Jayne Gackenbach

Website: jaynegackenbach.ca

Jayne Gackenbach earned her Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology in 1978 and is a retired Emeritus Professor in Psychology from MacEwan University. She remains actively involved in the field, teaching online for Athabasca University. Gackenbach has had a prominent role in dream research, serving as the past-president of the International Association for the Study of Dreams and authoring several pivotal books on the subject including “Control Your Dreams” and contributing to volumes such as “Conscious Mind, Sleeping Brain: Perspectives on Lucid Dreaming” and “Sleep and Dreams: A Sourcebook”. She presented her research on lucid dreams to the Dalai Lama in 1992.

In addition to her work on dreams, Gackenbach's professional interests expanded into the realm of digital communications and the psychological implications of internet use. She edited “Psychology and the Internet: Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, and Transpersonal Implications” and co-authored “cyber.rules”. Bridging her two areas of expertise, her later research has focused on the intersection of dreams and technology, particularly investigating the dreams of video game players. This culminated in the publication of the publication of two notable works in 2012: “Play Reality”, which she co-authored with her son Teace Snyder and examines the impact of video game play on reality perception, and the edited volume “Video Game Play and Consciousness” from NOVA publishers. These books reflect Gackenbach's approach to studying the effects of immersive digital environments on the subconscious experiences within dreams, contributing to a deeper understanding of the modern psyche as it interfaces with technology.

Cover art by Jayne Gackenbach