What causes recurring dreams
Recurring Dreams: What Do They Mean?
Recurring Dreams: What Do They Mean?- Health Conditions
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Medically reviewed by Timothy J. Legg, PhD, PsyD — By Crystal Raypole — Updated on September 10, 2021
Dreams can get pretty weird sometimes. When you wake up from one that was particularly bizarre or vivid, you might feel relieved it was only a dream, one you’ll never have to experience again.
Well, that last part might not always be the case. Some dreams come back not just once, but again and again.
If you have recurring dreams, you might wonder what they mean and whether your brain is trying to tell you something.
Having the same upsetting dream regularly can even start to stress you out or make it tough to get a good night’s sleep.
Why do these dreams happen? Is it possible to get rid of them? Do they have any significant meaning?
Here’s what we do (and don’t) know about them.
While you probably won’t experience the exact same dream as someone else, some dream themes do remain pretty consistent from person to person.
They may not always feel frightening, but they’re more likely to involve negative or stressful experiences than positive ones.
The most commonly reported themes include:
- flying
- falling
- being chased or attacked
- being naked
- getting stuck or trapped somewhere
- going back to school
- losing your teeth
- losing your ability to speak
- missing a test
- showing up late for a first day or important occasion
- moving in slow motion or being unable to run
- crashing or losing control of a vehicle
Your dreams may not be completely identical each time.
For example, you might regularly dream about driving on bridges that drop suddenly. This still counts as a recurring dream, even if you don’t drive along the same bridge in every dream.
Since recurring dreams sometimes begin in childhood, they might change a little over time to reflect your changing experiences and worldview.
In fiction, especially fantasy genres, recurring dreams often suggest a character has supernatural powers, the ability to see the future, or other special talents.
Scientific research hasn’t found any evidence to suggest recurring dreams have any deep or significant meaning beyond exposing potential areas of stress in your life. But that doesn’t mean it’s not possible.
Dreams are notoriously difficult to study, and there’s still a lot we don’t know about them.
Experts believe recurring dreams generally reflect important themes in your life, including:
- unmet needs
- areas of frustration
- issues from the past that you haven’t addressed
You’ve probably had some variant of the “forgetting a final exam or research paper” dream. While very real stress related to final exams and research papers may have triggered this dream initially, it can easily come up again later in life, long after graduation.
Since this dream most likely relates to your desire to succeed and your worries about failing, you might have this dream anytime you face an event that provokes similar feelings. This could be an event like a job interview, a big date, or a research proposal.
Daily frustrations
Some theories about dreams suggest they help you process day-to-day experiences.
When you face something that poses a threat or keeps you from achieving goals — anything from workplace insecurities to relationship troubles to difficulty making decisions — you might feel frustrated or stressed. That, in turn, can seep into your dreams.
This idea is backed by 2017 research linking negative recurring dreams to unmet psychological needs.
A group of 200 adult students were asked to evaluate whether their psychological needs were met or unmet.
These needs included:
- autonomy, or the need to feel like you have at least some control over your life
- competence, or the need to have a meaningful impact on your life
- relatedness, or the need to both care for and be cared for by others
Then, they described the recurring dream they had most often.
Researchers asked them to rate how positive or negative the dream was, using terms like “hopeful,” “exciting,” “sad,” or “frustrating.”
Those who reported more unmet needs tended to report negative dream themes and describe their dreams with negative emotions.
Unresolved issues
Unpleasant or traumatic events from the past often remain in your memory. People often don’t realize, however, that distress associated with trauma can also linger in bodily and emotional responses. These traumatic events can include:
- abuse
- bullying
- disasters
- family conflict
If you’ve experienced trauma or abuse but haven’t fully acknowledged or processed the experience, you might notice recurring dreams that reflect your emotions related to what happened.
Dreams of drowning, for example, might reflect an overwhelming sense of helplessness, while a dream of being trapped or running in slow motion might suggest you still feel unable to escape.
