Dreams & Nightmares

There are a variety of theories on dreams and their significance, or lack thereof.

Some experts believe that dreams are a continuation of our real-life thoughts, but that they don’t provide insight into any issues.  It’s as if dreams are an outlet for venting, so they indicate which issues need resolving, but that’s about as far as they go in terms of productivity.  If you’re having a recurring dream that reflects a situation in real life, it doesn’t mean the issue is getting resolved as you sleep – it means you need to devote more attention to it in real life in order to work through it.  People with this belief don’t usually feel that dream interpretation has much merit.

On the flipside, some experts hold the theory that our dreams provide insight into our dilemmas, stress, and past traumas.  These dreams can help lead us to greater happiness in waking life and to more restful sleep at night.  How does this happen? Well, some experts claim that our unconscious thoughts lead to neural connections that our conscious mind couldn’t make, and these links between brain cells lead to improved emotional processing and healing.  In other words, dreams allow you to return to real-life events to gain a better understanding, and they allow you to work through unresolved emotions.

Nightmares

Continual bad dreams can lead to fright and distress for both children and adults.

While triggers may differ from person to person, here are some common causes of these terrifying dreams:

• Certain medications
• Alcohol consumption
• Drug use
• Fever
• Intense anxiety
• Sleep deprivation

 

If you are experiencing frequent nightmares, it’s worth eliminating the above factors if they might be contributing to this issue.  If this doesn’t help, you may wish to seek professional treatment.  I’ll discuss options later on.

Suggestions for Learning from Your Dreams

• Right after waking up, lie still in bed with your eyes shut, concentrating on what you had just been dreaming about.  This helps to prevent the dream images from disappearing right away, which can happen if you wake up too quickly.  Try to remember as much as you can, then write the details down in a notepad near your bed.  Reread these notes every so often, trying to connect the elements in your dream (people, locations, situations, etc.) to real-life circumstances into which your dream might be providing insight.
• Remember not to interpret your dreams too literally.  If you find yourself kissing your sister’s boyfriend, or punching someone you care about in real life, it doesn’t necessarily mean you want to do those things! It may just mean that you are attracted to or repelled by certain qualities these people may exhibit, for example.  If you have a dream that doesn’t make sense to you if interpreted literally, then try to figure out what else this dream could be hinting at.
• In order to reveal the feelings or situations that may have led to the dream, after waking, try to imagine yourself as one of the main characters in your dream.  Ask yourself questions about this role (ex- “What do I like?” “What am I afraid of?” “What’s my reason for being here?”).  Determine if any of these traits match up with your own, and see if this character’s role in your dream can give you insight into your own issues.
• Confront your nightmares.  If you’re having recurring dreams of being chased by a monster, instead of running away, face the monster and ask what it’s doing there, why it’s chasing you, etc.  You may develop a better understanding of an obstacle you’re currently facing in real life.

 

Seeking Professional Treatment

If the above suggestions aren’t sufficient in helping you deal with nightmares or confusing dreams, you may wish to speak with a mental health professional.  A qualified therapist can help you to connect your dreams to real life difficulties that you may need help to resolve.

Please contact Mark Dworkin LCSW at (516) 731-7611 for further information. Mark is available for speaking engagements for the general public and professional communities, radio and tv appearances, seminars, webinars, enhancing professional development, workshops and trainings.

Sources

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29531997/ns/health-mental_health/t/dream-little-dream-better-health/

http://kidshealth.org/teen/expert/emotions/expert_nightmares.html?tracking=T_RelatedArticle