Psychology Research Digest
Dreaming - Vol 35, Iss 2
Dreaming is a multidisciplinary journal, the only professional journal devoted specifically to dreaming. The journal publishes scholarly articles related to dreaming from any discipline and viewpoint. This includes biological aspects of dreaming and sleep/dream laboratory research; psychological articles of any kind related to dreaming; clinical work on dreams regardless of theoretical perspective (Freudian, Jungian, existential, eclectic, etc.); anthropological, sociological, and philosophical articles related to dreaming; and articles about dreaming from any of the arts and humanities.
Political mobilization, trauma, delusional dream themes, and nightmare distress in Hong Kong.
Dreams are known to be affected by large-scale traumatic events that impact society, but the literature on social movement-related trauma is inadequate. The Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement (Anti-ELAB) was a 7-month large-scale and highly traumatic social movement in Hong Kong that began in March 2019 in opposition to a bill proposed by the Hong Kong Government to amend its extradition laws. Using a sample of 112 Chinese young adult (74 females, 38 males, Mage = 20.83) residents in Hong Kong, this article reports an investigation into relationships between trauma (as manifested in posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms), dream content (dream motifs, classified according to persecution or ego ideal delusional inclinations), and nightmare distress, all recalled by participants in relation to personal experiences of the Anti-ELAB. The hypothetical mediation models tested in the study confirm that the Anti-ELAB affected dream variables indirectly through trauma, including dream motifs modulated by persecution and ego ideal inclinations, offering critical insights into their dynamic interplay. Potential explanations for the findings as well as their implications for further research and clinical practice are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Thu, 16 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Sleep patterns and crisis-related dreams during the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russo-Ukrainian war.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War have profoundly affected individuals worldwide, eliciting heightened levels of stress, anxiety, and fear. This study investigates the impact of these crises on sleep patterns and dream experiences within Portugal’s general adult population. Online surveys administered during both crises examined changes in sleep patterns, dream recall frequency, and characteristics of crisis-related dreams. The study involved 1,020 participants during the COVID-19 pandemic and 703 participants during the Russo-Ukrainian War. Results reveal that while the pandemic significantly disrupted various life domains, including mental health, the war primarily impacted financial stability. Sleep disturbances unfolded during both crises, but pandemic-induced disruptions were more pronounced. Crisis-related dreams, characterized by fear and distress, were also more prevalent during the pandemic. Variations in crisis-related dream emotional and sensory content were identified. Anxiety was mainly associated with pandemic dreams, whereas sadness and anger characterized war-related dreams. These findings underscore the psychological ramifications of crises on sleep and dreams, emphasizing the importance of addressing mental health issues during tumultuous epochs. The study also suggests that monitoring sleep patterns and analyzing dream content can provide valuable insights into individuals’ emotional processing of collective crises. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Thu, 06 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>An empirical comparison of some nightmare dispositions: Neuroticism, nightmare proneness, thin psychological boundaries, and sensory processing sensitivity.
Previous research and theory have identified several dispositions for experiencing frequent nightmares, but these dispositions are rarely examined simultaneously. This study compared the relative strength of these dispositions in predicting nightmare frequency. A sample of 116 university students completed measures of nightmare frequency, neuroticism, nightmare proneness, thin psychological boundaries, and sensory processing sensitivity. After accounting for sociodemographic variables and dream recall frequency, only nightmare proneness and thin boundaries significantly independently predicted nightmare frequency. These findings highlight the importance of nightmare proneness and thin boundaries as predictors, underscoring the need for further research with diverse samples to better understand these relationships. Limitations and future research directions are also discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Thu, 07 Nov 2024 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Nightmares and the Big Five personality traits: A systematic review and three-level meta-analysis.
Our objective was to conduct a systematic review with meta-analysis to enhance our comprehension of the Big Five personality traits that are associated with nightmare frequency and distress and might thus serve as risk factors for frequent and distressing nightmares. The inclusion criteria for studies were the use of a validated questionnaire to measure the Big Five personality traits and the measurement of nightmare distress and/or frequency in an adult population. Relevant studies were searched on PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science. Risk of bias was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Tool for analytical cross-sectional studies. Three-level meta-analyses were performed. Ten studies, all with a low risk of bias, were included. Due to the lack of studies on this topic, we were only able to conduct meta-analyses on nightmare frequency with openness and neuroticism. The pooled Fisher’s z between nightmare frequency and openness was z = 0.06 (95% confidence interval [CI] [0.02, 0.10], p < .01). The pooled Fisher’s z between nightmare frequency and neuroticism was z = 0.30 (95% CI [0.23, 0.38], p < .001). The association between nightmare frequency and neuroticism is small to moderate, while the association between nightmare frequency and openness is negligible to small. Our results imply that neuroticism is a greater predisposing factor for nightmare frequency than openness. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Mon, 17 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Culturally responsive dreamwork: Facilitating culturally competent dream discussions.
