Nightmares
Really not wanting to go to sleep because I'm just not ready for the nightmares tonight. I have them every night. Every time I go to bed, I have a nightmare. Then I wake up from the nightmare, go back to sleep, then have another one. Sometimes they are related to the same thing. And sometimes they are about something different. Really don't know what to do.
Replies
There was a time back ages ago where I did this exercise before bed. It sounds silly but had an 80% effectiveness rate. I sat in bed and kinda meditated telling myself over and over I would not have nightmares tonight and say it with confidence. Shocking how something as easy as that helped me. Havent done that in ages. Maybe its time to go back to it. The comment below is a great idea to write down all you can remember and bring with you to your next appt. If it is reaccuring you can say "same dream as <date>" Dreams are a way of our subconsious telling us things
really, i feel a bit of envy. while i'd hate having the nightmares, at least my brain would be feeding me informating it had been holding back on for so many years. i'm always searching for something my brain tellse me is there, but won't let me know what. it may not be nice to go to sleep with those sort of dreams as your expectation and then experience, but keep a note book and pen or your phone or tablet or whatever and the moment you wake up scramble for it and write down what ever lingers of the dream. even if it is one word or only a feeling. then separately write something based on how you feel now that you are awake. something that you know or feel that may be a remnant of that dream. even if it comes out as something else, you've created a record of what happened. do you see a therapist? if you do, take what you've written with you. if you don't have a therapist, can you find one? i was lucky. the first one i came upon is very well educated, intelligent, and knows how to interact with me. i've heard other people speak that way about their therapists, so i'm sure you can find one if you don't have one. sometimes you know right away if the relationship clicks. anyway, i think that bit by bit you will begin to see what the dreams are all about. it may be frightening but you will have something to work with where right now, it seems that you don't or have only a little. i hope this will work. see you later... oh, and i'm awake lots of times in the wee hours because i cant sleep. so if you wake and want someone to communicate with, i might be around to talk to. no promises, but i do look at this site often. i hope to talk to you again soon.....
Thank you both so much. Those are both great ideas. My counselor actually said to keep a journal of my nightmares. I started to but lately I've been falling back asleep right after I wake up from one. So I haven't been able to keep track of it. And I'll try the meditating before bed. I actually kept track of one of my nightmares from last night.