We've all had nightmares sometimes, dreams that make us wake up in the middle of the night with a maddened heart and the memory of fear still latent. However, recurring nightmares could be more than just a bad dream. When the nightmare repeats itself cyclically, it could be a sign that something is wrong in our life.
In fact, psychologists from the University of Turku in Finland have discovered that there is a relationship between dreams and the risk of suicide. These researchers analyzed the dreams of 71.068 people and found that recurring nightmares were a predictor of suicide. Because? The answer comes from another, more recent study.
Tell me what your nightmares are and I'll tell you how dissatisfied you feel with life
Cardiff University psychologists believe that recurring nightmares are not only a way by which the unconscious represents emotions and experiences that we have not processed during the day, but would also be an expression of life-specific frustrations and difficulties.
These researchers wondered if the dissatisfaction of three basic psychological needs: autonomy, competence and the ability to relate, can cause recurrent nightmares and what is the underlying mechanism.
Therefore, they recruited 200 people and made them fill out a questionnaire about frustrations and dissatisfaction in their daily life. These people were also invited to tell their most recurring dream.
The results showed a clear correlation between unmet psychological needs in daily life and the appearance of recurrent nightmares, in which people experienced a range of negative emotions ranging from sadness and fear to anger.
Nightmares are an attempt to make sense of daytime experiences
Nightmares can be the psyche's attempt to make sense of the stimulating experiences we have throughout the day. But recurring nightmares go further, they occur when basic psychological needs are not met.
These psychologists have found that recurring nightmares are usually a manifestation of:
1. Deep dissatisfaction with the changes that have taken place in our life
2. Feeling of lack of control over our decisions
3. Problems in the closest interpersonal relationships
4. Feeling unable to cope with daily challenges
These researchers also found that as frustration increases, recurring nightmares usually include three classic situations: falling, making mistakes, and being attacked.
They also showed that it is not nightmares that affect our day, but the quality of experiences during the day that affects the quality of our dreams and their content. Nightmares were more common when during the day the person experienced dissatisfaction, loneliness, frustration, feelings of helplessness and negative emotions that disturbed his serenity.
How can we get rid of recurring nightmares?
Practicing a relaxation technique at bedtime can help you have calmer dreams. Aromatherapy has also been shown to help you fall asleep and sleep better.
However, if you are having recurring nightmares, it is best that you analyze your daily life and find the cause of your dissatisfaction. By eliminating it, nightmares are very likely to disappear as well.
