Title: How Trauma Can Affect Dreams: How to Cope | Sleep Foundation
Headings: How Trauma Affects Dreams
How Trauma Affects Dreams
Why Does Trauma Affect Dreams?
Nightmares and PTSD
Can Nightmares Cause Trauma?
Treatment for Nightmares
Sleep Hygiene After Trauma

Content: Vivid dreams or waking up with clear memories of nightmares can be an unsettling experience. While the hypothesis that nightmares can cause trauma may not be the subject of a significant amount of research, the answer to this question may depend on the way trauma is defined. What experiences are considered traumatic has changed over time 11. Early on, trauma was thought to only be possible when someone was awake and psychologists reserved this label for events that fell outside the range of normal human experiences. Later definitions have broadened the definition of trauma, acknowledging the many sources of traumatic experiences and the effect of cumulative traumas. Currently, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM–5) indicates that trauma can be experienced either directly or indirectly. This means that we don’t have to experience something first hand to develop trauma. For example, teachers, counselors, and psychologists may develop secondary or vicarious trauma through repeatedly hearing about the traumas experienced by those they serve. Whether indirect trauma can come from dreams may still be an open question. Whether nightmares can cause trauma may also depend on a person’s culture.