fndJames: February 2015

Wednesday, 25 February 2015

Project Proposal

Section 1

Section 2

Section 3

This can be viewed as a document here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B27EZg8NvpiKQnh0cmFaYklHMDg/view?usp=sharing

My bibliography is on the FMP Appendices page of my blog.

Sunday, 22 February 2015

The use of hands in both horror and nightmares to me is where they begin to appear from the most unexpected places or where you feel they shouldn't be appearing from. Such as from the floor,wall,ceiling, out of your body, objects.

Shadow Horror

I'm looking at different ways to portray nightmares, and an effective less is more technique which tends to creep people out is the use of shadows. Purely because of the fact that you can see something which isn't being shown in which the shadow is giving an illusion of what may be lurking around but it isn't always what it appears to be.

The reason in why shadows are so effective I personally believe is because of the fact their around us all the time because of our reliance on sources of light. An example would be having clothes on the side of your room projecting a shadow as if someone is in the room with you.

Saturday, 21 February 2015

Sleep Paralysis

Information gained from Wikipedia on "Sleep paralysis" page

Sleep paralysis is a phenomenon in which a person, either falling asleep or awakening, temporarily experiences an inability to move, speak or react. It is a transitional state between wakefulness and sleep, characterized by complete muscle atonia (muscle weakness). It is often accompanied by terrifying hallucinations (such as an intruder in the room) to which one is unable to react due to paralysis, and physical experiences (such as strong current running through the upper body). One hypothesis is that it results from disrupted REM sleep, which normally induces complete muscle atonia to prevent sleepers from acting out their dreams. Sleep paralysis has been linked to disorders such as narcolepsy, migraines, anxiety disorders, and obstructive sleep apnea; however, it can also occur in isolation.

Tuesday, 17 February 2015

Top 10 Nightmares

Found a page with information on the Top 10 Nightmares and Meanings in 2012.

10. Natural Disaster

Have you ever found yourself dreaming about being caught in a violent hurricane, or perhaps an approaching tornado that is ripping apart houses and trees? These types of nightmares are said to indicate a sense of impending fear or anxiety in the person having the dream. Since the weather is often unpredictable and cannot be controlled, this relates to the individual holding stress and anxiety throughout their day to day life. This can be caused by anxiety or nervousness about anything from a test, to a doctor’s appointment, to a required speech, to relationship issues.

9. Seeing the Dead

In this chilling type of nightmare, you feel as though you are being contacted or approached by someone who is dead. This can either be by someone you know who has recently passed away, or random people whom you feel in the dream that you do not actually know. These types of nightmares can be associated with an inability to let go. For example, if you are having nightmares about your recently deceased grandmother, the cause could be that you are struggling emotionally to cope with her loss. These nightmares can also be linked with terror of the unknown and anxiety about personal illness. People with terminal or life-threatening health problems often experience these types of nightmares.

8. Missing Important Events

Nightmares about missing your wedding, an important appointment or some other special event are particularly common in people who live a fast-paced and high-pressure life, although they can happen to anyone. These types of nightmares are often linked to anxiety about failing or not being able to perform up to expectations. People who experience these nightmares might be surprised at how much suppressed anxiety and negativity they have about failing or coming up short.

7. Naked

Being naked in public seems like a funny dilemma – at least, after you wake up – but this type of nightmare can be related to a much bigger issue. These nightmares are often experienced by individuals that suffer from self-image issues and low self-esteem issues. Being naked in public may relate to fear of being judged by other people. To the person having the nightmares, this can be very unsettling.

6. Teeth

This is another type of dream that plays on the insecurities of the person having it. Much like the nightmare about being naked in public, nightmares about teeth falling out are often a representation of the individual being filled with anxiety and inner turmoil about being judged by others on his or her physical appearance.

5. Injuries

When people experience nightmares of being injured or wounded, the cause is often some feeling of weakness in their own personal lives. Dreaming about breaking bones or injuries can be your brain’s way of alerting you that you are feeling weakness or vulnerability in one part of your life or another. Finding out what your weaknesses are and working on improving them can often help relieve this type of nightmare.

