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Sleep, Dream, Waking Consciousness, Self-Awareness and Spiritual Development · Sri Aurobindo Studies

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  The physical consciousness is the primary seat of the guna of
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  tamas in the being in general, and thus when the waking
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  consciousness of the mental and vital levels is in abeyance
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  during sleep, there is a natural tendency for the tamasic energy
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  to come forward for a time. One of the first questions to
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  arise is what happens to the mental and vital consciousness
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  during sleep. Some speculate that they simply
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  go into a state of inactivity or lesser activity.
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  What we can say is that the sleep state tends ordinarily to
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  remove the self-awareness. When the consciousness is active
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  and outward focused, our brain waves tend to operate at a
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  certain frequency, generally called beta waves with a cycle
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  of between 12 and 30 Hertz. As we move the awareness inwards
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  and calm these waves, the next cycle, called alpha waves, takes
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  over with a frequency range of 8 to 12 Hertz.
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  Next come Theta waves with a lower frequency between 4:00 and
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  8:00 Hertz. Delta waves at .5 to 4 Hertz are
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  characteristic of periods of deep sleep.
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  Dream states tend to vibrate at ranges between alpha and beta.
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  For the most part, although still mostly absent in dreams,
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  is the conscious interactive awareness of the waking state.
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  Gamma waves from 30 Hertz to 100 Hertz are evident in highly
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  focused concentration and cognition.
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  Lucid dreaming may also share some oscillations in the gamma
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  wave range. Meditation tends to range
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  between the alpha and Theta brain waves, while those who are
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  highly developed in meditation may exhibit gamma wavelength
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  activity. The activity of the dream state
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  appears to be a transcription of impressions either being
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  processed from the waking state or from some access to mental or
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  vital planes that are the natural seat of the mental and
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  vital consciousness we integrate into our waking self-awareness
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  to some degree. With an overview of the various
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  states of consciousness, their characteristic brain wave
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  activity, and the interaction between these different States
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  and the various planes of existence, we can begin to
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  understand the role of sleep as we move consciousness out to
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  other realms and let the body and the subconscious action of
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  the being work to restore balance, reduce tension, and
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  provide the opportunity to heal and replenish the body's energy.
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  To become conscious in sleep then, involves the ability to
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  create links and a transcriptive ability between these different
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  realms. Lucid dreaming and certain
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  states of meditation seem to create such bridges and may
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  signal a way forward for sadhna during sleep.
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  Many people describe dreams that are not just random or
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  archetypal events, but which have them dealing with vital
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  beings or mental constructs in a different way than the waking
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  consciousness while maintaining the awareness of their self
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  identity. Some describe meeting with
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  spiritual teachers or guides during the sleep state or in
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  dreams, and these experiences may carry over into the waking
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  state either with conscious remembrance or as a subconscious
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  impression that impacts their external waking experience.
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  In today's world, another factor can impact all of these states
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  of awareness, and that is the prevalence of electronic devices
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  and the stimulation they provide through radiation of various
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  frequencies and wavelengths. These can be highly disruptive
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  of the natural patterns influencing an individual's
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  ability to sleep at all, or by disturbing the cycles that sleep
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  creates throughout the period of sleep.
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  It is recommended to shut down use of these devices at least
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  several hours before the time of sleep to reduce their disruptive
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  impacts. Those who are practicing
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  spiritual sadhna can also prepare for their time of sleep
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  through practicing meditation, prayer or remembrance, so that
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  they carry that state into the realm of sleep, which keeps them
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  centered and helps to avoid the disruptions that can occur when
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  chaotic energies or temasic influences predominate.
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  Srioro Bindu observes Quote. The consciousness in the night
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  almost always descends below the level of what one has gained by
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  sadhna in the waking consciousness, unless there are
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  special experiences of an uplifting character in the time
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  of sleep, or unless the yogic consciousness acquired is so
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  strong in the physical itself as to counteract the pull of the
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  subconscient inertia. In ordinary sleep, the
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  consciousness in the body is that of the subconscient
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  physical, which is a diminished consciousness, not awake and
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  alive like the rest of the being.
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  The rest of the being stands back and part of its
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  consciousness goes out into other plains and regions and has
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  experiences which are recorded in dreams such as that you have
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  related. You say you go to very bad
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  places and have experiences like the one you narrate, but that is
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  not a sign necessarily of anything wrong in you.
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  It merely means that you go into the vital world as everybody
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  does, and the vital world is full of such places and such
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  experiences. What you have to do is not so
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  much to avoid it all going there, for it cannot be avoided
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  altogether, but to go with full protection until you get mastery
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  in these regions of super physical nature.
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  That is one reason why you should remember the Mother and
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  open to the Force before sleeping, for the more you get
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  that habit and do it successfully, the more the
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  protection will be with you. End Quote reference Sri
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  Aurobindo, Bases of Yoga chapter 5.
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  Physical consciousness, subconscious sleep and dream
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  illness. Page 98.