Nightmares
Greg Mahr, Christopher Lawrence Drake
Routledge eBooks July 28, 2022 DOI: 10.4324/9781003223474-13 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Key findings | Argues that nightmares carry meaningful messages and can 'wake us up' from unhealthy attitudes and beliefs, using nightmare deaths among Hmong immigrants to illustrate how interpretation can influence a nightmare's power. Reviews Freudian and Jungian understandings and current treatments, especially Image Rehearsal Therapy, and contends that learning from nightmares matters alongside controlling them. |
Abstract
Nightmares are very common, but it can be difficult to understand why they occur and what they mean. Nightmare deaths among Hmong immigrants are discussed as an example of the influence of interpretation on the power of nightmares. Freudian and Jungian understandings of nightmares are reviewed, as well as current treatment approaches, especially Image Rehearsal Therapy. Like all dreams, nightmares deliver a message, and they “wake us up” from unhealthy attitudes and beliefs. It is important to be able to learn from nightmares as well as control them.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The cognitive neuroscience of lucid dreaming | 2019 | Review | |
| Sleep and dreaming are for important matters | 2013 | Review | |
| Nightmare Disorder and Isolated Sleep Paralysis | 2020 | Review | |
| My Dream, My Rules: Can Lucid Dreaming Treat Nightmares? | 2019 | Review | |
| Dream Recall: State or Trait Variable? Part I: Model, Theories, Methodology and Trait Factors | 1996 | Review |