How Can Dreams Reveal Some of Your Brain Disorders? Unraveling the Mystery

We all see dreams and are always curious to know their meaning. Several attempts at depicting the type of human dream based on human characteristics have been made, specifically for various psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia. Although a lot has not been studied and found, it has been observed that the pattern observed in the dreams is somewhat close to their reasoning in everyday life.

What Causes Dreams?

There is no proven connection on either side, so we cannot say that dreams are caused due to mental illness or vice versa. But we can sometimes see that in certain patients the characteristics of their dreams will actually give away some hints.

For example, it has been studied and observed that the number of nightmares a person with stress or anxiety disorder gets is usually more than any other stress-free or normal person. But this being said, it is also clear that dreams can not actually be a diagnosis tool for your illnesses.

Well, if the nightmares are recurrent, then it has been established that such people are at risk of committing suicide. However, there are more contributing factors like depression and negative feelings. They usually tend to get such dreams because of the negative feelings and the depressed state of mind in which they live during the daytime.

If these patients are given antidepressants, then they actually experience a change in mood and have fewer nightmares. All this has been proven scientifically in the research done by Dieter Riemann and his colleagues.

We interviewed Dr. Lisa Long, Licensed Forensic Psychologist at Dr. Long & Associates, and asked her about the relationship between dreams and mental health disorders. Here is what she said:

“While there is no evidence to suggest that there is a strong relationship between dreams and mental health disorders, it is certainly more common for individuals with certain disorders to describe having vivid dreams.

When individuals experience significant trauma, they often re-experience those events in dreams. 

Consistent with the DSM-5 criteria for PTSD, one symptom is recurrent distressing dreams in which the content and/or effect of the dream are related to the traumatic event(s).

The diagnostic criteria for young children indicate that there may be frightening dreams without recognizable content. 

Early psychologists suggested that it is during sleep that an individual can process and work through trauma or distressing events.

The treatment for all mental health disorders should remain consistent with standards of practice and rely on evidence-based treatments to reduce symptoms and the overall disruption in functioning for the person’s everyday life.

In many cases, discussing the content of the dreams with the provider may help shed light on the underlying issues.”

I’ll Tell You about the Recurrent Nightmares

Is there a concrete answer to the question of how we should react to recurrent nightmares? Well no, despite a lot of psychoanalysis, this cannot be clarified or understood any better. There are various ways and suggestions that people have; let’s look at some of these.

It has been observed that in some cases the dreams have been the same for many years, and they will be a very small particular incident but probably of some importance that you do not realize now because it happened a long while ago.

In such cases, the patient can undergo a thorough psychoanalysis, try sleep apnea scanning, and get a proper medical diagnosis.

In an interview with the Icy Whiz team, Peter Hinz, Founder, Chiropractor, and Certified Acupuncturist at Cool Springs Chiropractic, believed dreams signal underlying mental issues. Here is what he had to say:

“The complex interplay between dreams and mental health disorders is indeed profound. Dreams can be reflective of our subconscious minds and, as such, hold potential insights into mental health conditions.

I assert there exists a substantial connection; for instance, recurring themes or distressing dreams may signal underlying issues, such as anxiety or PTSD.

Understanding this relationship is essential. It offers a window into the subconscious, aiding clinicians in uncovering the root causes of mental distress. This insight can guide therapeutic approaches, making treatment more targeted and effective.

For healthcare practitioners, paying attention to patients’ dreams could enhance diagnostic accuracy and inform treatment plans, ultimately fostering a more holistic approach to mental health care.”

The brain’s Emotional Digestion Also Matters

Other cases can be a typical issue of the brain and body not being able to digest the negative emotions and stress that have occurred in your life. So, if we are in similar situations again after that stressful time; our brain gets triggered and we tend to see more nightmares or difficult dreams due to our psychological functioning.

There is no logic or scientific backing behind the belief that if everything goes good and nice during your day you will not get nightmares, because nightmares are inevitable.

Even if you do get a nightmare that is disturbing enough you will not be able to forget it easily and it will eventually affect your morning or later part of the day.

Dr. Jameca Woody Cooper, Board Certified Counseling Psychologist and Criminal Psychology Consultant at Emergence Psychological Services/Dr. Jameca/ talked to the Icy Whiz team through her extensive experience as a psychologist on this issue. Here is what she said:

“Dreams represent a conduit between one’s conscious and unconscious mind. The state of repose that accompanies sleep reduces one’s defenses, permitting latent emotions, apprehensions, and unresolved conflicts to emerge in either symbolic or literal form within one’s dreamscape.

