• 💖 [Donate To Keep MyPTSD Online] 💖 Every contribution, no matter how small, fuels our mission and helps us continue to provide peer-to-peer services. Your generosity keeps us independent and available freely to the world. MyPTSD closes if we can't reach our annual goal.

Trauma nightmares causing bed wetting in adulthood, is this normal?

Status
Not open for further replies.
I’m no stranger to my body reacting physically to trauma. Just this week I threw up multiple times in my therapists office after recanting the stories of my childhood sexual abuse and rape. But last night something odd happened. I had a really vivid dream of being raped. And I woke up and I had peed/ wet the bed. This hasn’t happened to me in over thirteen years. Since I am now an adult. It’s embarrassing and kinda scary to loose control of myself like that.
 
Nothing to be embarrassed about. It happens to the best of us when we are frightened enough. I used to have some very disturbing PTSD nightmares as they tap into the primal fears of a child being violated, so I have to agree with what Rumors has said.....it is not permanent and it is not your fault!!!
 
I’m no stranger to my body reacting physically to trauma. Just this week I threw up multiple times in my therapists office after recanting the stories of my childhood sexual abuse and rape. But last night something odd happened. I had a really vivid dream of being raped. And I woke up and I had peed/ wet the bed. This hasn’t happened to me in over thirteen years. Since I am now an adult. It’s embarrassing and kinda scary to loose control of myself like that.
Update, it’s happened multiple times in the past week. I’ve resorted to adult diapers. They help with the mess. But I’m still so embarrassed about it all. Thank you for your kind words everybody
 
Ok.. well before you attribute it directly to your therapy and trauma time to go and get checked out by your doctor.

Rule out a physical cause for this sudden onset and once that is no longer a possibility return to the concept that it is attached to your trauma etc.

I tend to think if your reactions are so vivid/traumatic during sleep then this needs intervention.

Have you commenced any new medications or increased dosages?

I understand that sometimes it can be a fleeting reaction to the therapeutic process but don't take for granted that it is. Tell your therapist, tell you gp.

In the meantime, a full bladder at bedtime is obviously going to exacerbate the problem. Can you set your phone alarm to wake you one or two times each night to prompt you to go to the bathroom. I know that this means you are being woken and that's not nice or healthy. But neither is this symptom.
 
I have had this happen. I started meditating before bed and talking with myself, specifically the peeing part of myself, if that makes sense. It went away. I hope this helps.
 
It could just mean your body is releasing the tension and you will have to relearn a lot of things that your body was too busy to do while under the survivor mode. It could really mean you are safe. One of my sister had this happened to her the first time she fell in love in her 20s and it was the beginning of adulthood and away from our parents.
 
I've had problems with this my whole life. As a teen they put me on pills because they thought it was a hormonal problem (Which obviously was not the case). Since I've found a sleep hygiene routine that works for me, I haven't had issues with it. I know it's a different journey for everyone, but hopefully it is comforting to know you are not alone.
 
Yes. You're not alone! I also wet the bed when I was homeless. The stress was overwhelming I guess.
 
Consider taking your regular meds as early in the evening as possible and stop liquids after dinner (except for water w meds) by around 6pm. Stop caffeine by noon as well as any cafeinated drinks-especially if you get up at night to pee anyway. If you try that....and it helps.....no loss.. but doc will probably tell you to cut back liquids and caffeine....so I'd give it a try first in combination with a self-talk to that "part of you" that is having the trouble. Good luck with that.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top