There are many people that have difficulties with sleep and many studies that psychologists have researched to help explain this human behavior. In this assignment you will have the opportunity to do a study of your own on yourself!…
Peter Skrzynecki presents a view of Insomnia as an unpleasant, inhumane experience. He explores this problem through the use of religious themes, sociological issues, and inner thoughts and feelings as well as a range of metaphors…
The authors begin the article with a National tragedy that everyone has at least heard about, the Exxon Valdez Disaster. Where the oil tankers spilled millions of gallons of crude oil and it was said to be due to the ship master 's alcohol consumption. In fact, the cause of the crude oil spill was from the third mate, whom was extremely slept deprived. When in fact the in it’s final report that National Transportation Safety Board found that sleep deprivation and sleep debt were the cause of the accident (Dement and Vaughn, 498). When the report from The National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research finally was finished, it identified that sleep deprivation was the “direct cause” of the Exxon Valdez oil spill (Dement and Vaughn, 498.) Although there is an abundance of knowledge about sleep, Dement and Vaughn stated that there is "none is more important than the topic of sleep debt"(498). Sleep debt to this day still remains a concealed and misunderstood on how big of a problem it is in society today.…
Concurring with analytical psychologist, Carl Jung’s “By-Product” theory that the brain attempts to turn those recognized impulses into sensory input; producing vivid hallucinations, know as dreams, it is understandable that the brain then tries to make sense of those stimuli and their origins as well as causes. However, research using PET scans has shown that the part of the brain that makes sense of these stimulations is fairly inactive during sleep (Wade, 1998). This, in turn, can end up being the result of the strange scenarios that can occur in REM sleep and the reason that dreams are more emotionally afflicting rather than structurally coherent. “The fact that a fairly powerful stimulus will awaken us at anytime is evidence that even in sleep the soul is in constant contact with whatever is situated or occurring in the world outside the body. The sensory stimuli that reach us during sleep may very well become sources of dreams (Freud, 1953).” Many seemingly confusing parts of dreams can very well be attributed to stimulus that occurs extracorporeally. Ergo, individuals are capable of interpreting the meaning behind certain parts of his or her dream as simply reactions to disturbances that were recognized by the sleeping mind. A study by research psychologists, Carey K.…
The psychoanalytic model of trauma hypothesizes that the trauma has restarted a previously inactive, interpretation links to conscious and unconscious determinates of an experience of unresolved psychological conflict. This raises whether memories can be lost and later returns but whether they are actively inhibited, keeping them out of consciousness. Freud (1923) argued that undoing of repression and recovering memory into consciousness us a major goal of therapy. Using the defence mechanisms of repression, regression, denial, reaction formation, and undoing that revival from childhood trauma. According to Freud (1923) a pre-existing conflict might be symbolically reawakened by the new traumatic event. The ego…
Sleep is important for our health and well-being. Extensive research has been done on the effects of sleep. These studies consistently show that sleep plays a vital role in promoting physical health, longevity, and emotional well-being. This explains why, after a good night's sleep, we feel better, our thoughts are clearer, and our emotions are less fragile. Without adequate sleep our judgment, mood, and ability to learn and retain information are weakened.…
The first and most common type is sleep. This altered state is controlled by the circadian rhythm, which is part of the human body’s biological rhythm. There are two theories of why humans sleep the adaptive theory that states that sleep patterns are evolved to avoid predators. The restorative theory states that sleep is necessary for the body to stay healthy. There are two types of sleep that a person will experience, Rapid Eye Movement (R.E.M.) where dreaming takes place and Non-R.E.M. which is more restful for the mind and body. A behavior that is associated with this altered state is sleep deprivation, which can result in serious health issues and affect mental performance (Pearson Learning Solutions, 2013). The second type, which is tied to sleep, is dreams. This altered state takes place during the R.E.M. type of sleep. A person can be in this altered state four to five times a night. A behavior that can be linked to this state is night terrors or nightmares that causes a person to awake suddenly and very afraid (Pearson Learning Solutions, 2013). The third type of altered state is hypnosis, where a person is susceptible to suggestion. As with sleep there is also two theories that try to explains this altered consciousness, first is disassociation, where the immediate consciousness of the mind is effect and the sub-consciousness is alert and aware. The second is social cognitive where the person is fully aware and is role-playing. An example of the use of hypnosis is pain relief, which the person’s…
