Sleep and Dreaming in Holocaust Survivors Dramatic Decrease in Dream Recall in Well-Adjusted Survivors
The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease November 1, 1991 DOI: 10.1097/00005053-199111000-00003 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 33 |
| Population | Holocaust survivors classified as well-adjusted or less-adjusted, plus control subjects |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Citations | 90 |
| Key findings | Well-adjusted Holocaust survivors recalled dreams after REM awakenings at a significantly lower rate (33.7%) than less-adjusted survivors (50.5%) and controls (80%), and their dreams were less complex and less salient. Less-adjusted survivors showed longer sleep latency than both other groups and lower sleep efficiency than controls. The authors suggest reduced dream recall may be a form of long-term adjustment to severe trauma. |
Abstract
Sleep data were obtained on 12 well-adjusted and 11 less-adjusted Holocaust survivors and on 10 control subjects. Each was also awakened from rapid eye movement sleep for dream recall. The less-adjusted survivors had more prolonged sleep latency than the well-adjusted and the control groups and lower sleep efficiency than the control subjects. The well-adjusted group had a significantly lower dream recall rate (33.7%) than the less-adjusted (50.5%) and control groups (80%). There were also significant between-groups differences in dream structure and dream content, in the direction of less complex and less salient dreams in the well-adjusted survivors. It is suggested that the decrease in dream recall is one of the forms of long-term adjustment to severe traumatic events.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucid Dreaming: a State of Consciousness with Features of Both Waking and Non-Lucid Dreaming Student volunteers trained to become lucid and signal lucidity with horizontal eye... | 2009 | Observational study | n = 6 |
| Nightmare Prevalence, Nightmare Distress, and Self-Reported Psychological Disturbance Young adults with a mean age of 20 years | 2002 | Prospective observational study | n = 116 |
| Long-term effects of extreme situational stress on sleep and dreaming Survivors of traumatic events who complained of sleep disturbances, compared with... | 1987 | Case-control study | n = 11 |
| The relationship of nightmare frequency and nightmare distress to well‐being Adults who reported dreams | 2004 | Observational cohort | n = 147 |
| Dreaming in NREM Sleep: A High-Density EEG Study of Slow Waves and Spindles Healthy human subjects | 2018 | Observational cohort | n = 14 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 16
- Relationship between dissociative experiences, abnormal sleep experiences, and sleep quality in undergraduate students Dusunen Adam: The Journal of Psychiatry and Neurological Sciences June 30, 2010
- Sleep Disorders Among Holocaust Survivors The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease August 28, 2017
- Rungs on the Ladder to Consciousness June 30, 2025
- Synesthesia is associated with distinctive patterns in dream content. Consciousness and Cognition 2026
- How Consciousness Works Dreams, Jokes, and Songs July 31, 2025
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