In May 2023, a Russian researcher named Mikhail Raduga tried an experiment to control his lucid dreams (dreams where one is aware that he/she is dreaming).  He drilled into his skull to implant a chip in his brain in an attempt to shape his dreams. Mikhail, who is quite famous in Russia as a dream researcher and experimenter,  has taken his passion a notch too far with this DIY surgery, endangering his own life. But his cult-like followers are excited and have praised him for his courage to go beyond the boundaries.

Mikhail’s obsession with dreams brings us back to an age-old question. Do our dreams have a purpose? Or are our brains just weaving strange, exotic, beautiful, scary, and often mundane stories around our lives, only to be mostly forgotten the next day? Do dreams have a greater potential? Despite all the research and theories, the inimitable world that comes alive when we close our eyes is something that still remains a mystery. A mystery that Mikhal Raduga wanted to solve and control.

Who is Mikhail Raduga, the man who tried to implant a brain chip on his own?

Mikhail (Michael) Raduga, from Russia’s Novosibirsk region, calls himself a “researcher and experimenter.” In a video that went viral on the Russian social media platform VK, he showed viewers his wounded skull that resulted from his attempt to implant a brain chip through a drilling machine, an experiment he conducted on himself, sitting in the living room of his house in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city.

His goal? He wanted to control his lucid dreams. This Russian researcher, who has a cult following, is not a neurosurgeon and knew the dangers of the experiment, but he wanted to find a way to make anyone capable of controlling their lucid dreams. He even compared his experiment with the movie Inception.

Mikhail believed that his electrode could one day change the course of our dreams, controlling them to be what we consciously want. But according to an Oxford University neurosurgeon, Alex Green, it was an extremely dangerous thing to do. He even said that humans are still “decades away” from controlling dreams.

Mikhail Raduga performed brain surgery on himself after watching neurosurgical videos.

Mikhail said in his video that he initially thought of getting professional and medical help from a qualified neurosurgeon for his surgery but abandoned the idea. Definitely, what he planned to do would not be legal, and there were criminal risks involved. Instead, he prepared himself for a whole year by watching tons of videos on neurosurgical procedures.

Brain surgery requires a qualified neurosurgeon, an anesthesiologist, and proper medical procedures and equipment, not just a hardware store drilling machine in your living room! Mikhail practiced on five sheep heads before attempting his surgery. This daring and reckless surgery lasted four hours, during which he lost almost a liter of blood. Mikhail almost gave up within 30 minutes of starting the surgery, as he was afraid of losing consciousness. Graphic footage of him trying to hold his skin back with paper clips while drilling shocked audiences who saw it.

Mikhail miraculously survived his surgery. After the surgery, he claimed to have taken a shower and then went on to work for ten straight hours. However, he did need medical attention for ten days afterward and was administered strong antibiotics for five weeks. Additionally, he also lost employment for six months, and according to the doctors, his chances of long-term effects, including epilepsy, are quite high. The implant had to be removed from his brain after five weeks. Mikhail still believes in his dreams but has warned everyone to not attempt what he did ever.

What did Mikhail Raduga want to prove with the experiment?

Mikhail, or “Michael” Raduga, describes his YouTube channel as “All about lucid dreaming and out-of-body experience.” He has 43,400 subscribers, and a lot of them agree, follow, and share their dream experiences with him. Mikhail helps and guides people with sleep paralysis, astral projections, and out-of-body experiences.

Mikhail’s experiments (he also has a dream laboratory) are mainly about lucid dreaming. This potentially dangerous experiment has not been peer-reviewed or published in any journal. Nor has it been endorsed by any colleges or research organizations. He did it all by himself. With this experiment, he wanted to see if there is a way his brain chip could help someone who is paralyzed have experiences he cannot otherwise enjoy in his real life through lucid dreaming. According to him, lucid dreaming can allow anyone to enjoy or experience unreachable things. For example, drive a Ferrari, take drugs, or do “dirty business.” His brain chip, he thought, could help trigger such actions in dreams through the power of electricity.

Mikhail’s Dream Research Center studies, experiments, and teaches various dream experiences.

BRAIN IMPLANT FOR LUCID DREAMING

For the first time in history, we conducted direct electrical stimulation of the motor cortex of the brain during REM sleep, lucid dreams, and sleep paralysis. The results open up fantastic prospects for future dream control technologies. pic.twitter.com/qypqV6ntyV

— Michael Raduga (@MichaelRaduga) June 28, 2023

Phase Research Center, founded by Mikhail, is dedicated to the study and research on “phase” states – which are primarily lucid dreams, out-of-body (OBE) experiences, sleep paralysis, false awakening, etc., or any state that lies in between. They claim to conduct experiments, research, and offer courses on how to experience out-of-body travel and lucid dreaming. Interestingly, their courses on lucid dreaming first require a plan of action the dreamers would like to achieve. That may include meeting celebrities and loved ones, gaining insights or healing, fulfilling one’s dreams and desires,  adult entertainment (18+), or meeting deceased relatives. To experience this, there are techniques and rules before falling asleep, various actions on awakening, etc. Mikhail’s Dream Research Center claims to help people experience that.

The Phase Today news media ran an article on Mikhail’s experiment and how any sensory stimulus could influence our dreams – like smell, sound, tactile sensations, etc., but they cannot always penetrate the dream narrative. According to this article, Mikhail Raduga and Andrey Shashkov created the experiment of implanting electrodes into the brain that they claim should be a reliable tool to control dreams. But that experiment needed proficient lucid dreamers. Therefore, Mikhail opted to experiment on himself.

The article ends with the line, “Would you be willing to get a brain implant for more efficient lucid dreaming?”

The question remains, is it worth it? Would you?