Symbolic Recurring Nightmares

[Deleted member 14228]

I used to dream about losing my teeth. The dream guides all say it represents the need to talk about a secret or something along those lines. Now the dream has morphed into profuse bleeding of the mouth. I looked it up and it has similar meaning to the tooth losing dream. But, oddly, or maybe not, the bleeding of the mouth is more representative of a traumatic medical procedure I had as a child. Anyway, recently someone told me I talked about my PTSD too much, so I just became silent again. Coincidence?

 

[wife of]

You might be onto something. Telling you that you discuss your ptsd too much certainly sounds like a smack in the mouth to me.

 

[Lionheart]

It sounds to me like you need a trustworthy person to talk with about the trauma. I think most of *us *(ptsd sufferers) have suffered in silence too long and I agree with wife of that being told you talk about it too much equals a smack in the mouth.

One of the ways we recover from our trauma is that we "talk it to death" and I think that it's a very healthy and wise thing, as long as we have a safe, trustworthy person with whom to share it. Obviously the person who told you that you talk about it too much is not a great support person for you and you may want to consider starting a trauma diary, if you haven't already done so.

Writing is very helpful for me when I don't have anyone to talk with, but I haven't had that problem since joining this forum. I have found many understanding, compassionate and supportive people here and I think you will find the same.

wishing you the best,
LH

 

[claudineriddle]

I used to have symbolic recurring dreams but than i practiced yoga sometimes and that helped me a lot.

 

[Sveta]

I have this problem too. I have had a recurring dream for at least a decade. I don't have it all the time, but when I have the dream again, it messes me up for a few days. I don't even like thinking about it much, for fear I will have the dream again.

It's not violent, but I am lost in the same place (my old high school, but it is not my high school, it is a huge maze) and I realize that I shouldn't be there, so I try to get out and there are tons of people there who don't pay attention to me and won't talk to me. They are busy.

I finally make it out and then I cannot find my car because the parking lot seems to go on forever and it's filled with cars. I wake up frantically and futilely trying to find my first car. I have no idea how old I am or who all the people are. I am just scared, helpless and frustrated.

I have slight variations, but it always is about the same.

When I was little, I had the same problem but a different nightmare. I was being chased by some man-monster in a public place (like a mall, etc) but no one could help me, no one tried. As the thing bore down upon me, I would try to scream, but nothing would come out. It was in this terror of being unable to scream that I would wake up sweating. I was not yet in kindergarten, but I remember it too well. It happened often.

 

[Mary Burgess]

I have a past history of physical abuse by my father. I have this intermittently recurring dream about being in this really weird half - finished house, and both my parents are living there ( they are both deceased now) - I can't find a job, can't get a license to work, and feel like I just can't leave...

 

[jenny72]

I used to have a recurring dream for years as a child about my Mother and siblings- a big mansion house, everything red inside....the dream was always about the same but would change a little sometimes. Now I have more symbolic dreams...like recently I had one about flies under my skin. I scratch the bump and they'd fly out and try to get back in the wound and they were too fast for me to swat!

 

[jeeps for now]

It's like losing our ability to grieve, when those around us fail to understand that anything could hurt/affect us so badly. It hasn't affected them yet. No wonder we all talk about ptsd so much.

 

[Mary Burgess]

Yeah, you are so right, Jeeps! Hard to have wounds that are so deep, that we have managed to learn how to re-arrange them just so we can live...sigh...