I really need to know as much as I can about dreams, nightmares, and night-terrors. There are so many websites out there full of information, but none of them really have the information I'm looking for. So, if any of you are dream experts and are willing to answer my questions, please let me know.
Any Dream/Nightmare Experts Out There?
- Thread starter Angelique
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I've studied and worked with dreams for years. What sort of information are you looking for? Feel free to ask on this thread or PM me. I'll try to help.
I'm an expert at having them. Since childhood I haven't been able to sleep normally because of it.
I'm interested to see what comes of this thread.
I'm interested to see what comes of this thread.
I'm interested too. My 15 yr old daughter has had night terrors since she was a toddler. They are kinda scary because she still walks in her sleep and we have found her in some precarious situations.
Thanks guys, I think both of you could help me tremendously. I'll start off with with a few questions and then come back for more.
1. Have there been reports of people severely harming themselves in their sleep? How often does this happen? What causes it? How is it treated?
2. What is believed to be the reason you shouldn't wake someone from a night-terror? I've read that it's because they will feel as though they are being attacked, is that correct? Moreover, why doesn't hearing their name wake them? Why are they so deep in sleep that they can't be woken?
3. I have suffered from insomnia on and off, all my life, but not because of dreams. I was wondering if the symptoms of insomnia due to nightmares is different than insomnia caused by other things? How is it different?
4. Why are 90% of dreams forgotten? What are the given scientific reasons, and the mystical reasons?
5. What are the most common images in nightmares: places, things, people?
6. Most of us have heard of mythical beings said to roam through our dreams, like Freddy Krueger and Morpheus(Greek God). What are some other legends of dream-monsters, or just legends of dreams in general?
7. How does one feel when constantly plagued by nightmares? Is it hard to distinguish reality from dreams at times? Is it hard to relate to people?
8. For someone who does experience nightmares often, are the nightmares often repeats? If so, then does it get easier to remember the dream after having it repeated several times?
9. Is it frightening or embarrassing for someone who has night-terrors/nightmares often, to talk about what happens in their dreams? Why or why not?
10. What about sleepwalking? Why does it happen? Who does it? What does it feel like? How is the problem solved? Can people actually murder someone in there sleep and not know it?
1. Have there been reports of people severely harming themselves in their sleep? How often does this happen? What causes it? How is it treated?
2. What is believed to be the reason you shouldn't wake someone from a night-terror? I've read that it's because they will feel as though they are being attacked, is that correct? Moreover, why doesn't hearing their name wake them? Why are they so deep in sleep that they can't be woken?
3. I have suffered from insomnia on and off, all my life, but not because of dreams. I was wondering if the symptoms of insomnia due to nightmares is different than insomnia caused by other things? How is it different?
4. Why are 90% of dreams forgotten? What are the given scientific reasons, and the mystical reasons?
5. What are the most common images in nightmares: places, things, people?
6. Most of us have heard of mythical beings said to roam through our dreams, like Freddy Krueger and Morpheus(Greek God). What are some other legends of dream-monsters, or just legends of dreams in general?
7. How does one feel when constantly plagued by nightmares? Is it hard to distinguish reality from dreams at times? Is it hard to relate to people?
8. For someone who does experience nightmares often, are the nightmares often repeats? If so, then does it get easier to remember the dream after having it repeated several times?
9. Is it frightening or embarrassing for someone who has night-terrors/nightmares often, to talk about what happens in their dreams? Why or why not?
10. What about sleepwalking? Why does it happen? Who does it? What does it feel like? How is the problem solved? Can people actually murder someone in there sleep and not know it?
My sleepwalking felt totally like I'm asleep. I didn't know a thing until I woke up and someone told me what I did.
I don't do that anymore, but I "sleep-lie" [my word]. I try to pretend I'm awake if someone talks to me or calls me. I'm so good at it, folks have to ask me tough math questions to know if I'm awake or asleep. And I never remember any of it.
I don't know how it works. It'd be called a state of altered consciousness is about all I can tell you. What I learned has been debunked since I studied psychology.
I don't do that anymore, but I "sleep-lie" [my word]. I try to pretend I'm awake if someone talks to me or calls me. I'm so good at it, folks have to ask me tough math questions to know if I'm awake or asleep. And I never remember any of it.
I don't know how it works. It'd be called a state of altered consciousness is about all I can tell you. What I learned has been debunked since I studied psychology.
Speaking from the metaphysical viewpoint:
People often leave their bodies while they're sleeping and travel in their dream bodies. The dream body (what ancient Egyptians called Ba) is much more sensitive than the physical body. That's why things in nightmares are always way more terrifying than anything in real life. All the senses are heightened.
