Apr. 5, 2015 "Cognitive therapy turns nightmares into dreams": I cut out this article by Sarah Kershaw in the Globe and Mail on Jul. 29, 2010. I'm interested in dreams, nightmares, sub consciousness, psychology and therapy. Here's the whole article:
ALBUQUERQUE — Her car is racing at a terrifying speed through the streets of a large city, and something gruesome, something with giant eyeballs, is chasing her, closing in fast.
It was a dream, of course, and after Emily Gurule, a 50-year-old high school teacher, related it to Dr. Barry Krakow, he did not ask her to unpack its symbolism. He simply told her to think of a new one.
“In your mind, with thinking and picturing, take a few minutes, close your eyes, and I want you to change the dream any way you wish,” said Dr. Krakow, founder of the P.T.S.D. Sleep Clinic at the Maimonides Sleep Arts and Sciences center here and a leading researcher of nightmares.
And so the black car became a white Cadillac, traveling at a gentle speed with nothing chasing it. The eyeballs became bubbles, floating serenely above the city.
“We call that a new dream,” Dr. Krakow told Ms. Gurule. “The bad dream is over there” — he pointed across the room — “and we’re not dealing with that. We’re dealing with the new dream.”
The technique, used while patients are awake, is called scripting or dream mastery and is part of imagery rehearsal therapy, which Dr. Krakow helped develop. The therapy is being used to treat a growing number of nightmare sufferers.
In recent years, nightmares have increasingly been viewed as a distinct disorder, and researchers have produced a growing body of empirical evidence that this kind of cognitive therapy can help reduce their frequency and intensity, or even eliminate them.
In recent years, nightmares have increasingly been viewed as a distinct disorder, and researchers have produced a growing body of empirical evidence that this kind of cognitive therapy can help reduce their frequency and intensity, or even eliminate them.
The treatments are controversial. Some therapists, particularly Jungian analysts, take issue with changing nightmares’ content, arguing that dreams send crucial messages to the waking mind.
Nightmares are important because they “bring up issues in bold print,” said Jane White-Lewis, a psychologist in Guilford, Conn., who has taught about dreams at the Carl Jung Institute in New York.
While Dr. White-Lewis acknowledged that she does not treat patients suffering from severe trauma, she said that if a nightmare is eliminated, “you lose an opportunity to really get some meaning out of it.” Changing eyeballs into bubbles, she added, might have robbed Ms. Gurule of the chance to find out what the eyeballs were trying to tell her.
Nightmares have fascinated and perplexed people for centuries, their meaning debated by therapists and analysts of all schools of thought, their effects so powerful that one terrifying nightmare can affect a person for a lifetime.
A nightmare is “a disturbing dream experience which rubs, bites and sickens our soul, and has an undercurrent of horsepower, lewd demons, aggressive orality and death,” Dr. White-Lewis wrote in “In Defense of Nightmares,” her contribution to a 1993 book of essays about dreams.
From 4 to 8 percent of adults report experiencing nightmares, perhaps as often as once per week or more, according to sleep researchers. But the rate is as high as 90 percent among groups like combat veterans and rape victims, Dr. Krakow said. He said treatment for post-traumatic stress needed to deal much more actively
He and other clinicians are increasingly using imagery rehearsal therapy, or I.R.T., to treat veterans and active-duty troops in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Last month, Dr. Krakow conducted a workshop on imagery rehearsal and other sleep treatments for 65 therapists, sleep doctors and psychiatrists, including many working with the military. And the technique has drawn more attention from other researchers in the last several years.
Anne Germain, an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, is comparing two treatments — behavioral therapy, including imagery rehearsal, and the blood-pressure drug prazosin, which has been found to reduce nightmares.
Preliminary results from a study of 50 veterans showed that both treatments were effective in reducing nightmares and symptoms of P.T.S.D., she said, though they differed from patient to patient. She is continuing to study what factors may lead to those differences.
Deirdre Barrett, a psychologist at Harvard Medical School who is an expert on dream incubation, inducing dreams to resolve conflicts , and on the connection between trauma and dreams — said she was struck by the growing interest in nightmares as a result of war trauma and torture.
“Within the community of psychologists who have put an emphasis on dreams it used to be about interpretation,” she said. “And now therapists are getting the message that you can influence dreams, ask dreams about particular issues and change nightmares.”
And Hollywood has just produced its own spin on the idea of controlling dreams, with the release earlier this month of "Inception" a thriller whose plot swirls through the darkest layers of the dream world.
Underlying the story is the concept of lucid dreaming, another technique used by clinicians to help patients afraid of their dreams understand that they are dreaming while a dream is in progress. Dr. Barrett supports the use of Dr. Krakow’s technique, although she said that ideally the nightmare work should be integrated with psychiatry and behavioral therapies to treat the underlying condition.
