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Nightmares That Follow You

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crispy362

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Anyone ever have one of those nightmares that was so vivid, you had a hard time moving past it, even days later?

I did a few days ago. I dreamed I was in the hospital again, desperately trying to wash my hands. I felt a tug on my uniform, and turned to find him, staring directly at me. It must have been a jarring experience, because I woke up in bed, screaming. My fiancée was holding me, and told me that I had been whimpering in my sleep for a while before I finally woke up. She held me for the rest of the night. I didn't go back to sleep.

The next day, I felt... Strange. I felt like my anxiety was far more intense than usual. And I had multiple flashbacks throughout the day. It was like I simply couldn't let this one go. It felt like all the colors outside were mute, as if everything had suddenly gone gray scale. How do you guys deal with this?
 
Fresh air and someone to talk to when I wake up. Turn in the tv for noise, get ready and find someone to visit if you can. If not, use all of your favorite and most effective relaxation and anti anxiety techniques, and give yourself the day off to do art, watch tv, whatever relaxes you. If you have someone around to wake you if you doze off outs very helpful.
 
so vivid, you had a hard time moving past it, even days later?

Yes and then some. I am a long term nightmar..er? Repeats, intense and extremely violent. I really don't have anything other than nightmares.

Strange. I felt like my anxiety was far more intense than usual. And I had multiple flashbacks throughout the day. It was like I simply couldn't let this one go. It felt like all the colors outside were mute, as if everything had suddenly gone gray scale.

You said the day after "colors going grey scale" so to speak. Wow, words out of my mouth, that is a perfect way to describe it. So yes, you are not alone in your symptoms, mine aren't always this bad but I have plenty this bad. I think the "grey scale"...perhaps its an internal shut down to reduce stimulus when I am close to blowing a fuse?! Or sublte dissociation...I feel the same way emotionally, even physically - utterly disconnected in extreme stress, post flashbacks etc.

My dreams intensifying drove me into therapy for the first time, as therapy progressed they became far worse and I came to find as they intensified, so did my flashbacks. They could stop me in my tracks during the day. Some things I would ruminate on, perhaps it was the intensity or violence but over time, "odd" things would preoccupy me, like once an old memory about a shirt I had as a kid. I could not stop thinking about it!

It later made sense and was connected to memories I was recovering. It was a yucky dance for some time...nightmares, flashbacks and new memories/realizations. It sucked horribly to be honest, I was furious with my therapist and felt suicidal at times.

Today, I am grateful, I feel like I purged some heinous stuff. I can accept my past or at least know it. My nightmares are better and given my age, I never thought it would get better.

Dealing with it? Time, therapy, 5-HTP to help me sleep. Can make dreams worse but not for me. Dealing with the trauma, taking time to accept the anxiety and connect it to its origin.

Take care, Whirlwind
 
I write it all down. Then, not only do I not need to remember--but it gets it out of me. If it stays with me long enough, I can usually figure out what it stands for.

Just last night, I was dreaming that I was on a train. It was a new, never tested one that went especially fast. I was doing something with my phone on the platform, when I realized that the train was about to leave without me. I realized that I would never be able to get home, since I was in another country. I rushed toward it and managed to jump into the last car. As the door closed, I realized that I had dropped my cell phone and left it there. I began to panic. I woke up with my heart beating hard in my chest. I couldn't fall back asleep-so I went to work early.
 
Some types of nightmares will leave me feeling messed up for days. I mostly just have to distract myself. Cold water on the face, couple cigarettes, loud music, watch a show, something. Keep my mind occupied. My nightmares are extremely vivid, and I experience actually feeling everything, etc. It doesn't really matter if it wasn't real, because I experienced it as though it was completely real, and am affected by it as though it was. The only difference is that you end up completely alone with the experience because it didn't happen in everyone else's reality.
 
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