Counseling4Less.com
        Therapy At Your Convenience
LIKE ON FACEBOOK
  • Home
    • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
  • PTSD 101
    • Who Gets PTSD?
    • Women Trauma & PTSD
    • Jackie Kennedy's Struggle with PTSD
    • CPT for PTSD (a form of cognitive behavioral therapy)
    • PTSD Self-Test
    • I Need Help Now!
  • Blog
  • LIFELINE

Dealing with Trauma Nightmares

4/26/2013

0 Comments

 
One of the most distressing symptoms of trauma can be the
nightmares it evokes.  They attack when you are peacefully asleep and off guard. Not being able to get a good night's rest can seriously compromise your mental health and make other trauma symptoms
worse.  If they persist you may even develop a fear of going to sleep.  
 
Because they are so terrifying, most people try to damp them
down and ignore them.  Actually, what needs to happen is the opposite.  These memories need to come forward and be expressed and experienced in order for you to be free of them.  Stuffing them only causes you to carry the pain longer.  It may also provoke you to develop numbing mechanisms to distract you from the pain you are ignoring; eating, drinking, taking prescription medications, shopping or spending, gambling, traveling, smoking, etc.

How do you know they are trauma dreams?  
Most trauma dreams repeat themselves over and over.  They are usually memories of what actually happened to you.  Some may take on a more symbolic form, especially if the original trauma happened a long time ago.  But most are repetitive in nature.  And most trauma dreams replay the part of the trauma which hurt you the most, which you have the most trouble dealing with, or which raises the biggest question for you. Regular nightmares that are
not related to trauma tend to be unique each time.  Naturally, there are exceptions to every rule, but this is how it generally goes. 
 
Trauma nightmares can also reflect our fears as well as what
actually happened.  You may begin to dream that members of your family get hurt. You may begin to dream that you get hurt in a way other than the actual trauma.  This is your brain expressing what it now fears, rather than what actually happened.  These dreams
provide you with important information about what you fear.  
 
Trauma nightmares are good.
What???  How could something so terrifying be good? Nightmares let you know your brain is working on the problem.  Our brains are marvelous things.  When we get hurt they act like big computers, replaying the event over and over, trying to make sense of it. 
Our brains treat traumas as problems to be solved.  In replaying the event over and over your brain is trying to figure out how to avoid getting hurt that way again.  It is trying to make sense of what happened to you.  It can find resolution by pulling those painful memories out, experiencing them, and making sense of them.  Your brain is also trying to accept what happened to you; to get used to the idea that something horrible happened and to get used to the feelings of powerlessness.  
 
Instead of ignoring them, drowning them out with sedatives or
alcohol or staying up all night to avoid sleep, treat them as vital
information.  The brain remembers that you got hurt once and is trying to give you information about where, how and when that happened so you can avoid it in the future.  It is also trying to give you information about how the trauma affected you. Dreams about family members getting hurt, or about you getting hurt in a different way let you know what fears you have developed as a result of the trauma.  Instead of viewing the brain as the enemy and trying to fight against it, treat it as an ally.  It is trying to tell you something.  
 
To work with your brain instead of against it, find ways to help
it express the memories.  First, you have to hang onto the dreams long enough to work with them.  Keeping a Dream Journal by
your bed allows you to record the dreams you were having just before you woke up.  Jotting dreams down before they fade into the ether of daily life will preserve them for you to review at a later time.  You can also look back at the journal for patterns, themes or symbols in your dreams.

Second, find a medium which is comfortable for you and see if
you can help the brain get its message to you instead of blocking it.  Paint the nightmares.  Draw the nightmares.  Journal about the nightmares.  Tell a therapist about the nightmares.  Sing the nightmares.  Tell a trusted friend about the nightmares. 
Dance the nightmares.  Using the format of self-expression most comfortable to you, pull the nightmares out and make them real.  Then ask yourself, "What message is the brain trying to send to me? 
What does it want me to know from this?"

Third, sit with the nightmare and feel the feelings which come
up.  In order to do this you may need to set a time limit and prepare a special place in your home where you feel especially safe.  By limiting the emotions to, say, 15 minutes you know there will be an end; it will not go on forever.  Many people like to set an egg timer so they hear the "ding" when the time is up.  This provides an audible cue to bring them back to the present.  Creating a safe place is unique to each individual.  Some people like to be in tight, contained spaces when feeling afraid, so they build a cozy corner of
their closet in which to cuddle.  They may put a favorite blanket, comforter, pillow or stuffed animal there.  Some people feel absolutely terror when confined to small spaces.  "Safe" to them may be to go outside and stand in the sunshine and fresh air, walk on the beach or sit on their patio.  Only you can decide what feels safe to you.  
 