Narcolepsy is a neurological condition that affects millions of people worldwide every year. It is characterized by having disturbed nocturnal sleep; which many confuse with insomnia. Someone that is a narcoleptic might experience sleep at random time throughout the day. Narcolepsy affects about 500,000 people in the United States and over 3 million internationally.…
Through these studies, we have seen that IRT appears to be at least as effective as other treatment modalities and can be a viable option for clinicians helping clients reduce trauma-related nightmares (Casement & Swanson, 2012; Krakow et al., 2001; Lu et al., 2009; Seda et al., 2015). Imagery Rehearsal Therapy is a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy intervention which several of the researchers sought to compare to other treatment modalities. Casement and Swanson (2009) compared the effects of IRT alone against a combination of CBTI and IRT. Unsurprisingly, the combination of CBTI and IRT was found to be more effective than IRT alone. Since CBTI and IRT combined would have the ability to address a wider variety of sleep symptoms, the combination…
I awaken this morning in a cold sweat, and heart pounding. Lately, I have gone through so many nightmares, but that's not surprising. Although my combat campaign ended the year 1991, I still get combat nightmares and flashbacks often, up four to five times a week, especially when I am stressed. At some point, early this morning, I found myself unable to physically move, as if I was paralyzed. In my dream, I believed someone or something, was trying to drag me out of my bed. Regardless, today, I must stay active and not drowned in my sorrows. I often try to recognize and release negative thoughts about my trauma issues and embrace new thoughts in my mind. However, this process is so hard to achieve consistency and maintained. Especially, since…
Zimbardo et al. (2009) stated “Dreams have two main functions, to guard sleep (by disguising disruptive thoughts with symbols) and to serve as sources of wish fulfillment.” Freud emphasized on these functions and believed what a person dreams can be connected to their psychological well being. Freud believed if he could find disturbances in a person’s unconscious thoughts through their dreams he could help them improve their overall mental health. Freud’s interpretations have little scientific evidence to support his claims. Freud tested his theories by psycho analyzing and interpreting his own dreams. If Freud had the ability to understand his personal desires, he could help others unlock what is hidden in their unconscious state.…
When I was little, I had some pretty bad nightmares. When it started really affecting me, my parents wrote up (in large print) a simple guided meditation script for me. Nothing complex, and nothing fancy. Considering that this script was designed to be read by me if a nightmare woke me, they didn't need to worry about putting me in a suggestible state of mind. All they needed to do was focus on imagery. I don't recall the details, but the image of the shining, fiercely protective unicorn banishing the nightmare to a realm of its own terror stays in my mind to this day, decades later. A few uses of this script, and the nightmares stopped bothering me altogether.…
Williams, R. L. (1988). Sleep disorders: diagnosis and treatment (2nd ed.). New York: John Wiley and Sons.…
Contributors Christine Acebo PhD Assistant Professor (Research) Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown Medical School, Providence, Rhode Island; Assistant Director, Chronobiology and Sleep Research Laboratory, E.P. Bradley Hospital, East Providence, Rhode Island Debbie Akers RPSGT, RRT Manager Sleep Disorders Center, Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, Norfolk, Virginia Nadeem Akhtar Post Doctoral Fellow Sleep Medicine Program, Stanford University Medical School/Stanford University Hospital, Stanford, California Donna Arand PhD Assistant Research Professor Department of Neurology, Wright State University School of Medicine; Clinical Director, Sleep Disorders Center, Kettering Medical Center, Dayton, Ohio…
Insomnia is a special kind of disorder and can be defined as the inability to sleep. It is most often thought of as both a sign and a symptom. Insomnia can occur at any age, but is commonly associated with the elderly. It can either be short or long term leading too many problems such as heart disease, memory lost and even vehicular accidents. The three major steps in overcoming this dilemma known as insomnia are medical aid, bedtime guides and seeking therapy.…