Recurring dreams can also reflect more everyday internal conflicts.
Maybe you’re struggling with an important decision or feel uncertain about a recent choice you made.
Until you make your choice and come to terms with it, you might experience recurring dreams of being lost, failing a test, or otherwise making a mistake.
Current events
Have you had any recent dreams about wearing masks or people without mouths? Maybe you keep dreaming about being stranded alone somewhere or of giant insects.
Stress related to current events can show up in your dreams.
If COVID-19 news and updates permeate your waking life, there’s a good chance you’ll experience some of this tension in your dreams, too.
These themes may show up clearly (masks and isolation) or more symbolically (bugs, which your brain might translate to virus), according to dream researcher Deirdre Barrett, PhD, in an interview with The Harvard Gazette.
You’re more likely to experience upsetting dreams when you feel anxious or distressed during the day.
If you feel more worried about the future than usual, that’s perfectly understandable. But you may not be able to ease that fear and tension when you sleep until you take steps to manage it during the day.
If a bad dream upsets you the first time you have it, having it multiple times probably won’t make you feel any better.
You can’t always directly control dream content, but it’s often possible to take more indirect action by working to resolve any problems causing stress in your life.
No matter what challenges you’ve faced — from unmet needs to work stress to racism-related trauma — a therapist can offer guidance on self-care strategies and tips for managing distress productively.
In therapy, you can:
- identify and explore causes of unwanted emotions
- address their effect on your life
- learn helpful methods of coping with anxiety and stress
It’s generally not possible to eliminate all stress. Changing the way you respond, however, can help reduce any associated frustration and lead to improvements in your mood, your outlook, and your dreams.
Barrett also offers lucid dreaming as a potential strategy for managing unwanted recurring dreams in a 2013 interview with Popular Science.
In a lucid dream, you recognize your dream as just that. Some people use this awareness to control the dream and alter its course.
Others might simply watch the dream as a bystander, knowing that whatever happens, they’re safe, because it’s just a dream.
Interested in lucid dreaming? Try these tips.
Dreams don’t always make a lot of sense, but they can still offer some insight to your emotions and desires.
Recurring themes in your dreams can sometimes provide a key to more concrete issues you’re facing.
Taking the time to explore these challenges, with the help of a professional, can improve your sleep quality and mental health.
Crystal Raypole has previously worked as a writer and editor for GoodTherapy. Her fields of interest include Asian languages and literature, Japanese translation, cooking, natural sciences, sex positivity, and mental health.
In particular, she’s committed to helping decrease stigma around mental health issues.
Last medically reviewed on July 21, 2020
How we reviewed this article:
Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. We avoid using tertiary references. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.
- Speaking of psychology: The science of dreaming. (2018).
apa.org/research/action/speaking-of-psychology/science-of-dreaming - Vallat R, et al. (2018). Sleep and dream habits in a sample of French college students who report no sleep disorders. DOI:
10.1111/jsr.12659 - Weinstein N, et al (2017). Linking psychological need experiences to daily and recurring dreams, motivation and emotion. DOI:
10.1007/s11031-017-9656-0
Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.
Current Version
Sep 10, 2021
Edited By
Julia Stevenson
Copy Edited By
Copy Editors
Jul 21, 2020
Edited By
Kelly Morrell
Medically Reviewed By
Timothy J. Legg, PhD, PsyD
Copy Edited By
Stassi Myer - CE
Share this article
Medically reviewed by Timothy J. Legg, PhD, PsyD — By Crystal Raypole — Updated on September 10, 2021
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Recurring Dreams: What Do They Mean?
