Three kinds of evidence to suggest they do! Everything that makes us what we are, from the structure of our limbs down to the arrangement of our cells has been selected to give us an advantage over thousands of years of evolution. So, by this logic, dreams must increase our chances of survival in some
Does Your Child Have Nightmares?
When should you be concerned, and what should you do? All of us can clearly recall at least one heart-pounding, fear-inducing nightmare from childhood that startled us out of our sleep. Whether it was a chasing dragon or a precipitous fall from a great height, it felt so real it left us shaken long after
Does Your Child Wake Up Screaming? How to understand and treat night terrors
I used to dread going to bed when we lived in my lovely heritage apartment in Vancouver. Every night, about two hours after falling asleep, I would be startled awake by the most blood-curdling, agonizing screaming from the woman next door. Her window faced ours, and she sounded as though she was being murdered in
Dream Changes During the Pandemic Reflect Massive Collective Trauma
A multinational study concludes that dreams are a reflection of massive collective trauma, and that dreams and dream recall must be integrated into approaches for improving mental health and health in general. By Dr. Leslie Ellis Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has collectively been dreaming more, and our dreams have reflected
Sleep quality and PTSD: A bidirectional link
If you want to effectively treat PTSD, it’s critical to address sleep issues, including nightmares. Currently, there is too little integration of sleep and trauma-focused therapies for the treatment of PTSD according to the authors of a comprehensive review of sleep disorders and PTSD. Weber and Wetter’s (2021) survey of the literature shows that intervening
Nightmare Relief from a Single Phone Session
A recent study showed that even one session of nightmare treatment can be enough to significantly reduce the frequency and distress of nightmares. Katharin Luth and two other German researchers studied this low-threshold intevention, stressing the need for easy access to treatment because so often, nightmares are both underdiagnosed and untreated. In the study, 28
Veterans and dreams: Special considerations for treating moral injury and lucid nightmares
Veterans and dreams: Special considerations for treating moral injury and lucid nightmares By Dr. Leslie Ellis Sometimes, traumatic injury is not just an overwhelming event, but one that constitutes a deep moral injury. This kind of trauma, more common among veterans, requires a uniquely sensitive approach. At the most recent conference for the International Association
Nightmare-Suicide Link Extends to Adolescents
Read on to find out how you can help! If you know or work with a deeply troubled teen, you might consider asking them about their dreams. If they report frequent disturbing dreams or nightmares, they are at a greater risk for suicide. The link between adult suicide and nightmare frequency has been well established,
Can Your Apple Watch Stop Your Nightmares?
For more than 30 years, retired combat Marine veteran Tim Bahr would have his sleep interrupted by a dozen or so nightmares every night. He clearly recalls the morning of August 5, 2017 because that was the first time in decades that he woke up from a full night of sleep and could not recall