What happens when we dream? From nightmares to pre-cognitive dreams, psychologists give their takes on the various myths related to this nightly activity.
By
Jill Neimark, published on July 01, 1998 - last reviewed on April 17, 2006
Dreams, Cartwright believes, are our "internal therapist"; they offer an emotional information processing system. When that therapist isn't functioning—if, for example, you suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder manifested by recurrent nightmares—you may actually be able to lend it some help. Recently, researchers in Canada have found that consciously changing your dream in any direction while awake may stop the recurrence.
Tony Zadra, Ph.D., of the Dream and Nightmare Laboratory at the University of Montreal, studied six cases of recurrent nightmares—"and all got better," he says. The technique? While awake, the dreamers were taken on a guided visualization into the nightmare, and, at an emotional moment in the dream, were asked to visualize a simple task, such as looking at their hands. Then they were asked to respond differently—say, confront an aggressor or otherwise create a positive outcome.
After rehearsing the new ending while awake, the dreamers go to sleep as usual. And then an interesting thing happens: "Some people actually remember to look at their hands at the right moment, and then become aware that they are dreaming and that they can consciously carry out their dream differently. Others don't remember to look at their hands, but they dream the new dream they created while awake."
Either way, the nightmares stop. Says Zadra: "Some studies show that you can change absolutely anything in the nightmare, rehearse that change, and the nightmare will get better." It's the change that counts—it dismantles the dream and pries loose its hold on the dreamer.
It seems that dreams are many-purposed. They invite us into the truly interesting frontier of the mind. That may be why Stickgold says, "I love dreaming. And I love dreams."
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