Recurring Dreams: What Do They Mean?- Health Conditions
- Featured
- Breast Cancer
- IBD
- Migraine
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Articles
- Acid Reflux
- ADHD
- Allergies
- Alzheimer's & Dementia
- Bipolar Disorder
- Cancer
- Crohn's Disease
- Chronic Pain
- Cold & Flu
- COPD
- Depression
- Fibromyalgia
- Heart Disease
- High Cholesterol
- HIV
- Hypertension
- IPF
- Osteoarthritis
- Psoriasis
- Skin Disorders and Care
- STDs
- Featured
- Discover
- Wellness Topics
- Nutrition
- Fitness
- Skin Care
- Sexual Health
- Women's Health
- Mental Well-Being
- Sleep
- Product Reviews
- Vitamins & Supplements
- Sleep
- Mental Health
- Nutrition
- At-Home Testing
- CBD
- Men’s Health
- Original Series
- Fresh Food Fast
- Diagnosis Diaries
- You’re Not Alone
- Present Tense
- Video Series
- Youth in Focus
- Healthy Harvest
- No More Silence
- Future of Health
- Wellness Topics
- Plan
- Health Challenges
- Mindful Eating
- Sugar Savvy
- Move Your Body
- Gut Health
- Mood Foods
- Align Your Spine
- Find Care
- Primary Care
- Mental Health
- OB-GYN
- Dermatologists
- Neurologists
- Cardiologists
- Orthopedists
- Lifestyle Quizzes
- Weight Management
- Am I Depressed? A Quiz for Teens
- Are You a Workaholic?
- How Well Do You Sleep?
- Tools & Resources
- Health News
- Find a Diet
- Find Healthy Snacks
- Drugs A-Z
- Health A-Z
- Health Challenges
- Connect
- Breast Cancer
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Psoriatic Arthritis
- Migraine
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Psoriasis
Medically reviewed by Timothy J.
Legg, PhD, PsyD — By Crystal Raypole — Updated on September 10, 2021
Dreams can get pretty weird sometimes. When you wake up from one that was particularly bizarre or vivid, you might feel relieved it was only a dream, one you’ll never have to experience again.
Well, that last part might not always be the case. Some dreams come back not just once, but again and again.
If you have recurring dreams, you might wonder what they mean and whether your brain is trying to tell you something.
Having the same upsetting dream regularly can even start to stress you out or make it tough to get a good night’s sleep.
Why do these dreams happen? Is it possible to get rid of them? Do they have any significant meaning?
Here’s what we do (and don’t) know about them.
While you probably won’t experience the exact same dream as someone else, some dream themes do remain pretty consistent from person to person.
They may not always feel frightening, but they’re more likely to involve negative or stressful experiences than positive ones.
The most commonly reported themes include:
- flying
- falling
- being chased or attacked
- being naked
- getting stuck or trapped somewhere
- going back to school
- losing your teeth
- losing your ability to speak
- missing a test
- showing up late for a first day or important occasion
- moving in slow motion or being unable to run
- crashing or losing control of a vehicle
Your dreams may not be completely identical each time.
For example, you might regularly dream about driving on bridges that drop suddenly. This still counts as a recurring dream, even if you don’t drive along the same bridge in every dream.
Since recurring dreams sometimes begin in childhood, they might change a little over time to reflect your changing experiences and worldview.
In fiction, especially fantasy genres, recurring dreams often suggest a character has supernatural powers, the ability to see the future, or other special talents.
Scientific research hasn’t found any evidence to suggest recurring dreams have any deep or significant meaning beyond exposing potential areas of stress in your life. But that doesn’t mean it’s not possible.
Dreams are notoriously difficult to study, and there’s still a lot we don’t know about them.
Experts believe recurring dreams generally reflect important themes in your life, including:
- unmet needs
- areas of frustration
- issues from the past that you haven’t addressed
You’ve probably had some variant of the “forgetting a final exam or research paper” dream. While very real stress related to final exams and research papers may have triggered this dream initially, it can easily come up again later in life, long after graduation.
Since this dream most likely relates to your desire to succeed and your worries about failing, you might have this dream anytime you face an event that provokes similar feelings. This could be an event like a job interview, a big date, or a research proposal.
