Why do nightmares and some plots constantly repeat? Psychologists’ analysis

Clinical and sports psychologist, hypnotherapist

“Nightmares can have a serious impact on a person’s psychological and emotional wellbeing. They can lead to restlessness, anxiety and disturbed sleep, having a negative impact on quality of life.”

Causes of nightmares

Traumatic events

People who have experienced severe trauma can suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They experience nightmares that keep coming back, repeating themselves in cycles. This is because certain events leave a deep imprint on the memory and can continue to affect a person’s mental state for long periods of time.

Stress and anxiety

Emotional states such as high levels of stress and anxiety also contribute to nightmares. Negative emotions and experiences that accumulate throughout the day can manifest as intense dreams.

Repressed emotions and conflicts

Sometimes people are unable to express or recognize their emotions and conflicts in everyday life. And they may find them manifesting during sleep. Then recurring nightmares will be a projection of inner conflicts and repressed feelings.

Medications and drugs

Some medications, as well as the use of drugs and alcohol before going to sleep, affect the content of dreams and contribute to scary dreams.

Somatic and neurological conditions

Certain physical and neurological conditions such as illness, pain syndrome, and sleep disorders (such as insomnia or sleep apnea) can also cause nightmares.

Psychologist, lecturer in the Department of Cybersports at Synergy’s Department of Gaming and Cybersports faculty member

“Traditionally, dreams are usually attributed to the sphere of activity of the unconscious. Dreams allow us to process the information that is stored in our psyche. This is how resources and the nervous system are restored. At night, the data disturbing a person is processed in a safe and less painful form. This is visualized in the form of dreams, which allows the psyche to remain preserved, that is – conditionally healthy.”

Why do nightmares recur?

Repeated dreams help the unconscious part of our psyche to dosed work off the displaced or emotionally vivid material. That is, to bring to consciousness without significant damage to overall health.

If nightmares accompany a person’s sleep for a long time and he has learned to live with them, then this situation is not normal. This would indicate a sufficiently deep displaced psychotrauma. It takes away a significant resource from the psyche, which leads to a decrease in productivity in everyday life.

Ignoring recurring nightmares, especially in childhood, does not allow the nervous system to recover during sleep in full. This will certainly affect the ability to concentrate and memorize, the speed of processing information.

How to read the symbolism of dreams?

Dreams are symbolic. This is a well-established and universally recognized fact. However, the interpretation of meanings can be quite different in different countries, regions and nationalities. Therefore, dreambooks are not always an adequate tool for deciphering and forming valid conclusions.

For the correct interpretation, of course, you need to learn to memorize your dream. This can be very difficult to do. There are a number of hints on how to keep in memory a nightmare and analyze it.

1. First – describe the situation and the place in which the events unfolded. Remember the main actors.
2. Next, pay attention to the sensations that arise when remembering that picture or actions.
3. Third, think about whether these feelings are familiar.
4. Fourth, register the feelings and emotions. If this does not work, note what was wrong with your body. Perhaps you were unable to move or your legs felt “woozy”.

Generalizing these facts, you can use special psychological techniques to find the situation that was the trigger for this dream. Then interpret the moments that disturb and do not give peace. It is better to do this with the help of a psychologist.

How to cope with anxiety and stress?

Prolonged exposure to stress does not allow the nervous system to recover completely. Such a state makes us more susceptible to unfavorable factors of life. And even just to information noise.

Any emotion in tension is felt by a person superdramatically. As a result – the level of anxiety increases even more and activity decreases. The same emotion under more favorable physiological conditions will not seem catastrophic and will not cause so much anxiety to a person.

Brain injuries, mental disorders – these are diseases and conditions that physiologically prevent the normal course of production of chemical elements and balanced activity of the zones of this organ. Which, of course, affects the quality of sleep and general recovery processes.

In a situation of increased stress and anxiety, it is necessary to establish a mandatory regime of sleep and wakefulness, nutrition. In the absence of quality rest, the production of neuronal hormones is disturbed. They are necessary for the normal functioning of the brain and the psyche as a whole.

One of the universal and safe ways to combat anxiety are breathing exercises. Why? In a negative situation, we begin to breathe less qualitatively. There is much less fuel going to the brain. Breathing exercises, aimed at activating diaphragmatic breathing, allow you to quickly and qualitatively saturate the body with oxygen. As a result, thoughts are put in order.

The right atmosphere for sleep

The atmosphere for sleep plays an important role for its quality and duration. Firstly, you should not load yourself with heavy food before bedtime or food high in carbohydrates.

Second, you should reduce the amount of visual noise before bedtime. Refuse from watching gadgets, TV, talking on the phone at least an hour before bedtime. Allow your brain to adjust to rest and fall asleep, rather than passing out like a switch from fatigue.

Of course, relaxation breathing exercises are always good. They help you let go of the events of the day and tune in to the peace. Take care to create favorable climatic conditions in the room in which you will sleep – ventilate, adjust the temperature and humidity.

Who to turn to for help?

If nightmares are repeated and they cause discomfort, or, for example, a person wakes up in the middle of the night and then can not sleep, then you need the help of a specialist.

You can ignore nightmares as much as you want, but after a certain period of time they will still exhaust the nervous system. And this problem will already acquire a larger scale. Timely appeal to a psychologist or psychotherapist for help allows you to solve this problem without reducing productivity in normal life.

Vladimir Dernov: “Remember that only a combined approach helps patients to realize and overcome the sources of their nightmares. Also learn to manage stress and emotions. As a result – to improve the quality of sleep and overall well-being.”

How to treat night terrors?

Treating cyclical nightmares requires a holistic approach and can involve different methods. Let’s break down the most effective ones.

Psychotherapy

One of the main approaches to the treatment of scary recurring dreams is psychotherapy. Specialists work with patients to help them explore and realize the sources of their dreams. In the case of traumatic events, techniques such as trauma therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) are used. These help to cope with the effects of trauma and reduce the frequency and intensity of nightmares.

Hypnotherapy

Hypnotherapy can be an effective treatment for nightmares. The practitioner facilitates achieving a deep state of relaxation and awareness to explore the roots and meaning of nightmares. With this technique, it is possible to perform visualization and re-imagining of scenarios. Also teach the patient self-regulation and stress management techniques.

Medication treatment

In some cases where nightmares are the result of neurological or psychiatric conditions, medication treatment may be required. Antidepressants or sleep medications are exclusively prescribed by a doctor to improve the quality of rest and reduce the frequency of scary dreams.