All About Oneirophobia, the Fear of Dreams, and How to Overcome it with Psychological Therapy & Counselling

What is Oneirophobia?

Oneirophobia is the Fear of Dreams and, like all other fears and phobias, can cause significant anxiety and stress if you suffer from it.

People have always been fascinated by dreams, indeed, many ancient cultures believes that dreams were another plane of existence.

Dreams can often feel so real that you may struggle to differentiate dreams from memories.

There may be a number of reasons why you developed Oneirophobia, for example:

• You may have had bad nightmares in the past.
• You might worry that bad dreams could come true.

Although phobias are often described as ‘disorders’, there is no valid scientific evidence that Oneirophobia is the result of any kind of biological fault or chemical imbalance as proposed in the biomedical models of mental illness.

On the contrary, Oneirophobia is much more likely to be the result of your own, subjective evaluation (what you think your experiences mean) of what happened to you and is therefore better described as a psychosocial symptom.

Oneirophobia Symptoms & Behaviours

All phobias, including Oneirophobia, create feelings of anxiety because phobic objects or situations are always perceived as a threat.

Consequently, the symptoms of Oneirophobia are both specific and generic and may include:

• Avoid sleeping.
• Avoid eating certain foods before going to sleep.
• Worrying that dreams are predictive of the future.
• An elevated heart rate.
• A sense of dread about what might happen.
• Worrying that you might pass out.
• Feeling dizzy or disoriented.
• Having heart palpitations.
• Having a dry or sticky mouth.
• Hot sweats.
• Feeling Stressed.
• Difficulty breathing easily.
• Feelings of panic.

Moreover, you may have all, some or even different symptoms to these listed here and this is due to the subjective nature of Oneirophobia.

Furthermore, you should also be aware that many of these somatic symptoms (symptoms felt in the body) listed above WILL subside over time and rarely last for more than 20 to 30 minutes.

What Causes Oneirophobia?

it is likely that your Oneirophobia is the result of either traumatic experiences or adverse situations that you experienced at some point in your life.

You may, for example, have dreamt of the death of a close relative and woken up unsure of whether it actually happened or not.

What’s more, because the Fear of Dreams has never been linked to any biological factors, the most likely explanation for your Oneirophobia is the way that you understood and made sense of your earlier experiences.

Counselling and Therapy for Oneirophobia

We can offer you a number of different types of therapy and counselling for your Oneirophobia the Fear of Dreams.

Choosing the most suitable therapy depends on a number of different considerations including factors such as:

• How long you have had your phobia.
• Your personal preferences.
• How your phobia is affecting you today.

You can read more about the different types of therapy for Oneirophobia on the following links:

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Oneirophobia
• Counselling for Oneirophobia
• Pluralistic Therapy for the Fear of Dreams

Although all forms of psychotherapy use slightly different approaches, the one thing they all have in common is the relationship that is formed between the client and therapist.

Furthermore, research also suggests that the therapy relationship may be the most important factor in achieving a good therapy outcome.

Arrange your FREE initial consultation here.

If you’d like to find out more about overcoming Oneirophobia or recovering from related mental health problems then why not arrange a free initial consultation with us.

During this consultation we will discuss your particular phobia and the different types of mental health counselling we offer without you having to commit to any counselling going forward.

The consultation lasts around 50 minutes and is a great opportunity to meet with either Paul or Joan and decide if you would like to proceed with any support.