Sleep is a common part of our life. Nightmares, insomnia, prophetic dreams - part after part, mostly unpleasant and incomprehensible. Is it worth changing something in our dreams - we talked about this with the director of the Institute of Practical Psychology, Anna Gurina.
- How normal is it to see "disturbing" dreams from time to time? So-called sediment dreams?
- In general, it is normal to see any dreams. Notorious nightmares are sometimes much more useful than ordinary dreams. Any dream carries information or is a way of processing it. From a psychological point of view, not dreaming is much worse.
- What can you say about those who do not see dreams? What does this mean?
- There are several aspects here. One - a person sees dreams, but does not remember. This means that he wakes up in the wrong phase. The second aspect: not dreaming is a sign of a physiological disorder. A person may not go to bed or wake up at the wrong time. Or have increased anxiety. Our body is generally tuned to protect against problems. Therefore, if a person does not see dreams, perhaps the body protects him - it does not show what can cause sadness or anxiety. The mechanism of repression or denial is triggered.
- Which of the problems with dreams can a person solve himself, and when is it worth contacting a psychologist?
- Any attempt to work with dreams must be justified by the presence of a problem. It is worth contacting a specialist in two cases: malaise (insomnia, nightmares) and lack of dreams. In these cases, it is worth working with sleep.
- What do you mean by “work with sleep”?
- Depending on the problem a person comes with, a method of work is chosen. If you are tormented by nightmares or disturbing dreams, of course, you need to disassemble the dream, highlight the most vivid images. Behind the images are the usual realities of life. If the problem is insomnia, you should pay attention to the daily routine. And just like in the absence of dreams, learn to solve your problems of work and personal life.
- How do you feel about solving a dream from dream books?
- With smile. I perfectly understand that it is impossible to generalize the objects of sleep to the primitive "A pulled out tooth means that, and a healthy one means that." Most dream books are built according to this method. But, excuse me, a tooth for a Chinese and for a Russian will mean completely different things. However, this does not exclude general "good" and "evil" images.
- Many people dream of God and the devil. How do you solve such dreams?
- Of course, given the nature and lifestyle of a person. But, in general, God and the devil are always some kind of father figure who either approves or condemns our actions.
- What would you like to warn against?
- From excessive attention to dreams without problems in this area. Everything should be natural. It's bad to rock the boat.
