How COVID-19 Has Changed Our Dreams—And How We Can Help!

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, I, like many other therapists, have been experiencing a dramatic change in my therapy practice. The clients who were already on my roster at the beginning of the pandemic began having symptoms of trauma, and new clients were constantly calling with desperate pleas for support and solace.

In the therapist groups to which I belong, both formal and informal, talk constantly returns to the question of how to offer hope in a world where everything seems so uncertain. As one of my clients put it, it’s not just Schrodinger’s cat, it’s Schrodinger’s world.

One of the changes that has really caught the attention of many therapists is the significant increase in reports of nightmares, sometimes expressly COVID-19-related, but often more metaphors of the theme of the pandemic trauma.

I decided to see what I could find out about this phenomenon.

Historically, widespread effects on dreaming were documented after the San Francisco earthquake in 1989 and after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 in 2001, but this is the first time a global surge in dreaming has been documented, and it is the first time one has been documented in the age of social media.

A recent article in Scientific American by Tore Nielsen, professor of psychiatry and director of the Dream and Nightmare Laboratory at the Université de Montréal, elegantly summarized the current research (mostly as yet unpublished) about the effect that living in a COVID-19 world has on our dreams. We know that 29% of Americans are recalling more dreams than they usually do, and 37% of people are having pandemic dreams with threatening themes.

The research supports the hypothesis that there are 3 factors contributing to pandemic nightmares:

• Disrupted Sleep Schedules
• Threats of Contagion and Social Distancing Impeding Emotional Regulation
• Social Media Amplification Effect

Let’s examine each factor to see how we can assist our clients in order to mitigate the effect of COVID-19 on their dreams and reduce their anxiety in general.

Disrupted Sleep Schedules

At first it seemed like a good thing—the lack of a commute after the lockdown gave people the ability to sleep in longer before beginning their workday. Indeed, at the beginning of the pandemic, time asleep in the U.S. increased 20%.

However, longer sleep time means more dreams, more recall of dreams overall, and more vivid and emotional dreams. In addition, if we are sleeping beyond our actual sleep needs, REM sleep also increases proportionately.

At the same time, many clients have been reporting difficulty going to sleep, or staying asleep. This often leads to sleeping later in the morning after they finally get back to sleep. Sleeping later in the morning is also problematic—REM sleep is more prevalent and intense later in the morning, and dreams are correspondingly more bizarre.

What can we do?

Now more than ever, we need to educate our clients about sleep hygiene! There are many excellent articles about the practical things people can do to increase their chances of success in getting a good night’s sleep. Some of the top suggestions are: stick to a schedule, even on weekends; turn off screens at least an hour before bedtime; use your bed only for sleeping and sex; keep your room very dark and somewhat cool; don’t exercise or eat too close to bedtime.

Another thing that has made a difference for my clients with insomnia is to reassure them that lying quietly in bed is very restorative for their body and mind. Sometimes just knowing this simple fact will help them stay calm enough to fall asleep.

Overwhelmed Emotional Regulation

REM sleep and dreaming helps us solve problems and regulate emotions. Dreams often use metaphoric imagery to help us consolidate memories and create a coherent ongoing narrative of our lives. Professor Nielsen explains,

“The late Ernest Hartmann, a Boston-area dream and nightmare research pioneer who studied dreams after the 9/11 attacks, stipulated that such contextualization best helps people adapt when it weaves together old and new experiences. Successful integration produces a more stable memory system that is resilient to future traumas.”

How Can We Help Our Clients?

This is where I find that specialized techniques like EMDR can be so helpful. EMDR is specifically designed to help clients integrate memories in ways that can result in a greater sense of calm and meaning. Hypnosis and somatic processing are some of the other techniques that address this issue on the subconscious level as well.

Social Media Amplification

Ah, social media—here is yet another way it enters our lives to disturb our peace of mind!

Professor Nielsen tells us, “Evidence suggests that mainstream media reporting probably did not trigger the surge (in COVID-19-related dreams) but may have amplified its scope, at least temporarily.”

What Can We Do About Social Media?

Social media is specifically designed to be addicting. Many dollars and some of the top engineering minds were enlisted to make social media endlessly compelling. But you can encourage your clients to reduce their use of social media for their own peace of mind. Here is an article with some practical suggestions on how to do this, and another article with excellent ideas on how to take back control of your smart phone so that it is set up to reflect your person values, rather than those of Mark Zuckerberg et. al.

At the end of the day, there is only so much we can do about a world that is, for many of us, increasingly terrifying. On the other hand, there is much we can do to give our clients tools to face current and future challenges with grace and hope. As difficult as the job is these days, I feel both proud and lucky to be a psychotherapist.

Amy McManus, LMFT, helps anxious young adults build healthy new relationships with themselves and others after a breakup. Amy’s blog, “Life Hacks,” offers practical tips for thriving in today’s crazy plugged-in world. Learn more about Amy from her website www.thrivetherapyla.com.