Underlying the story is the concept of lucid dreaming, another technique used by clinicians to help patients afraid of their dreams understand that they are dreaming while a dream is in progress. Dr. Barrett supports the use of Dr. Krakow’s technique, although she said that ideally the nightmare work should be integrated with psychiatry and behavioral therapies to treat the underlying condition.
Still, Dr. Barrett said, “Barry has made a huge contribution by getting the numbers, getting the statistics and getting the proof that it can work.”
Dr. Krakow’s nightmare therapy typically includes four sessions of group treatment and between one and ten individual sessions, though Dr. Krakow said between three and five sessions are usually effective. (The clinic visits are covered by insurance.)
Patients participate in sleep studies as needed, and do considerable work on their own, using a manual he published to guide them, “Turning Nightmares Into Dreams.”
At the clinic here, some patients, like Ms. Gurule, come in for severe snoring and daytime sleepiness and discover they are suffering from trauma-induced nightmares. Others come with a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress or simply report recurring nightmares and discover they also have other sleep disorders.
Dr. Krakow’s latest research, which was presented last month at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, found a striking connection between P.T.S.D. and a variety of sleep disorders.
In an analysis of the sleep studies conducted on more than a thousand patients with varying degrees of post-traumatic stress, he found that 5 to 10 other sleep problems may be involved. High rates of sleep apnea, for example, were found even in patients with moderate symptoms of post-traumatic stress. “In the world of P.T.S.D. and sleep, no one is making these connections,” Dr. Krakow said.
In an analysis of the sleep studies conducted on more than a thousand patients with varying degrees of post-traumatic stress, he found that 5 to 10 other sleep problems may be involved. High rates of sleep apnea, for example, were found even in patients with moderate symptoms of post-traumatic stress. “In the world of P.T.S.D. and sleep, no one is making these connections,” Dr. Krakow said.
He refers to his small clinic, in an office park here, as a “bed-and-breakfast without the breakfast.” It has four small bedrooms, with pastel-colored bedspreads and cheerful, serene paintings of fish and beaches. Before bed, the technicians place sensors on the patients to track sleep, breathing and movement.
Dr. Krakow, 61, started out as an internist and then practiced emergency medicine before studying nightmares and possible treatments with colleagues at the University of New Mexico in the late 1980s. With financing from the National Institute of Mental Health, he conducted his first major research between 1995 and 1999, looking at the effect of imagery rehearsal on 168 sexual assault survivors who suffered from nightmares.
The results of a randomized controlled trial were published in a 2001 paper in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Of the subjects, 95 percent had moderate to severe P.T.S.D., 97 percent had experienced rape or other sexual assault, 77 percent reported life-threatening sexual assault and 58 percent reported repeated exposure to sexual abuse in childhood.
The treatment group, 88 women, participated in three sessions of imagery rehearsal therapy, while the control group, 80 women, was on a waiting list and continued with whatever treatment they had been undergoing. Of the 114 that completed follow-up at three or at three and six months, those in the treatment group had “significantly” reduced the nights per week with nightmares and the number of nightmares per week, the paper said.
The control group showed small, “nonsignificant” improvement on the same measures. And symptoms of post-traumatic stress decreased in 65 percent of the treatment group, while they either remained unchanged or worsened in the control group, according to the findings.
The control group showed small, “nonsignificant” improvement on the same measures. And symptoms of post-traumatic stress decreased in 65 percent of the treatment group, while they either remained unchanged or worsened in the control group, according to the findings.
Along with other researchers, Dr. Krakow has continued to publish further studies on imagery rehearsal, finding that of hundreds of patients treated, about 70 percent have reported significant improvements in nightmare frequency after regularly using the treatment for two to four weeks.
Roberta Barker, 55, was one of Dr. Krakow’s first patients and a participant in the research published in JAMA. Ms. Barker says she was kidnapped in Japan, where she had gone to teach English, and was raped and tortured for three days before escaping. (She suffered extensive physical injuries and now survives on a government disability pension.)
Her nightmares, replaying the horror over and over, were so frightening she could barely sleep. Medications did not seem to work. She was on the verge of suicide.
“I drank enough coffee to float a battleship,” she said in a recent visit to Dr. Krakow’s clinic. “A few times a week I was reliving the entire set of days in one night.”
When Dr. Krakow told her that nightmares can be a learned behavior and that she had the power to stop what had essentially become a habit, she was highly skeptical.
He explained that she could come up with another dream and practice it and that it was possible for her to no longer have the nightmares of the kidnapping and rape.
“No, it’s too easy,” she recalled telling him. “It can’t work.”
