Compensatory Dreams

Compensatory Dreams

The expression “compensatory dreams” is used to describe several related phenomena. First, it can simply refer to the circumstance that during sleep we continue to process at some level the information that we have taken in during the day. This is one reason our dreams are filled with images from our waking world. Second, it can mean that during sleep dreams provide us with something that is lacking during our waking life. Finally, the expression can refer to dreams that release stress, either stress in our everyday world or stress from repressed unconscious material.