Different Than Your Normal Nightmare. Not Even In Your Own Dream?

[Sing2me]

My dreams/nightmares are crazy. Besides remembering every explicit detail, if something is to horrible to I happen, I will spend the night subconsciously changing it. Like once I dreamed my son was about to get hit by a fire truck and I was to far away to get him. Just before it hit him it was like I pressed rewind and spent the whole night with the recurring dream, always stopping the truck and getting a little closer each time, until I grabbed him out of the way. I woke up exhausted.

But a couple weeks ago I had a dream I can't get out of my head. I dreamed about a father, mother, and their son and daughter going on, what I guess, an airplane ride. The plane crashed killing the son and left the mom and daughter brain dead. The father had severe injuries and had to go through a lot of painful treatment and physical therapy to recover. But the strange part is that I wasn't in my own dream. I experienced EVERYTHING through the father. I felt his despair and heartbreak to the point I couldn't breath. I have never experienced a dream like this and don't know what it means or what to do with it.

Any thoughts?

 

[Deleted member 12723]

I think it was a bad dream.

 

[Sing2me]

I think your right. It probably made me uneasy because it was different.

 

[Deleted member 12723]

Yes I know what you mean. Dreams have a way of affecting us during the day.

 

[YogiBear]

I have dreamt I was not myself. I found myself around the year 2090 at the age of twenty. I recall in vivid detail what the world, politics, and fashion looked like.

 

[Ginny]

Sounds like your subconscious is projecting your fears/anxiety on to this unknown family. My experience with PTSD frequently manifests itself as a feeling that I'm somehow inflicting myself on others. The situations you described in your dream all scream 'out of control!' A crashing airplane, a braid dead wife, painful therapy, all seem to reflect situations that you can't do anything about, but over which you care deeply. The appearance of a substitute family might indicate that you don't want your family to endure what you go through, which, while disturbing, also shows your concern for them. Not saying that this is exactly what it means, but sometimes looking at something from another perspective can provide insight, and I hope some measure of comfort.