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nightmare

n. a frightening or otherwise disturbing dream in which fear, sadness, despair, disgust, or some combination thereof forms the emotional content. Nightmares contain visual imagery and some degree of narrative structure and typically occur during REM sleep. The dreamer tends to waken suddenly from a nightmare and is immediately alert and aware of his or her surroundings. See nightmare disorder; sleep terror disorder. —nightmarish adj.

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Psychology term of the day

May 9th 2024

postural aftereffect

postural aftereffect

a change in posture that arises as an aftereffect of prior stimulation. For example, when viewing a moving scene, a person typically leans in the direction of the motion. When viewing ends, body posture returns to a vertical position and then, briefly, leans in the opposite direction.