Searching for a new evidence base about repetitions. An exploratory survey of patients’ experiences of traumatic dreams before, during and after therapy

Abstract

Objectives: Counselling trauma survivors typically involves addressing repetitive dreams of what happened. No consensus exists about effective responses to these evoked reactions. In part, this is attributable to a scarcity of studies on trauma survivors’ own dream experiences, types of dream work that promote change and patients’ perspectives on outcomes. Method: This was a retrospective, qualitative exploratory study of survivor's experiences of dreaming and dream work. Results: Before starting therapy dreams of trauma exacerbated adjustment difficulties by reinforcing debilitating fears. Therapeutic change occurred in association with developing dream narratives that were not emotionally overwhelming, collaborating with therapists in interpretation of dream material, jointly making links between repeating dream images and features of patients’ current day to day life that furnish reminders of the trauma. Dreams persisted at end of therapy but with reduced frequency having largely lost their capacity to evoke fear. Conclusion: The centrality of memory is emphasised in a new conceptualisation of persistent repetition phenomena that progresses our understanding of growth following adversity.

Keywords:

• Fear
• memory
• repetitions
• therapy
• PTSD
• traumatic dreams

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank all trauma survivors who contributed to this exploratory study and shared their wisdoms gained through the personal growth that can follow in the wake of crisis. Dr R. Ørner also wishes to thank N. Garette for supporting the writing of this article with patient encouragement and unceasing interest.