Category: Dream Therapy

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Dream to remember, dream to forget, dream to feel better…

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Dreaming after an emotional experience might help us feel better in the morning

Although dreaming has been implicated in the consolidation of memories, it seems we also dream to forget. In a similar way that sleep has been shown to clean our brains of clutter, a recent study supports the notion that dreaming helps us rid our minds of non-essential memories so we can focus on what is important to us, but only if we remember our dreams.

Zhang and colleagues (2024) recently completed a study that supports an active role for dreaming in reducing next-day reactivity associated with emotional memories. Their research also suggests there is a mechanism in which dreams enhance salient emotional experiences at the expense of less relevant, or neutral memories. In short, dreaming helps us remember and process what’s important to us, and to forget what is not. But again, only if we recall our dreams.

This is an interesting feature of the study – the results only applied to those who recall dreams. We know that just because we don’t recall dreams in the morning, this does not mean we did not dream during the night. Most of our dreams are forgotten; it has been suggested that dreams do their job even when we don’t recall them. However, this study demonstrates an important role for dreams that we remember upon waking – a possibly a reason it’s worth cultivating greater dream recall.

According to the authors: “This study asks why we dream. Building on prior work demonstrating a link between sleep and the processing of emotional memories, we examine whether dreaming alters overnight memory and emotional reactivity on an emotional picture task. We found that participants who reported dreaming exhibited an emotional memory trade-off, prioritizing retention of negative images over neutral memories, a pattern that was absent in those who did not recall their dreams. Moreover, dreaming was associated with decreased emotional reactivity to negative memories the following day, with reduced reactivity tied to more positive dream content. We provide the first empirical support for dreaming’s active involvement in sleep-dependent emotional memory processing, suggesting that dreaming after an emotional experience might help us feel better in the morning.”

This article juxtaposes the continuity hypothesis of dreaming with that of dreaming as emotional regulation. “The Emotion Regulation theory of dreaming is different from the Continuity theory of dreaming as it proposes that dreams lead to a functional change in emotion regulation during waking.” The authors note a dichotomy in the prevalent theories about dreaming – those who consider dreaming a passive activity ascribe to the continuity of dream affect before, during and after dreaming. Those who ascribe to Emotion Regulation or Simulation theories suggest dreaming plays an active role in changing one’s experience (albeit by different mechanisms: Emotion Regulation by downregulating negative emotions, and Simulation Theory by preparing for future experiences).

The current study is an attempt to test whether dreams actively support the transformation of emotional reactivity by measuring changes after a night of sleep in both those who report dreams and those who do not recall any dreams. If the dream recallers have decreased reactivity the morning after dreaming, this would support the sleep-to-forget, sleep-to-remember (SFSR) hypothesis. SFSR is supported by previous studies which show that REM sleep preferentially preserves emotional memories over neutral ones.

However, the authors note that results of research into the effect of REM sleep on emotional reactivity are decidedly mixed – some studies show increased regulation, others, increased arousal. In surveying existing literature, the authors reached the conclusion that “dreaming might play a role in both the memory consolidation and the emotional regulation aspects of emotional memory processing.”

To test the change in next-day emotional reactivity after memorable dreaming, 125 women were studied, in a mix of sleep lab and at-home settings. The authors were able to replicate prior reports of an emotional memory trade-off in which sleep preferentially enhances consolidation of negative versus neutral memories. They suggest their study “highlights the critical role of dreaming in emotional memory processing during sleep.”

The study also supported prior research showing that emotional reactivity to previous experiences decreases after a night of sleep, but again, this effect was only present in those who remembered their dreams. In participants who did not recall dreams, no significant differences were found between negative and neutral memory performance. This interesting distinction was flagged as “remarkable” and an important topic for future research.

 

Zhang J, Pena A, Delano N, Sattari N, Shuster AE, Baker FC, Simon K, Mednick SC. Evidence of an active role of dreaming in emotional memory processing shows that we dream to forget. Sci Rep. 2024 Apr 15;14(1):8722. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-58170-z. PMID: 38622204; PMCID: PMC11018802.

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Dream Wisdom from Montague Ullman, Master of Dream Group Process

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Montague Ullman developed what is likely the most popular and democratic method of working with dreams in groups. Working with dreams in a group can open multiple avenues in a dream, deepen our capacity for empathy and illustrate how all dreams have archetypal dimensions that speak to us all.

(Sign up here if you want to hear more about joining a dream group this fall.)

The Ullman method is explained in considerable detail, with examples, in his book, Appreciating Dreams, a group approach (2006, Cosimo Publications, New York). I have gathered a sampling of some my favorite words of wisdom about dreams from Ullman to share with you.

 

On ‘Day Residue’

Ullman said the that events from the day that trigger our dreams are often not that important in their own right, but rather because, by association, they bring deeper emotional concerns closer to consciousness: “All of us are continually reworking unfinished emotional business from the past. Our dreams seem to be way stations along which these concerns pass, creating the possibility for recognition and exploration” (p. 21).

