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I wanted to take a moment to talk about what can be seen as the negative side of exploring your dreams, nightmares. This has been on my mind since I woke up this morning from a series of particularly scary dreams. Personally, my dreams and my nightmares have always been very vivid, colorful, and sense-filled. For example, last nights’ dreams were filled with violence and blood. I could see the bright red, smell the tangy metallic scent, and even (ewwww) taste the hot liquid in my mouth. It was not pleasant. However, particularly good dreams filled with delicious food, pleasurable experiences, and shared moments with loved ones seem that much more vivid.
So how can one embrace their dream life completely and include nightmares without being negatively impacted by them? Depending on the individual this can be difficult. I have spoken to many people throughout the years who have no memory of nightmares or even particularly bad dreams or have them so infrequently it never causes them pause. There are many others; however, that nightmares can be a nightly occurrence causing them significant stress related to just going to bed.
No matter which side of the spectrum you fall on, nightmares can be lessened or sometimes avoided altogether by understanding what causes them. The main cause of nightmares is turmoil in your waking life. If you are under stress and are not resolving it or handling it appropriately while awake, your brain will often use itself to work things out while you sleep. Simply acknowledging your daily stresses and incorporating meditation, yoga, deep breathing, biofeedback, or other stress management will significantly lower your chances of waking up in a scare sweat.
Occasionally, nightmares are caused by a past hurt, trauma, or significant event that has not been dealt with completely in your waking life. This can include abuse that you suffered as a child, a car accident or house fire, or even the loss of a loved one. At times, nightmares may be the way for your brain to bring up these events for you to first remember them and then deal with them appropriately. We remember so much more inside our minds than we access in our wakeful states.
The last cause of nightmares we’ll talk about is drug related. If you are taking medications (or illegal drugs) a frequent side effect is nightmares. Take a look at your medication information and inform your Dr. of your nightmares on your next visit.
When you are haunted or plagued by nightmares remember to write down what you can as soon as you wake up in your dream journal. Look for clues as to what symbols, people, and events may mean in your personal life. For instance, last night the main characters in my dream were my sister and I, the ghost of my grandmother, and then various family members and people I have met throughout my life. My sister and I were working together to escape from the people around us guided by my grandmother’s ghost but everyone was armed with long butcher knives and there was a lot of stabbing. Every time we thought we had escaped, the scenario would begin again, it was truly horrid.
In my waking life I am mourning the fact that my sister, possibly the closest person to me, is moving to a different state with her family to pursue a new job. While I am happy for her I also feel abandoned a bit. We had a difficult childhood, our Grandparents were the one bright spot in it so it makes sense my Grandmother would be guiding us as we work together to face the world, but we are never truly successful and I believe that is because we are to soon be separated in the waking world.
Understanding the meaning in your nightmares takes away the power of fear they have over you.
Last week our home was broken into and most of our valuable possessions were stolen. To make it even worse the theives trashed the place, dumping drawers and boxes and clearing out closets onto the floor. To say that we felt vulnerable, angry, and violated would be an understatement. These emotions are normal and healty(?) and are just the tip of the iceburgh when dealing with this type of event.
cynedra