Even when someone is merely sleeping (without night terrors), it is a terrible sensation to be jarred awake. That's why people are cautioned to wake others in a gentle manner. Being jarred awake is a terrible shock to the system. I'm sure you've experienced that yourself. So imagine that shock when one is in the midst of a nightmare.
4. Why are 90% of dreams forgotten? What are the given scientific reasons, and the mystical reasons?
I found this link. It has some ideas on that: http://www.psychwww.com/books/interp/chap01d.htm
Basically, the more interest someone has in dreams, the more likely they are to remember them.
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When I was young, I was afraid -- not of the dark, but of what lurked somewhere in it. My fear was probably bred by the general insecurity of an unstable family. I was very happy when I got a lamp at the head of my bed so that I didn't have to race in the dark from the light switch to that warm island of safety.
I've never completely gotten over it. There are times when I start the night with a series of nightmares involving darkness, lights not turning on, and things trying to attack me. My bedcovers seem to come to life and move, pulling away to expose me. Animals turn vicious. People are talking in the next room and doors are not locked (I live alone). It is always dark. Even if I can turn on a light, it dims out. I struggle out of one nightmare and end up in another until finally normal sleep and dreams come.
These episodes seem to me closely akin to schizophrenia. They are most frequent when I am not only under the weather physically, but depressed.
My (deceased) mother and/or my obnoxious sister have plagued me in dreams that give me a feeling of lack of freedom. I have less of those as time goes on.
Then I have other sorts of bad dreams. Some of them I am sure do not originate entirely in my own mind. This is not a delusion, because I have experienced verified sharing of thoughts with friends. It's the passing strangers that realy bug me. There are things that I feel in these dreams that are very foreign to me. Ican't forget the one in which I had murdered someone and buried the body in the back yard. The intense feelings of guilt and horror clung to me all the next day. Other less realistic but equally hideous scenes occur.
To balance all that miserable crap, I also have very nice dreams, full of fun stuff, although I kind of hate the ones in which I am about to fly to some distant place. I have never flown and I don't like traveling.
Besides, I am never sure if I can pack what I need
I learned how to stop a dream when I was pretty young -- self-taught lucid dreaming -- because of the nasty ones. The flying rats were the last straw!
I've never completely gotten over it. There are times when I start the night with a series of nightmares involving darkness, lights not turning on, and things trying to attack me. My bedcovers seem to come to life and move, pulling away to expose me. Animals turn vicious. People are talking in the next room and doors are not locked (I live alone). It is always dark. Even if I can turn on a light, it dims out. I struggle out of one nightmare and end up in another until finally normal sleep and dreams come.
These episodes seem to me closely akin to schizophrenia. They are most frequent when I am not only under the weather physically, but depressed.
My (deceased) mother and/or my obnoxious sister have plagued me in dreams that give me a feeling of lack of freedom. I have less of those as time goes on.
Then I have other sorts of bad dreams. Some of them I am sure do not originate entirely in my own mind. This is not a delusion, because I have experienced verified sharing of thoughts with friends. It's the passing strangers that realy bug me. There are things that I feel in these dreams that are very foreign to me. Ican't forget the one in which I had murdered someone and buried the body in the back yard. The intense feelings of guilt and horror clung to me all the next day. Other less realistic but equally hideous scenes occur.
To balance all that miserable crap, I also have very nice dreams, full of fun stuff, although I kind of hate the ones in which I am about to fly to some distant place. I have never flown and I don't like traveling.
Besides, I am never sure if I can pack what I need I learned how to stop a dream when I was pretty young -- self-taught lucid dreaming -- because of the nasty ones. The flying rats were the last straw!
I'm going to answer a lot of your questions, but not in any particular order. Sorry.
I have nightmares several times a week, and always have (since I was a very small child). They're worse in times of high stress. For example, when I was studying for the bar exam, they were so awful that I was harming myself in my sleep (I'd wake up bleeding where I had clawed at my arms and neck, and pulled out my hair on a couple of occasions).
At that point, because I was harming myself, I finally went to the doctor about it. He suggested I meet with a psychologist, which I didn't have time for because I was working and studying for the bar. He also suggested an anxiety medication, which I declined to take because I was afraid to start something before the exam (I was paranoid that it'd affect my brain somehow and erase all my legal knowledge. Yeah, I know that's silly. )
So, I ended up just wearing gloves to bed and putting my hair in a pony-tail. The nightmares didn't go away.
I do have recurring themes to my nightmares. I often have dreams where I'm being attacked or my family members are being attacked. I also have a lot of tornado dreams. And occasionally, I dream I'm drowning. I never have the exact same dream twice, but the themes are often the same. And they're very, very graphic and real. In my tornado dreams, for example, I can actually feel the debris pounding against me and/or cutting my skin.
