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Balch J, Raider R, Keith J, Reed C, Grafman J, McNamara P. Sleep and dream disturbances associated with dissociative experiences. Conscious Cogn 2024; 122:103708. [PMID: 38821030 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2024.103708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024]
Abstract
Some dissociative experiences may be related, in part, to REM intrusion into waking consciousness. If so, some aspects of dream content may be associated with daytime dissociative experiences. We tested the hypothesis that some types of dream content would predict daytime dissociative symptomology. As part of a longitudinal study of the impact of dreams on everyday behavior we administered a battery of survey instruments to 219 volunteers. Assessments included the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES), along with other measures known to be related to either REM intrusion effects or dissociative experiences. We also collected dream reports and sleep measures across a two-week period from a subgroup of the individuals in the baseline group. Of this subgroup we analyzed two different subsamples; 24 individuals with dream recall for at least half the nights in the two-week period; and 30 individuals who wore the DREEM Headband which captured measures of sleep architecture. In addition to using multiple regression analyses to quantify associations between DES and REM intrusion and dream content variables we used a split half procedure to create high vs low DES groups and then compared groups across all measures. Participants in the high DES group evidenced significantly greater nightmare distress scores, REM Behavior Disorder scores, paranormal beliefs, lucid dreams, and sleep onset times. Validated measures of dreamed first person perspective and overall dream coherence in a time series significantly predicted overall DES score accounting for 26% of the variance in dissociation. Dream phenomenology and coherence of the dreamed self significantly predicts dissociative symptomology as an individual trait. REM intrusion may be one source of dissociative experiences. Attempts to ameliorate dissociative symptoms or to treat nightmare distress should consider the stability of dream content as a viable indicator of dissociative tendencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Balch
- Department of Psychology, National University, 9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego, CA 92123, United States; Center for Mind and Culture, 566 Commonwealth Ave., Suite M-2, Boston, MA 02215, United States.
| | - Rachel Raider
- Department of Psychology, National University, 9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego, CA 92123, United States
| | - Joni Keith
- Department of Psychology, National University, 9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego, CA 92123, United States
| | - Chanel Reed
- Department of Psychology, National University, 9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego, CA 92123, United States
| | - Jordan Grafman
- Think and Speak Lab, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, 355 E Erie St, Chicago, IL 60611, United States; Feinberg School of Medicine & Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, 420 E. Superior St., Chicago, IL 60611, United States
| | - Patrick McNamara
- Department of Psychology, National University, 9388 Lightwave Ave., San Diego, CA 92123, United States; Boston University School of Medicine, 72 E. Concord St., Boston, MA 02118, United States
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Mathes J, Schuffelen J, Gieselmann A, Pietrowsky R. Nightmare distress is related to traumatic childhood experiences, critical life events and emotional appraisal of a dream rather than to its content. J Sleep Res 2022; 32:e13779. [PMID: 36333940 DOI: 10.1111/jsr.13779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Nightmares are a substantial burden for sleep quality. Previous studies have shown that traumatic experiences can increase the probability of nightmares, and also waking-life distress can enhance this effect. There is evidence that the intensity of negative dream emotions is more responsible for rating a dream as a nightmare than threatening dream contents. However, there is still a lack of research concerning effects on nightmare distress. We hypothesise that traumatic childhood experiences (such as emotional abuse, obtained by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire), critical life events (obtained by the Social Readjustment Rating Scale) and threatening dream contents are associated with nightmare distress. A sample of N = 103 participants kept a dream diary over 28 consecutive days. About 60% of the sample were frequent nightmare dreamers. The participants recorded their violent dream contents and dream emotions in their diary. To predict nightmare distress, regression models were constructed; nightmare distress was measured with the Nightmare Distress Questionnaire. Results showed that emotional abuse in childhood and critical life events predicted nightmare distress. Moreover, violent dream contents were associated with nightmare distress but, after we controlled for nightmare frequency and the intensity of negative dream emotions, the significant impact of violent dream contents decreased. The results suggest that the emotional appraisal of a dream has a substantial influence on nightmares in addition to traumatic childhood experiences and critical life events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Mathes
- Department of Clinical Psychology Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Institute of Experimental Psychology Düsseldorf Germany
| | - Jennifer Schuffelen
- Department of Clinical Psychology Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Institute of Experimental Psychology Düsseldorf Germany
| | - Annika Gieselmann
