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The transformation of affect in posttraumatic nightmares
1Family Treatment Program, Brentwood Division, West Los Angeles VA Medical Center, CA.
Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic
|January 1, 1991
Summary
This study challenges classical psychoanalytic theories on posttraumatic nightmares, revealing that shame is transformed into fear through dreamwork. It highlights the role of dissociative states and shame in the day residue of trauma survivors.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Psychoanalysis
- Trauma Studies
Background:
- Classical psychoanalytic theory posits that anxiety in posttraumatic nightmares stems from manifest content conflicts and disregards latent content and day residue.
- This perspective overlooks the transformative function of dreamwork in processing traumatic experiences.
Observation:
- The study examines posttraumatic nightmares, focusing on the "day residue" – recent experiences influencing dreams.
- Case material from two patients illustrates the significant role of posttraumatic dissociative states and shame within the day residue.
Findings:
- The research questions the assumption that manifest and latent dream content reflect the same conflict in posttraumatic nightmares.
- It proposes that dreamwork in these nightmares functions to transform underlying shame into manifest fear.
Implications:
- Understanding this shame-to-fear transformation offers new insights into the psychodynamics of posttraumatic nightmares.
- This revised psychoanalytic perspective may enhance therapeutic interventions for individuals suffering from trauma-related sleep disturbances.
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