I once had a dream where I was being burned at the stake, along with thousands of other people. It was a field of people tied to stakes; I was somewhere in the middle of the field. The fire started from behind, so I couldn't see it coming, but I could hear the screams of the burning people behind me. The screams intensified the closer the fire got to me. I could smell the burning flesh. Eventually, the fire was close enough to me to feel its heat. Then it was close enough for my skin to blister. Then I was on fire, and writhing on the stake, screaming in pain. So, anyway, my dreams involve all the senses.
You asked about people waking a person up. I think that's a bad idea for the other person, really. I do feel like I'm being attacked, and I fight back.
I'm also an insomniac, due to nightmares. It's not as bad now, but when my life was more chaotic, I was afraid to go to sleep. Also, I've often woken in the middle of the night from a nightmare and been unable to fall back to sleep. I think it's different from other forms of insomnia because there's the fear element.
It doesn't bother me to talk about my nightmares, but a few minutes have to pass so I can calm down. Sometimes it helps to talk about it, so there's someone to remind me that no one is trying to kill me...
Being plagued with nightmares is a hassle in lots of ways. Not only is it miserable for me, but it effects those around me, particularly if I'm sharing the bed with someone. It's been an issue in relationships before.
Mostly, though, it's just something I deal with. I'm used to it now, and I've learned ways to cope. For example, I don't watch scary television programs or movies, or read scary novels, before bed; it helps a little not to fuel my imagination. Cutting caffeine has helped a bit, too. I also had to learn my limits with stress. I can handle high loads of stress in "real life"; it's only my dreams that are effected. So, now that I've learned these things, the truly horrible nightmares for me (the ones where I wake up screaming or hurt myself) are rare, and I can predict with a fair amount of accuracy when they're going to happen (high stress times), and I resort to wearing gloves to bed again. The nightmares I have regularly are far more manageable... they'd scare the hell out of other people, but I can handle them.
I do wish I knew what caused them. I've always wondered if it's somewhat hereditary. My mother and maternal grandmother also have horrible nightmares, and my grandmother also sleepwalks.
Smish
I have nightmares several times a week, and always have (since I was a very small child). They're worse in times of high stress. For example, when I was studying for the bar exam, they were so awful that I was harming myself in my sleep (I'd wake up bleeding where I had clawed at my arms and neck, and pulled out my hair on a couple of occasions).
At that point, because I was harming myself, I finally went to the doctor about it. He suggested I meet with a psychologist, which I didn't have time for because I was working and studying for the bar. He also suggested an anxiety medication, which I declined to take because I was afraid to start something before the exam (I was paranoid that it'd affect my brain somehow and erase all my legal knowledge. Yeah, I know that's silly.
)So, I ended up just wearing gloves to bed and putting my hair in a pony-tail. The nightmares didn't go away.
I do have recurring themes to my nightmares. I often have dreams where I'm being attacked or my family members are being attacked. I also have a lot of tornado dreams. And occasionally, I dream I'm drowning. I never have the exact same dream twice, but the themes are often the same. And they're very, very graphic and real. In my tornado dreams, for example, I can actually feel the debris pounding against me and/or cutting my skin.
I once had a dream where I was being burned at the stake, along with thousands of other people. It was a field of people tied to stakes; I was somewhere in the middle of the field. The fire started from behind, so I couldn't see it coming, but I could hear the screams of the burning people behind me. The screams intensified the closer the fire got to me. I could smell the burning flesh. Eventually, the fire was close enough to me to feel its heat. Then it was close enough for my skin to blister. Then I was on fire, and writhing on the stake, screaming in pain. So, anyway, my dreams involve all the senses.
You asked about people waking a person up. I think that's a bad idea for the other person, really. I do feel like I'm being attacked, and I fight back.
I'm also an insomniac, due to nightmares. It's not as bad now, but when my life was more chaotic, I was afraid to go to sleep. Also, I've often woken in the middle of the night from a nightmare and been unable to fall back to sleep. I think it's different from other forms of insomnia because there's the fear element.
It doesn't bother me to talk about my nightmares, but a few minutes have to pass so I can calm down. Sometimes it helps to talk about it, so there's someone to remind me that no one is trying to kill me...
Being plagued with nightmares is a hassle in lots of ways. Not only is it miserable for me, but it effects those around me, particularly if I'm sharing the bed with someone. It's been an issue in relationships before.