4. Partner Leaving

Nightmares about a person’s spouse or significant other leaving them are definitely one of the types most rooted in the real world. This can be a straightforward nightmare that simply represents a feeling of dread from the individual about their partner leaving them and being alone. This type of nightmare can also be caused by feelings of insecurity in the relationship where the individual feels they are sub-par or not good enough for their partner.

3. Being Trapped

Dreams about being trapped are quite common for individuals who suffer from claustrophobic anxiety, a condition in which a person has a fear of being in small spaces where they cannot move and become trapped. However, this type of nightmare can also be experienced by types of individuals who are afraid of not being able to get out of their current situation, including financial problems, a dead end job or a negative relationship they feel they cannot escape. The nightmare can be a manifestation of fear of not being able to reach your full potential due to circumstances.

2. Falling

Nightmares about falling are often a representation of anxiety in your personal life about not being in control of yourself. These anxieties are often due to issues with money, relationships, careers or some kind of abuse. The feeling of falling to certain death relates to the person feeling that they are unable to control a certain aspect of, or situation in, their life. These nightmares are often shared by people who are in high places of power, but still feel that they cannot control certain parts of their life.

1. Being Chased or Attacked

This is by far the most common of all the nightmares that people tend to experience. Nightmares in this category can deal with being chased or attacked by people, animals or paranormal creatures. These types of dreams are frequently manifestations of being afraid of confrontation regarding something in your life. This can be a pushy boss, an unruly teacher, an abusive parent or even an unhealthy romantic relationship. The feeling of being chased is often a sign of not being able to confront difficult scenarios within your personal life. Also, your actions within the dream to get away from the attacker may also be influenced by your real life. For example, if you find yourself hiding in fear in the dream, this may indicate that that is how you are dealing with your problems in the real world. Taking note of your actions within the dream may help you find a correlation between the nightmare and your real life actions that can help you deal with the problem.

Definition of Nightmares

Nightmare - From Wikipedia

A nightmare is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear or horror but also despair, anxiety and great sadness. The dream may contain situations of danger, discomfort, psychological or physical terror. Sufferers often awaken in a state of distress and may be unable to return to sleep for a prolonged period.^[1]

Nightmares can have physical causes such as sleeping in an uncomfortable or awkward position, having a fever, or psychological causes such as stress, anxiety, and as a side effect of various drugs. Eating before going to sleep, which triggers an increase in the body's metabolism and brain activity, is a potential stimulus for nightmares.^[2] Recurrent nightmares may require medical help, as they can interfere with sleeping patterns and causeinsomnia.

Theories on causes

Scientific research shows that nightmares may have many causes. In a study focusing on children, researchers were able to conclude that nightmares directly correlate with the stress in the children's lives. Children who experienced the death of a family member or a close friend or know someone with a chronic illness have more frequent nightmares than those who are only faced with stress from school or stress from social aspects of daily life.^[5]

Another study researching the causes of nightmares focuses on patients suffering from sleep apnea. The study was conducted to prove whether or not nightmares may be caused by sleep apnea, or not being able to breathe. In the nineteenth century, authors believed that nightmares were caused by not having enough oxygen, therefore it was believed that those with sleep apnea had more frequent nightmares than perfectly normal people. The hypothesis, however, was proven wrong and the results actually showed that healthy people have more nightmares than the sleep apnea patients.^[6]

Possible Effects

A study involving a large group of undergraduate students analyzes the effects of nightmares on the quality of sleep. The study showed that the participants experienced abnormal sleep architecture and that the results of having a nightmare during the night were very similar to those of people who suffer from insomnia. This means that, like insomniacs, people who suffer from nightmares do not get as much rest as those who do not suffer from chronic nightmares. Therefore, they experience a lesser quality of sleep than others. This is thought to be from frequent nocturnal awakenings and fear of falling or going back to sleep.^[7]

This is just some information on nightmares I found on Wikipedia as a start for my research into the psychology of nightmares.