THREAT SIMULATION THEORY

Finnish psychologist, Antti Revonsuo, stated that during REM sleep, the amygdala (fight-or-flight section of brain) fires in similar ways as it does during a survival threat. This originated from the concept that dream consciousness is essentially an ancient biological defense mechanisms. Antti Revonsuo then stated that much or all of dream experience is specialized in the simulation of threatening events. For example, negative dreams are a “rehearsal” for real-life similar events. This was for the evolutionary purpose to better prepare for such instances in waking life. His theory was that dreams are an “evolutionary trait” designed to help us practice being safe. One hypothesis drawn according to National Library of Medicine, was that "real threatening events encountered by the individual during wakefulness should lead to an increased activation of the system, a threat simulation response, and therefore, to an increased frequency and severity of threatening events in dreams." In a study then conducted through the National Library of Medicine, it was found that: children who live in an environment in which their physical and psychological well-being is constantly threatened, should have a highly activated dream production, and threat simulation system. It was then found that children living in a safe environment that is relatively free of such threats cues, should have a weakly activated threat system.