 

Do Not Dismiss Short Dreams

“A dream cannot be too short for the group to work on. This includes dreams that may consist of a single image. Even when only a small bit of a longer dream is recalled, it can have a holographic quality and touch on many aspects of the dreamer’s life” (p. 25).

 

Why Dreams Need to be Worked Through

Do not judge dreams from the point of view of the waking state as dull or unimportant. “Only when a dream is worked through its connection to the underlying emotional streams that enter into it, can its value be assessed. Its importance is seen not to lie in its appearance but in the channel it opens to the larger dimension of our being, seeking to make its presence felt” (p. 26, emphasis added).

 

On Metaphor and Bridging Waking and Dreaming Thoughts

“Awake, we do not think in the same metaphorical fashion as we do asleep. We do not ordinarily view our waking experience from the point of view of its potential for translation into visual metaphors” (p. 68) Ullman says the emotion that comes with dream images can help bridge the large gap between waking and dreaming thought. “It takes investigative effort to bring the dreamer close enough to the living feeling context of the period just before the dream.”

 

Dreams As a Direct Path to the Truth

“We all know what the truth feels like. Whether we embrace it with relief or recoil from it in pain, it feels real. Its very reality provides us with the opportunity to engage with it and grow in our struggle to come to terms with something new about ourselves. Dream work is a very direct way to provide us with such opportunities” (p. 95).

 

On Offering “Orchestrations” to the Dreamer

In the final stage of his dream group process, Ullman asks group members to take in all that has been said about the dream and offer comments that ‘harmonize image and reality’ as a way to ‘separate the melody from the cacophony of sounds that have filled the air’.

“Coming to an orchestrating idea that really moves the dreamer is an interplay of intuition, the ability to listen to a dreamer and discern the appearance and flow of feelings, openness to that material the dreamer has shared and all that has been shared, and finally, sensitivity to metaphor” (p. 95).

 

‘Stumbling blocks in the path of our evolving maturity’ that often show up in dreams:

  • How well do we handle feelings such as anger on the one hand and tenderness on the other?
  • How susceptible are we to feelings of guilt, self-depreciation and self-denial?
  • How aware are we of our own need for nurturing and support?
  • To what extent are we oriented to the needs of others at the expense of our own needs?
  • To what extent do we blindly accept personal, social, and institutional arrangements that limit or do violence to our own humanity?
  • To what extent do we deny or suppress what it truly alive in us?
  • To what extent are we being carried along passively by the tide of our life? (p. 97)

 

What’s notable about this list is that it suggests dreams encourage us to advocate for our own self in various ways: accepting one’s value, finding what is ‘truly alive in us’ and becoming active agents of our own lives. It might be in interesting line of inquiry for your next dream: how is this dream encouraging me to advocate for myself and to live a life that is in keeping with my deepest desires?

 

Are you interested in further dream group study with Dr. Leslie Ellis? Do you want to be part of a small, dedicated dream group starting in fall 2023? There will be limited space, so please add your name to this list if you want to hear more about this opportunity.

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Dream changes help clinicians predict suicidal behaviors

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There is a well-established link between frequent nightmares and a greater risk of suicide, but until now, there has been no sense of specifically what to watch for in a client’s dream life to signal that their risk is escalating. However, a group of researchers has just published an article on how dreams change prior to suicide attempts.

I have long been suggesting that clinicians ask about nightmares and offer treatment if warranted. This recent study underscores the importance of asking about dreams – and offers some clarity about specific ways that nightmares escalate prior to a suicide attempt.

The naturalistic study collected dream information from 40 patients that were hospitalized for suicidal crisis, and found that 80 percent of them had experienced changes in their dream lives prior to this crisis. Two-thirds experienced bad dreams, half had nightmares and 22 percent had dreams about suicide.

The researchers also noted a progression in the way dreams changed prior to the suicidal crisis, with bad dreams appearing 4 months’ prior, nightmares 3 months’ prior and suicidal scenarios 1.5 months’ prior. They concluded: “Dream alterations and their progression can be readily assessed and may help to better identify prodromal signs of suicidal behaviors.”

The researchers studied the differences in those whose dream lives changes prior to their suicidal crisis versus those whose dreams stayed much the same, and found that those with altered dreaming had more of a family history of insomnia. Virtually all had symptoms of depression and altered sleep quality prior to their hospitalization.

The bottom line is that when you ask clients about their dream lives, you can also be alert to any changes. An increase in bad dreams that escalates to more frequent nightmares is an important change that may predict a suicidal crisis. Content of the dreams might provide some clues as well, though they are not going to dream about suicide specifically in most cases.

The other important consideration in your treatment of those who dream and sleep disturbance is escalating is that you can treat these as symptoms, not just as warning signs, and you may be able help them course-correct through direct attention to their nightmares. In other words, dream changes are not just diagnostic, but also avenues for treatment that may reduce suicide risk.

For more about what you can do to treat nightmares, I am offering a time-limited nightmare treatment course bundle, an in-depth online training for clinicians which includes a workshop on nightmares and the nervous system. You can check it out here.

