There’s nothing new about the desire to control our dreams. After all, these highly subjective, intense, yet easily forgettable nighttime experiences have offered artists and spiritual leaders insights to their respective professions throughout history. In the April issue, Michael W. Clune writes about the profound insights offered by the Dormio, a device that offers users the opportunity to influence the content of their dreams. Its lead designer, Adam Haar Horowitz, hopes to create a community of dreamers Clune joins web editor Violet Lucca for a discussion of the relationship between dreams and the brain’s capacity for creativity and feeling, as well as how embracing subjectivity can open new ground for dream research. Along the way, they touch on psychedelics and addiction and imagine the possibilities for communities and rituals built around “dream incubation” as well as the lasting effects of Clune’s experiences with this new kind of dream machine.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit harpersmagazine.substack.com