Culturally responsive dreamwork (CRD) addresses a significant gap in counseling and psychotherapy by offering an innovative, culturally competent approach for therapeutic dream discussions. By adopting a culturally responsive stance, CRD guides dream discussions without imposing psychological beliefs, acknowledging that many clients view dreams as meaningful cultural, religious, and spiritual experiences. Within CRD is a framework of key areas of focus: sharing, appreciating, finding the significance, and editing. Recognition of these four areas allows therapists to adaptively facilitate dream discussions using their core helping skills and multicultural competence, enabling dreamwork congruent with clients’ beliefs and therapists’ clinical approaches. The article details the need for CRD and its use in therapy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Thu, 12 Dec 2024 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>The bereavement experience: Dreams and waking experiences of the deceased.
In separate literature—end-of-life experiences, dreams in bereavement, and continuing bonds in bereavement—there are preliminary findings that both dreaming of the deceased and having an experiential encounter while awake are common experiences. The present, brief report is a post hoc analysis of previously unanalyzed items from two studies of bereaved individuals. One study focused on loss following the death of a romantic partner (n = 268) and the other following the death of a dog or cat (n = 199). Participants were asked to indicate whether they had dreamed of the deceased or had a waking experience of seeing, hearing, or feeling the touch of the deceased in the prior month. Consistent with prior research, a substantial portion of each sample (50.7% of the partner loss participants and 32.2% of the pet loss) reported at least one waking experience of seeing, hearing, and/or feeling the deceased. When dreaming of the deceased and/or having a waking experience of the deceased were combined, it was found to be 82.5% for partner loss and 68.2% for pet loss. Furthermore, dreaming about the deceased was related to having such waking experiences. These preliminary, exploratory findings contribute to the growing recognition that we need more research and theory into the function of such experiences for the bereaved and for those facing end of life. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Thu, 10 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Whose sexual dream experiences are more intense? An exploratory study on the relationship between personality traits and sexual dreams.
Sexual dreams reflect individuals’ attitudes toward sex, the personal significance of sex, and/or sexual issues in their waking life. Gaining insight into the factors associated with the perceived intensity of sexual dream experiences is beneficial for achieving a comprehensive assessment of sexual mental health. The study will explore the relationship among personality traits, anxiety, depression, and sexual dream experiences based on the continuity hypothesis of dreaming. A questionnaire was administered to 384 participants (mean age = 20.63 years, SD = 1.21; 205 females, 179 males), revealing that over half of them reported having sexual dreams, with a higher prevalence among males. The sexual dream group scored higher than the nonsexual dream group on aggressiveness, neuroticism, and sensation seeking. Furthermore, negative emotions, sensation seeking, activity, and extraversion play an important role in the perceived intensity of sexual dream experiences among sexual dreamers. These findings provide valuable insights for sexual education practitioners to understand individuals’ sexual dream experiences and related psychological factors, contributing to scientific advancements in sexual health and education. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Mon, 23 Sep 2024 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Elder relatives in waking life correlated with both elder relatives in dreams and animals in dreams.
There are dream metaphors that express waking-life experiences indirectly. Animals in dreams have been speculated to be related to dream metaphors. Here, we explored if there was any relationship between waking-life experiences related to elder relatives with both dreaming about elder relatives and dreaming about animals. For 1 day, 270 participants recorded waking-life experiences in daily diaries before sleeping and recorded their dreams upon waking. Two external judges rated if there was any content related to elder relatives or animals in both daily diaries and dreams. The most three frequent animals in dreams were dogs, cats, and snakes, or fishes, or birds. The frequency of waking-life experiences related to elder relatives was correlated with both the frequency of dreaming about elder relatives and the frequency of dreaming about animals. Yet, the latter two variables were not correlated with each other. The results supported the continuity hypothesis of dreaming. In addition, the results may suggest that some animals in dreams represented elder relatives in waking life metaphorically. Moreover, the results may support Carl Jung’s idea that the image of animals in dreams may be a symbol of parents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)
Publication date: Thu, 10 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMT Access the article >>Trying to define yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth.
- Alan Watts, Secular Buddhism
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