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The International Journal of... Apr 2023The paper confronts psychoanalytic dream theories with the findings of empirical dream research. It summarizes the discussion in psychoanalysis around the function of... (Review)
Review
The paper confronts psychoanalytic dream theories with the findings of empirical dream research. It summarizes the discussion in psychoanalysis around the function of dreams (e.g. as the guardian of sleep), wish-fullfilment or compensation, whether there is a difference between latent and manifest content, etc. In empirical dream research some of these questions have been investigated and the results can provide clarifications for psychoanalytic theorizing. The paper provides an overview of empirical dream research and its findings, as well as of clinical dream research in psychoanalysis, which was mainly conducted in German-speaking countries. The results are used to discuss the major questions in psychoanalytic dream theories and points out some developments in contemporary approaches which have been influenced by these insights. As a conclusion the paper attempts to formulate a revised theory of dreaming and its functions, which combines psychoanalytic thinking with research.
Topics: Humans; Dreams; Psychoanalysis; Psychoanalytic Interpretation; Psychoanalytic Theory; Psychoanalytic Therapy
PubMed: 37139735
DOI: 10.1080/00207578.2023.2184268 -
Consciousness and Cognition Jul 2018Are dreams bizarre, nonsensical experiences or real-world simulations? I introduce a pluralist approach to dream content that highlights the philosophical and empirical... (Review)
Review
Are dreams bizarre, nonsensical experiences or real-world simulations? I introduce a pluralist approach to dream content that highlights the philosophical and empirical implications of treating dreaming as a highly varied experience that can be anywhere on a spectrum from truly bizarre and incoherent to wake-like and mundane. Here I discuss several explanations for why theorists disagree on whether dreams should be defined as primarily bizarre or convincing, real-world simulations. Rating scales can underestimate or overestimate bizarreness depending on the variables of the scale and interpretation of contextual factors. Although double blind analysis of dream reports is assumed to be the most accurate method of quantifying dream bizarreness, contextual factors can only be clarified by the dreamer themselves, since only they can judge whether an event would be bizarre in their own lives, however the dreamer might find elements bizarre after waking that they did not find unusual during the dream. Dreams can at times be so bizarre and incoherent that that they are difficult or impossible to report accurately, mundane and indistinguishable from waking life or anything in-between. Both bizarre and mundane dreams should be of great interest to philosophers of mind and cognitive scientists.
Topics: Adult; Brain; Child; Dreams; Humans; Models, Psychological; Psychological Theory
PubMed: 29739723
DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2018.03.009 -
Brain and Nerve = Shinkei Kenkyu No... Apr 2014Dreaming is a subjective experience during sleep that is often accompanied by vivid perceptual and emotional contents. Because of its fundamentally subjective nature,... (Review)
Review
Dreaming is a subjective experience during sleep that is often accompanied by vivid perceptual and emotional contents. Because of its fundamentally subjective nature, the objective study of dream contents has been challenging. However, since the discovery of rapid eye movements during sleep, scientific knowledge on the relationship between dreaming and physiological measures including brain activity has accumulated. Recent advances in neuroimaging analysis methods have made it possible to uncover direct links between specific dream contents and brain activity patterns. In this review, we first give a historical overview on dream researches with a focus on the neurophysiological and behavioral signatures of dreaming. We then discuss our recent study in which visual dream contents were predicted, or decoded, from brain activity during sleep onset periods using machine learning-based pattern recognition of functional MRI data. We suggest that advanced analytical tools combined with neural and behavioral databases will reveal the relevance of spontaneous brain activity during sleep to waking experiences.
