The fear of death (death anxiety) is a risk factor for various mental health conditions. Death anxiety has been theorized to elicit physiological arousal and worry and is empirically associated with attachment insecurity, each of which has been linked to disrupted sleep. However, limited research has explored the relationship between death anxiety, nightmares and insomnia. We examined the...
Objective: Up to 40% of adults report poor sleep quality, yet research investigating the role of nightmares on sleep quality is limited. This study aimed to characterise the prevalence of disturbing dreams and nightmares and their relationship to poor sleep quality. Method: 439 adults (310 females, Mage=44.9 years) completed an online survey investigating sleep, dreams, nightmares, and mental...
This study aimed to determine the relative efficacy of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) or cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) in comparison to a waitlist control (WLC) for people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Participants completed assessments before and after treatment and at 6-month follow-up. Two hundred and sixty-nine participants with RA were recruited and randomised in a 2:2:1...
Abstract Introduction Dream content analysis is not a routine part of a clinical sleep assessment. However, dreams are an important part of the sleep experience and may provide insights into other health domains. This study investigated the relationship between descriptions of dream content and psychological distress. Methods The study cohort consisted of 217 participants (149 female, age...
Abstract Introduction In recent years, death anxiety has been identified as a transdiagnostic risk factor for many mental health conditions and potentially for disturbing sleep and nightmares. In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to identify the prevalence and predictors of death anxiety and examine its relationship to disturbing dreams and nightmares in Australian adults. Methods...
Abstract: Mindfulness interventions have become popular in recent decades, with many trials, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses of the impact of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) on pain. Although many meta-analyses provide support for MBIs, the results are more mixed than they at first appear. The aim of this umbrella review was to determine the strength of evidence for MBIs by...
Research over the past several decades suggests that meaningful psychedelic experiences can engender long-term effects on subjective wellbeing. However, less research has investigated the psychological mechanisms through which these effects may emerge. In the present study, participants (N = 201) completed an online survey that retrospectively measured the acute effects of a meaningful...
Psychedelic therapies can engender enduring improvements in psychological well-being. However, relatively little is known about the psychological mechanisms through which the salutary effects of psychedelics emerge. Through integrating extant research on psychedelics with contemporary existential psychology, we present a novel hypothesis that reduced death anxiety may be a key mechanism...