Empty Nightmares?

[Deleted member 37343]

I'm not too sure what this is.. my therapist calls them night terrors but I'm not sure to be honest and it doesn't happen in a predictable manner so I cannot record myself.. also that's a bit creepy to be honest. (Though I'm sure if I caught one on video, it would help.)

So I always have vivid dreams(nightmares I consider dreams) and I can remember 90% of them a lot more clearly than my own memories which is pretty funny.

But there's this one type of nightmare that really puts me off. It's a blank nightmare, so it feels. I'll wake up gasping for air and panicky, a bit disoriented like usual, and I KNOW it was a nightmare of sorts, but I have no idea what it was, what happened...

After experiencing a few more of these, I think I'm running away from a male that appears tall to me, but there's still no visual evidence of this in my dreams. It's just what it feels like I guess.

There are some nights where I'm told I move in my sleep and I've once elbowed my friend in the shoulder hard enough to cause a bruise. I felt terrible waking up to her trying to stop me :\ I also have a dog and I'll wake up to me either about to elbow her, or I just did but I wouldn't be having a nightmare the night I'm doing these actions which is a bit weird. Anyways.. sorry my message is a bit not organized, I'm sort of fuzzy I guess.

 

[Deleted member 33052]

I think that I would talk to my T about the blank nightmare. I did some dream work with mine, and my disturbing dreams (not nightmares, but creepy and unsettling) ended that day.

Regarding the moving around in your sleep, this is a problem I have, as well. I thrash. I kick and punch, sit up, and then fall back, never waking up. I learned that often people who have suffered head traumas never go into the sleep-paralysis stage of sleep, which generally protects the sleeper - and anyone else in the bed - from harm.

 

[Deleted member 37343]

I did mention it to my therapist and all she said was that they were night terrors most likely, but didn't expand on it..

 

[Deleted member 33052]

Huh. I'm sorry to hear that. My therapist did an emdr session. I couldn't believe how vividly it came back to me!

 

[EveHarrington]

Hmmmm I've never gotten much feedback from therapists on sleep disturbances. It might not be something they're trained in?

 

[pixel]

Interesting information from the Mayo Clinic:

"Sleep terrors are episodes of screaming, intense fear and flailing while still asleep. Also known as night terrors, sleep terrors often are paired with sleepwalking. Like sleepwalking, sleep terrors are considered a parasomnia — an undesired occurrence during sleep.

Although sleep terrors are more common in children, they can also affect adults. A sleep terror episode usually lasts from seconds to a few minutes, but they may last longer.

Sleep terrors may require treatment if they cause problems getting enough sleep or they pose a safety risk.

During a sleep terror episode, a person might:

• Sit up in bed
• Scream or shout
• Kick and thrash
• Sweat, breathe heavily and have a racing pulse
• Be hard to awaken, but if awakened be confused
• Be inconsolable
• Stare wide-eyed
• Get out of bed and run around the house
• Engage in aggressive behavior (more common in adults)

When to see a doctor
Occasional sleep terrors aren't usually a cause for concern. If your child has sleep terrors, you can simply mention them at a routine well-child exam. However, consult your doctor if sleep terrors:

• Become more frequent
• Routinely disrupt sleep or the sleep of other family members
• Cause you or your child to fear going to sleep
• Lead to dangerous behavior or injury
• Appear to follow the same pattern each time
• Persist beyond the teen years or begin in adulthood

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