One thing I've been curious about for a while is that I have more nightmares about my parents and step parent than I do about the person who actually sexually assaulted me. I might've had 1 or 2 about the actual person who hurt me, for comparison. Like, I was relieved when I had a nightmare only about a stranger (who I met for the first time later that day, weirdly? He was my doctor and had to check my throat, which was uncomfortable to say the least as that's something my nightmare was relating to).
I thought maybe my head wishes it was them because it would be easier to think of them as bad people or something. The person who hurt me was my little cousin, a few years younger, so it is complicated to think about as kids don't tend to know this shit without something bad happening to them to my knowledge (at least before the internet).
But it's true that I feel my mum could've done anything to protect me from this in the first place, so it might be related to that too. However, my dad and step parent weren't even around at the time, so it isn't like they could've done anything to protect me. They were both living a significant distance away.
I've been wondering if anyone else has experienced this or something similar with nightmares.
I thought maybe my head wishes it was them because it would be easier to think of them as bad people or something. The person who hurt me was my little cousin, a few years younger, so it is complicated to think about as kids don't tend to know this shit without something bad happening to them to my knowledge (at least before the internet).
But it's true that I feel my mum could've done anything to protect me from this in the first place, so it might be related to that too. However, my dad and step parent weren't even around at the time, so it isn't like they could've done anything to protect me. They were both living a significant distance away.
I've been wondering if anyone else has experienced this or something similar with nightmares.