My nightmares have become much more frequent… I’m now plagued with them nearly every night. Overall, my life is fine, so I don’t understand why I continue to wake up feeling scared and unsafe. I assume my subconscious is trying to sort something out but I don't know what it could be.
I spoke with my therapist, who suggested Imagery Rehearsal Therapy. I started reading about IRT and plan to start tonight. Does anyone have any experience with this? I’d appreciate any advice or guidance.
Hi Soprano and sorry to hear about your nightmares.I don't have any experience of IRT so I hope someone can offer you some ideas there.
However I have consistently suffered from nightmares over the years especially as a child growing up in a scary home. I have often wondered what causes my nightmares as an adult and have figured out that subconsciously (I think) I feel a sense of threat that perhaps I have not been aware or, or have dismissed or have not been able to articulate.
My nightmares are often similar where I get on a train and get lost, or find myself in a big city without any map or phone to orientate myself....this is so untrue for me in real life because I usually plan where I go especially to new places. These specific nightmares which occurred for a few months I put down to the start of lockdown last year. In the nightmare I felt helpless and yet IRL I was not conscious of feeling this way (but obviously somewhat apprehensive as we all were)
I have numerous examples of feeling a sense of threat and it coming out in nightmares and this is just one example. Now I have been able to identify how my brain seems to work in this strange way it has helped and it's occurred to me that I haven't had a spate of nightmares for a while! The last one was really stupid because my daughter suggested she do some decorating whilst on furlough and started to make plans about the designs......it was all too much for me as she hadn't consulted me and I had a horrible nightmare that night which told me that I felt threatened by her enthusiasm and felt out of control!!!.....anyway that appears to be how my brain "works" for me.
Hope you get some answers as it's horrible suffering the nightmares.
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Thanks so much for your thoughtful response.
I can absolutely relate to that overwhelming feeling of planning something and then getting completely overwhelmed.
I'm still trying to figure out how my brain works... I'll keep working on it. I hope you're having a lovely day. 💜
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Good luck! I tried some intervention I had read about with my bad dreams last year to try and change the script....In the dream I was at the station and had read the timetables and at long last all was going well on these repeated journeys to goodness knows where....then someone jumped me from behind and the outcome wasn't favourable and I woke up in a panic. It seemed as if my brain was set on a course until I understood what it was all about ie how the pandemic/lockdown was really affecting me which I think I had in my typical fashion not really taken on board. I think it's the disconnection from my emotions which is at the heart of it for me and my nightmares have a habit of reminding me where the problems is and will keep repeating until I acknowledge what's going on in my current waking life.
I did have that therapy, although mostly on my own due to shortage of therapists. I got the materials and one or two appointments and then continued on my own.
It was helpful to me and I still use it, a decade or more after.
My nightmares intensify when there is something in the present moment that is challenging/ traumatic and it triggers me.
They can be a way of processing trauma like your therapist said. It may not be clear why they happen, it might take time to figure it out.
Thanks so much for writing, Nathalie!
The thing is, there's nothing in the present moment that's bothering me. The other strange thing is that I remember most all of my bad dreams. I had a very bad dream when I was in kindergarten that I still recall to this day. Aren't we supposed to forget our dreams as soon as we wake up? I'm not necessarily asking you that question... I'm just 'talking' out loud.
Like you said, it'll probably take some time to figure it out.
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TRIGGER suicide feeling like something terrible may happen any second ... Need a happier mind 
terrible time
I hate this, still triggered and suffering
