Nightmares of the Traumatic Neuroses: Implications for Theory and Treatment

Abstract

Nightmares have been a prominent symptom of traumatic war neurosis since it was first described in the literature from World War I (Brown, 1920; Rado, 1942). As a symptom of trauma, the dream imagery of the nightmare can be used to understand the issues that arise from the traumatic experience. The interpretation of these issues and the explanation for the development of the traumatic symptoms are embedded in a theoretical understanding of personality dynamics, and in a theory of dreaming which encompasses the development of the nightmare. This chapter briefly reviews the literature on the personality theories used to explain the traumatic war neurosis and the traumatic nightmare, discusses the implications of recent research on the theory of dreaming, and uses Kohut’s theory about the development of the self to provide a more comprehensive orientation for the understanding and treatment of traumatic neurosis.