Can Dreaming Heal Emotional Wounds?

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Moon dreamscape

There is growing evidence we all have a “psychotherapist” inside our heads. I’m not talking about a memorized collection of quotes or glib nostrums from a self-help book, online video or media shrink. Rather, I’m referencing the part of our brains that conjures dreams. Theories about dreaming abound—why we do it, what functions it performs, what our dreams mean—ranging from the neurological to the mystical. Regardless, some research suggests that, among its various purposes, dreaming may play a role in healing our emotional wounds. 

Now, most dreams manifest during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, one of four stages the brain recycles through roughly every 90 to 100 minutes. During this stage, the brain is exceptionally active, to some degree even more so than while one is awake. We know that REM sleep activates problem-solving, creative thinking and decision-making, all while the conscious mind is down for the count. However, its role in emotional healing is just coming into focus.

How does this self-healing process work? Well, during REM sleep, stress hormones in the body are often very low. So, while the brain is quite active, the body is chill. Consequently, when we dream about painful emotional experiences, we do so in what scientists call a “neuro-chemically safe environment” (REM sleep), rather than one that evokes the flight-fight-freeze response. In other words, the emotional sting these memories and feelings inflict on us while awake becomes diluted when we dream about them in a physiologically relaxed state. 

Studies also suggest that nightmares, while unpleasant or outright terrifying, are the subconscious mind’s attempt to desensitize us to our deep-seated fears, using its own sort of exposure therapy. So, during REM sleep, the “psychotherapist” inside one’s brain is trying to restore some measure of emotional homeostasis. Granted, like an actual psychotherapist, it doesn’t always succeed in this endeavor, but it keeps trying. Meaning the brain harbors an innate motivation and, to some extent, capacity to heal emotional wounds.

Disrupted Sleep Patterns

Regrettably, this self-healing potential fails to help everyone. There is evidence folks suffering from PTSD and other serious mood disorders, as well as those who endure chronic insomnia, experience disrupted sleep patterns that undermine dreaming’s curative ability. For these individuals, their dreams may have no healing impact or, for those with PTSD, intensify their distress by generating nightmares that do not desensitize but, instead, re-traumatize.

Nonetheless, the emotional processing functions of dreaming and REM sleep in general are critical for supporting mental and physical health. Disruptions to this sleep stage, often caused by alcohol, caffeine, certain medications or poor bedtime habits, are linked to increased risks of depression and anxiety. There is even a connection between dysregulated REM sleep and all-cause mortality, so both body and mind suffer. The good news for most of us is that, when we experience sound sleep, dreams reduce our emotional reactivity to both painful memories and current fears. Some researchers refer to this as “unconscious therapy” because the conscious mind, which figures prominently in traditional psychotherapy, is not a participant in this process. 

Are there ways to enhance the healing potential of REM sleep? Obviously, restorative sleep itself is a necessary precursor. There is evidence linking disruptive sleep to the development of mood disorders so, for some, just getting good shuteye does the trick (search “sleep hygiene” for tips). Also, we can help catalyze the healing power of dreaming by “seeding the subconscious,” which I explained in a prior column. Briefly, this involves setting an intention by asking one’s subconscious mind (the source of dreaming) to help heal an emotional wound. This can occur through self-talk or visualization. This “ask” motivates the dreaming mind to work the problem while the conscious mind is offline.

Through the act of dreaming, we can engage with our “inner shrink.” The one that, on the whole, probably knows us best.

For more, visit philipchard.com.