Nightmares and Recurring Dreams

 

The best way to understand why we have nightmares is to think of nightmares as an early warning system or an alarm that alerts us that something is wrong in our lives and is hurting us, and we need to focus our attention on it & fix the problems so we can overcome them and be happier. Being human, we don't always pay attention to the subtle hints or little nudges that we need to do something, keep procrastinating instead of tackling the problems, or we are so preoccupied with other matters that we miss big issues that are about to blind-side us in our lives, so that's when nightmares occur to help alert us so we can avoid a disastrous outcome caused by emotional blocks or situations in our lives that we are not moving past or even recognizing.

Some nightmares are like practice sessions that test our abilities and outlook on a given issue, to prepare us for going through a painful lesson in life such as the break-up of a relationship, loss of a loved one, fears of death, loss of health; any number of situations.

At first the nightmares on these issues are a shock, but as we get used to the issues they are pointing out and change our perception or get inspired to learn new ways of handling painful issues, the nightmares lessen in their severity and we achieve a sense of inner peace or calm.

Nightmares are like a last ditch effort to scream for your attention. There's nothing like a heart-pounding, terrifying nightmare to get our attention and say, "Hey! What's going on, here? I don't understand what this is about, and I need to know so I stop having these nightmares!" That's when I usually hear from people who are seeking help to get past this point, and once they understand the underlying issues that are symbolized in their nightmares, they then discover which steps to take next. Nightmares are actually helpful, in the same way that physical pain alerts us that something is wrong with our bodies and needs healing, nightmares are a helpful warning or alert to us that our emotional and mental state has a glitch that needs work and healing to get past, because it's somehow making our lives harder and more painful.

Dreams prepare you for current and future events in your waking life. They also point out to you areas in your life that need to be healed, or worked upon. Nightmares are usually your deepest fears symbolized by frightening, horrifying images. If you learn to face your fears instead of running away or ignoring them, then the nightmares will disappear or evolve into regular non-threatening images. Nightmares are your wake-up call to problems you need to solve in waking life. Why are they so frightening or graphic? Because that's what most effectively gets our attention.

Unfortunately, we don't usually pay attention until our dreams get to this point, and then we sit up and take notice. It's similar to the way in which we pay attention to our bodies...pain may be unpleasant, but we finally realize that there is a health problem or injury that needs to be tended to, and then take care of it.

The pain may start out mild, but the longer we ignore the problem, the worse it gets until we simply must take care of the problem. It's the same situation with dreams; we may get numerous messages in regular, non-frightening dreams, but not pay attention. Finally, when the situation gets to a vital point in which a problem must be taken care of pronto, we will get the nightmare.

Once you get used to paying attention to more subtle messages in regular dreams, you won't have to be "hit over the head" with a nightmare to clue into a problem, and take care of it. In this way, just as pain helps you avert a more serious physical disaster, nightmares prevent a problem in your waking life from getting advanced to the point of not being able to fix it.

You can learn helpful techniques for conquering your nightmares by finding information on dream symbols and learning how to interpret your dreams, so you can start learning without having to be "hit over the head" with a nightmare. I have been "dragged" plenty in life, and I finally started learning to clue in earlier to what my dreams were telling me, and I must say I feel much more in-tune with my intuition and what is going on in my life ever since. It clears away a lot of the confusion.

Recurring Dreams

Recurring dreams are similar to dream themes, except that in dream themes the dream itself can change, while in a true recurring dream or nightmare, the dream narrative is always the same or nearly identical. This is pointing out something very important for you to "get" and understand, and usually recurs during triggering events in your life that the dream represents. For instance, if the dream represents fear of abandonment, and all of a sudden you & your spouse are having marital difficulties, then this dream could recur. Same thing if a spouse or loved one dies or moves away--those events could also trigger the dream to recur. What seems like a nuisance or unpleasant nightmare is really a helpful signal to you that there is an issue that's deeply bothering you and needs to be brought to the surface and fully healed. Once this is done, the recurring dream will either evolve or disappear from your dreams altogether. If you find the dream or nightmare getting WORSE instead of better, you are getting a stronger message to correct the issue it represents before it becomes a much bigger problem in your life, and I wouldn't suggest ignoring that message, if I were you!

 

 

Night Terrors

Night Terrors...the name is quite descriptive of what it feels like to have this experience, which is also called Sleep Terror, Pavor Nocturnus, incubus, severe autonomic discharge, & night terrors. These events are characterized by the sleeper suddenly becoming awake, usually screaming or crying out, and the dreamer may even for a moment try to escape the dream image that terrified them. At this point, sleepwalking can occur. In my case, I would bolt out of bed and RUN to get away from what was terrifying me. I was going to display a graphic image from my own night terror, but I have not been able to find anyone who can depict the scene accurately enough. Maybe one day. The night terrors I had started out with amnesia, so I would wake up absolutely terrified but have no recall of what I was so flippin' upset about! Over the years (about 15) I was finally able to start remembering what the dream image was that so terrified me. Once I learned how to use a combination of lucid dreaming and dream interpretation methods, I was able to overcome this terror in a series of dreams. These dreaming events transformed my life. I call these dreams my "Angel Dreams."

