... Stop These Dreams.

[Mephistophelily]

I've been talking with some of my other friends on here, and they've been asking why I've been up so late anymore. I can't sleep. Well, to be more specific, I won't *let* myself sleep.

For the last two and a half weeks, I've been having such horrible dreams that I scare myself awake and just sob. People I care about dieing or being hurt or put through terrible things. Of myself dieing slowly, or just flat off dieing and being stuck in this limbo until I finally wake up.

Sometimes the dreams aren't that terrible, just strange... But out of a 7 night stretch, 5 to 6 of those nights have me awake and crying in the bathroom.

I know they're just dreams.
But they truly do scare me and leave such terrible things in my head.

I want to make them stop.

 

[coastal-boy]

dreams of this type are not just dreams imo. For me, they are an extension of my worst fears. The first thing I would do is stop saying "I know they are just dreams" and start acknowledging them by saying "I know this is my greatest fear". What I read between the lines of what you wrote is that rationality (it's just a dream) doesn't provide comfort. Dreams are not part of the rational mind. So the next thing I would look at is why emotionally these dreams started when they did. For me, reoccuring dreams of a common theme surface when I feel my life is spiralling out of control.

 

[pplwatching]

I know they're just dreams. But they truly do scare me and leave such terrible things in my head. I want to make them stop.

Are you taking any medications, including over the counter? Some have side effects like that. If so, check with whoever prescribed them. I know I have the weirdest dreams on a particular brand of allergy medication.

Do you drink a lot of caffeine or other stimulant drinks (Red Bull, etc)? The stimulants may be impairing your natural sleep cycle. Cutting those way back might help.

It wouldn't hurt to see a Dr to be sure there's not something physiologically wrong. Other than that it could be worth seeing a mental health professional to talk.

Good luck. I'm sorry that you're going through this.

 

[Noira]

Approach your dreams like a television channel. When something negative comes on, turn the channel to a new dream. That's what mom told me as a kid and since I kept that in mind through my childhood, I always had somewhat of a focus on being aware of my dreams. The key to being able to stop your dreams is to get a grasp on lucid dreaming. First you have to remember your dreams, and then you have to, within a dream, be able to consciously say to yourself "this is a dream". Once you have the comprehension inside of the dream that it's only a dream, you'll be able to control things more... whether that be waking yourself up (unfortunately that's usually what I end up doing) or just changing the content of the dream yourself by being aware within the dream that it's only a dream, it's unable to hurt you, and you are able to influence it.

I've managed to train myself to become aware of when I dream, otherwise I'd have difficulty sleeping due to nightmares, occasionally. I remember constantly praying as a child "please don't let me dream tonight", desperately hoping for an empty sleep. The constant repetition of those words must have helped; I stopped remembering my dreams and stopped dreaming for the longest time, until I willed myself to start dreaming again in an urge to try regain my ability to lucidly dream. (I used to be good at it, but now the second I realize I'm dreaming or think "this is stupid, it must be a dream" I wake up.)

Likewise, approach what the dreams mean. Repeated dreams often indicate something's up in your life that your mind is bringing back up in your sleep, whether it be something that's actually happened, or something you watched or read, or some insecurity. Once you face what's causing the dreams about dying, and handle the psychological issues, the dreams should stop.

Death isn't always about literal death, but about transitions and things dying in your life. The fear coming from the dreams could stem from a fear of transition. Maybe you're worried about losing a job, or a friendship or relationship is unsteady. The connection of torture and slow death with the dying and limbo would say to me that you're presently worrying about a transition that's taking a while to carry through and it's making you anxious whether consciously or unconsciously... maybe planning on moving and worrying about losing friends and finding new work, and what'll happen afterwards, or something.

Anyway, once you pinpoint the psychological reason for the dreams, you can deal with the issue consciously and then the unconscious symptom of the problem will fade. Dreams are a symptom of a problem rather than the actual problem and are your unconscious mind bringing things to your awareness... maybe just memories, dreams are very often bits and pieces of the last day... or as I said, other triggers like negative transitions and other stuff.

