Does Anyone Else Experience This?

[EvenStrongerNow]

When I'm trying to sleep at night, I'm drifting and I will see images, unrelated to trauma as far as I can tell. This only has happened since during my trauma, after, and now.....mainly when anxiety gets high.

But, it could be that I will see what looks like a newspaper clipping and my brain will try to focus in on the words to read it, but then I startle back awake. Or a car driving, my brain will focus in to see where it is going or to read a street sign and then I'll startle awake. Sometimes, it can be a creepy image.

It's really intrusive and it adds to the insomnia. It's not the same as the feeling of drifting off that startles me awake like I've talked about before on here.

Has anyone else experienced this? What do you do for it?

I tried looking it up on Google. There were a couple of articles explaining endogenic bursts in the brain with PTSD that can produce vivid images, something about hormones and opioid receptors with stress, but I'm unsure if it's related. Something about REM issues.

Of course, though, I did read some other scary things it could be that causes it, but I am choosing to be non-anxiety right now if I can help it lol

 

[EvenStrongerNow]

Also, I will see what looks like rolling waves of black and white. Also, there can be flashes of light.

I am getting freaked out talking about this. I haven't shared it with anyone until now because I've been too afraid that people with think I'm insane!

 

[Barconian]

If you can't change the way you see something, change the way that you look at it... Just let the images do there thing and look for the positives in them. Works for me :)