over-positive -> overdreaming?

Hi Milamber,

I guess you're asking because this might apply to someone close to you?

Dreams function to deal with emotions that are aroused during the previous day, but are not completely dealt with or resolved. For example, you feel angry at someone but haven't expressed your anger, in a dream that emotion will be played out, metaphorically, to deal with the emotion.

You talk about things happening that 'invoke emotions in them that would usually trigger the negative thinking patterns.' Well the person could have an emotion, but not be drawn into the negative thinking pattern. They could feel appropriately sad or anxious about something, but not ruminate on it unduly. This might still lead to the person dreaming about it once, but not be part of a depressive cycle.

You also talk about 'neglecting the emotion' - what specifically do you mean by this? There's a difference between not having the emotion that that person would have had before, and having the emotion, but ignoring it.

A tricky and subtle balance - a good description of being sufficiently in touch with your emotions to be aware of them, being able to get a fresh and appropriate perspective to be in control of them, rather than them controlling you!

The problem with over-dreaming from emotions such as anxiety and anger is that they arouse the nervous and endocrine systems in a big way. Excitement, hope, happiness don't tend to do that - you couldn't become depressed from too much positivity!

Thanks for your replies,

Ok, just so you can match up the context if you have read some of my previous posts (esp. http://www.uncommonforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=1361), it is actually myself that I am talking about here.

Michael - you said:

Well the person could have an emotion, but not be drawn into the negative thinking pattern. They could feel appropriately sad or anxious about something, but not ruminate on it unduly. This might still lead to the person dreaming about it once, but not be part of a depressive cycle"

I understand this part. What I was trying to suggest (perhaps misguidedly) is that because the previous pattern of response had been to dwell on the negative side, by replacing that with a positive reframe, or whatever, the emotion gets effectively ignored - so I don't even acknowledge feeling "sad or anxious". Would this make any difference? I think this covers your question about neglecting the emotion too.

wrt "being sufficiently in touch with your emotions" I think this is central, of course. However if there is a deficit here I am not entirely sure what the best remedy is.

Roger, you said:

The problem with over-dreaming from emotions such as anxiety and anger is that they arouse the nervous and endocrine systems in a big way. Excitement, hope, happiness don't tend to do that - you couldn't become depressed from too much positivity!

But what I am saying is that the "negative" emotions may be occuring, but not being fully acknowledged consciously. The positive thoughts will create there own ripples of course, but won't necessarily address the effects of the negative emotions.
Of course I am not saying that the depression (if it is that - overdreaming at least) is directly caused by the positive thoughts - but as a side of effect of thinking positively while ignore the negative emotions.
Is this making sense now?

As always there are extra dimensions to this whole thing that may or may not be relevant - such as prior episodes of (more conventional) depression - a number of tragedies and traumas that have perhaps not been fully "processed", leaving me slightly more detached from negative emotions than I should be to start with.

Any more thoughts much appreciated. Last night I woke up many times, each time having had one or more quite intense dreams. Sometimes I woke up only seconds after dropping off and was already dreaming. It seems like I was dreaming for the whole duration of my being asleep! I slept in but still feel very tired. This is quite a common occurrence for me - especially recently - but now I am thinking about it in terms of what has been said about overdreaming. I am trying not to ruminate on that, but just reason on it with a view to reaching a solution (or at least concluding that I must just accept it). However the longer this goes on the harder I am finding it to keep objective - especially with the stress of not being able to work properly right now

Best regards,

Milamber