Allowing your brain to bring forth painful information to be remembered and experienced has a purgative effect on your trauma symptoms.  It gets the pain outside of you so you don't have to carry it around for the rest of your life.  
However, it is absolutely crucial  that you move at your own pace and don't let others tell you when it's time to "get over it."  It's your pain.  Only you know how much it hurts and how much of it you can take at a time.  If it starts to overwhelm you; if you start to feel like you are losing it, if you start to feel suicidal or homicidal, if you start self-mutilating, if it starts to threaten your employment or supportive relationships, it is absolutely imperative that you seek outside help from a trained professional.  Be specific when you call about the type of trauma you have and ask about their experience in dealing with trauma issues.  They should have specialized knowledge and experience in treating
trauma.

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    Abuse
    Addiction
    Agoraphobia
    Benefits Of Laughter
    Bipolar Disorder
    Birth Order & Relationships
    Borderline Personality Disorder
    Caregiver Syndrome
    Childhood Abuse
    Children Of Ptsd Parent
    Child Self Esteem
    Claustrophobia
    Codependent
    Codependent Series
    Cognitive Processing Therapy
    Combat Trauma
    CPT
    Cycle Of Abuse
    Delusional Disorders
    Depression
    Dissociative Disorders
    Domestic Violence
    Dysfunctional Family
    Eating Disorders
    Emotional Abuse
    Emotional Pain/Prayer
    Enmeshment
    Goals
    Gratitude
    Grief
    Grief Affirmations
    Grief/Trauma Inventory
    H.A.L.T.
    Healing Touch
    Health Benefits Of Crying
    Healthy Boundaries
    Healthy Family Traits
    Healthy Grieving
    Histrionic
    Holiday Stress/Depression
    Life Balance
    Love
    Love Theory
    Mental Illness 101
    Narcissistic Personality Disorder
    Natural Disaster Trauma
    New Year Resolutions
    Nightmares
    Ocd
    Parentification
    Parenting
    Peaceful Parenting
    Promiscuity
    Psychopath
    PTSD
    Ptsd In Children
    Rape
    Relapse Prevention PLan
    Relationships
    Respect
    Scapegoating
    Self Care
    Self -mutilation
    Self-Respect
    Setting Boundaries
    Setting Goals
    Setting Healthy Boundaries
    Sexual Abuse
    Stockholm Syndrome
    Suicide
    Trauma
    Trauma Nightmares
    Trauma Series
    Trauma Triggers

    Beth Watson, LCSW

    I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a strong spiritual foundation providing counseling in the Tallahassee, Florida area.  My areas of interest include grief and loss, depression and anxiety, women's emotional health, trauma related issues such as PTSD, family substance abuse issues, domestic violence and family counseling including couples counseling, children and adolescent behavioral issues and parenting. Giving back is very rewarding with the growth and satisfaction of each client. It is my passion and my honor to serve others. 
    Please check out FREE counseling categories below and do drop me a note if your area of interest is not included.  Thanks for dropping by!
    Beth

    Categories

    All
    Abuse
    Addiction
    Agoraphobia
    Benefits Of Laughter
    Bipolar Disorder
    Birth Order & Relationships
    Borderline Personality Disorder
    Caregiver Syndrome
    Childhood Abuse
    Children Of Ptsd Parent
    Child Self Esteem
    Claustrophobia
    Codependent
    Codependent Series
    Cognitive Processing Therapy
    Combat Trauma
    CPT
    Cycle Of Abuse
    Delusional Disorders
    Depression
    Dissociative Disorders
    Domestic Violence
    Dysfunctional Family
    Eating Disorders
    Emotional Abuse
    Emotional Pain/Prayer
    Enmeshment
    Goals
    Gratitude
    Grief
    Grief Affirmations
    Grief/Trauma Inventory
    H.A.L.T.
    Healing Touch
    Health Benefits Of Crying
    Healthy Boundaries
    Healthy Family Traits
    Healthy Grieving
    Histrionic
    Holiday Stress/Depression
    Life Balance
    Love
    Love Theory
    Mental Illness 101
    Narcissistic Personality Disorder
    Natural Disaster Trauma
    New Year Resolutions
    Nightmares
    Ocd
    Parentification
    Parenting
    Peaceful Parenting
    Promiscuity
    Psychopath
    PTSD
    Ptsd In Children
    Rape
    Relapse Prevention PLan
    Relationships
    Respect
    Scapegoating
    Self Care
    Self -mutilation
    Self-Respect
    Setting Boundaries
    Setting Goals
    Setting Healthy Boundaries
    Sexual Abuse
    Stockholm Syndrome
    Suicide
    Trauma
    Trauma Nightmares
    Trauma Series
    Trauma Triggers

    Picture
    "Best in #SocialWork: 100 Twitter Accounts to Follow," #24

    RSS Feed

    Picture

    Archives

    September 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    March 2016
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012

    learn more here
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.