Traumatic events in dreams of psychosomatic patients.

Several examples of repetitive traumatic dreams reported by psychosomatic patients are discussed. The dreams involve injury to the body of the dreamer himself. The occurrence of dreams of this type indicates a failure in the functions of the ego concerned with the protection of the self. It may also indicate the presence in the memory systems of a latent traumatic event. Finally, it is suggested that the repetitive experience of consummated trauma contributes to the malfunctioning of the physiological systems, and therefore, to the production of illness.