we can’t recognise our memories because our dreams are distorted & displaced. A dream’s content may be strange and unfamiliar to us because the original event which it was based on, has gone through distortion and displacement. The dream has deviated from its original memory. Why is there so much change? The brain wants to protect its person from stress from recalling the original memory, and so it represses the memory. When it does allow the recreation of a dream, there is distortion and displacement to mask the original event. The dreamer feels distant from this invented dream and does not feel the pain of the original encounter.
For instance, the dreamer will not see themselves as a child going through that episode, especially if that was a stressful event. Instead, the dreamer will see another child taking their place in the dream. Other original characters are also displaced and changed to prevent the dreamer from feeling hurt.
If the dreamer works on their issues in counseling/ therapy and their condition improves, they will dream of this old theme again, but their former recurrent dream will change. The dream’s characters will no longer feature distant children and people. The rehashed dream will have a different cast that comprise of characters who are closer in relation to the dreamer. This implies the dreamer has made progress towards reducing the estrangement in the memory of the old episode.
