Those intense vivid dreams can be debilitating. Ive had them often.

There are ways to curb their victimizing effects.. it takes practice, and patience.

It was suggested to me to to attempt to observe(which seems to be as you described yourself doing), and try to state what you would want to happen instead of feeling victimized, or seeing others in danger. In a sense, for lack of a better way to describe it, talk to the dream. Tell it, " this isn't real, and you must stop now ".

If you believe in a higher power (ie, God, Jesus, Creator), pray before going to sleep that that power control your sleep. This may sound silly, but I've been saying this short, simple prayer:

" Come, Lord Jesus, be my guest. Let my sleep tonight bring rest"

It's much like a simple prayer of grace said before meals, except it involves restful sleep instead of a blessing upon food.

These suggestions were given me by a therapist ( involving channeling), and a spiritual advisor (author).

These suggestions I've been practicing and have helped immensely.
Maybe trying these suggestions will help you, also. May be worth a try.

Hope you can get some restful, peaceful sleep, which is so important.

My prescribing nurse suggested if I wanted, she could prescribe prazocin at a low dosage, which has worked to curb nightmares for many with PTSD. I opted not to be on yet another prescription, and sought other methods, as I'm so sensitive to many medications.

After practicing the above suggestions, the nightmares would either change direction (channeling), or cease.

Stress can cause nightmares in anyone. A Diagnosis for PTSD is needed, first, since there are so many other things with similar reaction are possible. each with it own beneficial treatment methods.. .

Consider a dream journal, especially if they seem this real, but this unreal. Dreams are a way of working out problems, sometimes..
The familiar feeling of anxiety from car accidents..may be what you are feeling now, because of the things going on now.
Not often apples to apples but more Apples to oranges.

3 elements

"I've been extra busy with school" (lack of calm)+ (running in dream)

and "freelance jobs". (something new) (changes in the normal peoPle)

Thinks look normal but not(fear), just the surface.. (feeling paranoid, overwhelmed")=(People not there for you, fear of outcome, but the world just goes on.
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^^^^^^^^^^^^ just some thoughts^^^^^^^^^^^^
IIIIIIIIIIIIIII__________________lllllllllllllllllll

Try some calming stuff before bed, set aside work away from you mind. That can't be changes at night. Don't let the job and frelance interfere with your "preparing for rest"

I have been missing mine lately...really been off for a couple weeks., (BTW, thanks for the help.Sometime just writing sorts it out)

Rest well, I usually drawmnd inane TV, but not done any of it...also not sleeping..HMMMM.

Stress may not be the root cause of my nightmares, but it is certainly an aggravator. Stress will elevate them to sleep deprivation levels.

The dream journal Jewells suggested helps me sort out root causes.

Dream talismans helped manage the immediate effects of the nightmares. My dream talismans are any physical object I can carry into bed with me to help ground me in the physical world while I process the nightmare. Most recently they have been objects I wrap around my wrist so that I do not lose them in my bed clothes. Mantras such as JR suggested help focus my emotional energy.

Hope you find something that works for you, Moni. Nightmares suck. Big time!

Ah such great suggestions! Thank you everyone =)

I was diagnosed with PTSD a while back, but i didn't believe it bc I couldn't remember the accident let alone think about it constantly. I started improving (remembering EVERYTHING!) and although that sounds fantastic, it has brought me full on to PTSD symptoms. I am in the process of finding a doctor to help with this... but I think I've been getting worse since joining DS. I'm not discouraged, I just realize that I have a lot ahead of me to conquer... ugh.

I think the stress of college, working, and now finally talking about my accident instead of keeping it inside is just overloading my brain =( It helps to know so many nice people on here though. As awful as all of this is, it's nice to know i'm not the only one.

jraernr: I am very interested in God and Jesus. I'm going to start reading the bible again. That definitely calms me.. and puts my life into perspective.
I have a brain injury along with everything.. so I am ultra sensitive to medications too (i get all the crazy strange side effects). I will look into the alternative methods you mentioned. Thank you so much!

Jewels: Your dream analysis seems pretty dead on lol. Thank you for that! I appreciate your interest and I hope you can sleep well soon too =)

Arfie: I have heard about dream talismans before I just didn't know the name of it. I'm going to research it some more. Thank you so much for your help.

Much love!
-Moni

In my own recovery, every step forward seems to bring a gushing effect from the repressed memories and emotions. Stress -such as college- seems to add allot of flotsam to the gush. Yes, it feels intensely worse for a while. For me, the fastest way out is straight on through.

