Hi. Breathe. In and out.

Frankly, my dreams are nightmares, and I don't muck about. Nightmares. Use the word nightmares. If you wake up disoriented, afraid, or screaming (I've done these), those words tend to inspire mental health professionals to take things more seriously.

I have heard of some people having success in "steering dreams" but I'm not one of them and I've been working on it for 7 years. Not to depress you, but maybe ask if someone can teach you the technique?

Glad you found usl. Site's been up since earlly 2000s, I've been on it sicne 2010 and on PTSD since 2013. Welcome to what many of us think of as "the safe place"!

I have childhood trauma from being raised from age 9-15 in a war zone as a missionary kid overseas, shellysalmons. There are lots of people like me around the world who were kids in all of those wars you see every day in the news headlines. But since the USA is so big and, fortunately, there hasn't been a war on US soil since the Civil War 159 years ago, I had trouble finding a therapist who was at once an expert in combat ptsd and childhood trauma. When I did, though, it really turned my life around.

I have nightmares, so I take Prazosin for them. It's much better than the usual Seroquel, so I'd recommend looking into it. Then as for help with my therapy, I use the resources others here at DS PTSD pointed me to on the Pete Walker website.

"Pete specializes in helping adults who were traumatized in childhood, especially those whose repeated exposure to abuse and/or neglect left them with the symptoms of Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder [Cptsd]. ... It deeply explores the causes of Cptsd that range from severe neglect to monstrous abuse."
http://pete-walker.com/#:~:text=Pete%20specializes%20in%20helping%20adults,Traumatic%20Stress%20Disorder%20%5BCptsd%5D.&text=It%20deeply%20explores%20the%20causes,severe%20neglect%20to%20monstrous%20abuse.

Sorry for what happened to you when you were a kid, too, but I'm glad you found us. Welcome.

Hi, Yes I;m actually on a very high dose of prazosin and recently put on another medicine for nightmares too and I have anxiety medicine but I don't touch any of that during the day because I can handle a lot of ways to deal with every day life and stress and anxiety but not when it comes to what I dream. But thank you so much for the resourse of pete walker I will definitely use that because when I reach out for therapy I try to cover all my dots that I have to connect and I feel like I'm trying to fine the definition of where one title starts and what represents to is titled something different if it's the same you are just older or whatever. and believe me there is nothing at this moment busting wanting ready to really want to even talk about anything not because I'm in denial but if I'm avoiding any triggers and my hellish nightmares I can't use any coping skills that I know to help me along with my meds I'm actually scared to even think of what I am in for when I do start this let alone someone throw me to a therapist who is only specialized in one area because if there was only one dot to fix I would feel safe unfortunately that is not the case and yes I'm sorry for you also. I'm sorry that I do have a lot of knowledge in mental health I went to college I knew it better than anything else but there was not much about ptsd and you are right if it was mentioned it was affiliated with people in the military and how messed up their lives became when they tried to cope with what they experience in combat even with drugs and alcohol let alone this diagnosis. So there is a lot to be explored I hope you are doing well and I feel so grateful for you and anyone else who does make someone who is so confused about what they are experiencing feel somewhat understood but more importantly welcomed not judged and most importantly to me right now that I'm not alone because that is not a good feeling when you don't know the road you are walking let alone of just what to expect how bumpy or how much rougher it's going to get so thank you for just that. shelly

I am no expert of Doctor... and maybe this is out of line... but I have used a small amount of marijuana nightly for a long time... it really helps me sleep and I rarely dream anymore... or at least do not remember them or wake up from a bad one...

MJ is known to help soldiers with their PTSD.

You've mentioned that elsewhere, too, TucsonJJ, and as someone who lived through 6 years of combat, I know it's true. Besides marijuana or Prazosin (which I take along with sheyllysalmon), though, there's also therapy to consider. It didn't help me when I went to a therapist who was not a PTSD expert, but once I found a specifically PTSD therapist it really made a difference, more than any medication I had taken. Just speaking for myself from my own individual experience.