Some patients work to change the plot of their dreams; a rape victim who was receiving treatment with Ms. Barker decided to script a dream about confronting her rapist with a baseball bat. But Ms. Barker said she felt she had to come up with an entirely new dream. So she chose birds.
“I’ve always loved birds, wild birds, doves and pigeons and starlings, mountain blue jays,” she said. “I had fed birds, the images were solid, I could hear them flying and talking. Now, instead of waking up screaming, I wake up knowing I’ve dreamed of birds.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/27/health/27night.html
Jul. 5, 2019 Elisa Lam: When I was at my friend Cham's condo, she showed me this video about this woman's mysterious death. Here is the Cole's Notes version:
Lam is a university student who was traveling alone in LA. She had bipolar disorder and depression. Later she was found naked in a water tank at the top of the hotel she was staying at. There was a video of her in an elevator like she was hiding from someone, or talking to someone who wasn't there.
The theories:
A. She had mental illness and was off her meds and she committed suicide.
B. She had a mental illness and was off her meds and died by accident.
C. It was a murder case.
D. It was a supernatural case.
My opinion: I would say A or B. This case really affected me because I can relate to her. She is an Asian woman like me. I do have bouts of depression.
If you need help, call the suicide hotline: 1-833-456-4566
http://www.crisisservicescanada.ca/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Elisa_Lam
Sun. Jun. 30, 2019 Centre of Spiritual Living: Today there was a barbecue and I ate a couple of burgers. I met some new people. They were mainly teens and early 20s.
Job interview: After that, I went to a job interview.
Mon. Jul. 1, 2019: Today I went to a job interview.
Kerry Tepidino: I was listening to this online event series. She interviews Christa Orecchio.
Christa Orecchio: Anxiety only lives in the future, and depression only lives in the past.
Jul. 2, 2019 The Code: There was a new ep called "Smoke- Pit." It delved into a supporting character's mental illness.
Grand Hotel: I saw this ep called "Curveball" and I liked it. It goes deeper into the mystery of who is behind and why Sky went missing.
I did like this plot twist:
Spoiler alert: It looks like this man is following the hotel manager Mateo and wants to confront him about Sky. When Mateo confronts him, the man comes onto him and hits on him.
Spoiler alert for the comedy: The rapper El Ray is being demanding with his pastries being flied from his mom's home to the hotel.
Alicia: Do you want the pastry to fly here first class?
Later Alicia and Gigi fly El Ray's mom over with the pastry. The mom starts hitting El Ray with her shoe and saying: "Stop being so demanding!"
Jul. 3, 2019 Mental health: I haven't been feeling good. Today I took a step to improve my mental health.
I posted the above at the meetup. The important thing is that I made the effort to see my friends and to socialize.
Mental health flashback: Right now, this reminds me of a bad time back in 2006. I got laid off from Call Centre #1. I was angry and depressed.
Jul. 4, 2019 "Summer weekends are hungry times for food-insecure kids": Today I found this article by Rita Giorano in the Star Metro. Please donate money and food to the food bank:
Weather: It was good weather where I can sit outside and read.
Jul. 5, 2019 Friends: I took another step to improve my mental health. I emailed a lot of my work friends on Facebook and asked for their numbers and invite to hang out.
MAD magazine closing down: They will stop publishing new content. They will only republish old magazines. I never really read it. It reminds me of The Simpsons where Bart visits the company:
Bart: Hi, is this MAD magazine?
Bart then sees the Red Hed guy and all the crazy things behind him.
Jul. 6, 2019 Feelings: I'm feeling sad and lonely, so that's why I'm reaching out to all my friends. I'm calling and emailing them all on Facebook.
I'm also keeping busy.
I hope you guys email me or call me. You can comment on these emails or you can update me on your life.
Jul. 5, 2019 Elisa Lam: When I was at my friend Cham's condo, she showed me this video about this woman's mysterious death. Here is the Cole's Notes version:
Lam is a university student who was traveling alone in LA. She had bipolar disorder and depression. Later she was found naked in a water tank at the top of the hotel she was staying at. There was a video of her in an elevator like she was hiding from someone, or talking to someone who wasn't there.
The theories:
A. She had mental illness and was off her meds and she committed suicide.
B. She had a mental illness and was off her meds and died by accident.
C. It was a murder case.
D. It was a supernatural case.
My opinion: I would say A or B. This case really affected me because I can relate to her. She is an Asian woman like me. I do have bouts of depression.
If you need help, call the suicide hotline: 1-833-456-4566
http://www.crisisservicescanada.ca/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Elisa_Lam
My week:
Sun. Jun. 30, 2019 Centre of Spiritual Living: Today there was a barbecue and I ate a couple of burgers. I met some new people. They were mainly teens and early 20s.
