The Positive Power of Nightmares|恶梦的正面力量

The Positive Power of Nightmares

by Marcus Maurice

Nightmares don't have to be such a bad thing.

　　Have you ever jumped up and screamed at the top of your lungs in the middle of the night because you were terrified by the nightmare you were just having? There's cold sweat running down your forehead, and you're so dizzy that you don't really know what's happening. That awful feeling of falling from the top of a building, being terrorized by a pack of rabid dogs, or being stalked by a crazed killer _(1)_ with you for the next few minutes while you try to figure out what's real and what isn't.

　　Scientists _(2)_ a lot of time and effort into learning about dreams over the years, and it seems that nightmares can be healthy. Why? Sometimes, it's important for the body to give the mind signals about poor health. An example of this could be when a person eats a lot of greasy food right before they go to sleep. A lot of times, this ends up _(3)_ them toss and turn all night because the junk food is harmful to their bodies. _(4)_ example could be when someone is irrationally afraid of something like quitting their old job and switching to a new one. _(5)_ about this big decision could cause nightmares because the mind is trying to tell the person that it's not such a big deal. Often misread, nightmares might be harsh, but _(6)_, there may be clues from one's subconscious about what the person should do. Instead of being afraid of nightmares, treat them as puzzles that need to be solved, and they may end up helping instead of _(7)_ you.

1. (A) staying  (B) stay     (C) stays   (D) to stay

2. (A) put   (B) have put   (C) will have put    (D) have been put

3. (A) making  (B) make (C) to make    (D) makes

4. (A) Still others   (B) Other (C) The other (D) Another

5. (A) Anxiety  (B) Devotion    (C) Extension       (D) Indifference

6. (A) for good      (B) in reality   (C) at random       (D) in unison

7. (A) expiring (B) evacuating (C) hindering   (D) advocating

恶梦的正面力量

恶梦其实没有这么糟糕。

　　你是否曾经因为受到刚刚所做恶梦的惊吓，而在半夜弹起来并大声尖叫呢？你的额头冷汗直流，而且你感到非常晕眩，以致于你不知道到底发生了什么事。在接下来的几分钟，从一栋建筑的顶楼跌落、被一群疯狗威胁或是被一个疯狂杀人魔跟踪的恐惧感一直缠绕着你，而此时你试图去搞懂什么是真实的，什么又不是。

　　多年来，科学家投注了许多时间和精力去探讨梦境，而作恶梦似乎可能是健康的。为什么呢？有时候，身体向大脑提出健康警讯是很重要的。有个例子是当某人在睡前吃了很多油腻的食物。屡见不鲜的是，这会导致他们整夜辗转难眠，因为垃圾食物对身体有害。另外一个例子可能是当某人辞去旧工作并对换新工作产生非理性的恐惧。对这项重大决定的焦虑可能会导致做恶梦，因为大脑试着告诉人们这没什么大不了的。恶梦经常被错误解读，它可能很残酷，但事实上，一个人该怎么做的线索可能就来自他的潜意识。与其害怕恶梦，你不如把它们当作必须解开的谜题，也许到头来它们会是助力而非阻力。

答案： 1.   C   2.   B   3.   A   4.   D   5.   A

      6.   B   7.   C

 

　　根据统计，习惯负面思考和容易紧张的人较常做些令人不舒服的梦，梦境内容多半和焦虑或急切的感觉有关，如被人在身后不停追赶、赶不上公交车或是被老师当众指责等等。

　　台北医学大学附设医院睡眠中心临床心理师卢世伟指出，除了上述人格特质容易做焦虑的梦之外，出现这类梦境，通常也反应日常生活的某些压力，可能最近生活感觉紧张，或即将面临挑战，正处理困难棘手的问题等等，应该检视压力来源，设法放松并缓解压力，或做好准备以迎接考验，就能慢慢减少恶梦出现的频率。

　　还有一种特殊的焦虑性精神官能症称为『夜间恐慌症』，患者会在夜间突然惊醒，出现心悸、呼吸困难、冒冷汗等状况，病人感觉很像在做恶梦，但却没有清楚的梦境和情节，因为这纯粹是恐慌症发作时的生理表现，并非做恶梦。（数据源：康健杂志）