ABSTRACT
A traumatic complex has been set up which centres around the traumatic experience and, as with all complexes, has a powerful affective component which generates thoughts, feelings, dreams, or physical sensations and interferes with the individual’s normal ego-functioning. The dreams tend to be repetitive and simply replay and relive the original traumatizing experience, with little variation or progression. In nightmares, the negative effects and content are intense, shocking, horrific and/or terrifying, and frequently result in the dreamer waking in the midst of the night-mare. Studies of the content of dreams from a statistical point of view have shown that dreams with negative effects are more common than dreams with positive effects. J. Beebe’s classification distinguishes nightmares where the focus is the subjective level, while the empathy dreams seem to be good examples of “unconscious work” being done. The dreamer’s associations to the number, however obscure they might seem, are vital.