References

Geoffroy, P., Borand, R., Ambar Akkaoui, M., Yung, S., Atoui, Y., Fontenoy, E., Maruani, J., & Lejoyeux, M. (2022). Bad Dreams and Nightmares Preceding Suicidal Behaviors.. The Journal of clinical psychiatry, 84(1), 1

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Dreams as a picture of the nervous system

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Dreams as a picture of the nervous system, and an avenue for state shifts

It’s beginning to dawn on me that not just nightmares, but all dreams can be seen as an expression of the nervous system. They are images direct from the body, far less filtered by our internal censor than waking thoughts — they are more image-based, more visceral and fluid. Spending time with our dream images in a calm and curious way can be inherently regulating, and I am beginning to suspect why this is so.

The late Ernest Hartmann, a celebrated dreamworker and researcher, said two things that I want to follow up on in this context. The first is, “The nightmare is the most useful dream.” This is not meant to dismiss the real distress and terror that our worst dreams can bring. It’s that nightmares represent an extreme state, and as such, one that we can learn the most from.

Linking nightmares and the nervous system

I’ve spent the last couple of years investigating the link between nightmares and the autonomic nervous system (ANS) through the lens of polyvagal theory. Although I think the implications of this for nightmare formation and treatment are still largely unexplored, I started this ball rolling with the recent publication of an article with the optimistic title, Solving the Nightmare Mystery in which I imply that the role of the nervous system is a missing link in our understanding of how to treat nightmares (Ellis, 2022).

I have been sitting with those who experience deeply disturbing dreams for many years now, one of the main things I do to help is facilitate the search for, and embodiment of, cues of safety that help alter their perception and experience of these dreams. They tell me this embodied process of dreaming their dreams forward (called ‘rescripting’ in modern nightmare treatment literature), changes how they hold the dream in their body. Typically, the memory remains, but the charge dissipates, after a successful session.

Nightmares are dramatic, and there is clear autonomic activation during sleep state shifts for those who experience them frequently. Nightmares are easily recalled and their impact is tangibly felt, as is the relief one experiences when they begin to fade or shift into a more benign form. This is useful because when a phenomenon is loud and colorful, we can more easily see it.

Dream images as nervous system state and shifts

However, in a recent class I teach on the clinical use of dreams, a dreamer brought an image of a dark, still woman in a tub that had sat so long the water had gone cold. Her impulse, in dreaming this forward, was to turn on the hot water faucet, to bring some warmth to the bath and to the woman’s body. Entering the dream further, she noticed the tub itself, and it was older, more ornate and beautiful than the one is her current bathroom, where the dream was set. Her own demeanor changed in this process or warming the bath, her face coloring and smiling as she described making the bath a sanctuary, adding scent and oil and dipping into the enjoyment of it. Later, she told me the shifts continued in the coming days: “I continued to experience “mini shifts” in the following days and was able to access and carry the felt sense of the warmth and beauty of the bath into many areas of my daily life. I noticed I feel more present when I bring a sense of aesthetics, in the form of a little beautifying and warming detail, when I have to tackle some of the mundane daily tasks and responsibilities, which were weighing me down lately.”

This entire dream process could be seen as an image of the nervous system as it shifted from a cold, immobilized (dorsal vagal) state, into one of connection and animation that was clearly visible on her face. Her fellow classmates remarked on the change, as her physiology demonstrated a clear shift into a state of social engagement and warmth (ventral vagal). This kind of shift is typical in working with dreams. The images from nightmares are clear representations of autonomic states. Activation or fight/flight – being chased or engaged in a battle – are some of the most prevalent nightmare themes. The leap I have made is simply that nightmares are the most obvious expression of what happens in all dreams. They are our bodies expressing in image and sensation our fluctuating internal state. They are doorway into its expression, particularly valuable for those who have trouble hearing what’s going inside.

Dreamwork as a way to metabolize and regulate emotion

This brings me to another of Hartmann’s famous statements: that dreams are a ‘picture-metaphors’ for our most salient emotional concerns. Sometimes our most pressing feelings are repressed, historic or fleeting enough that we don’t think about them during the day. But our dreams have an uncanny way of picturing what matters most, even if we have repressed it. Our bodies carry the charge of feelings and memories that are unmetabolized, and these find expression in our dreams.

My sense, which is shared with many dreamworkers and researchers, is that a purpose of dreaming about emotion is not to upset us but to help us process and shift such feelings. Sometimes, the dreams do this all on their own, like a nocturnal therapist, and sometimes it really helps to have another person process the dreams with us. One idea that attention to the nervous system and polyvagal theory has taught us is that we humans (and all mammals) function better together than alone. Sharing our dreams and bringing them into company and the light of day helps them do their job better. And more and more, I’m beginning to think that a large part of their job is expressing and regulating the state of our nervous system.

 

References

Ellis, L. A. (2022). Solving the nightmare mystery: The autonomic nervous system as missing link in the aetiology and treatment of nightmares. Dreaming.

Hartmann, E. (1999). The nightmare is the most useful dream. Sleep and Hypnosis, 1(4), 199-203.

Hartmann, E. (2010). The dream always makes new connections: the dream is a creation, not a replay. Sleep Medicine Clinics, 5(2), 241-248.