Also, remove other potential triggers. Don't eat in the last couple of hours before bed to give your stomach time to settle. Don't go on the computer, don't watch scary movies, don't read scary books... do something to calm your mind before sleeping, like having a warm bath, or reading a good book or doing puzzles. Spending the time to calm yourself down and shift your pre-sleep focus to something non-traumatizing will hopefully calm yourself down. Don't drink caffinated beverages or other stimulants before bed, or in the last couple of hours. Check any medications you might be taking for side effects that could cause night terrors.

But honestly, if 6 out of 7 nights you're left crying in the bathroom, there's something up that's causing more than just dreams. Work to find the real problem, be it some traumatic experience or something else entirely. Though trying to learn to control your dreams will help, the best fix is to approach the cause rather than the symptom. Consider talking to a professional.

The best suggestions I have right now are to first, hunt for the psychological cause of the dreams (fears, transitions, scary movies, emotions, stimulants or food near bedtime, not taking the time to relax before bed) and to try practice learning to control your dreams to a degree... the ability to wake myself up before something horrible happens is really invaluable to me. I'm sorry you're going through this.

 

[fgarvb1]

Yes, well.

I have some good news for you.


YOU can control the events in your dreams.

Yes, you can.

I know. I can do it, and have done it.

Like yourself I was having horrible dreams and no I didn't really care about sleeping a lot.

To say I was shocked to find out I could alter the course of my dreams while they were going on left me astonished.

No doubt you are about now, wondering how?

I don't know.

Just the knowledge that It could be done was enough for me. I remember telling myself in my dream that I didn't like the way this going and that I was changing it.

And somehow I did.

*********************************************************
Now I'm not saying that it will be that easy for you.

Heck, you might see if a little hypnotherapy can help you tell yourself to change things when it does happen.

The mind is an amazing place.

 

[cromsgirl]

one idea

I have no idea if this was just the power of suggestion or what, but several years ago when I was having horrible nightmares I put some hematite under my pillow and they bad dreams stopped. Supposedly hematite's power is to absorb psychic energy. Like I said I still don't believe it, but I was desperate enough to try it. If it doesn't work you are out a few bucks; if it does work, yay. I think I kept it there for about a week. After that I removed it and the bad dreams never came back.

 

[Red_and_Mackie]

When I have nightmares I immediately get up and turn on the lights. Then I find something to bring me back to reality.

Is there someone you can wake up in the middle of the night when you have those dreams? Hearing someone's voice can chase the nightmare away.

I only have nightmares when I am alone. I'm sure that's not coincidence.

I keep messages from my friends and my girlfriend saved on my phone so I can hear a familiar voice in the middle of the night. If that doesn't work I sometimes get in the truck and drive to the all-night convenience place just to be among other people for a few minutes.

 

[tenchikoi]

These aren't just dreams. It's your subconscious trying to work through something it has an issue with while you're wanting to get some restful sleep. I know, it's annoying. Used to happen to me nearly every night until a few years ago. I talked to a friend of mine that interprets dreams and she suggested keeping a dream journal. When you have these disturbing dreams, get up right away and write about while it's fresh. Record every little detail you can remember. Then, in the light of day, read over it and ask yourself what is the real likely hood of something like that happening in reality? Usually, our most irrational fears come out at night when we have none of the distractions of modern life to get in the way. But that's not a bad thing. We need to acknowledge and work through things that make us uncomfortable. It's part of how we grow as individuals. You can also try redirecting your dreams. Before you fall asleep, begin thinking of the most happy thing you can think of. A memory, your happy place, naked girls, whatever floats your boat. Falling asleep while thinking of pleasant things can often result in a decrease of bad dreams. There's always hypnosis too.

 

[Mephistophelily]

My gram died about a month and a half ago. We weren't incredibly close, but my mom was really hurt by it. I think that's a big part of it.

But someone else I talked to said that it may not be just that. That something is bothering me and I'm trying to find change. I really have no idea what that is, though.

 

[Red_and_Mackie]

My gram died about a month and a half ago. We weren't incredibly close, but my mom was really hurt by it. I think that's a big part of it.

But someone else I talked to said that it may not be just that. That something is bothering me and I'm trying to find change. I really have no idea what that is, though.

Just checking in on your thread. How are you sleeping these days?