Keep stepping, Moni. Healing happens. Hope it happens to you.

I have had such intense dreams, so real, and I wake up exhausted, and sometimes trying to fix whatever happened in the dream. Though it didn't happen. I usually find that these dreams mean something. They are a fear manifested in dream; they are something on my mind manifested in dream. Are you okay now? Over it?

Muji uses melotononin, check heath store, and with your doctor. A natural addition to the amount your own body makes.
I usually draw at night to calm, that is what's been missing lately for me. It shuts down my brain...Nothing can come between "thepaperpencilandhand" Just like that...everything else goes away.

Yes, melatonin really is working for me. It's gentle enough I can even use it when I wake up at 3 or 4 am, which with me is often. I go back to sleep, but I don't wake up and stay groggy the way I do with prescription sleep aids and such.

Nightmares--boy. I know. Yours sounds very vivid. I have had some very realistic end of the world apocalyptic dreams, too. Part of that is because I got PTSD from sexual assault when I was a kid. Then domestic violence in the home. Lastly, from a civil war in the foreign country where I grew up that was like the end of the world around me.

I don't know how your having PTSD from an accident translates to dreams of the community annihilation in your nightmare. One thing I'm learning, though, is that it matters less than we used to believe where our PTSD came from. Whether accident trauma, sexual assault, domestic violence, or combat. We have more in common than was previously believed. That's what I gathered from the 60 Minutes report on TV this Sunday. Treatments learned from rape survivors are now working for combat vets.

If I'm not mistaken it's a cutting edge revelation in PTSD research these days. It's not guaranteed to cure your nightmares, but it does provide a way to share them without doubting yourself about them. You're not alone.

Thank you all for such great ideas and for sharing your own lives with me. I truly appreciate the help =)

I have made the effort to focus on what is making me stressed, and putting it into perspective. It always helps me to look at the stars, and to think about how small I am.. and how unimportant my worries are in the grand scheme of things. Plus.. it's soooo beautiful!

I finally slept pretty well last night =) I am thankful for that (amongst so many things). I think it also helped to know that I'm not the only one in this mess. (i mean that in the nicest way!)

Is there a name or term for these really intense and realistic dreams though? Everyone i've told just sortof laughs it off saying "oh, I had one of them last week" I hate to be rude, but I really don't think its the same and it frustrates me to be so misunderstood. I had nightmares before.. never like this. I'm just having a hard time explaining this to people.

From the Mayo clinic site
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/nightmares/DS01010/DSECTION=symptoms


Nightmares are referred to by doctors as parasomnias undesirable experiences that occur during sleep, usually during the stage of sleep known as rapid eye movement (REM). You've had a nightmare if:

Your dream wakes you
You feel scared, anxious, angry, sad or disgusted as a result of your dream
You can think clearly upon awakening, and can recall details of your dream
Your dream occurs near the end of your sleep time
Your dream keeps you from falling back to sleep easily

I know the terrors of sleep from awful nightmares. My earliest nightmares followed from the real incident in which my mother broke my kittens neck and killed it in front of me when I was a child four years old. That was just for starters. For the rest of my life nightmares were such a hindrance to my recovery that for a few years I was prescribed Seroquel by my psychiatrist so I could get relief and rest in sleep.

Then I came off of it because kidney disease required it, though. I had to deal with nightmares again. But I forgot there would be a bonus in that good dreams would be possible again. They have been a bonus in a situation in which I didnt have a choice. I journal them to cherish as I also journal my nightmares to understand as best I can through therapy as Jewells describes here.

My good dreams of peace, safety, and belonging have turned out to be just as realistic as my nightmares, thankfully, so I figured it would bear mentioning along with support for getting through the bad dreams as well.

Jewells: thank you for the definition. I guess it's all considered a nightmare.. maybe i'm just not used to the intensity of my brain yet =/ I'm sorry if that was a stupid question.

Muji: I am sooo sorry about everything you're dealing with, and have been through. I guess you're right about the upside though (good dreams.) They always say you can't have good without bad, but sometimes its easier to just have neither =X when it comes to nightmares at least. I'm just glad you're seeing this in such a positive light. That's the most important part. Good job! =) I'm going to give that positive attitude a try

Yes, moni, having neither with Seroquel was a relief for a while, but then it felt like dissociating in sleep, too. Since thats a PTSD symptom I dislike in my waking life, Im glad to be active in my dreams again. Its intense, though, youre right. Especially after years of Seroquel let me forget the intensity.