Daily frustrations
Some theories about dreams suggest they help you process day-to-day experiences.
When you face something that poses a threat or keeps you from achieving goals — anything from workplace insecurities to relationship troubles to difficulty making decisions — you might feel frustrated or stressed. That, in turn, can seep into your dreams.
This idea is backed by 2017 research linking negative recurring dreams to unmet psychological needs.
A group of 200 adult students were asked to evaluate whether their psychological needs were met or unmet.
These needs included:
- autonomy, or the need to feel like you have at least some control over your life
- competence, or the need to have a meaningful impact on your life
- relatedness, or the need to both care for and be cared for by others
Then, they described the recurring dream they had most often.
Researchers asked them to rate how positive or negative the dream was, using terms like “hopeful,” “exciting,” “sad,” or “frustrating.”
Those who reported more unmet needs tended to report negative dream themes and describe their dreams with negative emotions.
Unresolved issues
Unpleasant or traumatic events from the past often remain in your memory. People often don’t realize, however, that distress associated with trauma can also linger in bodily and emotional responses. These traumatic events can include:
- abuse
- bullying
- disasters
- family conflict
If you’ve experienced trauma or abuse but haven’t fully acknowledged or processed the experience, you might notice recurring dreams that reflect your emotions related to what happened.
Dreams of drowning, for example, might reflect an overwhelming sense of helplessness, while a dream of being trapped or running in slow motion might suggest you still feel unable to escape.
Recurring dreams can also reflect more everyday internal conflicts.
Maybe you’re struggling with an important decision or feel uncertain about a recent choice you made.
Until you make your choice and come to terms with it, you might experience recurring dreams of being lost, failing a test, or otherwise making a mistake.
Current events
Have you had any recent dreams about wearing masks or people without mouths? Maybe you keep dreaming about being stranded alone somewhere or of giant insects.
Stress related to current events can show up in your dreams.
If COVID-19 news and updates permeate your waking life, there’s a good chance you’ll experience some of this tension in your dreams, too.
These themes may show up clearly (masks and isolation) or more symbolically (bugs, which your brain might translate to virus), according to dream researcher Deirdre Barrett, PhD, in an interview with The Harvard Gazette.
You’re more likely to experience upsetting dreams when you feel anxious or distressed during the day.
If you feel more worried about the future than usual, that’s perfectly understandable. But you may not be able to ease that fear and tension when you sleep until you take steps to manage it during the day.
If a bad dream upsets you the first time you have it, having it multiple times probably won’t make you feel any better.
You can’t always directly control dream content, but it’s often possible to take more indirect action by working to resolve any problems causing stress in your life.
No matter what challenges you’ve faced — from unmet needs to work stress to racism-related trauma — a therapist can offer guidance on self-care strategies and tips for managing distress productively.
In therapy, you can:
- identify and explore causes of unwanted emotions
- address their effect on your life
- learn helpful methods of coping with anxiety and stress
It’s generally not possible to eliminate all stress. Changing the way you respond, however, can help reduce any associated frustration and lead to improvements in your mood, your outlook, and your dreams.
Barrett also offers lucid dreaming as a potential strategy for managing unwanted recurring dreams in a 2013 interview with Popular Science.
In a lucid dream, you recognize your dream as just that. Some people use this awareness to control the dream and alter its course.
Others might simply watch the dream as a bystander, knowing that whatever happens, they’re safe, because it’s just a dream.
Interested in lucid dreaming? Try these tips.
Dreams don’t always make a lot of sense, but they can still offer some insight to your emotions and desires.
Recurring themes in your dreams can sometimes provide a key to more concrete issues you’re facing.
Taking the time to explore these challenges, with the help of a professional, can improve your sleep quality and mental health.
Crystal Raypole has previously worked as a writer and editor for GoodTherapy. Her fields of interest include Asian languages and literature, Japanese translation, cooking, natural sciences, sex positivity, and mental health.
