I remember something similar being mentioned in a podcast by Huberman, that dreams serve to get used to stuff that we fear, in a nutshell. Maybe not directly stuff that we fear, but maybe stuff that makes us uncomfortable? Dreams are a way to teach us stuff that seem essential to us but we found them uncomfortable to face.
Interesting research topic by the way. I will take a look at your paper.
OP I like you. You are a refreshing voice in the current tech jungle. I think your post clicked for me and made me think about my projects/ideas and how to approach them.
So, thank you I guess. I would like to see more of your stuff and your approaches.