Getting back to Night Terrors, here is what happens within the body during an episode: the autonomic nervous system is activated, which stimulates feelings of intense fear via the "fight or flight" response. Some people have anxiety attacks on top of this autonomic response mechanism, and/or have asthma attacks as well. If this is a frequent occurance, it might help to keep a good old-fashioned paper bag next to the bed, so you can breathe into it and prevent hyperventilating and resume normal breathing.

This episode of terror usually occurs within the first third part of the night, with partial or total amnesia of what dream images caused the night terror, if any. Polysomnographic monitoring demonstrates the onset of episodes during stage 3 or 4 in the sleep cycle. Tachycardia usually occurs in association with the episodes, which is part of the autonomic response "fight or flight." It is helpful to realize that this is a normal physical response, and to start breathing slowly and deeply, bringing your accelerated heartrate and breathing rate back to normal range. This autonomic response with it's sudden surge of adrenaline is used to prepare the body for either fighting or fleeing danger, a predator, or any life- threatening situation. The body is primed for speed and strength, giving one a better chance of "coming out alive." This is the response mechanism that enables a woman to lift a car off of her child, for example.
When this autonomic response accompanies a nightmare or night terror, it is important to reorient yourself (or the one affected) and start breathing slowly & deeply, calming down from this surge of adrenaline. Remind yourself you are NOT in danger, you are ok, and that the feelings you are having are caused by the adrenaline surge and not real danger. Also try to resist getting up and pacing around until you are more alert and less likely to injure yourself. Then read or watch something PLEASANT on t.v., call a tolerant friend, or do something to get your mind off that scary feeling until you feel better able to sleep. If you feel a type of "fogginess" or dulling of the mental senses, try to avoid going back to sleep or you may fall right back into the same sleep pattern and have another night terror. At least, this has been my own experience.

How often do these Night Terrors occur? It varies. Some people have episodes less than once per month, without harm to themselves or others. Some people experience episodes less than once per week, without harm to themselves or others. In its severest form they occur almost nightly, and/or occur with unintentional physical injury to the person affected, or to others nearby. It would be wise to contact a sleep disorder clinic if you fall into the second or third category, certainly.

Here is a description of a sleep disorder usually found in babies or children, but which rarely does afflict adults as well:

the reason why I added this is cos I suffer badly from bodyrolling, I was bad as a kid and as a adult I do have bouts of this while lucid dreaming

Also known as jactatio capitis nocturna, headbanging, headrolling, bodyrocking, bodyrolling, rythmie du sommeil. The term rythmic movement disorder is preferred as different body areas may be involved in the movement activity.

These movements can also be accompanied by gutteral noises that sound pretty primeavel. Cool! Ok, so it's not so cool to their spouse in the middle of the night. But my main concern is this: I've had people contact me, worried that their relative or friend who displays the above symptoms are possessed by a demon(!) No, this is not demonic possession...it's a neurological sleep disorder that is not fully understood by science as of yet, unfortunately. However, the good news is that the WWW is bringing fellow-RMD'rs together so they can bond and share their angst. And I'm sure they have plenty of angst to share!

I am not a doctor and cannot diagnose anyone, so if you are concerned that you or someone you know may have this disorder, you would need to contact a reputable sleep clinic in your area. I have provided a link below.

This is a disorder that is said to be rare in adults, usually occuring in babies and children who outgrow it by their teen years; but guess what-- adults are now finding each other on the net and are suprised that there are others out there with the same disorder.

Many doctors are unfamiliar with RMD, so you should be on guard not to be dismissed as if you are imagining things, or that it's no big deal. C'mon, you can stand up for your patient rights better than that! If the doc is dropping the ball, call him/her on it and demand a referral to someone who is trained in these sleep disorders, such as a sleep disorder clinic. That's right, I said FIRE the doctor. They aren't gods, they are paid by you, the consumer. They are hired help and should do their job. If they don't, find a better one on the net or by calling around and asking questions. I don't mean to sound harsh, but I hear from so many people who suffer because of inept doctors who should do better by their patients, or who let the insurance companies lead them around by the nose. Ok, so often it's the insurance companies fault...don't get me started! (stepping down from soapbox)

So remember: RMD has nothing to do with being possessed by a demon. I know it seems weird and even scary, but it is a medical issue, not a demonic possession issue. A general rule of thumb to go by is this: if their head doesn't spin completely around, you're probably safe any the pea soup episodes. Unless they want to really jerk your chain! (grin)

Seriously, can you imagine how many people who have had this disorder who have most likely been ostracised over the eons? Thank goodness we live in a more knowlegeable age these days. We do. Don't we?