Can A Nightmare Be A Flashback?

[safenow]

My biggest thing is I'm told I'm making this happen. Is that possible?? Is there a way to stop it?

Who told you that? I"m sorry to disagree with them, but I don't think we make nightmares happen. Our mind is processing something. If you watch television, perhaps you watched a movie that set things in motion. I found that when I stopped watching television I was not so sensitive any more. A few years back I stopped listening or reading the news and that improved things for me as well.

I made the mistake of reading a headline on my computer one day about a young girl who was locked in a cage by her father and had a flashback. I was sensitive for weeks after that. It seems that everything now is all about the trauma of life. I lived enough trauma growing up, I don't need to read about what is happening in the world. That is why I have to be careful how many diary entries I read here. I can handle a little bit at a time, and let people know I hear them, but those things that go on in the world that I can't help to change, I don't want to listen to.

 

[bluewings]

I feel like I'm going slightly insane with the frequency of the nightmares I have been having. I can be woken by them more times than I feel like I sleep. Often finding myself out of bed, in a state of panic, trying to work out whether what I'm having a nightmare about is really happening. They tend to take a theme, either I'm running out of oxygen, the ceiling is crashing in, the bed is sinking, the floor is falling in, water is filling my bedroom, there's an electric circuit which I'm meant to have turned off, but haven't' and its about to blow up. All of which mean that I wake up out of bed terrified that that's it. Some days where I've had such disturbed nights, I'm exhausted.

I guess coming on here, I'm looking for answers. I've not found any in my life, other than mysteries and questions, which never get answered.

A bit about me; I was born having fits, spent the first two weeks of my life in an incubator, with no contact with my mother. I have no memory before the age of 13.. through other therapy there appears to be some kind of other trauma in my childhood, which I've never been able to get to the bottom of.. difficult when you're working blind.

Wondering if whether these nightmares are in someway linked to unresolved stuff in my past? Is there anything anyone has done that they found helped?

Thanks!

 

[Jessie1031]

I have nightmares that are kind of flashbacks too. The men that raped me are never in the dreams, but there are different men and all are holding me down. Sometimes I just get killed, other times my dream gets interrupted by something or some sweet soul that wakes me. Many times I have trouble waking up and will become combative.

I feel like if there was some kind of closure to what happened to me I could stop having these nightmares. It happened 12 years ago and the nightmares just seem to get worse. Perhaps, the dreams are my minds way of purging everything? I'm sick of them (who isn't) and wish with everything I have that they would stop.

 

[Deleted member 20072]

The way I figure it is that a nighmare happens when you are asleep and the mind is at rest so you can't control where it goes. Where does your mind go when you're awake and gap out at the tv or out the window? Eventually does it go to the trauma?

Subconsciously it's your minds way of telling you "hey we need to deal with this at some point". We all try to keep such good control of our minds to keep the trauma out when awake that when were sleeping, it's the only time it can come out.

Flashbacks are triggered by something and its as if you're reliving it yes, but it happens when you're awake.

 

[Fully Empty]

Making matters worse is for some reason (docs think vasovagal syncope) when the thoughts start to peak in intensity, I faint. Fortunately. I get a one-minute warning, and can feel it coming on, so if I am driving, I can pull over in time. But it's meant I have had to stop driving long distances and take other precautions. I once fainted on an airplane and they almost turned the entire plane around just for me.

I know this is an old post, but it's amazing how much I can relate to what you described. I mean, to a T. I was diagnosed with P.O.T.S this past summer and placed on a medication to slow down my heart rate. Between that, meditation and therapy...no more fainting.

And I empathize with your story about passing outside on a plane . I once passed out right onto a pumpkin pie display at Walmart. I woke up and people were trying to give me orange juice thinking I was diabetic. Oy vey.

 

[BlackbirdSinging]

And occasionally, it's like I am actually back in the past, I see and live it outside of my head. It's like I'm re-living the trauma. I can't tell that it's not real and not happening now. The last time it happened, my living room suddenly wasn't my living room anymore

This happened to me about a month or two ago. I was on my bed in my room and I don't even remember now what I was doing or what had gotten me upset. But I felt extremely scared and anxious. My guard was way way up. It all seemed to build and build and I turned my head an ex abuser was standing right there in my room but it wasn't my room. Everything was distorted like in a dream when the background is fuzzy or out of focus. I could see the window behind him and the sun coming in. And the hall and the doorway. But it was like hazy.

And he was standing there looking at me talking to me and I was watching his mouth move. I could see his face crystal clear. He had that look on his face. And I could both hear and had like a knowing of what he was saying. I shook and shook and curled up staring at him and crying until it felt like I had no more air. I felt like I couldn't look away. I was sure if I reached out I might actually touch him. I'm so grateful this doesn't happen frequently.

 

[HëllaBubz]

A flashback is firstly, extremely rare,

I have to admit, this makes me feel much better. I have only had 2-3 flashbacks, other than that I'll dissociate.
Always felt like such a fraud because I thought they were common with PTSD.

 

[anonymity40]

I woke up the other night and thought I was about ready to fall. I was panicked. I was almost ready to fall out of my bed. I want this to stop.

Hello Heather.

My psychiatrist has me on a low dose of Prazosin, and I normally don't have to be terrified of falling asleep as long as I remember to take it.

While this is a blood pressure medication, it also works very well for eliminating the violent nightmares in PTSD patients. I hope this will be of some help to you, discuss it with your doctor. If you want to find out more about it on your own, you can Google it.

 

[BloomInWinter]

Nightmares are signs that our brains are attempting to process our traumas.

Distressing, frightening, and irritating, they can really hamper recovery. They can also worsen our symptoms during the day.

I finally gave in and began taking some Trazadone, and it helped me begin getting enough sleep to start feeling better. Though I hope to go off of it someday, now I'm glad to be able to get sleep, nightmares or no.

It gets better.

 

[wicked child]

I woke up the other night and thought I was about ready to fall. I was panicked. I was almost ready to fall out of my bed. I want this to stop.

I record all my nightmares. I find that they all fit it to categories [cats]. I have my disasters cats, and my evil females cats, my falling cats, and my insecure footing cats, my being followed cat, my being attacked cat , etc. In have many different cats.

 

[wicked child]

Can a nightmare be a flashback? No.

A flashback is firstly, extremely rare, and a flashback is literally reliving a part of the event.

Thanks for this. I think I may of had a flashback at university. Only one. I was staring at this woman. I didn't know I was doing it. She turned to me and smiled. I found myself shaking on my feet. My hands were folded into fists. My whole body was writhing . I become aware of what I was doing. I stopped immediately. I lefy the room embarrassed , confused and fearful.

It was difficult to remain. Thankfully there was only a week before the end of the semester. Then I left.