Your Dreams on Trauma (and How EMDR Therapy Can Help Heal)

"I walked next to my grandma through her backyard, listening to the windchimes in the background. I felt this intense sense of gratitude for her visit. She's been gone for about six years. I looked up and said, "Thank you" genuinely, and I woke up. My dreams have often given me gifts as this. There is a sense of memory and healing in the non-linear parade of images and sounds."

"For many individuals living with post- traumatic stress disorder, nightmares and sleep interruptions are common. Sleep is critical for fear extinction memory, the ability to feel comfortable again after we have escaped a troubling situation (Van Liempt, 2012), and this is impaired in PTSD. In PTSD, early morning waking is also common, with some research suggesting this affects close to 50% of people with the diagnosis (Lamarche and Koninck, 2007). Just when they are getting into that dreamy REM sleep, the person jolts awake."

"Psychotherapies, including eye movement desensitization therapy (EMDR), are seeking to explore the role of rapid eye movements, such as those we encounter in REM sleep, in processing our experiences. To better understand the links between dreams, trauma, and healing, I spoke with psychotherapist Lizy Wiggins. She is the CEO of EMDR Restorative Consulting as well as an EMDRIA-approved (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing International Association) EMDR trainer and consultant. (EMDRIA is the primary professional organization regulating the use of EMDR among practitioners.)"

Dream encounters can provide vivid experiences of memory and healing through non-linear images, sounds, and sensations. Many people with post-traumatic stress disorder experience frequent nightmares and sleep interruptions; sleep supports fear-extinction memory, which is impaired in PTSD. Early morning waking affects nearly half of people with PTSD, often interrupting REM sleep when processing would occur. Psychotherapies such as eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) investigate the role of rapid eye movements, akin to those in REM sleep, in processing traumatic experiences. Some trauma therapists found cognitive reframing and coping skills insufficient and adopted EMDR to address core traumatic material.

Read at Psychology Today