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New here - any suggestions to help avoid nightmares?

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Hey, @osiris - just wanted to give you a little more specific info about the mechanism of action with prazosin -

Prazosin is an alpha-1 blocker, most commonly used to treat high blood pressure. It's also been shown to help PTSD folks with sleep, and possibly nightmare reduction. As an alpha 1 blocker it has specific interactions with the central nervous system (among other things), and can diminish norepinephrine uptake....which essentially means, it can limit the fight-or-flight response.
I know you expressed med-aversion, I'm only sharing this if it helps to know that it's not a psychotropic drug. When it's taken to help with PTSD sleep, the dose is quite low.

Something else to be aware of is, screens. The blue light seriously messes with sleep in all sorts of ways. A big recommendation for managing sleep hygiene is to shut off all screen use at least 2 hours before target bedtime. That's an easy (?) enough thing to try, that isn't at all invasive medically.
 
Are you in therapy? Have you journaled your dreams?

If not ive it a try among other things. My dreams today are 5% of what they were and I still can hardly believe it.

Best of luck,

Thanks @Whirlwind
Sorry for late reply, didn’t see you’d commented until just now.
I’m recently back in therapy with this new scary diagnosis. Starting to use my trauma diary and dreams may well make it in there.
Appreciate the good wishes.
 
Hey, @osiris
I know you expressed med-aversion, I'm only sharing this if it helps to know that it's not a psychotropic drug. When it's taken to help with PTSD sleep, the dose is quite low.

Something else to be aware of is, screens. The blue light seriously messes with sleep in all sorts of ways. A big recommendation for managing sleep hygiene is to shut off all screen use at least 2 hours before target bedtime. That's an easy (?) enough thing to try, that isn't at all invasive medically.
Thanks for this @joeylittle
I need to unpack more of my broken head to get comfortable with meds I think. All twisted with secrets and hiding and not being good enough and scared of what happens if I lose control. But will keep it in mind, the info is helpful.
Ha, screens! The mind is willing but the body is weak ;)
 
If anyone has exhausted all options and curious if their nightmares stem from something spiritual. There's always Citrine(clarity for clean dreams), Black Obsidian (supposed to absorb negative dreams), and Rose Quartz(raise love vibrations for good dreams) underneath your pillow at night. :)

Amethyst if you want vivid dreams at the risk of them being crazier or guiding. Haha.
 
If anyone has exhausted all options and curious if their nightmares stem from something spiritual. There's always Citrine(clarity for clean dreams), Black Obsidian (supposed to absorb negative dreams), and Rose Quartz(raise love vibrations for good dreams) underneath your pillow at night. :)

Amethyst if you want vivid dreams at the risk of them being crazier or guiding. Haha.
I, like so many here, am plagued by nightmares. So, I'd be grateful for a little more information. Even though, I'm confident my problem is not spiritual in nature. I will try anything that might help and poses zero/low risk.

Just curious, how exactly is that supposed to work? Do you somehow have the stones ground-up or something? Otherwise, I'm pretty sure sleeping with stones under my pillow wouldn't help me sleep. Also, where does one find such natural sleep aids?
 
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Hi @Wonder Woman. I think alternative kinds of therapies can be viewed in different ways. I sometimes use stones, except not for sleep, and color and healing touch. They all involve healing using the energy of the body and color and minerals. I don't see any of that as spiritual, though. That we are all made of energy that can be manipulated is physics.

Anyway, just wanted to give you my take. Lots of people don't believe or accept, so all in my own view only.
 
Hi @Wonder Woman. I think alternative kinds of therapies can be viewed in different ways. I sometimes use stones, except not for sleep, and color and healing touch. They all involve healing using the energy of the body and color and minerals. I don't see any of that as spiritual, though. That we are all made of energy that can be manipulated is physics.

Anyway, just wanted to give you my take. Lots of people don't believe or accept, so all in my own view only.

Thank you for your input. Do you find using these stones to be helpful to you? Or is it more of an it can't hurt kind of thing? Just wondering about your experience.
 
So as not to hijack this thread, I'll respond re: sleep. I have not used stones to help with getting to sleep or preventing nightmares. Because I have noticed a change with anxiety, it would not surprise me chosen correctly, they might help.
 
So as not to hijack this thread, I'll respond re: sleep. I have not used stones to help with getting to sleep or preventing nightmares. Because I have noticed a change with anxiety, it would not surprise me chosen correctly, they might help.

Thanks. Sounds like it's worth looking into a bit further. I'm glad you have been able find help for your anxiety. I'll post if they help with my nightmares.
 
Honestly I'd very much urge you to pursue scientific and more tested out therapies for any of psychiatric symptoms.

I have nothing against alternative medicine. Hell. A good portion of my life spent in places where that's the only medicine on site.

But it has no place where serious conditions are concerned, or the population is vulnerable.

Ie a kid with a cough I'd also not hand an amber to tonize them, or w/e, but get them cough drops or similar, depending the cough.

Don't waste time, health, resources and energy on charlatans, just because you feel hopeless now.
 
Honestly I'd very much urge you to pursue scientific and more tested out therapies for any of psychiatric symptoms.

I have nothing against alternative medicine. Hell. A good portion of my life spent in places where that's the only medicine on site.

But it has no place where serious conditions are concerned, or the population is vulnerable.

Ie a kid with a cough I'd also not hand an amber to tonize them, or w/e, but get them cough drops or similar, depending the cough.

Don't waste time, health, resources and energy on charlatans, just because you feel hopeless now.

Hi, Ronin. Thanks for your concern and guidance. I agree wholeheartedly. In my 20's I had some tough lessons about people taking advantage of my situation. Incuding, psychologists/psychiatrists. Retraumatizing to say the least. Also, with snake oil sales types. The herbal supplements were expensive and didn't help. Then, I ended up nearly joining a religious cult. Tough times.

Anyway, I don't think a few stones could hurt. They are less than $20 on a website I've used before to buy stuff for relaxation (lavender, soy candles, that kind of thing). So, no snake oil.

I also have a call into my psychiatrist about the medicine Prazosin that someone mentioned earlier in this thread. (I think; maybe it was in another thred.)

Your right, I am feeling very desperate right now. Exhausted. Sad. Frustrated. I don't feel real at times; I think that is the traumatic re-experiencing combined with my lack of sleep. Not really advisable to make any decisions in this state, but I can't continue like this.

My adult son is going to have lunch with me in a little bit. So that will help. Looking forward to that.
 
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