Warning: The content of this post might be troubling, especially to those with a sensitivity to nightmares or suicide.
I have nightmares that turn into meta-nightmares. I will be in a dream and something threatening is trying to get me. I notice that what is happening is unrealistic or nonsensical, so I tell myself I’m in a nightmare and try to wake myself up. I try yelling as loud as possible, shaking, slapping myself awake, and just telling myself over and over to wake up. I even dream that in my bed in my bedroom fighting through sleep paralysis while trying waking up, while the threat is coming to my bedroom. It’s terrifying. Many times, I wake up happy I was able to finally escape the nightmare, only to realize I’m actually still asleep and the nightmare resumes. It’s very exhausting and disappointing because I will go through many cycles per night (up to 10 times) of thinking I wake up only to be in the nightmare again. It’s like I learn to not be hopeful that it’s over.
On a few occasions where the threat was so severe that I rather die, I have killed myself in the dream, and that works but it is terrifying and I wake up as if it were really happening. I wake up breathing heavily, sweating, super confused, and scared to go back to sleep again. It’s like I’m checking if everything is real and having to come to terms that I just committed suicide in my dreams. This only happens when I know I am going to die in the nightmare and rather end it on my own terms. So while it works, it’s not really an option in nightmares where the threat isn’t certain death since they seem so real in the moment. I also don’t want to build a mental habit of committing suicide every time I’m scared for obvious reasons.
In general, the nightmares seem to come in episodes of a few months. They then go away seemingly out of nowhere, and I’m back to normal dreams. I’m currently in the beginning of a new episode, so I’m trying to prepare for the next few months. I don’t have the option to speak with a therapist. I’m looking for remedy that I can employ myself. It can be anything, but I really enjoy learning, so if there is a book or skill recommendation, I would highly appreciate it!
Any tips on how to wake up during nightmares or any other remedies?
The practice of Lucid Dreaming has allowed me to redirect nightmares successfully in most cases, there were only few instances that I could not wake up or change the nightmare’s nature. Lucid Dreaming does take practice, though, but thankfully there are a lot of books on the subject. You’ll be able to sift through the many to find the one which you vibe with the most, as the method is very individual in nature.
Secondly, at least two or three hours before bed, I make sure to only read or watch videos that are lighthearted in nature because horror or grim content can affect the dreams or nightmares you’d face during sleep. Let go of any stress or dark thoughts before going to sleep also helps, I find exorcising these thoughts with writing them down helps the most. It allows reason to smooth these thoughts and feelings over, giving them less power to shape a dreamer’s experience!
I’ll look into the lucid dreaming. I don’t really think my current situation allows for the peaceful pre-sleep period, but it should change within a few weeks. Now that you mention it, I’ve been quite stressed lately, so that may be causing the dreams. We’ll see if they go away when things change. Thank you!
You’re welcome! Stress, I find, is often the biggest contributing factor to nightmares as the mind is trying to deal with it. Sleep is often the time feelings and experiences are processed. Stress is like a shotgun blast to that processing, that overflow of feeling seems to lead to nightmares more often. When your situation changes, that pre-sleep period will be vital to managing future dreaming, it also allows one to begin to settle in a mental state suitable for Lucid Dreaming. I certainly hope this will help you sleep easier!