Job interview: After that, I went to a job interview.
Mon. Jul. 1, 2019: Today I went to a job interview.
Kerry Tepidino: I was listening to this online event series. She interviews Christa Orecchio.
Christa Orecchio: Anxiety only lives in the future, and depression only lives in the past.
Jul. 2, 2019 The Code: There was a new ep called "Smoke- Pit." It delved into a supporting character's mental illness.
Grand Hotel: I saw this ep called "Curveball" and I liked it. It goes deeper into the mystery of who is behind and why Sky went missing.
I did like this plot twist:
Spoiler alert: It looks like this man is following the hotel manager Mateo and wants to confront him about Sky. When Mateo confronts him, the man comes onto him and hits on him.
Spoiler alert for the comedy: The rapper El Ray is being demanding with his pastries being flied from his mom's home to the hotel.
Alicia: Do you want the pastry to fly here first class?
El Ray: No, it's a pastry, it can fly on coach.
Later Alicia and Gigi fly El Ray's mom over with the pastry. The mom starts hitting El Ray with her shoe and saying: "Stop being so demanding!"
Jul. 3, 2019 Mental health: I haven't been feeling good. Today I took a step to improve my mental health.
Filmmakers meetup: I was at an appointment. Then I went there and it starts at 7pm. I got there at 6:58-7:05 pm. I went up to a few guys to see if they were part of it. No one was there so I went home.
I posted the above at the meetup. The important thing is that I made the effort to see my friends and to socialize.
Mental health flashback: Right now, this reminds me of a bad time back in 2006. I got laid off from Call Centre #1. I was angry and depressed.
Jul. 4, 2019 "Summer weekends are hungry times for food-insecure kids": Today I found this article by Rita Giorano in the Star Metro. Please donate money and food to the food bank:
For the many low-income children in the U.S., summer can be a hungry time, especially for those who depend on federally-funded breakfast and lunch programs for a large share of their school-year meals.
Now new research is showing that the food those youngsters do get to eat during the summer months is often not healthy and at risk of contributing to childhood obesity and other nutrition-related problems.
The study, published last month in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, shows that summer “is a critical nutrition intervention period” especially for children living in homes where food scarcity is already an issue, according to the authors from the Temple University and University of Minnesota nursing programs.
J. Cole "Crooked Smile": Last week, my co-worker J was playing his music. This song stood out to me. I then decided to listen to it and then I found the video. I then remembered that I saw this video before. This was a flashback.
The song is happy and upbeat. The video was happy at first, but then there is drama, conflict and tension. There is a sad ending as J. Cole cries. That was good acting.
I found my old Nov. 2013 blog post where I wrote about this video:
Nov. 4 Crooked Smile: I was watching this music video
“Crooked Smile” by J. Cole feat. TLC. I
have heard of the song before and I like it because I like TLC. I then caught the last half of this video on
TV. It was so good. I had to watch the whole thing on the
internet. I was impressed. It’s a short film by Sheldon Candis, what it
says in the beginning. It’s a 5:36 sec video.
There is a really good story to it. J. Cole plays a father and he is a drug
dealer. A white guy is playing a father
and he is a DEA agent. J. Cole is
celebrating his 4 yr old daughter’s birthday by having cake and a little party
in the backyard with his wife, and father.
The DEA agent is with his other officers and they bust down
the house. The little girl gets
accidentally shot. I really felt
something there. The music turns into an
organ music and we see the girl in heaven.
J. Cole is sitting in the cop car, with tears in his eyes.
The ending says “For Aiyana Stanley-Jones. And please consider your war on drugs. A message from J. Cole.” The comments were that it made them cry.
My opinion: I really like this video. There is a good story, there was emotion and
I felt something when watching it. Great
production. I was going to put this in
the fun email, but I think it belongs in the writing email because of the
story.
Gratitude: I read and listen to self-help and let's notice about things we should be grateful for.
Weather: It was good weather where I can sit outside and read.
Jul. 5, 2019 Friends: I took another step to improve my mental health. I emailed a lot of my work friends on Facebook and asked for their numbers and invite to hang out.
MAD magazine closing down: They will stop publishing new content. They will only republish old magazines. I never really read it. It reminds me of The Simpsons where Bart visits the company:
Bart: Hi, is this MAD magazine?
Receptionist: No, it's Mademoiselle.
Bart then sees the Red Hed guy and all the crazy things behind him.
Jul. 6, 2019 Feelings: I'm feeling sad and lonely, so that's why I'm reaching out to all my friends. I'm calling and emailing them all on Facebook.
I'm also keeping busy.
I hope you guys email me or call me. You can comment on these emails or you can update me on your life.
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