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Nightmares challenge avoidance?

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Kieran

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I'm having nightmares of this man I've never seen before, and in these nightmares, he is my abuser's friend. The thing about these nightmares is that they feel like memories, as they are very specific.

Back in trauma therapy a year ago, when this happened, I avoided talking about those 'nightmares' due to the possible chance of them being repressed memories, and that they were.

When I told my therapist back then "it doesn't matter to me either way, I don't to talk about it", she said "In trauma, it doesn't matter what you want. What you're faced with here is that although you may feel you don't want to, your brain clearly NEEDS to. So, the first step is to write about it, maybe even share it with me."

Is this true? Can I really be remembering someone NEW after two years? Two years ago, I remembered one of my childhood abusers. Now, again, two years later, I remember his friend. In your experience, is what that therapist said true? She didn't say it in a mean way, mind you. She was friendly, but she did push if she thought someone needed it.

Also, every two years, there's something new that pops up, whether it be memories or symptoms. Of course no one can know, but is there a significance in the 2 years? Since it seems every two years, something comes up.

Thanks for the feedback/responses!
 
I'm having nightmares of this man I've never seen before, and in these nightmares, he is my abuser's fr...
Your subconscious might be preparing you to begin to process it, but I don’t think you should talk about it until youre consciously ready. All of you had to be ready and if a part of you isn’t, it’s not time yet.
 
Could it be actual memories? Yes, of course. Could also be 100% made up by your brain. Most likely, it's a combination of the two. Regardless... Processing and "dealing with it" are done exactly the same.

Are you still in therapy? I think your T is right about dealing with it.
 
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