In particular, she’s committed to helping decrease stigma around mental health issues.
Last medically reviewed on July 21, 2020
How we reviewed this article:
Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. We avoid using tertiary references. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.
- Speaking of psychology: The science of dreaming. (2018).
apa.org/research/action/speaking-of-psychology/science-of-dreaming - Vallat R, et al. (2018). Sleep and dream habits in a sample of French college students who report no sleep disorders. DOI:
10.1111/jsr.12659 - Weinstein N, et al (2017). Linking psychological need experiences to daily and recurring dreams, motivation and emotion. DOI:
10.1007/s11031-017-9656-0
Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.
Current Version
Sep 10, 2021
Edited By
Julia Stevenson
Copy Edited By
Copy Editors
Jul 21, 2020
Edited By
Kelly Morrell
Medically Reviewed By
Timothy J. Legg, PhD, PsyD
Copy Edited By
Stassi Myer - CE
Share this article
Medically reviewed by Timothy J. Legg, PhD, PsyD — By Crystal Raypole — Updated on September 10, 2021
Read this next
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Medically reviewed by Karin Gepp, PsyD
Lucid dreaming involves being aware that you're dreaming while still asleep.
It allows you to control the dream and may help conditions, like PTSD and…READ MORE
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Medically reviewed by Timothy J. Legg, PhD, PsyD
Sometimes we wake up and have no idea that we’ve dreamed, while other times we can closely recall our dreams because they were so intense. These are…
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Why do I have recurring nightmares?
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What does science say about recurring dreams?
Having the same dream over and over again is a well-known phenomenon: almost two-thirds of the population report recurring dreams. Being chased, finding yourself naked in a public place or in the middle of a natural disaster, losing your teeth, or forgetting about classes for an entire semester are typical recurring dream scenarios.
But where did this phenomenon come from? Explain neuroscientist Claudia Picard-Deland and psychiatrist Tore Nielsen from the University of Montreal on the pages of The Conversation.
The science of dreams shows that recurring dreams can reflect unresolved conflicts in a person's life. They often occur during times of stress, but can also haunt you for an extended period of time, sometimes several years or even your entire life. Not only do these dreams have the same themes, they can also repeat the same story night after night.
Although the exact content of recurring dreams is unique to each person, there are common themes among people of different cultures. Some of the most common scenarios include stalking, falling, not preparing for an exam, being late, or repeatedly trying to do something.
Most recurring dreams have negative content, including emotions such as fear, sadness, anger and guilt. More than half of recurring dreams are associated with a situation where the sleeper is in danger.
But some regular daydreams can be positive and even euphoric: for example, dreams in which we fly or open new rooms in our house, as well as erotic dreams.
In some cases, recurring dreams that begin in childhood may persist into adulthood. These dreams may disappear for several years, reappear in the presence of a new source of stress, and then disappear again when the situation is over.
Unresolved conflicts
Why does our brain reproduce the same dreams over and over again? Research shows that dreams in general help us regulate our emotions and adapt to stressful events. Incorporating emotional material into dreams may allow a person to experience a painful or difficult event.
In the case of recurring dreams, the same content may represent a failed attempt to make sense of these difficult experiences. In many theories, the prevailing view is that recurring dreams are associated with unresolved difficulties or conflicts in a person's life.
The presence of recurring dreams is also associated with lower levels of psychological well-being and the presence of symptoms of anxiety and depression.
These dreams tend to recur during stressful situations and stop when the person resolves a personal conflict, indicating an improvement in well-being.
Recurring dreams are often figurative of people's emotional experiences. For example, a dream about a tsunami occurs after an injury or abuse. This is a typical example of a metaphor that embodies the emotions of helplessness, panic, or fear experienced while awake. And when in a dream you find yourself naked or inappropriately dressed, you cannot find a toilet - these are scenarios that personify embarrassment and shame.
