Dreaming

Nightmare types and suicide.
Previous research has robustly documented the relationship between sleep and suicide, where many aspects of poor sleep quality, sleep disturbances, and sleep disorders have been found to predict suicide. Research has also linked nightmares to suicide. It is not known, however, if nightmare types (idiopathic, trauma-related, and complex nightmares [nightmares with comorbid sleep and breathing diagnoses]) may differentially affect mental health. Thus, the current study examines the relationships between different nightmare types, suicide attempts, and mental health treatment utilization within a sample of veterans with a previously documented suicide attempt. To examine the relationship between nightmare types, suicide attempts, and mental health treatment utilization, multiple logistical regression was used. Results of our analyses revealed that only trauma-related nightmares predicted suicide attempts. Both trauma-related and complex nightmares were associated with increased mental health treatment utilization. These results support previous findings that depict a strong relationship between sleep, nightmares, suicide, and treatment usage. The results further support theories of nightmare types and their differing effects on psychological symptoms and treatment. Overall, the findings provide clinically significant information about the relationship between trauma-related nightmares and suicide. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Concretization as a possible mechanism of nightmare proneness: Some theoretical considerations and empirical findings.
Nightmare proneness, a disposition to experience frequent nightmares, has been found to predict nightmares independent of neuroticism, psychological distress, and trauma symptoms. One theorized mechanism of nightmare proneness is concretization, a hypothetical defensive style in which vague and unpleasant inner states are made more tangible. The possible role of concretization in nightmare proneness and nightmares has not been examined empirically. The current research investigates the relationships between concretization, nightmare proneness, and nightmares across three studies involving a total of 621 university students. Concretization was found to be strongly related to nightmare proneness and was a mechanism in the relationship between nightmare proneness and nightmares independent of neuroticism, trauma symptomology, psychic structure, repression, psychopathology syndromes, nightmare distress, and dream recall frequency. The results, limitations, and suggestions for future research were discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Relational nightmares: A new scale and test of the continuity hypothesis of dreams applied to nightmares in a young adult sample.
Previous research has found general support for continuity between waking experiences and nightmares, supporting the continuity hypothesis of dreams. For instance, nightmares have been related to waking trauma experiences and negative affect. However, specific nightmare themes and corresponding waking experiences have rarely been examined. This study examined whether the content themes of unpleasant waking relational experiences are reflected in relational nightmares. A new relationship-themed nightmare scale was developed and was found to be related to general trauma, negative affect, and negative waking relational experiences such as relational worries, insecure attachment styles, and grief, but not positive waking relational experiences such as social support and friendship closeness. Among the waking relational experiences, grief was a particularly strong and unique predictor of relational nightmares. The results and avenues of future research are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Comparative analysis of three lucid dreaming techniques.
Lucid dreams (LDs) are characterized by the presence of consciousness and the ability of a person to influence the dream plot. At present, LD induction is a challenging task, and a comparative analysis of LD techniques is needed. In this study, we compare the effectiveness of different LD induction techniques, including phantom wiggling, observing images, and imagining movements. All the techniques are intended to transfer consciousness from wakefulness into a dream. In an online experiment, volunteers were instructed to try each of the techniques three times following each of the following methods: while falling asleep in the evening (direct method [DM]), while falling asleep after an interrupted sleep (deferred direct method [DDM]), and immediately upon awakening (indirect method [IM]). A report was considered successful if at least one attempt out of three led to an LD. In total, nine attempts were made for each technique. Overall, 1,119 reports were received. For the phantom wiggling technique, the efficiency rates were 11% for the DM, 32% for the DDM, and 24% for the IM. For the observing images technique, the efficiency rates were 11% for the DM, 17% for the DDM, and 31% for the IM. For the imagining movement technique, the efficiency rates were 7% for the DM, 24% for the DDM, and 31% for the IM. Despite the substantial differences among them, all three techniques can be effective for LD induction with similar efficiency. The goal of further studies is to compare all other LD induction techniques to find the most and least effective ones. This can improve our understanding of the nature of LDs and the effectiveness of their study. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Veteran treatment completers’ and facilitators’ perceptions of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia and imagery rehearsal therapy for posttraumatic sleep disturbances.
Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) and imagery rehearsal therapy are recommended cognitive-behavioral treatments. However, little is known about the acceptability of the treatments for veterans with posttraumatic sleep disturbances. This study was conducted after a pilot randomized controlled trial that compared CBT-I with CBT-I combined with imagery rehearsal therapy (IRT) in a sample of Australian veterans with diagnosed posttraumatic stress disorder and sleep disturbances. Individual semistructured interviews were conducted with veterans who completed group CBT-I or group CBT-I + IRT (n = 11), and a focus group was conducted with the facilitators who delivered the treatments (n = 3). The study examined participants’ experiences and perspectives of the treatments, and their acceptability for veterans. Inductive thematic analysis led to the identification of six themes that elucidated the perceived acceptability of the treatments, influences on engagement and retention, and recommendations to optimize both treatments. Overall, veterans reported that both treatments were acceptable and described gaining meaningful treatment benefits. Nonetheless, CBT-I only interview participants described continuing posttraumatic nightmares. Most IRT participants (six out of seven) described benefits that included nightmare reductions, however, not all veterans perceived equal benefits from IRT. The findings suggested that IRT may benefit veterans with greater nightmare severity. Future research is needed to delineate which subgroups of veterans are most likely to gain benefits from IRT. Participants’ recommendations map out directions for future research and the clinical dissemination of CBT-I and IRT for veterans with posttraumatic sleep disturbances. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Pandemic dreams: A qualitative analysis of dream imagery during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This article examines the content of dreams collected during the beginning of containment due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy (between March and May 2020). Dreams in our sample were compared to the Hall and van de Castle norms. In accordance with the continuity hypothesis, contents of dreams were found to be influenced by the daytime experiences of the pandemic: (a) they were dominated by negative emotions such as fear and anxiety; (b) they depicted a diminished number of social interactions; (c) in aggressive interactions the dreamers were more often enacting the role of the victim; and (d) there was a higher number of dead and familiar characters, conveying death thoughts and the desire to reunite with family. Interestingly, these results were stronger in the female sample suggesting that women were more negatively affected by the pandemic. In addition to the content analysis, we explored the data by performing a reflexive thematic analysis of the function of dreams in coping with the traumatic features of the waking experience. (a) Most of the dreams in our sample were categorized as Repetitive-Traumatic, depicting the repetitions of traumatic scenes experienced in daytime. (b) Following for frequency, we found dreams labeled as Compensatory-Defensive, staging the fulfillment of desires and scenarios opposite to the stressful situation experienced in daytime. (c) Lastly, a few dreams were categorized as Elaborative, depicting situations that evolve toward a resolution or a reorganization of the stressful experiences of the waking state. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
A coding system for correlations between waking-life experiences and dreams.
The correlation between waking-life experiences and dreams could be rated by both dreamers themselves (the self-rating) and independent judges (the external-rating). Yet a problem was whether results of these ratings were meaningful. To address the problem, we compared results of the external-rating with a random condition for coincidental correspondence which instructed judges to rate similar elements between each participant’s dreams with another participant’s waking-life experiences. Ninety-eight participants recorded major daily activities (MDAs), personally significant events (PSEs), major concerns (MCs), and dreams. Then both the self-rating and the external-rating were adopted. The self-rating found that most of dreams were related to waking-life experiences of the same day, while the external-rating only found about half dreams were related to waking-life experiences. In addition, results suggested that the external-rating could identify meaningful incorporation for both PSEs and MCs being incorporated into dreams, but this was not the case for MDAs, which may indicate that nonemotional waking-life experiences were rarely incorporated into dreams. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
The priming effect of presleep conscious thoughts on dreams.
In this study, we explored the influence of presleep conscious thoughts on dreams. One hundred forty-eight participants reported any thoughts that came to their minds before falling asleep, and reported their dreams the next morning after they woke up. Then, two independent judges rated similar correspondences (characters, objects, locations, and actions) between each participant’s conscious thoughts and dreams of the same person. In addition, the judges used the same method to rate similar correspondences between each participant’s conscious thoughts and dreams of another participant (the randomized condition). The result showed that there were more correlations between each participant’s conscious thoughts and dreams of the same person than the randomized condition. Thus there was meaningful continuity between presleep conscious thoughts and dreams. In addition, dreams may be correlated with the activation of autobiographical memories primed by waking-life experiences. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)

Dreaming - Vol 34, Iss 1