Contextualizing images in dreams: More intense after abuse and trauma.

Abstract

A contextualizing image (Cl) is a poweiful central image in a dream which can be seen as picturing, or providing a picture-context for, the dominant emotion of the dreamer. Thus the paradigmatic dream, HI was overwhelmed by a tidal wave," contextualizes the dominant emotion of fear/terror or helplessness. This study examined the question of whether CIs, scored on a blind basis, are especially frequent and intense in persons who have suffered abuse, and in persons who have suffered a recent acute trauma.Two sets of dream data were studied. A single "most recent dream" was obtained from each of 306 students. The contextualizing image (Cl) score measuring presence and intensity of a contextualizing image, scored on a blind basis, was higher among students who reported any abuse (physical or sexual, childhood or recent) compared to those who reported no abuse.Second, a total of 451 dreams were collected in periods after trauma from ten persons who had experienced a variety of different acute traumas. Infour of the ten cases, a series of dreams before as well as immediately after trauma were available. In allfourofthese, the CI score was higher after trauma than before, but the d(fference was statistically significant in only one case. The CI scores in the ten trauma subjects overall were found to be significantly higher than the CI scores in the overall student group. In each of the ten trauma cases, the mean CI score was higher than the mean CI score of the student group. The differences were even greater, with higher t values. when the 10 trauma cases were compared with the group of students who had reported no abuse. Since the student group differed greatly from the trauma group in sex distribution, age, and other ways, an age and gender matched subgroup of the students wasformed. CI scores in the trauma group were significantly higher than in this matched control group.The emotions rated as contextualized by the dream images tended towards more negative than positive emotions. Fear/terror and helplessness/vulnerability were especially prominent. However, this was true in the dreams of students who reported no abuse, as well as those of students who reported abuse and the dreams of the group who had experienced trauma. The students who reported abuse tended to picture less of the positive emotions. Only the two most severely traumatized of the trauma cases showed an unusual amount of

Contextualized emotional images in children's dreams: Psychological adjustment in conditions of military trauma

“…There is some clinical evidence that the content and structure of dreaming change over time after a traumatic experience, indicating the dreamer's attempts at psychological adjustment (Hartmann, Zborowski, Rosen, & Grace, 2001). At first, dreams portray the traumatic event exactly as it has happened, typically involving images of extreme threat, helplessness and terror.…”

The Transformation of Ashtanga Yoga: Implicit Memory, Dreams, and Consciousness for Survivors of Complex Trauma

“…CI is a construct to represent the intensity of the image and can be scored. Trauma survivors had statistically significant differences in the CI score compared to a control group, and emotion rates as contextualized tended toward more negative emotions; especially pronounced were the affects involving fear/terror and helplessness vulnerability (Hartmann et al, 2001). Phelps et al (2011) found similar results among PTSD survivors.…”

“…Hartmann et al, (2001) introduce the notion of contextualizing images (CI) in dreamsa powerful central image that provides context for the dominant affect within the dream. CI is a construct to represent the intensity of the image and can be scored.…”

“…Through vivid imagery, dreams give voice to the unconscious and our task is to understand the dreams in order to bring an alternative viewpoint to the unconscious (Edinger, 1972;Hillman, 1979;Sedgwick, 2001;Kalsched, 2003). This task would be highly relevant to the dreams and images of those who eISSN 1303-5150 www.neuroquantology.com 260 have suffered various forms of trauma, particularly relational trauma, as well as their recovery through body-based meditative practices such as yoga (Faber, Saayman and Touyz, 1978;De Saussure, 1981;Brenneis, 1994;Hartmann et al, 2001;Kalsched, 2003;Brown, 2006;Phelps et al, 2011).…”

Dreaming in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Critical Review of Phenomenology, Psychophysiology and Treatment

“…Ernest Hartmann’s research group [95 ]has developed a reliable system for scoring the intensity and emotional quality of such images. Hartmann et al [96] found that dream reports from students reporting a history of abuse produced significantly more intense contextualizing images than did reports of non-abused students. Comparing dream reports from 16 subjects regularly recording their dreams, Hartmann and Basile [94] detected a strong increase in intensity of the dream imagery after the 9/11 attacks.…”