1
Q
How similar are dreams to waking experiences? (RRWI)
A
- realistic simulation of waking life but not re-enactments of daily events
- reduced capacity of brain for logic, to distinguish “reality” from “fiction”
- while dreaming, mind focuses on dream, not interrupted by other thoughts/reflection
- if bizarre happened in reality, may react the same
2
Q
What are dreams considered? (VOAI)
A
- visits to another world
- omens, forecast future, predictive qualities
- answers to waking life’s issues, problems
- impactful consequences in dream, alter beh./choices when awake
3
Q
What is dream imagery like? (CMPSTP)
A
- colourful (majority), some black-white
- more clear = more bizarre
- primarily visual
- sound = more than 50% of dreams
- touch = less than 8% of dreams
- pain sensation = rare, wake before sensation
4
Q
What is dream content analysis?
A
characters, social interactions, activities, emotions
5
Q
What is complimentary content?
A
compensate/supplement recent waking life occurrences; attempt to bring overall balance
6
Q
What is continuous content?
A
themes, concerns, events of waking life are experienced in dreams
7
Q
What are things we dream of? (POFEPA)
A
- past: events already happened, details & altered; from history to day before dream
- own activities, interests, concerns, wishes, thoughts
- future: events to come, fear of failure, celebration of success
- emotions: embarrassment, nakedness, anger, desire
- the plausible/actual
- the absurd, bizarre, incoherent, brilliant & creative
8
Q
What are some themes in dream content?
A
- objective content analysis suggests reading can possibly create content
- cultural influences: aggression, cars/houses highest in US, hunter - gatherers dream of huts/tents, animals
- personal waking life, experiences: marital, career changes/upsets; children/not; wealthy/poor, job type
- musicians: 2x many dreams w/ music
9
Q
What are some themes in dream content related to age?
A
age parallels cognitive development
- children (3yrs/5-10yrs): animal characters, play, successes, self character active after 8yrs
- from 11+ yrs: more adventure, aggression content
- young adult/middle age: dream more of sexuality
- middle age: stable content
- elderly: less aggression, more of illness, death
10
Q
What are some themes in dream content during pregnancy?
A
- early = focus on self, changes
- later = pregnancy itself, baby, birthing, relationship with partner
- women: fertility, miscarriage; adequate mother/parenting concerns, abnormal infant, labour/delivery disasters, career issues
- men: sex identity early in preg., pregnant also, fathering & partner worries, birthing process
11
Q
What are some themes in dream content during trauma?
A
- impactful emotional events
- sexual/physical abuse, burn, war, major surgery, death of family member, stockbrokers losing money in market crash
- exact replays, metaphorical
- terrified, vulnerability
12
Q
What are some themes in dream content during depression?
A
- REM: first period earlier, more eye movement, evenly distributed thru night
- recall short dreams, past-oriented, repetitive
- negativity increases thruout night
- content: all my fault, unable to beh/make change, objects not functioning, important items lost
- when depressions abates, characteristics lessen/disappear
13
Q
Are dreams continuous?
A
- dream episodes unrelated across REM periods
- trivial/image relationships, role reversals/changes in characters
- create continuity when interpret dream
- seeing similar people a manifestation that these people are known to you
- exact dream duplication unusual, unless recurring (PTSD)
- variety of content overwhelming & amazing
14
Q
What are recurring dreams like?
A
- same content, characters, emotions
- same sequences, “story-line”
- several months to years
- begin in childhood, adolescence
- majority negative affect, nightmares, involve only dreamer
- dreamer attacked, chased by people, animals or threatened by natural forces
- correlated w/ waking anxiety, depression, extreme stress
- some cease naturally
- address with:
- lucid dreaming
- reduction of waking psychological concerns
- dream work (“re-write” dream, confront, change meaning)
15
Q
What is dream meaning and interpretation?
A
- attribution of purpose of dream, images, or sequence of events
- dreamer questioned vs. therapist interpret
- content related to living experience
- how did you feel
- what did it mean to you (if anything)
- what can you take from this
- what would you do differently based on this information
16
Q
What is lucid dreaming?
A
- term created by F. W. Van Eden; popularized late 1960’s -70’s (C. Green and A. Faraday)
- S. LaBerge: lucid dreaming w/ polysomnography
- recognition, awareness that we are dreaming while dreaming
- conscious, feel clarity & cognition
- reflecting on occurrences as they take place, complex thought possible
- events = less of surprise/feel less bizarre
17
Q
What are the characteristics of lucid dreaming?
A
- wake-like cognitive abilities possible
- volitional dream control possible
- dreamer tends to be actor, internal perspective/observer
- feel need during dream to remember content
- happens later in the night
- happens during REM: transition to lucidity
- can reverse: dream you are sleeping
- awakening terminates lucid dream
18
Q
What is volitional dream control?
A
use will to make dream take place - where to go, what to do
19
Q
What are the features of lucid dreaming?
A
- reasonably rare: 1/2 of general population
- 20% on monthly basis
- 1% several times/week
- cultural differences:
- German students more frequency/ability than Japanese students
- Germans more than Austrians
- age differences: young children, adolescents report more frequent than adults
20
Q
What do lucid dreamers do in research?
A
- in sleep lab, give pre-arranged signal when lucid dreaming, recorded on polysomnogram
- signal: e.g. sequence of eye movements, small muscle movements/clenching
- can signal exact time of dream event, experimenter can ask to perform action in dream (& measure), signal when complete
- EEG: higher % of alpha & beta activity
- fMRI: increased activation of frontoparietal regions (e.g., working memory), precuneus (first person perspective taking)
21
Q
What are the purposes of lucid dreaming?
A
- uninhibited actions: public speaking, performance, sexuality, try an activity w/o training, conflict res.
- fulfilling wishes, try unique “powers”
- improve physical skills, motor practice: use of imagery to another state
- creative problem solving
- healing: image cell repair, or destruction (cancer)
- assume control of nightmare content, ability to confront situations/figures (children trauma, PTSD)
22
Q
How to lucid dream?
A
- if you can recall your dreams with ease, more likely to have potential/ability to lucid dream
- focus on regular recall of dreams
- look for “dream signs”, tally them up in dream journal - cues of dreaming
- in wakefulness: more self-aware, mindful; ability to switch types of focus
- LaBerge: nova-dreamer mask, flashing lights + mental concentration
- wake-back to bed – awaken after five hours, stay up for a short period, return to sleep, try entering REM sleep period (Dr. Aspy, U of Adelaide)
- mnemonic induction of lucid dreaming (MILD)
- while in dream, look at hands/own body
- uncertain effects of: age, sleep dep, other phys. states
23
Q
What is mnemonic induction of lucid dreaming (MILD)?
A
- before sleeping, focus on intention to remember you are dreaming/act in the dream
- repeat phrase “The next time I’m dreaming, I will remember that I’m dreaming”
24
Q
What is dream incubation?
A
- Gayle Delaney, PhD
- drive/determine dream content
- need time before bed & when wake up
- write down topic & feelings, when prepping for sleep concentrate attention on desired topic
- create one line request/question & repeat as falling asleep, when wake up write/record as much detail as possible
- more easily achieved if related to personal current concerns, not overly “fantastical”
- another step to “imagery”
PSYC 208
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Decks in class (7)
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