These themes can be seen as ready-made scripts that provide us with a space where we can process our conflicting emotions. The same script can be reused in different situations where we experience similar emotions. That's why some people who are faced with a stressful situation or a new challenge may dream that they were unprepared for a math exam - even years after they graduated from high school.
Although the circumstances are different, a similar feeling of stress or a desire to succeed can trigger the same dream scenario again.
Continuity of repetition
American researcher and psychologist William Domhoff proposes the concept of continuous repetition of dreams. In an extreme case, traumatic nightmares directly reproduce the trauma experienced - this is one of the main symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
In this case, recurring dreams arise in which the same dream content is reproduced partially or completely. Unlike traumatic dreams, recurring dreams rarely reproduce an event or conflict directly, but reflect it metaphorically through the underlying emotion.
Next, according to this theory of the continuity of dreams, there are recurring themes in dreams. These dreams tend to reenact a similar situation—for example, being late, being chased, or being lost—but the exact content of the dream varies. For example, a person dreams of being late for a train, and not for an exam.
Certain dream elements can be found recurring in one person's dreams, such as characters, actions, or objects. All these dreams on different levels reflect an attempt to resolve certain emotional problems.
With the continuous repetition of dreams, experiences gradually change their intensity from a high level to a lower one, which is often a sign that the psychological state of a person is improving. For example, trauma survivors often experience progressive and positive changes in the content of their traumatic nightmares as they overcome their difficulties.
Physiological phenomena
Why do we usually have the same themes in dreams? One possible explanation is that some of these scenarios provided an evolutionary advantage and therefore stuck with the human race. For example, stalking nightmares that mimic a life threat provide an additional opportunity for a person to practice perceiving predators and fleeing from them in their sleep.
Some general themes can also be partly explained by the physiological phenomena that occur during sleep.
A 2018 study by a team of scientists in Israel found that dreams of losing teeth were not particularly associated with anxiety symptoms, but rather were associated with clenching of teeth during sleep or dental discomfort upon awakening.
When we sleep, our brain is not completely cut off from the outside world. He continues to perceive external stimuli, such as sounds or smells, or internal body signals. This means that other themes, such as not being able to find a toilet or being naked in a public place, may actually be caused by having to empty your bladder at night or wearing loose pajamas in bed.
Some physical phenomena that are characteristic of REM sleep (in this phase of sleep we most often dream) may also be relevant. During REM sleep, our muscles are paralyzed, which can lead to dreams of stiff legs or being paralyzed in bed.
Similarly, some authors have suggested that dreams of falling or flying are caused by our vestibular system, which promotes balance and can spontaneously reactivate during REM sleep.
Of course, these sensations are not enough to explain the recurrence of dreams in humans and their sudden occurrence during times of stress, but they probably play a significant role in the construction of our most typical dreams.
Break the cycle
People who experience a recurring nightmare are, in a sense, stuck in a certain way of reacting to the dream script and waiting for it. Treatments have been developed to help eliminate repetitiveness and break the cycle of nightmares.
One method is to visualize the nightmare while awake and then rewrite it, that is, change the story by changing one aspect: for example, fix the end of the dream to something more positive. Lucid dreaming can also be a solution.
In lucid dreams we realize that we are dreaming and can sometimes influence the content of our dream. Being lucid in a recurring dream can allow us to think differently or react to the dream and thereby change its recurring nature.
However, not all recurring dreams are bad in themselves.
They can even be helpful as they inform us of our personal conflicts and contradictions. By paying attention to the recurring elements of dreams, perhaps we can better understand and resolve our greatest desires and torments.
Source
The science of sleep
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1
Why do different people dream of the same scenes that have not been experienced in reality?
- Dreams may not depend on what is happening. Neuropsychologists believe that the common motifs of dreams are explained by an inherited set of mental categories. The similarity of dreams is due to the basic structure of neural connections, it is the same for all people. Since the structure of the brain is the same, therefore, emotions are processed in the same way.