Individuals with anxiety disorders frequently suffer from nightmares that revolve around themes of inadequacy, peril, or deprivation. These nightmares can exacerbate anxiety and hinder restful sleep. 

Recurrent nightmares are a hallmark symptom of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Such nightmares tend to reproduce the traumatic experience directly or metaphorically, hindering sleep and intensifying anxiety.

Specific dream themes may point to particular concerns. For example, individuals with depression may dream of helplessness, while those grappling with anger management issues may dream of aggression. 

However, not all unsettling dreams are indicative of a mental disorder. It is crucial to consider the frequency, intensity, and impact of dreams on one’s overall functioning.

Dreams should not be used as a sole diagnostic tool for any mental health disorder but must be considered in the context of a broader range of symptoms and history.”

Let’s Discuss a Bit More about the Nightmares

Nightmares or unusual happenings like people screaming during their sleep or sleepwalking are all very different and can not really be linked with each other. The only conclusion that we can safely make is that there definitely is something in your head that is somewhere guiding or triggering these happenings.

Are negative dreams really useful to us? Well, this again is debatable. We see negative dreams that can have very high emotional intensity that they will have the power to actually wake us up from our sleep. Although, it might also be because you just didn’t sleep well.

The extreme emotions are an example of the nightmares that we get after some traumatic event like torture or war, which are very extreme in nature. The reason behind this is that the brain can not really handle these emotions as they are very difficult to manage.

The Icy Whiz team interviewed Anna Harris, Clinical Mental Health Counselor at OnlineMFTPrograms.com on this issue. Here is what she had to say:

“Individual therapists may have different approaches to how they handle the discussion of dreams in counseling sessions. Some therapists are trained in dream analysis and may try to dive into a patient’s dreams, using that as a small part of their treatment analysis.

Most will primarily talk about dreams in the manner of discussing how those dreams make the patient feel.

In marriage and family therapy, most therapists won’t bring up the topic of dreams on their own, but if one of the patients brings it up, that may be used to dive into a discussion about circumstances and feelings.”

Functions of Sleeping

One of the functions of sleeping is that it will help you break down or degrade your total emotions of the day. It figures out what has to be done with memories and what emotions have to be eradicated. It’s like a movie, where all the events are put together but maybe in a less intense format.

Even the very intense and tough events of the day are replayed minus the emotional aspect of them.

There are three organs involved in the whole emotional degradation and event memorization process of the brain which are hippocampus, amygdala, and neocortex.

The connection between the Dreams and Diseases

People with a sleep disorder or RBD, experience movement during their sleep. Having agitated dreams is a symptom of RBD, where the patients will actually mimic their experiences of the dream.

People suffering from RBD have a high chance of developing neurodegenerative pathology, usually Parkinson’s disease. It is believed that if the brain can not inhibit the movements during sleep, the damage has already started, as the area of the brain involved in stopping the movements is being affected.

One thing to note here is that sometimes people might confuse sleepwalking and RBD. So, the difference here is that sleepwalking or somnambulism can start anywhere at a young age but RBD patients are usually more than 50 years of age. Somnambulism does not signify any diseases, unlike RBD.

We interviewed Dr. Brooke Keels, Chief Clinical Officer at Lighthouse Recovery, and asked her about the diagnosis and treatment of such disorders. Here is what she said:

“Sometimes, the subconscious takes control and brings to light our deeply-rooted mental health struggles. As patients recount their dreams in therapy sessions, we often find that the vivid imagery and storylines are interconnected with their emotional states surrounding mental health.

Dreams featuring chaos or entrapment, for example, can mirror anxiety felt while awake. My method of analyzing dreams is simple: I listen to what they could be signaling about the patient’s inner world.

By paying attention to these clues, I foster a healthy therapeutic relationship with my clients. This helps them open up about their emotional terrain more comfortably and spurs them on their journey towards recovery and self-awareness expansion.”

It’s Always Debatable!

It is a very tough call for me to definitively say yes or no to the question if dreams reveal brain disorders or not. There have been several studies and researches done and some diseases which are psychiatric or neurological can have some traces in these dreams but nothing is concrete. So we can not stick to one side.

Guest Author: Saket Kumar

Last Updated on May 19, 2024 by Pragya