What does it mean to have the same dream followed? That’s what the experts say

It is very likely that throughout your life you have identified dreams that repeat themselves constantly Whether it’s once a week, once a month or even once a year.

such pictures come to mind while you are sleeping and the scenarios they present can be diverse. Likewise, in some cases, they could become nightmares and release a person to wake up in the middle of the night or that the next day you feel like you haven’t rested.

Although the ways in which dreams appear depend on the psychology of each individual, there are situations that are habitual to listen to conversations in this area.

Taking a test at school or college, being at work, and meeting a deceased relative are just a few of the countless environments that can appear in the dream world. . And, of course, the connotation and the background of these spaces is directly related to the psyche and experiences staff.

In conversation with La Tercera, experts in fields such as psychoanalysis and neuropsychology decipher why this phenomenon occurs and what are the most relevant aspects to consider.

The psychoanalyst and full member of the Chilean Psychoanalytic Association (APCh), Francisco O’ Ryan, explains that dreams can have different meanings .

“One, which is the best known, is to deal with outstanding situations or problems that could not be resolved. The mind is a permanent processor and we are constantly having experiences in our history that need to be decanted, digested. And this is basically done through the world of dreams. ”.

Below this line, note that the constant presence of one in particular may be due to a factor that has not settled, but in addition there are other key elements which can be included in this analysis.

In the words of the former president of the APCh, “The content of a dream is usually a disguise and does not necessarily and concretely respond to the background” .

As an example, he mentions the case of a person who repeatedly dreams that his employer wants to fire him.

This scene, according to O’Ryan, “It may have to do with a conflict that has taken place with the boss, but it may also allude to what he represents, such as a childish figure like the father which awakens a conflict in itself.

“Afterwards, The repetition of the dream reflects that it is a conflict that has not been fully resolved and manifests in situations such as work “, underlines the specialist.

Such dream space scenarios They can refer both to concrete routine activities and to figures of the inner world. of each person.

At the same time, the psychoanalyst underlines that “they can have links with the history of their childhood, where these experiences are most intensely recorded”.

A similar phenomenon occurs with those related, for example, to the death of a loved one. .

“Dreams perform different functions and this one is to treat duels. In dreaming, we reconnect with those we have lost, so it is rare for these dreams (which appear frequently) to occur very close to this time. . It’s after a while that we already start dreaming and it’s a way, in quotation marks, to ‘let go’”.

Despite this, O’Ryan points out that there are situations in which more complex aspects are presented, such as how the loss occurred or the relationship that was maintained with that person . Regarding this last point, factors such as rage and anger within this bond – to name a few – could influence how dreams manifest.

“There the dream can be repeated, but in the form of nightmares, with the person himself or with others who can symbolize it. In the case of children, with dreams of monsters or all those nightmares of witches (…) there is something that has not yet been digested, because the treatment of a duel or a defeat is, in quotation marks, when you can already ‘let go’. And that is a period that is not short.

For the director of the Center for Studies in Human Neurosciences and Neuropsychology UDP, Francisco Parada, there are two theories that stand out from a long list, despite the fact that he assures that there is no single scientific consensus on what a dream means or why we dream .

“A first hypothesis about why we dream is that we consolidate learning and memory during the dreaming process. (…) what the brain does there is organize information during the day, new experiences, etc., and they are reconsolidated . It can bring up those dreams,” he says.

On the other hand, note that there is a theory of “neurobiological function” in which it is said – in simple terms – that “dreams are simply by-products of neurotransmitter activity and lower activity, as well as certain parts of the brain or neurotransmitters” .

With this hypothesis, according to the academic of the University Diego Portales, “What would happen is that dreams would be an indicator of health in general, because if you’re highly charged toward certain neurotransmitters or you have brain activity that’s charged toward very recurrent areas, that would mean you have a kind of imbalance .

“By grasping this idea, we could double-click on why a person might have these dreams,” he points out.

Parada details – in the same spirit as the psychoanalyst of the APCh – that very strong emotions, certain experiences of greater intensity, the need to resolve conflicts and the treatment of a duel, among other aspects, can influence this phenomenon .

Regarding cases in which, for example, the presence of these dreams triggers a person to wake up in the middle of the night, the expert says that possibly “there could be some kind of sleep disorder which could be associated with apnea, with some type of problem like insomnia or with a neuronal syndrome in this sense”.

“SO, these images reappear because there is some sort of more underlying problem “, he adds in reference to the latter.

Along with this, he points out that the high amount of stimuli and stress can influence, therefore stresses the importance of maintaining “sleep hygiene” which alludes to factors such as setting certain times for going to bed and getting up, having a routine before going to sleep and, among other actions, adjusting the lights, the temperature of the room and the use of the cell phone or cell phone. television before going to sleep.

“It’s one of the biggest problems of modern society,” warns Parada, “very few people do it, but rather, on the contrary, we adopt behaviors that are unhygienic for sleeping” .

“And clear, If you add to that stress and a busy day at work, you effectively have all the ingredients for a sleep disorder which may well include very stressful recurring dreams and causing you to wake up worried, feeling like you’re not rested in the morning, or directly have nightmares. ”.

O’Ryan explains that The isolated fact of having a repeated dream is not necessarily a reason why you should resort to a yes or yes consultation. However, there are cases where it is advisable .

“We would consult if it becomes a symptom, that is, if it is nightmares that you wake up with a lot or affect your quality of sleep. There anyway” he clarifies, only to say later that having a bad time and feeling dissatisfied because of it are also reasons to go to a specialist.

For his part, Parada adds that the time to do it is “when you say ‘ok, it’s causing me pain, too much stress or a problem in my daily life (…) indeed, it is strongly recommended to call on a professional”.

However, Even if these specific discomforts do not occur, you can still go to therapy to find out what they represent for your particular case. .

The psychoanalyst insists on this point.

“We all have dreams that have been repeated over time since we were children. I tend to think that they are an invitation to explore them, because they help us to understand our deepest problems. condemned the titular member of the APCh.