Mostly, though, it's just something I deal with. I'm used to it now, and I've learned ways to cope. For example, I don't watch scary television programs or movies, or read scary novels, before bed; it helps a little not to fuel my imagination. Cutting caffeine has helped a bit, too. I also had to learn my limits with stress. I can handle high loads of stress in "real life"; it's only my dreams that are effected. So, now that I've learned these things, the truly horrible nightmares for me (the ones where I wake up screaming or hurt myself) are rare, and I can predict with a fair amount of accuracy when they're going to happen (high stress times), and I resort to wearing gloves to bed again.
The nightmares I have regularly are far more manageable... they'd scare the hell out of other people, but I can handle them.I do wish I knew what caused them. I've always wondered if it's somewhat hereditary. My mother and maternal grandmother also have horrible nightmares, and my grandmother also sleepwalks.
Smish
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Smish, do you ever flash back to the nightmares during the day time? If so, how do you react?
And you said that it was hassle because of other people. Do people who know, or have scene you have a really bad nightmare treat you like you're unstable?
No to both questions. During the day, I'm perfectly normal.
I sometimes think about my nightmares, often searching for something to write about. That's one advantage to having vivid dreams and nightmares. I don't flash back to them in a negative way. They're only frightening while I'm having them, or just after I've woken up (before I'm fully aware of my surroundings).
And no one has ever worried about me being unstable. As I say, during the day, there really is no problem. I'm cool, calm and collected, even in stressful situations. I've never been unstable at all, so no one has to worry about it. The problems I've had with other people result from when I'm having the nightmares. Boyfriends and roommates have always felt helpless, since there's nothing they can do about them. And, sometimes, it causes sleep-deprivation for them, too -- and people who are used to getting normal amounts of sleep can be particularly cranky when they don't get their 8 hours.
I'm sure there are probably people who do flash-back to their nightmares and are prone to unstable behavior. I suspect their nightmares are due to post-traumatic-stress-disorder or a history of physical/emotional/sexual abuse. My history doesn't include anything like that, thankfully.
Research Carl Jung and his dream theories. Here is a link that summarizes (not sure how well or accurately) but if this interests you, then I'd suggest digging for more from better resources.
No to both questions. During the day, I'm perfectly normal.
I sometimes think about my nightmares, often searching for something to write about. That's one advantage to having vivid dreams and nightmares. I don't flash back to them in a negative way. They're only frightening while I'm having them, or just after I've woken up (before I'm fully aware of my surroundings).
And no one has ever worried about me being unstable. As I say, during the day, there really is no problem. I'm cool, calm and collected, even in stressful situations. I've never been unstable at all, so no one has to worry about it. The problems I've had with other people result from when I'm having the nightmares. Boyfriends and roommates have always felt helpless, since there's nothing they can do about them. And, sometimes, it causes sleep-deprivation for them, too -- and people who are used to getting normal amounts of sleep can be particularly cranky when they don't get their 8 hours.
I'm sure there are probably people who do flash-back to their nightmares and are prone to unstable behavior. I suspect their nightmares are due to post-traumatic-stress-disorder or a history of physical/emotional/sexual abuse. My history doesn't include anything like that, thankfully.
Thank you for taking the time to answer again, and I might have an answer to your question.
A friend of mine works in a hospital, and she was telling me today about a man that came in once because his nightmares had gotten out of control. He claimed to be very stable during the day, and she said from the looks of him, he was telling the truth. The doctor believed that his nightmares were a result of his ability to stay calm while awake. The doctor said that because he didn't allow himself to emotionally react to things while awake, his mind found a way to vent while he was sleeping.
And that might be the reason for your nightmare.
For me, the only time my nightmares become vivid is when my hypoglycemia isn't in check.
Oh, and there is a sleep disorder where the brain isn't regulating the normal sleep paralysis. Don't think that's a great term for it, but basically normal sleep includes your body staying still no matter what activity you're doing in your dream. If the brain doesn't kick that in, you're left smothering your spouse with a pillow or attacking the curtains because in your dream you're fighting a monster or something. That's how people can sometimes claim innocence when they've killed someone while sleeping.
That's how people can sometimes claim innocence when they've killed someone while sleeping.Oh, and there is a sleep disorder where the brain isn't regulating the normal sleep paralysis. Don't think that's a great term for it, but basically normal sleep includes your body staying still no matter what activity you're doing in your dream. If the brain doesn't kick that in, you're left smothering your spouse with a pillow or attacking the curtains because in your dream you're fighting a monster or something.
I knew I had heard something about that happening before. And I've actually studied Jung before, but not his theories on the unconscious mind.
Thank you for taking the time to answer again, and I might have an answer to your question.
