Falls, exams and tooth loss .. Why do the same dreams recur?

The same dream over and over is a well-known phenomenon;

Being chased, undressing in a public place, encountering a natural disaster, losing your teeth, or forgetting to go to class for an entire semester are typical of these recurring dreams.

Where does this phenomenon come from?

Authors Claudia Piccard Deland and Tori Nielsen, in their report published by the Canadian magazine Lactuality, explained that the science of dreams indicates that recurrent dreams may reflect unresolved conflicts in the dreamer's life;

They note that they often occur in times of stress or over long periods of time, sometimes over several years or even a lifetime, and these dreams depict not only the same theme, but also a particular story that can be repeated from one night to the next.

The authors stated that although the exact content of recurring dreams is unique to each person;

There are common themes between individuals, and even between different cultures and eras.

for example;

The most common scenarios are being chased, falling, unprepared for an assessment or exam, arriving late, or trying to do something repeatedly. ;

More than half of them depict a situation in which the dreamer is in danger, but some of the recurring features can also be positive, even joyful;

Like dreams in which we discover new rooms in our house, or exciting dreams, or those in which we have the ability to fly.

Dreams help us regulate our emotions and adapt to stressful events (pixels)

Unresolved conflicts

The authors point out that studies suggest that dreams help us regulate our emotions and adapt to stressful events.

in the case of recurrent dreams;

Repetitive content can be a failed attempt to incorporate these challenging experiences;

Where many theories agree that recurrent dreams are associated with unresolved difficulties or conflicts in the dreamer's life, and the presence of recurrent dreams has been associated with a lower level of mental health and the presence of symptoms of anxiety and depression, and these dreams tend to reappear during stressful situations, and stop when the person resolves his conflict profile, indicating improvement.

According to the authors;

Recurring dreams often metaphorically reflect dreamers' emotional concerns, such as dreaming of a tsunami as a result of trauma or abuse, dressing inappropriately in the dream, being naked, or not being able to find a private toilet represents scenarios of embarrassment or humility.

These themes can be considered dream-ready texts or scenarios that provide a space for dealing with our conflicting feelings;

Thus the same scenario can be reused in different situations where we feel similar feelings, and despite different circumstances;

A similar feeling of stress or a desire to transcend oneself can lead to the same dream scenario every time.

a continuum of repetition

The authors talk about the assumption by William Domhoff, an American researcher and psychologist, that there is a continuum of repetition in dreams.

In the extreme;

There are painful nightmares that lead directly to the reproduction of an experienced trauma, such as flashback, the presence of which is one of the main symptoms of PTSD.

Then there are recurring dreams;

Where the same dream content is partially or completely reproduced, unlike painful dreams;

Recurring dreams rarely directly reproduce an event or conflict, but instead reflect it metaphorically through a central emotion.

A transition from an intense to a lower level in the continuum of repetition is often a sign of an improvement in a person's psychological state.

for example;

Gradual and positive changes in the content of painful nightmares are often observed when people who have experienced trauma recover from the difficulties they encountered.

Interpreting some dreams in part through physiological phenomena that occur during sleep (Al-Jazeera)

Physiological phenomena

The two authors pointed out that some dreams can be partially explained by physiological phenomena that occur during sleep, as a 2018 study found that the famous dream of losing one’s teeth was not specifically related to the dreamer’s anxiety symptoms, but rather to pressing the teeth during sleep or discomfort when sleeping. wake up.

When we sleep, our brain is not completely cut off from the outside world. It may still perceive external stimuli, such as sounds or smells, or even internal bodily sensations.

The authors added that some of the physical phenomena of REM sleep (which is sleep accompanied by rapid eye movement) and which are in the stage of sleep in which we dream more than others;

It can also play a role;

Our muscles are paralyzed, which can cause dreams of heavy legs or paralysis, and some authors have suggested that dreams of falling or flying are caused by our vestibular system, which contributes to our balance and which activates automatically during REM sleep.

naturally;

These physical sensations are not sufficient to explain the recurrence of these dreams in some people and their sudden occurrence in times of stress, but they can have a significant impact on the construction of our dreams.

Exit the loop

The authors emphasized that people who experience a recurring nightmare are somehow stuck in the way they respond to and anticipate the dream scenario, and certain treatments have been developed to try to solve this recurring and break the vicious cycle of nightmares.

One technique is to visualize the nightmare while awake and rewrite it, i.e. modifying the scenario by changing one aspect, such as the end of the dream, to something more positive.

Practicing becoming lucid in dreams can also be a solution.

Lucid dreams are dreams in which we are aware that we are dreaming, as we can sometimes influence the content of the dream, making it possible to think or react differently in the dream and thus change the repetitive nature of these dreams.

However;

Not all recurring dreams are harmful in and of themselves and can be beneficial insofar as they tell us about our personal struggles.

And therefore;

Paying attention to the recurring elements in our dreams can be a way to better understand and resolve our desires and struggles.