THE WOMAN WHO DREAMS OF STRESS
Arlene Amarosi, a working mother, has been under a lot of stress this year. She has been having difficulty get-ting to sleep and often lies in bed staring at the ceiling while worrying about her problems. As a result, she’s often tired throughout her workday and relies on coffee and caffeinated energy drinks to keep her going. Lately Arlene’s sleep has been disturbed even more often than usual.
Several times over the past week she has been awakened by disturbing dreams. In these dreams she is always at work, struggling to keep up with an impossible workload. She is struggling with the new software that her company recently trained her to use, but no matter how fast she goes, she can’t keep up with the workflow. The dream ends when Arlene wakes up in a panic. It often takes Arlene hours to get back to sleep, and she has been feeling even more tired than usual during work.
I Arlene is worried that her recent dream experiences indicate that something is wrong with her.
If you were Arlene’s friend and wanted to reassure her, how would you help her to understand the normal experience of sleep and dreams?
Which theory of dreaming seems to best explain Arlene’s disturbing dreams, and why?
How might meditation help Arlene? If you were Arlene’s health care provider, how would you advise her to overcome her insomnia? – What are some effects on Arlene of her high caffeine intake? What would happen if she just suddenly stopped drinking coffee and energy drinks? How would you advise her to modify her caffeine use?
