Our external experiences inform our internal experiences. Our experiences in the real world go on to inform our beliefs and general understanding of the complex workings of the world. Dreams often mirror our reality, including the highlights of our life as well as our fears and anxieties.
We are usually not in control of our dreams. Some dreams may include butterflies and rainbows while other dreams feel very realistic, such as a mundane day at work or school. Dreams are a unique form of communication. Especially when a dream feels clear or real, it can feel like your subconscious is trying to convey a message. When a dream feels outlandish, you may question if there is really an underlying message or meaning after all.
Anchor Therapy is a counseling center in Hoboken, NJ with mental health therapists specialized in helping children, teens, adults, couples, and families with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, trauma, life transitions, and more. Anchor Therapy is accepting new clients and is now providing in-person sessions and teletherapy sessions to residents of New Jersey, New York, and Florida.
Why do we dream?
Dreams are a popular point of discussion and mystery. Many people are fascinated by dreams, and we truly do not know their purpose. Many theories suggest that dreams are a way to help us deal with our emotions, manage discreet desires, or solve problems in our life. Other scientists consider dreams to be a way to organize brain waste or make memories stronger.
Here are some theories to explain the purpose and function of dreams:
Problem-solving:
Some researchers believe that dreams give you space away from reality to solve problems.
Psychological function:
Sigmund Freud, an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, believed that dreams were a window into one’s unconscious desires and thoughts. Dreams may allow you to explore aspects of your psyche that you suppress when awake.
Evolutionary aspect:
Some scientists view sleep as a survival tactic, helping those before us to prepare for potentially life-threatening situations.
Cognitive processing:
Dreams give you the chance to process information and experiences that occurred that day. Under this view, dreaming can help the brain sort and store memories.
Emotional regulation:
Dreams may play a role in emotional management and processing. Dreams stimulate real-life scenarios and, therefore, give you the chance to work through your feelings and potential obstacles.
Physiological function:
Some neuroscientists believe that dreams create and sustain neural pathways in the brain. During sleep, different areas of the brain are activated, hence dreaming may contribute to overall brain health.
While these theories provide great insights, there is no definitive reason as to why we dream. It is likely that dreaming has many purposes and functions, from emotional regulation to cognitive processing.
Are dreams related to the subconscious?
According to Sigmeund Freud, one’s dreams showcase their unconscious desires, thoughts, wish fulfillment, and motivation. Freud also believed that people received their motivation from repressed and unconscious yearnings, including sexual instincts and aggression.
While many of Freud’s concepts or principals have been debunked, there may be truth to the subconscious theory of dreaming. The dream rebound effect, or dream rebound theory, is when suppressed thoughts surface in dreams.
The dream rebound effect occurs during the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) phase of sleep, also known as the rebound effect of REM sleep.
The REM rebound effect can occur for the following reasons:
Sleep deprivation:
If you are deprived of sleep or suffer from insomnia, particularly REM sleep, your body tries to compensate for this exhaustion by entering the REM sleep cycle more quickly and spending more time in this phase during following sleep periods. For support, check out our blog by our psychotherapist Rebecca Bischoff, LCSW “Unlocking the Secrets of Quality Sleep: A Therapist’s Perspective on Sleep Hygiene and Insomnia.”
Stress and anxiety:
Elevated levels of stress and anxiety can interupt your normal sleep patterns. When your stress and anxiety is finally lessened or managed, a rebound effect occurs so you can have more REM sleep. Read our blog “Do I Have Anxiety? Take The Quiz and Learn 5 Instant Calming Tips” for more information.
Substance withdrawal:
When you stop using substances (e.g., alcohol, certain medications, or recreational drugs) that once suppressed REM sleep, the body may attempt to recover lost REM sleep. If you know someone who is struggling, our blog “5 Ways to Help Someone Battling Addiction and Substance Abuse Issues” is a must-read.
When experiencing the dream rebound effect, you may…
Experience an increase in nightmares or distressing dreams
Have more vivid and emotionally intense dreams
Be able to recall more of your dreams upon waking
A little bit about the dream rebound theory…
The main idea under the dream rebound theory is that suppressing thoughts will lead to a “rebound” effect in both waking cognition (your thoughts) and in sleep cognition (your dreams).
Suppressing thoughts often does not work due to several psychological mechanisms. As discussed, according to the rebound effect, your brain will keep checking in on a thought to see if you are thinking about when you try to suppress it.
Additionally, suppressed thoughts can ‘grow’ because you are giving them attention in an effort to avoid them. This makes the thought more persistent and hard to ignore. Suppressing thoughts, specifically those that come along with strong emotions, can increase emotional distress. This distress can trigger more intrusive thoughts.
Suppressing thoughts alone mandates a lot of cognitive effort which can lessen the amount of mental resources available to you. When you are running low on cognitive resources, you lose your ability to suppress thoughts, leading to a renewal of the suppressed thoughts.
Suppression is a type of avoidance. Avoidance, while it may help you in the moment, prevents you from addressing underlying concerns related to the thought(s) you are experiencing. The lack of actual resolution can keep the thoughts brewing and active.
Here are some common characteristics of intrusive thoughts:
Unwanted and distressing
Specific content (e.g., violence, harm, taboo topics, etc.)
Recurrent
Involuntary
Associated emotions
Compulsions
Interference with daily life
Inconsistent with your values, beliefs, and self-image
Attempts to suppress
Recognition of irrationality
There is a paradoxical effect within the dream rebound effect. The more you try to avoid or suppress a thought, the more you think about it. This is because telling your brain not to think about something actually communicates to your brain a need to check-in with you about it. Therefore, it is brought to your mind once again. To rid yourself of these unwanted thoughts, you need to develop a more sustainable response.
