Reoccurring Night Terrors

[Arieanna]

Every night i close my eyes I have a nightmare. I've tried listening to the soft sounds of soothing music. I've tried not eating before bed. I've tried to watch something funny or positive before sleeping. However nothing changes the the terrors.

When I fall asleep, I see myself in my home. Inside my home no matter what is grey and the people that step into it are grey. Everything is void of color except myself. As I look around i and observe the house people come into play that are my family. My age is never distinct as i see two versions of everyone and I cannot make out how old I am. Horrible things that normally scare me such as spiders, large shadows, etc fill the house or chase me and the members in the house. The shadow eventually swallows any friends i've every had leaving me alone. I encounter always a man with some type of violent weapon. A gun, a knife, a metal chain, etc. The man silences me first either by slitting my throat, gagging me, frightening me into a paralyzed fear i cannot breathe.

Slowly as i cannot scream, I cannot alert anyone to help me the man one buy one kills my family in front of me, leaving me last. I always die in every dream. In every dream i can see my own life leave my eyes and breathe stop it's vivid and detailed. I awake from the nightmare as If it allowed me too, as it won't let me finish the dream unless I am dead. Than i find myself with torn sheets, tears streaming out my eyes the blankets tossed from me and gasping for air. I have to say i've even found myself swinging in my sleep to fight off what is happening. The odd thing is if ever I step out of my home the outside world is filled with color.

It almost seems to peaceful and even though the color is vibrant stepping out side in the dream warrants more danger than inside it seems. I have PTSD but I am a live surviving 19 years of physical torment by abusers and 35 years of emotional abuse. I often wonder if these nightmares will stop someday. I cannot make out what the dreams mean or why in them always everyone dies. I know it must be something I must face, or a meaning into this that tells me something from my conscienous. Have you ever been so terrified that you are too scared to even close your eyes?

 

[Bookoffee]

Yes. I broke my hand in the same spot twice since April from my night terrors. My hand is still in a cast. There are times I will stay up for days because I feared sleeping.

 

[Grace Owen]

I have been sleeping very badly; waking up feeling as if I'm choking, and have had fear of going to sleep, due to recurring nightmares for about a month. Last night was the best sleep I've had in ages; 5 hours. The event causing the PTSD was over about 3 years, and lasted until about 3 months ago. I think the shock of people being nice to me, NOW, brought on the PTSD. Getting a bit better, but still have days I could sob my heart out, even when happy; and can’t consider a 'real' relationship yet, as the thought terrifies me.

 

[Arieanna]

It's one of those things where im comforted but also saddened to know people suffer the same thing. Having night terrors is the worse, and even the onset of it causes me to react in real life as well. I've torn sheets, fought the air, screamed, cried, even ripped out the cord to my cpap machine which i need to breathe at night. The dreams are so intense it's like it's really happening and it's so detailed. I talk to my therapist about them and there is just so much ground to cover. I'm hoping someday i can be free of them, but i hope people suffering this also can be free of their night terrors as well.

 

[Freedomfighter]

Yes. I broke my hand in the same spot twice since April from my night terrors. My hand is still in a...

Wow, that is a strong physical reaction. You must really suffer. I hate those nightmares too, they do horrible things to me as well. Now, as I fall asleep these nightmares begin instantly. I could be asleep just for one minute and those nightmares start already, not easy to deal with.

I wonder if the quality of sleep suffers or if the resting periods with nightmares make a difference about how rested we feel.

 

[Missycat]

Oh im so sorry that you are going through this, night terrors are horrible and terrifying. Ive been where you are and i still do have night terrors.
Have you tried breathing exercises or relaxation techniques before you go to bed so your brain is switched off - so to speak?

 

[Gadgie]

The thing about broken sleep patterns or broken sleep, is that after a few nights of it, you body and mind get really tired.

And if left to continue, it starts to change your personality and behaviour, you get irritable, short tempered, and can't consentrate on anything for long?

I know this happens in my case, then I can get emotional and depressed, and sometimes burst into tears for no apparent reason.

The longer I go without a good sleep, the worse I get, that's when I take one of them knock out pills the doctor gave me, but I'm only allowed seven of them a month.

Does anyone else go through the same thing?

 

[Bookoffee]

Yes, i am going through this. I am at the point that all I truly want is to die.

I have night terrors then wake up to another horror. It.just doesnt end

 

[SherryAnn]

Yes its truly terrifying and exhausting :( At one point the night terrors spilled over into the day..I was so tired and I would see the monsters or dark shadows and my terroriser "hellraiser" as I have called him with his army of minions. It got to the point where I started to dissociate but with regular therapy from an amazing woman I'm getting better but the nightmares continue especially when Im stressed.

 

[sophie]

Every night i close my eyes I have a nightmare. I've tried listening to the soft sounds of soothing m...

Im very sorry you must find a way to empower yourself that will cross over into the dream. or reframe the dream/nightmare Have you 'd one reframing with your therapist? I have horrific dreaming night terrors oh for so many many years almost every night repeating threads, crystal clear color, images down to the threads of the garments. in your nightmares you are always the victim. this to me is crucial. please look up reframing, please research

 

[sophie]

please everyone try reframing the nightmare or even part of it research reframing. empower yourself either in the day reality or empower yourself in the reframing where you are no longer the victim. even if its the 11th hour the last minute you stand in you town power and all the horrible things in these night terrors cannot t ale you down. i lived with these night terrors for many many years yes i have PTSD. i day trained in martial arts, yoga, when not sick with immune compromise virus flus whatever, i reframed nightmares and even though these night terrors were so lucid an di would wake up with knives in my bed i got up in the middle of the night even though i was physically frozen in the night terror i managed to get a weapon and woke up with the weapon in bed in the morning . the point is you must have a sense of empowerment through either reframing, meditation with open heart centered compassion for yourself feeling gratitude for something you so much cherish and working on this everyday the sense elf victimization is embedded in nervous system work on this. after manay years my night terrors have subsided. no from 6 nights a week to several a month an dim an opera singer with a huge voice you can hear me scream from the bowels of the earth
be well