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The relationship of alexithymia characteristics to dreaming.

M A Lumley, R A Bazydlo

Journal of Psychosomatic Research June 2000 DOI: 10.1016/s0022-3999(00)00096-9 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Retrospective survey plus 1-week prospective diary study Peer reviewed
Sample size 153
Population Young adults
Duration 1-week prospective diary study
Measures Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS)-20
Topics Dreaming
Key findings The externally oriented thinking facet of alexithymia was linked to poorer dream recall and bland, non-vivid dreams, while the difficulty identifying and difficulty describing feelings facets were linked to disturbing, bizarre, and aggressive dreams. The authors argue that different facets of the multidimensional alexithymia construct explain these two distinct patterns of dream reports.

Abstract

In two studies, we tested two hypotheses about the relationship of alexithymia to dreaming; that dreams of alexithymic people are barren and rarely recalled, and that the dreams are unregulated and nightmarish. Study 1 was a retrospective survey of dreaming among several hundred young adults, and Study 2 was a 1-week, prospective diary study of 153 young adults in which recall, content, and length of dreams were assessed. Across both studies, the externally oriented thinking (EOT) facet of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS)-20 correlated with different dream characteristics than the difficulty identifying feelings (DIF) and difficulty describing feelings (DDF) facets, even after statistically controlling for the other facets. Greater EOT was related to an increased frequency of nights without dream recall, having shorter dreams, having dreams rated as boring and lacking vividness, and not believing in the importance of dreams. In contrast, greater DIF or DDF was related to an increased frequency of nights with disturbing dreams, and having dreams rated as bizarre and aggressive. We find support for both hypotheses, but different facets of the multidimensional alexithymia construct account for the two types of dream reports.

Comparable studies

Other cross-sectional and survey studies on dreaming, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Insomnia Symptoms, Nightmares, and Suicidal Ideation in a College Student Sample Undergraduate students at a large, public university in the southeastern United States 2011 Observational cross-sectional survey n = 583
Prevalence and Correlates of Frequent Nightmares: A Community-Based 2-Phase Study Middle-aged Hong Kong Chinese adults from the community, mean age 40.9 years (SD 5.5,... 2010 Cross-sectional survey with subsequent clinical evaluation (two-phase design) n = 8,558
Factors of home dream recall: a structural equation model Adults (general population sample) 2003 Cross-sectional survey with structural equation modeling n = 444
The Phenomenology of Lucid Dreaming: An Online Survey Respondents to an online survey about lucid dreams 2014 Online survey n = 684
Frequency of Lucid Dreaming in a Representative German Sample Representative sample of German adults 2011 Cross-sectional survey n = 919

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