Topics: Brain; Dreams; Emotions; Eye Movements; Humans; Neuroimaging; Sleep
PubMed: 24748094
DOI: No ID Found -
Annals of the New York Academy of... Oct 2017Where do our dreams originate from, and what do they tell us? Is there a universal set of symbols that are common to all dreams, regardless of a person's ethnicity or... (Review)
Review
Where do our dreams originate from, and what do they tell us? Is there a universal set of symbols that are common to all dreams, regardless of a person's ethnicity or culture? What does dreaming reveal about the unconscious? Why do some dreams remain etched in our memories, whereas others are almost instantly forgotten? Some scientists have adopted the position that dreams are little more than noise in the brain, without any substantive purpose or function. Yet, such a stance seemingly runs counter to the experience of many people who reflect upon and even analyze their dreams, often in search of clues to their daily lives or insights into their deeper selves. Similarly, in virtually all wisdom traditions, dreams are invoked as an important source of revelation or prophecy. Steve Paulson, executive producer and host of To the Best of Our Knowledge, moderated a discussion that included psychologist Deirdre Barrett, dream researcher Kelly Bulkeley, and psychologist and sleep/dream medicine specialist Rubin Naiman; they examined dreams from a variety of perspectives to answer these questions.
Topics: Awareness; Brain; Dreams; Humans; Sleep, REM; Unconscious, Psychology; Wakefulness; Webcasts as Topic
PubMed: 28618458
DOI: 10.1111/nyas.13389 -
Journal of Sleep Research Jun 2023Lucid dreams are defined as dreams in which the dreamers are aware of the fact that they are dreaming as dreams continue. It has been ~12 years since the last review... (Review)
Review
Lucid dreams are defined as dreams in which the dreamers are aware of the fact that they are dreaming as dreams continue. It has been ~12 years since the last review of the efficiency of lucid dream induction techniques was conducted. Hence, the present study aimed to review the lucid dream induction techniques published in the past decade. The second aim was to propose a modified classification for the existing lucid dream induction techniques, including cognitive techniques, external stimulation, substance intervention, and cortical stimulation. The third aim was to assess the methodological quality of the studies included in the review. It was hypothesised that, comparing with the studies included in the last review, the studies included in the present review had better overall methodological quality. A total of 19 peer-reviewed studies were included and analysed in the present review, from which 14 lucid dream induction techniques were identified. The results indicated that the mnemonic induction of lucid dream technique was the most effective for inducing lucid dreams. Moreover, two new techniques, the senses-initiated lucid dream technique and galantamine intervention, might also be competitive candidates for lucid dream induction but further replications are needed. As hypothesised, the overall methodological quality of the studies included in the present review was higher than that of the studies included the previous review. In all, 17 studies had moderate methodological quality, whereas only three studies had poor methodological quality.
Topics: Humans; Dreams; Awareness; Memory
PubMed: 36408823
DOI: 10.1111/jsr.13786 -
Tijdschrift Voor Psychiatrie 2007The dream has always been of interest to psychiatrists. It can assist with the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders. (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
The dream has always been of interest to psychiatrists. It can assist with the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders.
AIM
To find out whether the dream is regarded as meaningful in modern psychiatry and to discover how dreams can be used by psychiatrists in clinical practice.
METHOD
Initially, psychoanalytic monographs on the subject of dreams were read thoroughly. This is followed by a literature search in PubMed and PEPWeb on the basis of the search terms 'dream', 'dreams' and 'dreaming'. results There has been considerable interest in dreams in the psychiatric literature published in the last few decades. Neuroscientific data seem to confirm Freud's wish-fulfilling theory. The dream plays a role in the consolidation of memory. It seems reasonable that psychopathological diagnosis should take the content of dreams into account.
CONCLUSION
Not only is the dream a fascinating subject for research, it is also useful in the diagnosis and treatment of a number of psychiatric disorders.
Topics: Dreams; Humans; Mental Disorders; Psychoanalysis; Psychoanalytic Interpretation; Psychoanalytic Theory
PubMed: 18175289
DOI: No ID Found -
Consciousness and Cognition Aug 2020Information processing during sleep is active, ongoing and accessible to engineering. Protocols such as targeted memory reactivation use sensory stimuli during sleep to...
