Awful dreams all the time

[Imonita]

I'm mid 50s and have always had bad dreams, from childhood to now. Themes have changed a bit over the years, but the relentlessness of my nightmares is unchanged. I dream about war, tsunamis, bereavement, violence, fear. I had an awful one last night about a friend of mine that died a few years ago. I woke up feeling terrible. I did have a difficult early life but have had enough therapy and counselling to write my own book on the subject. My life is actually pretty steady and uneventful these days. So why still the horrible dreams? And has anybody managed to think their way out of them some how??

I'm like you although a bit luckier as they often are only bad vivid dreams, and most of the time not quite nightmares. But they end up waking me up with a panic and raised heart rate and they don't allow me restful sleep. Most mornings I have to get going from waking in a panic.

I'm here to.support you but I sadly don't have any answers. I've tried relaxation before bedtime and, whilst it's good for me, but Im not absolutely certain it works for my "dreams".

I have the same problem! Also have recently had audible hallucinations when half asleep.

They say that bad dreams are your minds way of trying to process emotions that are too painful to process whilst you are awake.

Yes I often wake in that shock panic state. I do have ptsd that is from 30 year ago. Relaxation apps work to help me sleep but not to get a relaxed sleep. Sorry no help but you are not alone.

Have you eliminated from your diet, particularly in your evening meal, any foods which can disrupt sleep? Obvious candidates such as cheese, chocolate, nuts etc.
Also, are you able to wake naturally in the morning, or are you normally woken by an alarm? I very rarely have nightmares but do find that when I wake naturally I seldom remember my dreams, and those that I do aren't usually especially upsetting or vivid, yet when I have to set the alarm I almost always awake mid-dream as I must be in a different stage of sleep.

Just wanted to add that I don't mean to be dismissive of any possible trauma-related cause. That could of course be relevant.
Have you ever sought help from your GP, other than therapy-related They may be able to refer you to a sleep clinic. Perhaps what you've experiencing may come under the heading of night terrors, though I don't know what treatment is available for that.
I really feel for you. When I had a run of very upsetting dreams, around bereavements, they really affected me and I sometimes dreaded falling asleep in case they recurred. I hope you're able to get some sort of help.

I had a bad nightmare last night, about ghosts and demons, it was so awful I actually phoned my dad for just someone to talk to!!

I hear that you have done a lot of personal work on your past, and I am not dismissing that in any way, but in a sense I wonder if we can ever truly put a lid on it and put it away. So this is making me wonder about these dreams and their relevance in your current life and maybe connections with the past. Or maybe there is something for you about the reality of our sometimes violent and inhumane world? I don't know. Perhaps it is worth taking it back to therapy if it feels big?

I have C-PTSD.

I have also been plagued by very disturbing nightmares/night terrors. The one thing that my therapist suggested that has helped on most occasions is having a 'grounding' object on my bedside cabinet. The idea being the object will help you realise you are in the here and now.

I have one of my (non-resident) partner's worn t-shirts in the top drawer of my bedside cabinet. I keep it in a sealed bag so that his scent is as strong as it can be. He knows when I've had a really bad night when I ask him for a fresh (used!) t-shirt.

That's my object, but it could be anything that means something to you.

You have my sympathy OP, as these nightmares can drag you down mentally and emotionally.

Pray about it...it helps