--- title: "Michael Raduga of REMspace Inc on Overcoming Impossible Odds, Self-Neurosurgery, and the Future of Lucid Dreaming" url: "https://authoritymag.co/articles/michael-raduga-of-remspace-inc-on-overcoming-impossible-odds-self-neurosurgery-and-the-future-of" publisher: "Authority Magazine" author: "Authority Magazine Editorial Staff" authorUrl: "https://authoritymag.co/authors/authority-magazine-editorial-staff" interviewee: "Michael Raduga" company: "REMspace Inc" category: "Tech" datePublished: "2024-07-27T14:35:59.714Z" dateModified: "2026-11-12T17:06:18.397Z" tags: "Business" --- # Michael Raduga of REMspace Inc on Overcoming Impossible Odds, Self-Neurosurgery, and the Future of Lucid Dreaming *The founder and CEO discusses performing self-neurosurgery to advance sleep technology and shares his strategies for maintaining tenacity when faced with extreme obstacles.* > Over three months, I prepared meticulously, practicing on sheep heads, watching neurosurgeries, and developing implants and a device to send electrical impulses to the brain. --- As*a part of our series about “*[dreamers who ignored the naysayers and did what others said was impossible](https://medium.com/authority-magazine/search?q=They%20Told%20Me%20It%20Was%20Impossible%20And%20I%20Did%20It%20Anyway)*”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Michael Raduga.* *Michael Raduga is the CEO and founder of*[REMspace Inc](https://remspace.net/)*. He researches and develops innovative technologies for lucid dreaming, REM sleep, sleep paralysis, and more. His team is at the forefront of lucid dream innovations, conducting the most studies on the topic.* --- **Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to ‘get to know you’ a bit better. Can you tell us your ‘backstory’?** After encountering sleep paralysis and a lucid dream at the age of 16, I immediately knew that that hyper-realistic experience was the most fantastic thing that could ever happen to me. I started to study and practice lucid dreaming, eventually sharing my discoveries with other enthusiasts via my book, [The Phase](https://remspace.net/lucid-dreaming-books-free/). However, it became clear to me that scientific progress about the practice was moving at a very slow pace. I began experimenting when I was 24 years old and went on to open my lab when I was 37. I conducted and published studies to fill the gap I was seeing. Every year since 2020, we have published the highest number of papers on lucid dreaming in peer-reviewed journals. **Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? How do you think that will help people?** Usually, we conduct many different studies simultaneously. Some of them are basic and boring for general audiences, but others go [viral in the media](https://www.livescience.com/lucid-dreaming-ufo-alien-abductions.html). We are working on something that for 99.9% of people seems completely impossible or sci-fi. Once we’ve completed these studies, people will better understand why REM sleep states, like lucid dreams or sleep paralysis, have incredible potential for our civilization. They will understand how lucid dreams can be integrated into the actual world. **In your opinion, what do you think makes your company or organization stand out from the crowd?** REMspace is the only company that has the goal of conquesting REM sleep and connecting this sleep stage with reality. We think this is inevitable. Combining our experience, this vision helps us to conduct amazing studies and develop innovative technologies. **Ok, thank you for that. I’d like to jump to the main focus of this interview. Has there ever been a time that someone told you something was impossible, but you did it anyway? Can you share the story with us? What was your idea? What was the reaction of the naysayers? And how did you overcome that?** While my lab is now located in the San Francisco Bay Area, this story begins in Russia a few years back. One year ago, I tried something so impossible that I did not share my intention to do it until it was completed. I did self-neurosurgery and implanted electrodes into my brain using only local anesthesia. I did this entirely by myself. This is the backstory: Lucid dreaming has the potential to let people live in two worlds, but it remains elusive for most, achievable only by a few highly trained individuals. Traditional methods, like sending signals during REM sleep to trigger awareness, often fail as they tend to wake the dreamer. Determined to break new ground, I proposed sending signals directly to the dream world, bypassing physical perceptions by stimulating the brain cortex. This idea became my obsession and primary goal, leading me to invest all my resources into this research starting in 2021. However, the onset of war between Russia and Ukraine disrupted our work. As an independent Russian researcher, my funding, much of which