Dream theory: Dreams readily prepares one for emotional and fearful events

As seen in the presentation of Karen Konkoly on Oct 5th, 2021, there are numerous therapies on why humans dream. Theories of activation-synthesis, information processing/cognitive development, and preparation are commonly argued between theorists. The theory I will explore in this post is the argument that dreams further prepare us to be ready for possible fearful events using the research paper: How our dreams prepare us to face our fears (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191125100349.htm). Like Konkoly et. al, 2021, the experimenters at the University of Geneva and Wisconsin analyzed participants while they were sleeping and noted the content of their dreams. 

This paper found that through EEG, specific regions of the brain were activated in correlation to their dream content. Results show that two specific regions, the insulation, and cingulate cortex, were highly active in dreams that were frightful to the participants and that were active during wakeful states. The researchers next wanted to determine if there was a possible link between fearful dreams and the fearful and emotional situations during awake states. They did this by providing dream journals and had participants log their dreams and identify any emotions they felt. At the end of the week, the participants took an MRI and the researchers showed negative emotion images that would usually cause distress in the normal population. 

Experiments suggest that those who had frightening dreams tended to have less activity in the insulated, cingulate, and amygdala. Using this conclusion, researchers argued that dreams could be a way for one's body to prepare for future dangers that one might encounter. These experimenters are now interested in nightmares because during this study they were extremely general in feeling "frightened" but nightmares are usually characterized as extreme levels of fear that can disrupt one's sleep cycle (Sterpenich, 2019).

This research is extremely beneficial to present day due to the consistent trauma many individuals suffer from. This can be seen through war veterans, those who suffer through abuse, refugees, etc. If dreaming can allow for preparation, it may also allow for therapies to develop coping mechanisms. Like Konkoly suggested, if dreams are able to be used as a teaching and coping mechanisms, the future of mental illness and therapies may drastically change.  

References:

ScienceDaily. (2019, November 25). How our dreams prepare us to face our fears. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 19, 2021, from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191125100349.htm. 

Konkoly, K. R., Appel, K., Chabani, E., Mangiaruga, A., Gott, J., Mallett, R., Caughran, B., Witkowski, S., Whitmore, N. W., Mazurek, C. Y., Berent, J. B., Weber, F. D., Türker, B., Leu-Semenescu, S., Maranci, J.-B., Pipa, G., Arnulf, I., Oudiette, D., & Paller, K. A. (2021, February 18). Real-time dialogue between experimenters and dreamers during rem sleep. Current Biology. Retrieved October 19, 2021, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982221000592. 

Sterpenich, V., Perogamvros, L., Tononi, G., & Schwartz, S. (2019, October 30). Fear in dreams and in wakefulness: Evidence for day/night affective homeostasis. Wiley Online Library. Retrieved October 19, 2021, from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hbm.24843.