Information processing during sleep is active, ongoing and accessible to engineering. Protocols such as targeted memory reactivation use sensory stimuli during sleep to reactivate memories and demonstrate subsequent, specific enhancement of their consolidation. These protocols rely on physiological, as opposed to phenomenological, evidence of their reactivation. While dream content can predict post-sleep memory enhancement, dreaming itself remains a black box. Here, we present a novel protocol using a new wearable electronic device, Dormio, to automatically generate serial auditory dream incubations at sleep onset, wherein targeted information is repeatedly presented during the hypnagogic period, enabling direct incorporation of this information into dream content, a process we call targeted dream incubation (TDI). Along with validation data, we discuss how Dormio and TDI protocols can serve as tools for controlled experimentation on dream content, shedding light on the role of dreams in the overnight transformation of experiences into memories.
Topics: Adult; Creativity; Dreams; Equipment Design; Female; Humans; Male; Memory Consolidation; Sleep Stages; Wearable Electronic Devices; Young Adult
PubMed: 32480292
DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2020.102938 -
Consciousness and Cognition Aug 2020Lucid dreaming is a unique phenomenon with potential applications for therapeutic interventions. Few studies have investigated the effects of lucidity on an individual's...
Lucid dreaming is a unique phenomenon with potential applications for therapeutic interventions. Few studies have investigated the effects of lucidity on an individual's waking mood, which could have valuable implications for improving psychological wellbeing. The current experiment aims to investigate whether the experience of lucidity enhances positive waking mood, and whether lucidity is associated with dream emotional content and subjective sleep quality. 20 participants were asked to complete lucid dream induction techniques along with an online dream diary for one week, which featured a 19-item lucidity questionnaire, and subjective ratings of sleep quality, dream emotional content, and waking mood. Results indicated that higher lucidity was associated with more positive dream content and elevated positive waking mood the next day, although there was no relationship with sleep quality. The results of the research and suggestions for future investigations, such as the need for longitudinal studies of lucidity and mood, are discussed.
Topics: Adult; Affect; Dreams; Female; Humans; Male; Sleep, REM; Young Adult
PubMed: 32535498
DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2020.102971 -
ELife Jun 2020Deep inside the temporal lobe of the brain, the hippocampus has a central role in our ability to remember, imagine and dream.
Deep inside the temporal lobe of the brain, the hippocampus has a central role in our ability to remember, imagine and dream.
Topics: Brain; Dreams; Hippocampus; Mental Recall
PubMed: 32508304
DOI: 10.7554/eLife.58874 -
Nature Neuroscience Jun 2017Consciousness never fades during waking. However, when awakened from sleep, we sometimes recall dreams and sometimes recall no experiences. Traditionally, dreaming has...
Consciousness never fades during waking. However, when awakened from sleep, we sometimes recall dreams and sometimes recall no experiences. Traditionally, dreaming has been identified with rapid eye-movement (REM) sleep, characterized by wake-like, globally 'activated', high-frequency electroencephalographic activity. However, dreaming also occurs in non-REM (NREM) sleep, characterized by prominent low-frequency activity. This challenges our understanding of the neural correlates of conscious experiences in sleep. Using high-density electroencephalography, we contrasted the presence and absence of dreaming in NREM and REM sleep. In both NREM and REM sleep, reports of dream experience were associated with local decreases in low-frequency activity in posterior cortical regions. High-frequency activity in these regions correlated with specific dream contents. Monitoring this posterior 'hot zone' in real time predicted whether an individual reported dreaming or the absence of dream experiences during NREM sleep, suggesting that it may constitute a core correlate of conscious experiences in sleep.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Cerebral Cortex; Dreams; Electroencephalography; Female; Humans; Male; Mental Recall; Middle Aged; Polysomnography; Sleep Stages; Young Adult
PubMed: 28394322
DOI: 10.1038/nn.4545