Hi scout86,
A long time ago I learned that a specific type of nightmare meant that it was a memory. It took me awhile to decode the difference between nightmares which stemmed from the PTSD and nightmares which were about the abuse. They started off a different way. The connection for me was nursery school/nursing school. For me, it was code for a memory not a PTSD nightmare. The reason for the nursery school nightmares was the relationship with my father started when my brother was in nursery school and I wanted to go with him. Only I realized I never went with my brother to nursery school. My mother lied to me about going to nursery school and coming home upset and never wanting to go back there. What really happened? She dropped me off to spend time with my father. I never went to nursery school with my brother. I came home from my father's place repeating a series of words again and again. They described what I witnessed my father doing, skinning and killing two people.
The nursing school part of the nightmare/memory came about from my time in nursing school and a trip I took the first summer of school. I went with my best friend to the East Coast. During my whole time there I was sick. I now know these were anxiety and panic attacks. The moment I left the East Coast and boarded an airplane all of my symptoms subsided. However when I got back to nursing school classes in September, I could no longer function as I did before. Seeing bodies which were injured, broken bones, ill, etc. triggered me and yet I had no idea why. That was the first time I entered therapy. I had a nervous breakdown and cried for three weeks straight.
I sent my short anecdotal addendum to the state police. And received an email in which one detective stated he was confused about why I sent it. Ahhhhh. I forgot that they probably don't know the story from the beginning. So I sent another email with the missing pieces of information so we'd be on the same page. A bad habit which I obviously need to keep fighting against; stop starting conversations in the middle.