Nightmares: Body Parts?

[Selena5473]

My ptsd stems from witnessing a murder of a domestic violence victim. I was also a victim of domestic violence for six years, and my therapist seems to think a lot of my anxiety and guilt stems from the fact that I survived and got out, while my counterpart suffered.

I have nightmares about a lot of things, blood, guns, etc. but recently I have been dreaming of body parts. Last night I dreamt I was selling chopped off arms and legs on the street and carrying them around in a tote bag...and it smelled awful, I could actually smell it. A man told me if I didn't make 500 dollars I was next.

I woke up to my SO shaking me, begging me to wake up. It was so bad =[ I can't get it out of my head it keeps playing over and over. I was doing laundry this evening and it popped in my head again, I swear I almost peed me pants. Why am I all the sudden having more intense nightmares that stick with me throughout the day ?

Ugh-
Selena

 

[Harry6]

Hi Selena,

Sound like some awful stuff.

I don't think their can be a direct answer to your question. I was an EMT at the WTC on 9-11-01 and have also had difficulties with nightmares, "daymares" and such since then some of which have involved body parts, gruesome images / memories, etc. Many people I knew were not as lucky as I was that day. Apart from that, when I was a kid, my father had a bad temper that he expressed with his leather belt - but that's another story.

For me, I've found that triggers for body part related stuff can sometimes be identifiable things, for example the meat in supermarkets. Not only seeing the meat, but also certain smells that go with it. Over time, I've taught myself to better manage things like that. Other triggers are not as easily linked, but still feel intense - for me the examples that comes to mind have to do with animal suffering.

Sometimes though, there are things that cannot ever be identified as the trigger. It could be a smell that I never consciously even pick up, a siren I may not really notice, it could be anything - or nothing. The effect can be hours later - in a dream for example. My point is that sometimes these things are knowable, sometimes they're not. For myself, in many ways, I've found the knowable ones easier to deal with. For what it's worth, dealing better with the knowable ones has had the side effect of decreasing the unknowable ones to a degree.

Over the long term, I found that if circumstances permitted, it was better for me to not fight away these images, but instead to let them be. This made things worse in the short term, sometimes a lot worse. But I think it also helped things over time. I am not suggesting that's what's best for you or anyone else. I am saying only that this has been my own experience so far.

I don't know what it is like for you Selena. No one really can. I only know what it has been like to have some horrible images and feelings of my own coming into my dreams and life. But you certainly have my empathy...

 

[Selena5473]

Thank you so much for your response. I also have triggers such as blood stains on pavement from roadkill, or like you said meat in the supermarkets. I have not been able to figure out what exactly my triggers are, but I am hoping at some point I will be able to be more in tune with them. Again, thanks for your response =]

 

[shadowchaser]

This is said with the intent of trying to lighten the situation...

With the time of year coming up at least one of your triggers isn't Santa.

 

[Selena5473]

Yes thank goodness! This is also a hard time a year for most of us suffering from PTSD, at least that's what my md and T told me. I can see how the changing of the seasons would cause more of a disturbance, with it changing from warm and sunny to dark and cold.

 

[Lionheart]

Selena,

I have found that a blood pressure medication called Prazosin works well for PTSD nightmares, you may want to check into it. It sounds as if you have the same type of disturbing nightmares that I was having. My nightmares have stopped completely as a result, so if it gets really disturbing and hard to handle, I would consider a trial run of this medicine.

Wishing you the best,
LH

 

[Selena5473]

Thank you, I will mention this to my therapist at my next appointment =]

 

[Happy Head]

Selena,

I have found that a blood pressure medication called Prazosin works well for PTSD nightmares

Yes, I was on it too for awhile but had to get off of it for unrelated reasons. It didn't make mine go away completely but it really dulled the intensity of them.

 

[Grace Hope]

Selena,

I have found that a blood pressure medication called Prazosin works well for PTSD

I think that blood pressure meds are great for my PTSD. They help control my panic attacks, help with stress levels and they help me to sleep better. They are not adictive so you can stay on them for the rest of your life if they are needed without any problems and if you only want to take them for short periods or every now and then that too is ok.

There is one issue with this type of meds .........Psychiatrists don`t like it, especially in the UK. As I was told they are not Psych meds so you can`t be prescribed them. No amount of descusion could shift the psychs view. So I lied and told her they were for a duel purpose, that my GP gave me them to help with my blood presure and that I wasn`t coming off them ever. The side effects for me are practically zero.

So Selina, I would open up talks on your symptoms and Beta Blockers with a mental health proffessional, Your GP and yourself because if they work for you then that is one big step forward.

God bless.
Clan Destany.

 

[reallydown]

I can relate to this too...Nightmares of dismembered bodies...blood everywhere etc...Most recently, they involve a soldier who was playing around with hand grenades forcing several people on the ferry (myself and family included) to put the devices in our mouths and set them off...

 

[Gamereign555]

I frequently have nightmares involving body parts, nasty wounds, violence and witnessing things like people falling or being impaled. I have never experienced many of these things myself, I just think it's within us for some reason to see these things. I take Prazosin before bedtime and it has helped quite a bit.

 

[janej32]

I also have dreams of body parts quite frequently, however my trauma has nothing to do with body parts. It's weird though, during my dreams I am not at all disturbed by the blood and limbs . What disturb's me is when I wake I don't feel a thing. One might consider these horrific nightmares but I feel nothing. Is this common or am I a total psychopath!? :S