Disturbing Nightmare Not Related To Original Trauma - Is This Normal?

[Harley. Q]

:unsure: ...Hey,

Newbie to the group, already met a lot of really amazing people via my Intro Thread and Chat.
I found the forum on Friday after my cat died and all of my usual PTSD symptoms got way worse.

We adopted Max as a kitten from a shelter after my trauma, and he became more than just a companion to me, he got me through sleepless nights, panic attacks... there wasn't one symptom of my PTSD that he wasn't in tune with and he always knew what to do, whether it be something simple like putting his paw on my hand when I was in flashback mode or something truly complex (for a little cat) like getting out of his bed and snuggling up against my chest when I had awoke from a disturbing PTSD nightmare in the middle of the night.

I thought I was coping well with his loss, but today I fell asleep in the middle of the day for about an hour, and I had the most distressing nightmare about him. When I woke up I felt so down and now it's nearly midnight and I still can't shake the butterflies from my chest. I just wish he was here and now it feels like I can't cope without him.

Is it normal to have a really disturbing PTSD type nightmare about something that isn't associated with the original trauma? I have nightmares about other stuff occasionally but not PTSD type nightmares. It's really freaked me out. He died under similar circumstances to the ones that I nearly died in, and it wasn't natural causes (he was only 6)
...I just don't know if this is a normal reaction for a PTSD sufferer given the context, or if I've just completely lost the plot :bag:

Any clarity, advice, shared experiences, etc. will be greatly appreciated :shy:

 

[Senecia]

I'm sorry you lost your precious kitty. I used to have a cat named Frank. He was blind, fat, and loved eating cardboard. I loved him. Anyway, in my situation, I have nightmares that aren't related to my trauma itself. All the time. Almost all of which involve life or death situations, whether it be shootings, falling, defending myself, etc. None of which happened in my trauma...
I think we're just so stressed about surviving it translates elsewhere.

 

[Chava]

My nightmares are bloodier than I could ever imagine in real life. Nobody was murdered in front of me as a kid. But most of these are still trauma-related for me because they are loaded with symbolism. Rarely do I see total reenactments of original trauma...it almost always is more gruesome in some way but I am detached or watching it happen through a window. Under stress it would make sense that your own trauma would shade new experiences and nightmares....or that new experiences would show up in trauma-related dreams, symbolizing something, if that makes sense.

 

[NicG]

I'm sorry about your kitty :( it's amazing to find an animal that's so in tune with you. Sometimes they're better for you than people!

My nightmares rarely have anything to do with my trauma. Usually they're about people I love getting hurt or killed in bizarre ways. Actually I think in the whole two years I've been suffering PTSD, I've had maybe 3 nightmares directly related to my trauma. But I've had hundreds of PTSD-induced nightmares.
I often think they're a product of my brain trying to figure out all the emotions I went through. Maybe relating how I'm feeling to other things that could possibly happen.

In summary: no, you aren't going crazy. You've got a big pile of extra stress and sadness on your plate right now. For me at least this kind of thing happens.

 

[Harley. Q]

Thanks for your replies guys and for sharing your own difficult experiences.

Knowing that this is 'normal' has stopped me freaking out so much about it :nailbiting:...and not being so freaked out is helping me to focus more on managing my PTSD so that I get through this really rough time. Just feel so sad and lost without him :(.

Hugs to u all for your support. :hug:

 

[OneWing]

It happens to me all the time. I have PTSD from an awful and sudden accident when a family member was killed my girlfriend was horrifically injured. I will spare you the horrific details. But I find that some of my nightmares have nothing to do with the incident. However, they involve other incidents and scenarios completely that provoke similar feelings.
I started taking a new medication that is helping some of my other symptoms but is also giving me more vivid dreams. I notice a pattern, that I dream about horrific scenarios that although unrelated they provoke the same feeling. The horrible feeling of seeing someone be taken. In my nightmare it is sometimes a stranger. Sometimes something happens to some I love.
For instance, last night I had a nightmare that my girlfriend was in danger and she was locked in a room, but I couldn't break down the door to get to her. To me that was very distressing.
This morning I had a dream that a man attacked me and then ran, when I yelled for help a cop appeared and shot him down and as I looked on and his wife and children cried. I felt horrible, like when I had to watch my friend die. For whatever reason I woke up into cold sweats and a pounding heart.

 

[joeylittle]

I started taking a new medication that is helping some of my other symptoms but is also giving me more vivid dreams.

If you are taking trazadone, that is a very common side effect.