A Couple's Unconscious Communication: Dreams

Sommantico, Massimiliano

doi:10.1111/bjp.12251

Cited by 14 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…In a similar way, according to classical psychoanalytic thinking (Adams-Silvan & Silvan, 1990; Freud, 1900, 1915–1917; Sommantico, 2016, 2018; Sommantico, De Rosa, & Parrello, 2017; Velotti & Zavattini, 2019), dreams can be interpreted, not only as an attempt at the fulfillment of repressed wishes but also as a way to retrospectively master and transform a waking life traumatic event. And so, following this line of thought, it seems that significant events in waking life can be associated with specific experiences of dreaming, especially with dreamt emotions and threats.…”

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confidence: 94%

Dreaming in the time of COVID-19: A quali-quantitative Italian study.

2020

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Based on the continuity hypothesis of dreaming with waking life, we have studied the effects of isolation on the dreams of Italian persons, during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study included a sample of 796 subjects (73.2% women; M ϭ 30.3, SD ϭ 12.8). Participants were asked to complete a dream questionnaire, as well as to report their most recent dream, by responding to specific questions related to the content of their dream (e.g., realism/bizarreness, positive vs. negative emotions, emotional intensity and tone). Results indicate the following: Female participants were higher recallers than men and reported higher emotional intensity and a predominantly negative emotional tone of their dreams, as well as higher negative emotions and sensory impressions in their most recent dreams; 159 dreams (20%) included explicit COVID-19 references; participants knowing people affected by or who have died of COVID-19 report higher emotional intensity and sensory impressions in their most recent dreams; and the most recent dreams have been set in external locations and have presented strong negative emotions, especially with respect to dangerous, violent, and frustrating situations. In sum, the findings of this study indicate that the method of quali-quantitative dream content analysis is a very informative approach for studying the effects of significant contextual and catastrophic events, such as COVID-19 pandemic, on people's inner lives.

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confidence: 94%

Dreaming in the time of COVID-19: A quali-quantitative Italian study.

2020

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“…In the same vein, according to psychoanalytic thought (Adams-Silvan & Silvan, 1990;Sommantico, 2016;Sommantico, 2018;Sommantico et al, 2017), dreams can be interpreted not only as attempts at fulfilling repressed wishes, as highlighted by the early work of Freud (1900), but also as ways to retrospectively master and transform a waking life traumatic event (Freud, 1915-17). Following this line of thinking, it seems that significant events in waking life can be associated with specific experiences of dreaming, especially with dreamt emotions and threats.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dreaming during the COVID-19 lockdown: a comparison of Italian adolescents and adults

Sommantico

Iorio

Lacatena

et al. 2021

ResPsy

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Based on the continuity hypothesis of dreaming, we have studied the effects of lockdown measures on Italian adolescents’ and adults’ dreams during the first wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. A sample of 475 subjects (73.9% women; 48.4% adolescents; ages 12-70 years, M=25.10, SD=12.2) was recruited via the Internet between April 17, 2020 and May 18, 2020. Participants were asked to provide socio-demographic data, as well as to report their Most Recent Dream. Results indicated that adults’ dreams were the longest, as well as characterized by higher emotional intensity, predominantly negative emotions, and a higher presence of sensory impressions. Furthermore, results indicated that the participants, especially adolescents, who were most directly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic reported the strongest effects on their dreams. Results also indicated that women recall dreams more often than men, in addition to reporting higher emotional intensity, predominantly negative emotions, and a higher presence of sensory impressions. Finally, results of the Thematic Analysis of Elementary Contexts showed that adults’ dreams seem to be centered, above all, on both pleasant memories linked to experiences that are now forbidden (i.e., traveling, meeting friends) as well as on nightmares, while adolescents’ dreams focused on relationships with others. Finally, both adults and adolescents reported dreams related to the experience of home confinement, which they described in terms of the negative emotions they experienced. In sum, the findings of this study indicate that the COVID-19 lockdown measures, understood as a contextual and traumatic event, significantly affect people’s oneiric lives, regardless of age.

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“…According to the continuity hypothesis (e.g., Barrett, 2001; Hartmann & Basile, 2003; Rosen et al, 1991; Schredl, 2006), as well as the psychoanalytic understanding (e.g., Fosshage, 1983; Freud, 1900; Sommantico, 2016), dreams and dreamt emotions have been demonstrated to be reflective of waking day events. Indeed, findings in the literature on dream studies related to catastrophic and/or traumatic events (e.g., Barrett, 2001; Hartmann & Basile, 2003; Rosen et al, 1991; Schredl, 2006; Varvin et al, 2012) show a strong impact of these events on dream content due to their emotional salience.…”

Section: The Current Study: Aims and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dream changes across the first three waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy.

Sommantico¹,

Parrello²

2023

Dreaming

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The 2019 novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has strongly impacted the world. Recent research findings found significant effects of the pandemic on dreaming. We investigated sociodemographic, COVID-19-related variables, and oneiric activity (by the Most Recent Dream) during the first, the second, and the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in three matched samples, for a total of 600 Italian adult subjects (82.7% women; aged 18–81 years, M = 30.4, SD = 13.3). Results indicated that: (a) the majority of participants were medium recallers; (b) during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, participants reported higher negative emotions and longer dreams; (c) during the second wave, participants reported higher positive emotions and lower presence of sensory impressions in their dreams; (d) during the third wave, participants reported lower positive emotions in their dreams; and (e) participants knowing a COVID-19 death reported shorter dreams and higher negative emotions in their dreams, while student participants reported longer and more realistic dreams. Results of the quali-quantitative analyses revealed recurring themes in the Most Recent Dreams, as well as a strong continuity with the waking experience, especially focused on family and friends, as well as on places where the quarantine was lived and on the outside world. In sum, the findings of this study indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic understood as a high-impact and traumatic event, significantly affects people's dreams, especially in terms of elicited emotions, as well as in terms of themes related to the pandemic.

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A Couple's Unconscious Communication: Dreams

Cited by 14 publications

References 29 publications

Dreaming in the time of COVID-19: A quali-quantitative Italian study.

Dreaming in the time of COVID-19: A quali-quantitative Italian study.

Dreaming during the COVID-19 lockdown: a comparison of Italian adolescents and adults

Dream changes across the first three waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy.

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