A friend of mine works in a hospital, and she was telling me today about a man that came in once because his nightmares had gotten out of control. He claimed to be very stable during the day, and she said from the looks of him, he was telling the truth. The doctor believed that his nightmares were a result of his ability to stay calm while awake. The doctor said that because he didn't allow himself to emotionally react to things while awake, his mind found a way to vent while he was sleeping.
And that might be the reason for your nightmare.
For me, the only time my nightmares become vivid is when my hypoglycemia isn't in check.
That's not my situation, since I've had them my entire life, from before I was even in school. No one who knows me would say I'm emotion-less. I'm not unstable, but if I'm angry, I'll discuss my feelings. And if I'm sad or frustrated, I'll cry.
I think mine is more to do with a) an overactive imagination, and b) my personality. I work better under pressure and I love challenging myself. I've always held leadership roles; I was always the straight A student; I chose a high-stress career. In other words, I seek out challenging situations that are accompanied with a fair amount of stress.
And also, the fact that the women in my family all have vivid nightmares leads me to suspect there's something in my DNA; we must have different sleep patterns or something than the average person.
The source of nightmares is going to be different for everyone, I think. Luckily, mine aren't so bad anymore. My life is far less chaotic than it used to be.
That's not my situation, since I've had them my entire life, from before I was even in school. No one who knows me would say I'm emotion-less. I'm not unstable, but if I'm angry, I'll discuss my feelings. And if I'm sad or frustrated, I'll cry.
I think mine is more to do with a) an overactive imagination, and b) my personality. I work better under pressure and I love challenging myself. I've always held leadership roles; I was always the straight A student; I chose a high-stress career. In other words, I seek out challenging situations that are accompanied with a fair amount of stress.
And also, the fact that the women in my family all have vivid nightmares leads me to suspect there's something in my DNA; we must have different sleep patterns or something than the average person.
The source of nightmares is going to be different for everyone, I think. Luckily, mine aren't so bad anymore. My life is far less chaotic than it used to be.
I've read that heredity does have something to do with it. Night-terrors have been know to run in families. But don't think I was implying that you're heartless or anything! The word "emotionless" was used carelessly there. I think what I meant was logical. People with type A personalities tend to reason through their emotions, which is good except for in times of high anxiety. In those cases, people who rely mostly on logic don't have the time to sort through their emotions, and therefore do it subconsciously. That's what I meant.
And I am doing this for a story. It's kind of a nightmare on elm street type of thing, but different. And so I'm looking for as much information as I can get on dreams. I already have a rough outline of my main character, but I'm wanting to know how people will perceive her. That's why I'm asking so many questions.
Angelique, this may not be exactly what you're looking for, but there's a couple of books that give a good insight into the science (and other aspects) of sleep, which can give a different perspective etc on dreams and nightmares.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1851686517/?tag=absolutewrite-21
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0006551726/?tag=absolutewrite-21
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1851686517/?tag=absolutewrite-21
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0006551726/?tag=absolutewrite-21
Are you still looking? My husband has night terrors and sleep paralysis often. He's not an "expert," I guess, but he could describe to you what it's like.
Good luck with your story! I won't be able to read it, because it'll give me nightmares.
I also have sleep paralysis. So I'll try to help, too.
I've had it ever since I was a kid. To this day, I have them several times a week. They occur either as I'm falling asleep, or I wake up paralyzed. It's a totally freaky sensation. Can't move at all. Feels like you can't breathe. Often, there's also a very heavy pressure on your chest as though someone is sitting on top of you. (Fuseli's painting, The Nightmare depict this)
Since you mentioned your novel has some similarities to Nightmare on Elm Street, I thought you might also want to know that sleep paralysis is linked to Etheric Projections (OBEs) and lucid dreaming.
I've had it ever since I was a kid. To this day, I have them several times a week. They occur either as I'm falling asleep, or I wake up paralyzed. It's a totally freaky sensation. Can't move at all. Feels like you can't breathe. Often, there's also a very heavy pressure on your chest as though someone is sitting on top of you. (Fuseli's painting, The Nightmare depict this)
Since you mentioned your novel has some similarities to Nightmare on Elm Street, I thought you might also want to know that sleep paralysis is linked to Etheric Projections (OBEs) and lucid dreaming.
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I have sleep paralysis, though it's not as frequent as it used to be. I also have a couple nightmares per night. I remember them, though I rarely remember the regular dreams. Interesting subjects.
I practice lucid dreaming, so that might be why my sleep paralysis has actually increased through the years.
This is some good stuff, I'll have to research it.
Since you practice lucid dreaming, would you explain the process to me. And maybe some of the dreams you had because of it--if you don't mind sharing.