No, nightmares and night terrors are not normal. To the best of my just-a-patient knowledge, they happen to everybody, but they are the exception, not the rule. I was a very sick puppy during the years I was treating them like normal. These days I treat them like a signal to step up my therapy work. There is immeasurable relief in saying that now, most nights my dreams are more entertaining than cable TV, even if they are way too weird for prime time.

But that is me. . .

Continued support while you find the norm for you, Musk. For sure, dreams are a poorly understood phenom.

i have always, well, not now, i rarely dream at all now, but i used to from when i was a little kid, have complicated, long dreams.
that's a memory, thank you for prompting it, Musk. i can remember wanting to share them, waking up and wanting to tell the whole dream and not being allowed to, having to be quiet.

the dreams i had were of things like long intricate stairways leading to places, it was magical sort of. shiny gold pillows with tassels and lovely things, horses and camels - where'd i get this from i wonder? church? maybe church. oh! maybe that shirley temple movie - when she has to have the attic for a bedroom and clean out the fireplaces?? the dreams were very complicated though and i was always needing to climb more stairs and going up and around and then down - seeing views off into the distance - beatufiul views, but i had a long way to go :O) i can remember thinking i had been so busy all night. i wish i could remember one to share with you. not the whole thing.

i've had dreams that felt so real, and then later in life, seen a photograph of a place - an ancient place and i remember the dream that matched it. i hadn't ever seen the photograph before either. wonderful dreams like those. or shaky, depending how you feel about that sort of thing.
TW
i have woken myself up laughing and i don't remember why. i've also TW sat bolt upright terrified, and i don't remember why that happened either. the latter has happened more than the first and i hurt when i wake up terrified as if i've been holding all of me tight - and i have. i told my dr that it felt as if i'd been dragging the house with all my might the whole night long. i did that work for too many years, dragging the house dreams. i used to call it my night time work-out plan. it kept my muscles toned. but went on into damage as i couldn't do any sort of regulation.
gentle validation, Musk

Good question.
For me a non-nightmare dream just jmeans I wake up not scared, but I can feel very freaked out. Like, "What the he** was in my subconscious that my dream involved the musical Evita, my dead grandma, and going to the mall?!"

So I'd say if all you have are the scary things? Yeah, your subsconsious is trying to let out some stuff, maybe, that you can't get out when awake?

Wish I could help, Musk. Sorting support to you.

Yes, It is quite possible to have pleasant dreams. I used to go on great adventures in my childhood dreams. I remember one where I was on a rescue mission with a band of fairies, in this place right out of a fairy tail storybook. I've had good dreams, weird dreams and scary dreams in about equal proportion. I have more nightmares when I'm stressed about something or after something scary happened to me. I don't recall having any dreams very often though.

Nightmares and night terrors are not something most people experience on a regular basis, but they are natural. TW. I learned somewhere that Nightmares evolved to help people confront potential dangers and figure out how to deal with them in a safe space. You may also know that when we go into REM sleep our brain immobilizes the body, so we don't move around when we have dreams, usually. This ensures that you don't hurt yourself while sleeping. This mechanism is turned off in sleep walkers. So while you are in this safe place your brain plays a scenario, like what do you do if someone holds you at gunpoint or if you are being chased and have to escape.It may even be a situation you are in, like how do you talk to family about a difficult subject. When you see that situation in real life, you have one chance to get it right. But in your dreams you can try over and over again until you reach a resolution. With this mindset, when I have a nightmare I usually reflect on what it is asking or what it means. I'm super curious and analytical though, so that's just my approach.

Dreams are very odd and interesting things. They can say as much or as little as you want them to.

Much support and I hope you find some restful nights of sleep.

Nightmares and night terrors are not normal dreams.

I have strange dreams every night. And many where I am being chased or hunted. Every once in a blue moon I'll have an OK to pleasant dream, and even those ones are weird.

For example, the other night I dreamed that my mom, my husband, and I were hanging out with the Trump family. And my mom who has painted all her life (watercolor), was having good conversations with Trump's grown kids and their servants. Then she was rushing to show them her artwork (which she does to EVERYONE and anyone willing to give her 5 mins of their time). I rolled my eyes "Here we go again." The Trumps were very nice people (in my *dream*- I don't personally know them) and I was embarrassed. I woke up like, where the heck do I get these crazy dreams?

I wish I could have normal dreams... you know like walking on the beach or cute cats playing with yarn. Idk. But I do what I can to try and control the scary or weirdness level by reading fun or easy going story books before bed.

The good thing is I don't know any difference so that helps I suppose. I go to therapy twice a week and starting art therapy in late January. I used to dream journal but it didn't change the overall scared feeling just the dream. I think you are right I am working out stuff at night. I was thinking of seeing an homeopath I was saw years ago to see if I can shift this... obviously 2o years plus of therapy hasn't but then I didn't know it was an issue. Thank for the feedback, it helps to get different views.

Musk, i found out where the picture is from, the one from that dream. it is from Ligne Petite Ceinture Parc Montsouris Paris.

Musk, as you know this is a hot and happy topic for me right now! Kidney disease prohibiting nightmare meds for 5 years had me on the defensive about it all. But since Prazosin was allowed as of last July, no nightmares plus the unexpected bonus of knowing what a good dream is for the first time in all of those years. Wow,what a bonus, I've gotta say. Didn't think it would mean this much to me, but I've journaled and posted my dreams here out of sheer excitement.

I do agree hope your nightmares are evidence that your subconscious is working stuff out. That would give the nightmares purpose. Then I hope even more that once that work is done you get a good dream bonus like mine on the other end, too. :-)

I once dreamed I was talking to a parrot in a tent about math problems...

Mostly I don't remember my dreams, when I do remember, it's usually because I woke up from a nightmare. Mine seldom leave me with a pounding heart or in a panic though...more like helpless and held down. (Prazosin will stop the pounding heart, but won't help what I dream about.)

patti, I don't know how in the world Prazosin not only stopped my nightmares but tipped the balance of my dreaming content to GOOD dreams. It's never happened in my life with any medication. And I never took LSD or mushrooms or any hallucinogenic drugs in my life, either.

Since I had so many years of nightmares with no access to medication because of kidney disease, I'm just going to take it as some sort of upside of karma or something. I wish I could tell you how it could help what you'd dream about, but it's just been an inexplicable bonus.

My impression is "normal" people are more carefree and naive than we. They seem off put by the intensity and darker nature of the world we recognize.

Rizen lol.... you may be on to something.
My husband told me last night he rarely ever gets any weird dreams.

I too know what you mean. I have a time that my old dream life ended and my new dream life ended. I prefer not dreaming because when I do it is not flowers and rainbows. However now it is all I know. It is not normal to have nightmares but I have found with many of us it is the norm. I was given a pill called prazosin, hope I spelled it right. They nicknamed it the nightmare pill. Since then no nightmares. Made specifically for blood pressure. There was a side effect in some it reduced or stopped nightmares when taken at night. Though not for everyone it helped me.

Thanks everyone for the information. I do think it is something from the subconscious or after 54 years maybe the brain just got wired that way from being so young while the brain was developing? I am in therapy so perhaps it will shift someday...boy that will be shocking :)

maybe read fairy tales, only good up ones. i actually think that's where most of my 'kid' dreams came from, reading. i read constantly. i remembered that after responding here before. of course i would then dream. hold onto your hat then, though xo