The Dream & Nightmare Laboratory, established in Montreal's Sacré-Coeur (Sacred Heart) Hospital in 1991, is dedicated to the scientific study of dreaming and its disorders, to the training of graduate students, researchers and health professionals in the techniques and applications of dream science, to the development and deployment of proven methods for treating dream-related health problems, and to public education about the important role dreams and nightmares play in psychological life.
The DNL is part of the Center for Advanced Research in Sleep Medicine (CARSM) , one of the largest and most comprehensive clinical sleep research facilities in the world. This Center is itself part of the larger Research Center of the Sacre-Coeur Hospital and an affiliate of the Universite du Montreal .
The DNL consists of a 2-bed sleep laboratory equipped for all-night polysomnographic recording, psychophysiological assessment (e.g., EMG, EEG spectral analysis, HR analysis), sampling and analysis of dream mentation, and the testing of cognitive and emotional processes. Dream samples are collection with a spectrum of methods: laboratory awakenings, home logs, interactive voice mail, questionnaires and internet surveys.