The following are alternatives to thought suppression:
Acceptance:
Accept your unwanted thoughts without trying to change them or make them go away. This helps reduce the power of your thoughts over time. If this strategy appeals to you, you may be interested in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
Thought defusion:
Another technique used in ACT therapy for intrusive thoughts is thought defusion. This technique involves viewing your thoughts just as words or images in your mind, lessening their emotional impact.
Distraction:
Try engaging in other activities that occupy your mind and lessen the focus on unwanted thoughts without suppressing them.
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) Therapy:
Exposure therapy to the thoughts or situations that trigger your anxiety can be powerful in reducing both your anxious symptoms and frequency of the thoughts.
Cognitive restructuring:
Through Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for intrusive thoughts, you can challenge and change unhelpful thoughts.
By addressing unwanted thoughts in the aforementioned ways, you can reduce the affect and frequency of these thoughts successfully. For additional guidance, check out our blog “6 Ways to Handle Intrusive Thoughts.”
Example of the dream rebound theory
For example, let us say that Abby is a 30-year old lawyer who has been working long hours recently to meet an important project deadline. For the past few weeks, Abby has been sleeping four hours a night, half of her usual amount of 8 hours of rest per night. When she is sleeping, her sleep is poor quality- waking up multiple times and difficulty falling back asleep. As a result, she is not getting enough REM sleep.
Once Abby’s work project is completed, she decides to catch up on lost sleep during the weekend. She decided to sleep in and avoid setting an alarm for the morning.
Under the dream rebound effect, Abby may recall having several dreams, vivid and emotionally charged dreams about work-related conversations, and even nightmares about missing personal events due to her hectic work schedule.
Typically, the body will cease intense dreams once an adequate amount of REM sleep has been achieved. However, in some cases, vivid and emotionally intense dreams may continue. In this case, it may be helpful to speak with a sleep therapist who can help you get to the bottom of your troubling dreams, so you can have a good night’s rest and achieve your goals during the day!
Working with a sleep specialist in Hoboken, New Jersey
If you are struggling with sleep disturbances, insomnia, sleep rebound effect, sleep apnea, and so on, working with a sleep counselor may be beneficial. At Anchor Therapy, we have a team of therapists for sleep issues who can help you feel like your best self again. We offer in-person sessions at our downtown Hoboken, New Jersey office as well as virtual therapy sessions for sleep issues to all residents of New Jersey, New York, and Florida.
At your intake session, your stress and anxiety therapist will take a comprehensive history of you, including your sleep patterns, environment, routine, and additional areas of concern. While each sleep specialist is different, your licensed therapist may ask you to keep a sleep diary for one or two weeks where you record your sleep times, wake times, and quality of rest each night. Another tactic used in quality sleep treatment is questionnaires. Your sleep counselor may administer a questionnaire to you to assess sleep habits, daytime sleepiness, and the general quality of your sleep.
For sleep concerns, the following treatment plans may be utilized:
Sleep hygeine education:
Creating an optimal sleep setting is not always easy, therefore a sleep specialist can assist you in creating one while also teaching you about establishing healthy sleep habits. Some examples of healthy sleep habits include no devices before bed, creating a relaxing pre-sleep routine, and maintaining a consistent sleep schedule.
CBT:
CBT is a highly effective, evidence-based form of treatment for sleep concerns, specifically insomnia. It includes altering sleep habits, behaviors, and even misconceptions about sleep. For more information, check out our blog “How CBT Can Help With Your Insomnia.”
Relaxation tactics:
Relaxation techniques, such as progressive muscle relaxation, breathwork, and meditation, can reduce your stress and anxiety levels which may interfere with obtaining quality sleep. For more information, check out our blogs “5 Breathwork Techniques to Decrease Anxiety” and “How Meditation Can Lead to Stress Reduction.”
Stimulus control therapy:
In an effort to have your brain associate your bed with rest, your sleep specialist may ask you to only rest in bed. For example, you cannot scroll on social media in your bed, read, and so on.
Working with a sleep therapist can offer the following benefits:
Identification of underlying issues
Tailored interventions
Holistic approach
Evidence-based treatments
Better sleep patterns
Less sleep latency
Better energy
Mood stabilization
Stress management
Relaxation techniques
Sustainable habits (Check out our blog “4 Ways to Build a Habit That Sticks”)
Behavioral interventions
A sleep counselor will provide you with education on sleep, including the REM sleep cycle and the rebound effect theory. If you are having anxiety over your intense dreams, simply knowing this information can reduce your stress and anxiety levels. Over time, reinforcing good sleep patterns and maintaining a consistent sleep schedule can help get you back into your REM sleep phase.
Stress can obviously worsen sleep issues so, if this is something you struggle with, your sleep counselor may focus primarily on reducing or better managing the stress in your life. Learning to manage stress through certain tactics, such as mindfulness or cognitive-behavior techniques, you can experience the benefits of good sleep. For more information, read our blog “Everything You Need to Know About Stress Management Therapy.”
Working with a sleep specialist at Anchor Therapy can be a deeply transformative experience. Improving your sleep through sleep counseling will not only improve your rest, but it will enhance your well-being as a whole! Better daytime functioning and improved mental and physical health may ensue. Quality sleep is not a luxury, it is essential for good health.
Victoria Scala
is the Social Media Manager, Intake Coordinator, and Community Engagement Director at Anchor Therapy in Hoboken, New Jersey. She is a graduate of the Honors College of Rutgers University-Newark and is currently studying Clinical Mental Health Counseling at the graduate level. In her roles, Victoria is committed to managing the office’s social media/community presence and prioritizing clients' needs.
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