dling); and in one (1) dream the feet were used (also like
swimming).
Seven (7) dreams with references to unrealistic ying but
without actual ying of the dreamer covered topics like see-
ing tools that enable a person to y (walking stick or neck-
lace); inventing a machine that produced some kind of mag-
netic eld so one could y; being in a ight simulator; seeing
another person ying; and the intention to demonstrate the
ability to y, but the tool failed to function.
3.3. Differences between lucid and non-lucid ying
dreams
The lucid ying dream reports were on average somewhat
longer than the non-lucid ying dream reports (see Table
2). Although emotions were mentioned equally often in both
types of ying dreams, the non-lucid ying dreams more
often included mechanical aids and other persons also y-
ing within the dream. For the eleven (11) lucid dreams with
explicit descriptions of the body position while ying, the
majority (72.73%) were in a prone position. On the other
hand, the most common body positions in non-lucid ying
dreams were sitting (40.91%); standing upright (27.27%);
and prone positions (18.18%), with a total of twenty two
(22) dreams containing explicit descriptions of the body po-
sition. As expected, most often, ying in lucid dreams (36
coded dreams) was initiated by the dreamer deliberately
(75.00%); whereas, ying in non-lucid dreams (64 coded
dreams) was more often triggered by running (25.00%);
jumping (21.88%); and being chased (14.06%). In non-lucid
dreams, the dreamer often mentioned that active concen-
tration is necessary for ying (80.95% of 21 coded dreams);
whereas, in 70.00% of the lucid ying dreams the dreamer
used hand or feet movements for ying. The percentage of
being seen and ying without any spectators is the same in
both types of ying dreams.
4. Discussion
The ndings of this dream series indicate that ying dreams
show a great variability in content, depending on whether
or not they are lucid. Only dreams with normal ying are af-
fected by waking-life experiences of air travel.
The frequency of 1.72% ying dreams in this dream series
of 6701 dreams is comparable to the percentage obtained
in a large sample of diary dreams reported by students (Bar-
rett, 1991). Interestingly, the frequency of non-lucid ying
dreams was not affected by ying experiences in real life. An
increase in lucid ying dreams occurred after the dreamer’s
attendance at a workshop on lucid dreaming, a nding often
reported in the literature (e.g., LaBerge, 1980). It is notable
that the frequency of non-lucid ying dreams was not af-
fected. One might have expected a decrease in respect to
non-lucid ying dreams because ying is a bizarre dream
activity that does not withstand a reality check. However,
the participant reported several prelucid dreams in which
he was wondering why he was able to y in waking-life. The
dreamer did not realize he was in a dream where ying is
possible. On the other hand, frequency of dreams with nor-
mal ying increased considerably after the dreamer’s rst
air travel. This nding supports the continuity hypothesis.
Adopting the approach of Schredl and Hofmann (2003)
who reported a signicant correlation between the amount
of driving a car and dreams of car driving, or using similar
studies (Schredl, Funkhouser, & Arn, 2005-2006, 2009) re-
porting a relationship between interindividual differences re-
garding waking-life activities and corresponding dreams are
benecial. A study of the relationship between the amount
of air travel and normal ying dreams is thus desirable.
It was noted that every fth ying dream of this dreamer
featured an aid that would not work in waking life. This
might be an idiosyncrasy of this particular dreamer. Analy-
ses of dream reports of more dreamers are needed to study
this interesting topic.
Emotions were not reported in all ying dreams explicitly.
However, one cannot conclude that some ying experiences
in dreams are not accompanied by emotions because valid-
ity studies (Schredl & Doll, 1998) have shown that a dream
report does not include descriptions of all feelings experi-
enced by the dreamer. This results in an underestimation of
Table 2. Differences between lucid and non-lucid ying dreams.
Variable Lucid ying dreams
(N = 39)
Non-lucid ying
dreams (N = 76)
Statistical test
Word count 237.1 ± 129.4 182.4 ± 90.1 t = 2.4 p = .0215
Mechanical aids 5.13% 27.63% χ2 = 8.2 p = .0043
Positive emotions 41.03% 48.48% χ2 = 0.6 p = .4354
Fear/anxiety 30.77% 32.89% χ2 = 0.1 p = .8173
Other persons ying 7.69% 23.68% χ2 = 4.4 p = .0356
Flying dreams
International Journal of Dream Research Volume 4, No. 1 (2011)34
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the emotional intensity of the dream by external judges. It
would be desirable to include self-rating scales to measure
the emotional intensity of ying dreams by the dreamer in
order to compare this dream type with other dreams. Al-
though intensity of fear and anxiety was often stated as less
intense compared to positive emotions, about 30 to 33%
percent of ying dreams contained negative emotions as
well. This might be relevant for interpreting ying dreams
(see below). The body position while ying; the activities that
triggered ying; the method of ying; the presence of other
ying persons; and being seen by other dream characters
varied considerably even within the dreams of one person.
In that regard, this single case study is just a starting point
for investigating the impressive variability of ying dreams.
Being aware of the dream while dreaming had a substan-
tial effect on ying dreams. Several characteristics were
comparable to non-lucid ying dreams, like explicitly men-
tioned emotions, the dreamer in the lucid dream used me-
chanical aids less often; ew more often in the prone posi-
tion; and other ying dream characters occurred less often.
The question of whether or not these differences are due
to lucidity are specic for ying dreams and cannot be an-
swered because dream content analytic studies comparing
lucid to non-lucid dreams provided by the same participants
are still lacking.
As ying dreams cannot be explained by a simple conti-
nuity to waking life experiences, many authors have specu-
lated about a possible meaning of ying dreams. For Carl
Jung, ying dreams symbolize the overcoming of life dif-
culties (Jung, 1979). On the other hand, other authors
connect ying dreams with waking-life problems like im-
potency (Siebenthal, 1953) or avoidance (Krishnan, Valow,
Cavenar, & Miller, 1984). Patricia Gareld suggested in her
book on dreams of children that these kinds of dreams (in-
cluding content which does not reect waking-life reality di-
rectly) might be continuous to waking life on the emotional
level (Gareld, 1984). Evidence supporting this idea was
provided by Schredl (2008), showing that reporting ying
dreams was more likely to be associated with low neuroti-
cism scores, whereas the reporting of falling dreams was
associated with higher neuroticism scores. If ying dreams
correspond to waking-life emotions, empirical studies have
to be conducted very carefully because the present data
set shows that ying dreams quite often also include nega-
tive emotions (mild anxiety or fear) connected directly with
ying. This might be related to waking-life fears that while
experiencing a “high” with very positive emotions one might
fear that this will not last forever.
To summarize, ying is a very fascinating dream topic that
warrants further research to expand the present study and
the empirical literature in the eld. Diary studies with long
data collection intervals and eliciting the variation in waking-
life emotions would be desirable because ying dreams are
quite rare. This paradigm will allow investigators to relate
the emotions of ying dreams to current experienced wak-
ing life emotions.
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