Does Anyone Have Nightmare Thoughts? Aka Am I Crazy In The Coconut?

[heyheyhey]

Hi everyone,

Does anyone else have 'nightmare' thoughts when they are feeling really stressed? Like they will look at things and seeing them as scary/dangerous/nightmareish? Like I will look at a kitchen knife and see it as dangerous or when I was dissociating and having a pancked flashback (can you have both?) - I looked in the mirror and my hair reminded me of a scary character and then I started freaking out like "is that scary character here now, coming to harm me?" even though I KNEW it wasn't - the snap thought was panic and the thought, but I knew straight away it was irrational/not true but then I started panicking I was going crazy. Is this being crazy or PTSD? This episode just really worried me that I was going psycho, rather than PTSD...looking back now I guess it was just a panicked flashback and the split second thought frightened me...

I look at people and think "what if they want to harm me?", I know it's just anxiety and rationally they don't, but it's just the hyper-vigilance goes into overdrive. On one level, I feel so frightened all the time and worry I'm in danger, then I think this starts effecting all my thought patterns - I'm looking out for signs that there is danger and that people can't be trusted. I don't do this with people I know, it's just more strangers or when I am dissociating and I don't recognize people. Funny, if it's a friend or someone I just met, I don't get it at all - it's just I'm shit scared of 'strangers' - I start projecting possible dangers onto them.

Is this normal PTSD stuff or am I going crazy in the coconut?

Thank you all :)! You're all so lovely and supportive here, you help loads!

 

[hodge]

Yes, I get that, too, Hey. I think it's pretty par for the course for PTSD.

 

[desiderata310]

yup..
Trucks, work trucks... etc... they do that to me. Did it to me this morning. "f*ck, who's in there?Does that person mean me harm? Why are they sitting outside my therapist's office at 7:30 in the morning? Why did they park there?"
"Who just walked in the back gate? Yeah, the dog didn't alert but I heard something!!" and on and on....
actually that was my morning at therapy this morning.

 

[LilSam]

Hi everyone,

Does anyone else have 'nightmare' thoughts when they are feeling really stressed? Like...

Constant fear of being attacked by my ex with a knife again. Left that part out of everything I've said on here before but it happened >.< I'm in France right now but even still I get triggered and think 'What if one of these people knows my ex? She hates me, she could get them to hurt me for her'

 

[Silver.]

I think the simple fact you can laugh at yourself to ask if you are crazy in the coconuts (which had me laugh out loud) is wonderful. (and a phrase I might steal for later!)
Definitely something I have gone through. Lately it's with other drivers on the highway o. O x

 

[Chitoshi]

Hi everyone,

Does anyone else have 'nightmare' thoughts when they are feeling really stressed? Like...

Hey there,
I often, with most everything (when I'm driving, when I'm uncomfortable around people/places/things, when I feel threatened, when I feel mildly uneasy, or when I'm just not thinking about anything specific), will say "what if this happened" and kinda see it in my mind. I was told by my T that this is a normal train of thought one's brain will follow, and at least for me I just hone in on it because I've had to pay attention to the gruesome end of the "what if" spectrum, so my mind will point it out and say "Hey, hey! This is important!" and then I'll get scared by it and try not to think about it, and then obviously the whole "don't think about pink elephants" metaphor applies and I'll think about it. And because it was so important before because it disturbed me and I paid attention to it or whatnot then it's flagged for importance again and will become a thought that I just naturally pay more attention to when it comes up in my running thought-dialogue. At least that's how I understood it.

 

[Snowflake]

Yep happens all the time. So much that I have decided I am mentally deranged. Lol

 

[Deleted member 541]

Yeah, it's normal.... But it's also abnormal. It's normal for us when PTSD bites our ass, but you have to know deep down that the thoughts are really irrational/abnormal. They come from anxiety, zoning out, panic..... But..... They are abnormal, and don't let them become a reality. Am I making sense here????? Hard to get into words what I'm trying to say.

I guess, just don't let the thoughts turn into full blown parinoid thoughts/behavior. They will subside when you can get a grip on what's actually triggering the thoughts in the first place.

 

[Chitoshi]

Yeah, it's normal.... But it's also abnormal. It's normal for us when PTSD bites our ass, but you have...

I think what you're trying to say is that it is normal to have thoughts like that but abnormal to ruminate or dwell on them? Then our job is to make sure they don't get out of hand and figure out WHY we are having the thought in the first place so we can deal with the underlying trouble/reasoning? Did I understand that right? :)

 

[Ronin]

Not sure how for PTSD, but trauma normal, very much.

You're not alone, either. I mostly mind the content of those nightmares/daymares more than their presence. If it's about people, it tends to bother me far more; objects that are danger or become it, I can use as tools, they're friends.

 

[Tinyflame]

Yes, I too am bothered by the people component more than the triggers. I manage those thoughts, & also identified triggers better (I know they are triggers), but not always the images.

The images are either flashbacks, or worst-case scenarios.

 

[Ronin]

The images are either flashbacks, or worst-case scenarios.

This.

I don't do 'worst case' as much as 'the case I'm least prepared for', and that's often many of those, far more if people dear to me are involved.

Not caring so much what's happening with me, as what effect that will have on everyone else I care for / don't want to f*ck things up for.