Vivid dreams are on the rise due to the anxiety brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. Jungian Psychologist, Rose Marie Yenko explains to us why we shouldn't brush them aside and what questions we might ask ourselves to make sense of it all.
I woke up in a cold sweat. My heart was pounding so hard in my chest, I could feel it reverberate through my entire body. What was happening? Where was I? Were they banging on my door? Had they found me? Was I hidden enough? Just a few moments ago, I was plunged deep into an apocalyptic Metro Manila. No communications, no radio or cell signal. We had to leave clues for our loved ones to find us. We had to go underground or else they would sniff us out. It was unclear who “they” were, but meeting with them meant a slow and painful death. Everyone was in survival mode desperately trying to find the people they love. A task made difficult with the wearing of masks and protective gear. I was squeezed into an elevator, then snaking through tunnels, trying to find a safe place but one where those I love could find me. A Sysiphusean task. A safe place meant isolation. A locatable place meant death.
Fortunately it was just a nightmare. One of many vivid dreams I’ve had throughout this pandemic. They aren’t always apocalyptic. Some were like an old French movie, lost in the cobble stone streets of an empty Paris, wandering through museums of ancient history filled with artifacts from a mysterious time. Another was an insect infestation which carried on into my waking life where I obsessively zeroed in on every ant, fly, mosquito or roach that crossed my path. The dreams would not stop. Therefore, I thought the only way to get a peaceful night would be to confront them.
When I did some research, I found out I was not alone. People all over the world have been experiencing an increase of vivid dreams since the outbreak of COVID-19. A website started by California based, Erin Gravely – I Dream of Covid – has become a popular place to share and compare notes from the subconscious.
A Google search for “dream covid” yielded 758 million results with numerous articles recounting the surge of pandemic related dreams. Since the outbreak, The Lyon Neuroscience Research Center in France reported an 35 per cent increase in dream recall among participants in a study, accompanied by 15 per cent more negative dreams. A Reddit community called Reddit Dreams has over 151,000 users in the community with much of the recent additions detailing dreams they were having during quarantine. On Twitter, there are thousands of tweets under the hashtags #pandemicnightmare #coviddreams #coronavirusdreams and the like from people sharing and ultimately seeking company in the dystopia.
Although some of the symbolism in my dreams — around anxiety and fear of the outbreak and its aftermath – was obvious, others were more obscure and elusive to me. I then decided to reach out to my therapist, Rose Marie Yenko, to gain some insight into my subconscious. Yenko is a clinical psychologist who is with The Carl Jung Circle Center and her practice is based on Jungian psychology where the goal is to acknowledge and integrate the unconscious material and bring it into full awareness. “A dream is the doorway through which the unconscious uses to get the person’s attention,” she explains. “To try and make the person see what he or she is not seeing.”
I discussed with her the benefits of reaching out to professionals during this time and why interpreting our dreams could be the key to calming our anxiety and understanding our behavior. She also shared a few tips on how to analyze your own dreams and try to comprehend and integrate what your unconscious might be telling you.
