What is it about?
The spontaneous associations, anticipations, and reactions (i.e., implicit emotional memories) that drive our unwanted behaviors can be transformed when reactivated and confronted with an experience that vividly contradicts them (i.e., a prediction error). Dream images can be used to conduct this process in therapy, both to reactivate the emotional memory and to generate a prediction error. The emotions aroused during the therapeutic process seem to play an important role in it. Dream reports and images can also be helpful to verify the success of memory updating.
Featured Image
Photo by Zoltan Tasi on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Since the discovery of this memory updating process, much research has been conducted on animals to better understand its applications and limitations. Yet research on humans is still rare and many factors are involved in human change. However, this updating process is currently the only one that is considered permanent. Thus, it could improve the effectiveness of therapy and the durability of the observed changes. Dream images are available to anyone who remembers them,anywhere in the world. They can therefore be largely used in different therapeutic contexts to generate lasting changes.
Perspectives
Dreams are often neglected in the contemporary societies. I hope this article helps dreamers and therapists to understand the benefits of paying more attention to dreams.
Sophie Boudrias
Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Using visual dream reports in art therapy to reconsolidate emotional memories., Dreaming, May 2024, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/drm0000277.
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