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2
The described archetypal dreams cause discomfort. Does this indicate anxiety in life?
- Anxiety, frustration and fear are dream affects. Dreams are the results of our mental activity, one of its main functions is compensatory. That is, dreams help us discover some kind of problem, survive and complete some kind of daytime experience, cope with anxieties and fears.
The psychologist does not advise to constantly "run away" from nightmares, but to try to "listen" to them, since dreams can be a projection of reality.
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3
What do certain archetypal dreams mean?
Archetypal dreams can be deciphered because some of them, according to the psychologist, have a certain meaning for a particular person or hide the thought process that a person experiences in wakefulness. A psychologist can help uncover the replacement and understand the hidden meaning of sleep. One of the methods is psychoanalysis.
- Attention during the conversation is paid to the elements of the content, the patient's feelings that arose during sleep and after, events that are expected or happened. Images, details, the attitude of a person to what is depicted in a dream are of importance for analysis. Such an analysis of behavior helps to move from the explicit meaning to the hidden one.
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4
What to pay attention to in a dream?
If a dream recurs and frightens you, and you want to get rid of this impression, Victoria advises you to contact a psychologist - he will help you live through this dream. And if after sleep you feel a breakdown, this can be discussed with a therapist, a somnologist or the same psychologist with the request to “relieve symptoms”.
— The main thing is to understand why this dream appeared — maybe a person abuses alcohol, is nervous, does not rest, walks a little. And even the geomagnetic field of the earth, magnetic storms can affect the quality of sleep.
It is necessary to correlate the possible reasons with why a person had such a dream.
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5
Anxious archetypal dreams and mental problems
— You may notice that some states in a dream can resemble a state of psychosis, hysterical seizures, hallucinations. According to such symptoms, if the dream is repeated repeatedly, a disorder can be assumed. A dream can be dreamed from night to night, it can be aggravated each time, according to the description, the dream can be similar to a description of the clinical picture of some kind of illness.
Dreams of fear, according to a specialist, may be evidence of an epileptic seizure, psychosis may manifest itself after a dream, it itself can cause psychosis, but on condition that the person already has a predisposition. Also in a dream, a crazy idea may come that will develop after it.
Psychiatry deals with the above processes, but if you suspect certain disorders, it is better to contact a psychologist initially, who can redirect you to a colleague.
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6
Phases of sleep and exit from disturbing dreams
We see dreams in a certain phase - delta sleep, it is at this time that we have nightmares. Victoria says that these nightmares can be escaped if the person realizes they are in a dream. To do this, you need to make an effort of will over yourself, for example, jump high, try to take off, close your eyes or start blinking. If you see unpleasant characters, then you can try to look them in the eye and ask what they need, in other words, look fear in the face.
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7
Sleep management
Victoria claims that it is possible to control dreams. Not the fact that it will work the first time, but you can train.
— In science, sleep control is called lucid dreaming. This is a special technique that allows a person to see the dream that he wants, go into sleep when he wants, and also get out of it. This is the intersection point of the conscious and the unconscious.
But psychophysiologists believe that during a lucid dream, the brain does not rest.
The psychologist advises to start working with lucid dreams in the office of a specialist - so he can control the situation and help in an unforeseen situation. Also in the psychologist's office, you can work out immersion techniques for further independent use.
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8
How to get rid of unpleasant sensations after disturbed sleep
The most important rule is not to go back to sleep, because it can continue. The psychologist offers several ways: turn on pleasant music, take a shower and imagine how this unpleasant sensation flows down with water. Or apply breathing techniques, and at this time imagining where the sensation “sits” in the body, try to “breathe” it. It will also help to pronounce sleep to loved ones, after which it is worth coming up with a good ending. Later, the dream is unlikely to be dreamed, because the result is already there.
- You need to write down dreams to see the dynamics.