came from abroad, was cut off due to sanctions. Desperate to continue, I decided to relocate our studies to the U.S. In early 2023, I went to Kazakhstan while I waited for my U.S. visa to get approved, settling in a small apartment with no lab or resources, I faced an uncertain future. Despite all the odds, I didn’t give up and decided to proceed with the study by any means. Once again, I was sure that it would be a game changer for future technologies. I would try to implant electrodes into my brain by myself because there were no physical obstacles to do so. There were only psychological obstacles, which I had to fight. I hated myself for that idea but it was the only option I had back then. Over three months, I prepared meticulously, practicing on sheep heads, watching neurosurgeries, and developing implants and a device to send electrical impulses to the brain. May 17, 2023, was the scariest day in my life. I started the procedure in the morning and it lasted four hours. I successfully made trepanation, implanted electrodes on my motor cortex, and sent electrical impulses into my brain. **In the end, how were all the naysayers proven wrong? :-)** Three days after my self-surgery, one of my scientists arrived in Kazakhstan. We conducted tests for a month, discovering that the electrical signals did not wake me and could control my arm during lucid dreams. Though I couldn’t publish the study due to ethical issues, the information gained was invaluable. Now, we aim to use this knowledge and continue this research, but ethically and sustainably. We are excited to share the incredible results. **None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?** When I was a kid, I heard about Leonid Rogozov, a Soviet doctor who had to cut his own appendix in Antarctica. I could not imagine how it was possible and hoped that I would never encounter anything like that in my life. When I had to perform self-neurosurgery, this story helped me a lot. Because of Rogozov, I knew that a human being could do much more than we think. **It must not have been easy to ignore all the naysayers. Did you have any experiences growing up that have contributed to building your resiliency? Can you share the story with us?** I believe our goals should guide us in life. If you have strong goals and understand the reasons behind them, all you need to do is accomplish them — no matter what other people think. For the first time it could be hard to do but eventually you get used to it. **Based on your experience, can you share 5 strategies that people can use to harness the sense of tenacity and do what naysayers think is impossible?** 1. Be brave. To have a bright future — accomplishing your goals — you must be brave enough to move forward despite the naysayers. Sometimes it is hard to do even for experienced people. There is a principle that helps a lot: think less but act more. 2. Never give up your dreams. So many people could achieve great success in their life if they didn’t give up on their big dreams. Amazingly, very often those dreams are really great and big. They deserve to be reached and would make a difference in the world. 3. Believe in yourself. That’s how a kid from Siberia has found himself in Silicon Valley. When you believe in yourself and really know what you’ve been doing, it is way easier to stay persistent. As a result, you have much more chances to succeed in whatever you do. 4. Always think about the bigger picture. A great idea has the potential to change people’s lives. So, it is not only about you anymore. Understanding this can bring you much more power and confidence, skyrocketing your perseverance. 5. Talent and luck only get you so far. You may not be very talented. You may not be very lucky. But you may win in this life despite the odds because you persevere. If you’re talented and lucky but give up too early, success will elude you. **What is your favorite quote or personal philosophy that relates to the concept of resilience?** It’s Michael Jordan’s: “I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.” **You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.** It would involve greater education. If you make education accessible to people in the poorest countries in the world, eventually, it will bring them much more food than any other type of help. As a start, there could be some online services or apps, free and entertaining. **Can our readers follow you on social media?** Sure! Follow me on X! [https://x.com/MichaelRaduga](https://x.com/MichaelRaduga) **Thank you for these great stories. We wish you only continued success!** --- Source: https://authoritymag.co/articles/michael-raduga-of-remspace-inc-on-overcoming-impossible-odds-self-neurosurgery-and-the-future-of (Authority Magazine, Tech). Interviewee answers are first-person statements of the guest. Index of all pages: https://authoritymag.co/llms.txt