- Department of Clinical Psychology Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Institute of Experimental Psychology Düsseldorf Germany
| | - Reinhard Pietrowsky
- Department of Clinical Psychology Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Institute of Experimental Psychology Düsseldorf Germany
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Jun JS, Kim R, Jung HM, Byun JI, Seok JM, Kim TJ, Lim JA, Sunwoo JS, Kim HJ, Schenck CH, Yang KI, Jung KY. Emotion dysregulation in idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder. Sleep 2020; 43:5573800. [PMID: 31553439 DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsz224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2019] [Revised: 08/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
STUDY OBJECTIVES To characterize emotion regulation strategies in patients with idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) and to explore whether these strategies are associated with clinical symptoms. METHODS In this cross-sectional multicenter study, a total of 94 polysomnography-confirmed iRBD patients (mean age, 67.6 years; men, 56%) and 50 healthy controls (mean age, 65.4 years; men, 48%) completed the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ), the Korean version of the RBD questionnaire-Hong Kong (RBDQ-KR), the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory (BDHI), the second edition of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), and the Korean version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-K). RESULTS The iRBD group had lower CERQ adaptive scores than the control group, whereas the CERQ maladaptive scores were not significantly different between the groups. Among the CERQ adaptive subscales, the scores for positive refocusing, refocusing on planning, and positive reappraisal were significantly lower in the iRBD group than in the control group. Higher CERQ adaptive scores were correlated with lower scores on RBDQ-KR factor 1 (dream-related) and the BDI-II and higher MoCA-K scores but were not correlated with RBDQ-KR factor 2 (behavioral manifestation) or BDHI scores. Among the dream content-related items of RBDQ-KR factor 1, the CERQ adaptive score was associated only with frequent nightmares. No correlation was found between CERQ maladaptive scores and any variable except for a positive correlation with BDI-II scores. CONCLUSIONS Our results provide evidence of emotion regulation deficits in iRBD patients. Furthermore, these results were linked to dream-related factors, especially nightmares, along with depressive symptoms and cognitive impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin-Sun Jun
- Department of Neurology, Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ryul Kim
- Department of Neurology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hye-Min Jung
- Department of Neurology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jung-Ick Byun
- Department of Neurology, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin Myoung Seok
- Department of Neurology, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, Cheonan, Republic of Korea
| | - Tae-Joon Kim
- Department of Neurology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jung-Ah Lim
- Department of Neurology, Chamjoeun Hospital, Gwangju, Republic of Korea
| | - Jun-Sang Sunwoo
- Department of Neurosurgery, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Han-Joon Kim
- Department of Neurology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Carlos H Schenck
- Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorders Center, and Department of Psychiatry, Hennepin County Medical Center and University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN
| | - Kwang Ik Yang
- Department of Neurology, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, Cheonan, Republic of Korea
| | - Ki-Young Jung
- Department of Neurology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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McNamara P, Teed B, Pae V, Sebastian A, Chukwumerije C. Supernatural Agent Cognitions in Dreams. JOURNAL OF COGNITION AND CULTURE 2018. [DOI: 10.1163/15685373-12340038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
AbstractPurpose:To test the hypothesis that supernatural agents (SAs) appear in nightmares and dreams in association with evidence of diminished agency within the dreamer/dream ego.Methods:Content analyses of 120 nightmares and 71 unpleasant control dream narratives.Results:We found that SAs overtly occur in about one quarter of unpleasant dreams and about half of nightmares. When SAs appear in a dream or nightmare they are reliably associated with diminished agency in the dreamer. Diminished agency within the dreamer occurs in over 90% of dreams (whether nightmares or unpleasant dreams) that have overt SAs. In about half of nightmare reports the SA appears suddenly with no clear emergence pattern. In some two thirds of unpleasant dreams, however, the SA emerged from a human character. The SA’s gender was indeterminate in most dreams with SAs but the SA communicated with the dreamer in 24% of nightmares and only 13% of unpleasant dreams. In most nightmares, the SA intended to harm the dreamer and in one third of nightmares the dreamer was the victim of physical agression by the SA. SA intentions in unpleasant dreams were more varied and actually benign in 13% of cases.Conclusion:Supernatural agents reliably appear in nightmares and unpleasant dreams in association with diminished agency in the dreamer. Diminished agency in an individual may facilitate supernatural agent cognitions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick McNamara
- PhD, Department of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine and VA New England Healthcare SystemGraduate School, Northcentral UniversityBoston, MA
| | - Brian Teed
- Research, VA New England Healthcare SystemBoston, MA, 02130
| | - Victoria Pae
- Research, VA New England Healthcare SystemBoston, MA, 02130
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