Dreaming and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder The Connection

Introduction According to the dictionary diagnosis in PsychCentral, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is defined as a â€Å"debilitating mental disorder that follows experiencing or witnessing an extremely traumatic, tragic, or terrifying event† (PTSD Info Treatment, 2013). While this definition describes the general definition of PTSD, the DSM-IV states that the criteria for being diagnosed with PTSD varies between a person who â€Å"experienced, witnessed, or was confronted with an event or events that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of self or others† and/or â€Å"the person’s response involved intense fear, helplessness, or horror† (DSM-IV, Appendix E). Such experiences can include various situations such as military involvement for veterans, domestic abuse, and even divorce, as will be refereed to throughout this paper. It is stated that once a person experiences a traumatic event, PTSD can develop as a combination of varying symptoms. When diagnosing possible PTSD patients, clinicians use the DSM-IV as a guide in â€Å"understanding clusters of symptoms† (Staggs, para. 1). Some of these symptoms include â€Å"recurrent and intrusive† recollections of the situation, â€Å"including images, thoughts, or perceptions; acting or feeling as if the traumatic event were recurring; intense psychological distress† to symbols representing trauma; and â€Å"recurrent distressing dreams of the event†, or nightmares/terrors (DSM-IV, Appendix E). While allShow MoreRelatedThe Lucid Dreaming And How Can It Be A Method Of Psychotherapy For Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Essay1124 Words   |  5 Pages Introduction Those who experience lucid dreaming in the stage of REM sleep are aware of their dreams and able to control their dreams. Lucid dreaming could be a possible treatment for those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who suffer from nightmares. During lucid dreaming in a nightmare, the PTSD patients would be able to let go of their fear by recognizing the threats they have in their dreams are not real. PTSD patients can also transform their dreams into something moreRead More Dreaming and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: The Connection1933 Words   |  8 PagesIntroduction According to the dictionary diagnosis in PsychCentral, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is defined as a â€Å"debilitating mental disorder that follows experiencing or witnessing an extremely traumatic, tragic, or terrifying event† (PTSD Info Treatment, 2013). While this definition describes the general definition of PTSD, the DSM-IV states that the criteria for being diagnosed with PTSD varies between a person who â€Å"experienced, witnessed, or was confronted with an event or events that involvedRead MoreAnalysis : Eye Movement Desensitization And Reprocessing1348 Words   |  6 Pagesthat changed the way you feel about yourself or about your place and safety in the world† (FIX). For many years, people have been using Cognitive Behavior Therapy and other kinds of exposure therapy to treat conditions such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and psychosis. People who find events or memories that disable the ability to enjoy e veryday life are starting to use exposure therapy. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an effectiveRead MoreEssay about Exploring Multiple Personality Disorder2415 Words   |  10 PagesExploring Multiple Personality Disorder In popular culture, Dissociation, and Dissociative Identity Disorder (previously known as Multiple Personality Disorder--MPD) is considered a very exotic, rare and enigmatic psychological phenomenon (11). It seems that, especially in the media and entertainment, multiple personality disorder is stigmatized by a number of quite florid and nearly hysterical symptoms. Clinically, however, Multiple Personality Disorder has been recognized for centuries and