Suspended Dialog Theory .. Hypnagogic Reintegration of Unresolved Conversational Fragments

Abstract

Background: Hypnagogic verbal phenomena are common but poorly understood.

Objective: To propose the Suspended Dialog Theory (SDT), which conceptualises such phenomena as reintegration of unresolved conversational fragments.

Methods: Review of literature on hypnagogia, inner speech, memory consolidation, and DMN activity; design of experimental paradigms involving auditory priming, EEG, and phenomenological coding.

Results: SDT predicts that hypnagogic verbal episodes disproportionately incorporate semantically incomplete material, that auditory priming enhances incorporation, and that EEG signatures will reveal DMN engagement and reactivation preceding episodes.

Conclusions: SDT reframes pre-sleep verbal anomalies as adaptive processes supporting memory and semantic organisation, with implications for theories of sleep cognition and benign voice-hearing phenomena.

1. Introduction

The transitional state between wakefulness and sleep is characterised by perceptual, cognitive, and affective anomalies collectively known as hypnagogic phenomena. This paper introduces the Suspended Dialog Theory (SDT), proposing that hypnagogic verbal episodes represent adaptive processes by which the brain reintegrates unresolved linguistic fragments. This framing situates SDT within the context of hypnagogia, inner speech, memory consolidation, and the default mode network (DMN).

2. Literature Review

2.1 Hypnagogia and Pre-sleep Verbal Experiences

Hypnagogia is well established as a distinct cognitive state marked by unusual perceptual experiences. Verbal experiences are common, often fragmented, and not necessarily pathological (Ghibellini, 2022).

2.2 Inner Speech and Dialogic Cognition

Inner speech is a fundamental cognitive process, flexible in adopting dialogic and imitative forms. This supports the plausibility of SDT, where incomplete fragments are recombined as dialogic episodes (Alderson-Day & Fernyhough, 2015).

2.3 Non-Pathological Auditory Verbal Experiences

Voice-hearing exists on a continuum. Non-pathological auditory verbal experiences are well documented, occurring in up to 10% of the population (de Leede-Smith & Barkus, 2013). SDT aligns with this non-clinical dimension.

2.4 Memory Consolidation and Fragment Reactivation

Memory consolidation during sleep involves reactivation of fragments from waking life. Dream research supports incorporation of waking material (Wamsley, 2011). SDT extends this to pre-sleep reactivation.

2.5 The Default Mode Network and Pre-Sleep Cognition

The DMN supports internally directed cognition such as autobiographical recall and mind-wandering. Its activation during rest suggests a neural substrate for suspended dialog (Andrews-Hanna et al., 2014).

3. Suspended Dialog Theory

SDT claims that unresolved conversational fragments accumulate during wakefulness. In hypnagogia, reduced executive control and heightened memory reactivation allow these fragments to be recombined into illogical but integrative episodes. Phenomenologically, these appear as odd or fragmented inner speech, typically in one’s own voice or in simulated voices of others.

4. Hypotheses

H1: Hypnagogic verbal episodes will disproportionately contain semantically incomplete material.

H2: Pre-sleep auditory priming with incomplete phrases will increase incorporation into hypnagogic reports.

H3: EEG signatures will reveal DMN-associated reactivation preceding reported episodes.

H4: Individuals with vivid inner speech or heightened hypnagogic awareness (e.g., ADHD/Autism profiles) will report more frequent suspended dialog phenomena.

5. Methods

Participants: Healthy adults stratified by inner speech vividness and neurodiversity traits.

Materials: Stimuli include coherent sentences, truncated fragments, ambient conversations, and non-verbal controls.

Procedure: Stimulus exposure followed by EEG-monitored pre-sleep relaxation. Participants provide structured phenomenological reports.

Analysis: Reports are coded for incorporation of stimuli, with EEG signatures analysed for reactivation and DMN activity.

6. Discussion

SDT reframes pre-sleep verbal anomalies as adaptive rather than incidental. Resolving suspended fragments may reduce semantic clutter and facilitate memory consolidation. This has implications for understanding benign voice-hearing, sleep cognition, and broader theories of language integration.

7. Limitations

Self-report biases complicate interpretation. Experimental induction of hypnagogia is variable. Neural correlates of DMN reactivation at sleep onset remain challenging to measure with precision.

8. Conclusion

The Suspended Dialog Theory situates hypnagogic verbal phenomena as integrative processes for resolving incomplete linguistic input. By linking hypnagogia, inner speech, memory consolidation, and DMN activity, SDT provides a testable framework for advancing understanding of sleep cognition.

References

Alderson-Day, B., & Fernyhough, C. (2015). Inner speech: Development, cognitive functions, phenomenology, and neurobiology. Psychological Bulletin, 141(5), 931–965.
Andrews-Hanna, J. R., Smallwood, J., & Spreng, R. N. (2014). The default network and self-generated thought. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1316(1), 29–52. de
Leede-Smith, S., & Barkus, E. (2013). A comprehensive review of auditory verbal hallucinations. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 7, 367. Ghibellini, R. (2022). The hypnagogic state: A brief update. Consciousness and Cognition, 99, 103259. Wamsley, E.J. (2011). Memory, sleep and dreaming: Experiencing consolidation. Sleep Medicine Clinics, 6(1), 97–10