Trapped within lucid nightmares/dreams

Charmed · 10-07-2016, 10:32 PM

Hi, sorry for yet another post. I have PTSD symptoms from past trauma and recently I've been having completely insane dreams. I've always had nightmares most nights, that's normal for me and I can mostly deal with it. But I've started being trapped in my dreams and having dreams within dreams.

I realise this may sound completely crazy. But I literally feel like I'm in inception and I don't know what to do. I'm going to try and explain to see if anyone would make sense of this, it might be quite long and complicated but I really would appreciate any thoughts.

I'll start a normal dream, and then events of a nightmare with occur, after stuff or happened or sometimes in between, I realise I'm dreaming (like lucid dreaming I guess) and wake myself by pinching myself, throwing water on myself etc. But I don't actually wake myself, I've woken myself up into another dream. So I think I'm awake, but then events of the nightmare happen again, and I therefore think this is actually happening in real life. I eventually realise this is yet another dream, so 'wake myself up' but again I've woken myself up into another dream.

This happens multiple time, where I'm having 4 or 5 dreams within dreams each with different scenarios, ie in difference places or different situations, but all around the same trauma. I literally feel as though I'm trapped in my dreams. I can't wake myself up and I can't escape the nightmares. It also makes it incredibly hard to know what is real and what isn't, whether I'm dreaming or not, did things happen or did i dream them etc?

I'm sorry I know this is incredibly long, but thank you of you managed to read. I would really appreciate any replies, or advice on how to wake myself up. Or how to understand reality. I've tried lots of different things, but none work to wake myself up. And Google hasn't been much help. People have said lucid dreaming can help PTSD but I feel like that's really not the case right now. Sorry it's just very frightening and I feel like I've completely lost my mine. Thank you if you managed to read all this.

Bellatrix · 10-07-2016, 10:59 PM

I don't have advice but I experience this too and can empathise.

Sending love.

Uglyducklin · 11-07-2016, 11:42 AM

Hugs I don't have advice but I get this too. Xx

Charmed · 11-07-2016, 01:40 PM

Tha k you both <3

Do you find anything that helps?

I have a doctors appointment soon, I thought maybe it was med related. I'm hoping its meds related. I don't really know.

Uglyducklin · 11-07-2016, 06:09 PM

Hi Charmed my therapist did a treatment protocol designed to address nightmares I forget the name of it though. It reduced them for a while but they have increase lately but that may be due to a lot of new memories resurfacing .

Charmed · 12-07-2016, 11:42 PM

Thank you both. They said it probably isn't meds. Which is just upsetting. It would be easier.

I'm not okay. I know this isn't the place or time. But things aren't okay right now. They were. But not now. I'm sorry.

Jessie thank you. I'll ask about that. I just need a break. I need it all to end for a bit. Can I just be unconscious not sleep, just unconscious. That would be okay.

Uglyducklin · 13-07-2016, 11:17 PM

Hugs I'm so sorry I have just seen this . I hope you are safe xx

Epicene · 14-07-2016, 03:25 PM

I'm here for you lovely. Youre not on your own with this. Sorry for having so few words.

Charmed · 17-07-2016, 07:53 PM

Thanks all. Maybe I just need to accept that this happens. Sorry. I kind of freaked out. But maybe it's okay.

Charmed · 17-08-2016, 09:38 PM

I'm sorry to bump this again.

The nightmares are getting worse and I literally don't know what to do. It's awful and I don't know how to stop them or make it better. I don't know when I'm awake. Or what's real. Or what's happening.

I want to stop taking my meds. But the last time I did that didn't go to well for me. But I literally can't cope. I have a lot of other stuff I'm struggling with right now. And I just can't. It's all to much. I'm terrified. And I'm tired. And I'm trapped. I want to die just so I can escape.

I'm sorry. If anyone has any advice on how to handle this or reduce it or even just deal with it better? I don't know what to do.

Wonderland. · 21-08-2016, 04:19 PM

That sounds so horrible Hannah *gentle hugs*

One thing I wonder is how your sleep hygiene is. I mean I imagine with all this going on, sleep is not going to be something you look forward to. But if you are as relaxed as you can be before sleep then perhaps it may ease the dreams/nightmares a bit. And sleep hygiene could help with this.

I definitely wouldn't recommend stopping your meds. Do you think it would help to talk to your psych about things?

In terms of not knowing when things are real or not, I guess in the moment you could try grounding techniques if there is that confusion.

Much love <3

Bellatrix · 24-08-2016, 04:06 AM

Can you reality check? Like get yourself a clock and a diary and confirm date and time then focus on working out if it's possible your nightmares are actually true or if they're likely to be dreams? I find having a projection clock on the ceiling helpful because when I wake up from a nightmare I can say, well it's 5:25am and in my dream it was day time so I know it's not real.