Abstract
The goals of this study were to develop and assess the reliability of a dream coding system of early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) and modes, to explore whether self versus other dream characters express different EMSs and modes, and to explore cross-state (waking to dreaming) correspondence of EMSs. One hundred and forty-one women completed an online questionnaire that included an adapted version of the Young Schema Questionnaire – Short Form 3 (YSQ-S3) and their most recent dream report. A scoring system was developed based on schema therapy and applied to dreams by four independent judges. Inter-rater reliability ranged from moderate to excellent. There was a differential incorporation of EMSs according to dream characters; self appeared significantly more deprived and weak (e.g., abandoned and abused) and in a vulnerable child mode, whereas others rather expressed grandiosity in an impulsive child mode. Cross-state correspondence was observed for the abandonment/instability EMS. More precisely, the abandonment/instability score on the questionnaire predicted the presence of the analogous EMS in the most recent dream (OR = 1.61). This study provides preliminary evidence that a dream coding system of EMSs can be reliably applied by minimally trained coders. Dreamwork may be a useful addition to guided imagery in schema therapy and appears especially well suited for intervention with adults who fear abandonment.
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This research was funded by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture (FRQ-SC; grant # 164671).
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All procedures performed in this study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
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Simard, V., Laverdière, O., Bédard, MM. et al. Early maladaptive schemas in most recent dreams: Core fears never sleep. Curr Psychol 40, 188–199 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-018-9917-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-018-9917-4