CLAUDIA
PICARD-DELAND
I am a Neuroscience PhD student at the Université de Montréal, currently working with Dr Tore Nielsen at the Dream and Nightmare Laboratory at the Centre for Advanced Studies in Sleep Medicine at the Montreal Sacred-Heart Hospital. My main research explores the relationships between sleep, dreams, and memory consolidation, using methods of virtual reality, polysomnography, and sound stimulation during sleep to understand how memory reactivations influence dreams and contribute to learning.
Other topics of my work include the pathophysiology of nightmares, the phenomenon of flying in dreams, lucid dreaming and the vestibular system, false awakenings, collective changes in dreams during the pandemic, and dream engineering. I also communicate sleep and dream science to the public through writing, public lectures and media interviews, as well as through collaboration with multimedia and comic artists. I am part of the editorial team of the University of Montreal Dire journal, and coordinator for the teaching of neuroscience in prisons with Brain Reach. I am also an active member of the “Sleep On It,” a Canadian public health campaign on sleep.
In a few words, explain what drew you to this project.
I’ve always been interested in art-science approaches, and I believe the interdisciplinary Sociability of Sleep project can help us explore both intimate and collective aspects of our sleeping/dreaming lives and will facilitate a much-needed dialogue on sleep disparity and sleep health literacy.
Website:
Q & A
How would you describe your relationship to sleep?
Committed.
Why do you find sleep a compelling site for research?
Because we’re all still very intrigued by dreams, even though they happen every night.
What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about sleep?
That it is an unconscious state, a “petite mort.”
Are you an early bird or night owl?
Very much in between.
Do you have a recurring dream, or have you ever had any particularly notable recurring dreams?
Finding a new magical room in my childhood house.
Do you keep a dream journal? Any tips for someone who would like to start one?
I do. While I still prefer to write/draw some special dreams on paper, I find that typing day-to-day dreams on a computer helps me being consistent, because it’s much faster and it takes off the pressure of having interesting dreams (and CTL+F can be a lot of fun!).
Do you have any favourites/recommendations for cultural works that address sleep in some way?
Apichatpong’s Sleepcinemahotel.
What is your favourite [song/podcast/video/audio book/tv show] to fall asleep to?
Loch Raven – Animal Collective