Nightmares: Room for Growth?

Thank you for stopping to read today's blog on Nightmares. You can also view the video blog version below. Learn what it means to embrace your nightmares; what it means to process and grow from the new knowledge they hold. Enjoy!

When we are moving through challenges or changes, we process these on all levels. How we deal with the changes and how we effectively process them can impact our sleep. In one way, we may manifest sleep disturbances via bad dreams or nightmares.

When we have a nightmare, it evokes feelings of distress, anxiety and fear. Nightmares generally induce complete or partial wakefulness, and people tend to remember them in more detail than normal dreams. Most people have a nightmare—a really serious nightmare, that is—only a few times in their lives. These dreams generally refer to emotional challenges relating to an issue they are too scared to explore while awake. The nightmare is a trigger for them to talk about it from a safer distance, thereby releasing what mental blockages were initially holding them back from exploring. Persistent or repetitive nightmares, however, can be a cause for a deeper concern, as not only do they lead to sleep disorders, but can be both the cause and effect of deeper psychological problems.

It would be easy to use the term “treat,” but in reality nightmares are opportunities to awaken our conscious mind to what our subconscious is trying to communicate as important areas needing nurturing. So remember that while you are not “treating,” the following is a list of approaches that can help you to relieve the stress around the nightmares you may have been having.

• Children, it seems, are more prone to nightmares than adults; further, their nightmares usually revolve around being chased by an animal. Just as with adults, these nightmares are the result of hidden phobias or fears. The animals in their dreams may represent people of whom they are scared. In some cases nightmares may also be the cause of bullying or abuse by an older child or adult. When your child begins to tell you about a nightmare, have him talk about it in his own way and use his own language. If it seems he is having difficulty expressing the nightmare, suggest he draw it. The key is to allow the child a safe environment in which to release the stress he is physically feeling. You may even want to suggest going for a walk with the child while he is chatting about the nightmare. Keeping his body busy will allow his “ego” to be occupied and empower the subconscious to step forth and provide the key information you are seeking.
• In adults, drugs/medication or rapid withdrawal from them may also cause nightmares. Physical illnesses and digestion problems may also cause nightmares. The nightmares, again, are the side effect of the trigger: the physical body is now trying to deal with a change or transition, and for it to occur safely the emotional outlet needs to be expressed. For the most part, knowing the individual is going through a physical detox means the nightmares will subside once the detoxification is complete. Be aware of themes which may reoccur, as these could be indications of what triggered the original addiction.
• Vivid or detailed nightmares, however, could be the cause of a childhood trauma or suppressed phobias or fears in adults. When you are ready to deal with a trauma of the past that was suppressed, then the nightmares can be used as a trigger to begin shedding light on the past to invoke an opportunity for healing and moving through the stages necessary to find closure.
• Assault, experiencing emotional or physical trauma, witnessing violent acts or events, etc., can also cause nightmares. For instance, combat veterans, blast survivors, victims of sexual assault, etc., often have nightmares in which they experience the same traumatic event over and over again. The key here is allowing the individual a safe environment in which to continue the process of moving through the different levels of emotions attached to the experience she’s been through. The nightmares are again an opportunity to awaken the whole being to what has happened and not suppress or downplay the effect it had or has on the other elements of the individual. Remember that our minds impact our physical and energetic bodies just as our energetic body impacts our mental body.
• We’ve all had them, but some of us need to process stressful situations in everyday life such as loss of job, pregnancy, work stress, relationship problems, etc., differently. And as a result, these also may cause nightmares.

One healing approach to consider is Past Life Regression. PLR experts believe that traumatic memories of our previous lives that need to be released may also manifest themselves in the form of nightmares.

To discern the real reason for your nightmares, you need to try to analyze them objectively. See if you can relate them to the events in your waking life. Take note of the emotions the nightmare is evoking and make a list of the images or themes which stood out. As in any situation, you are never alone to work through these. If the nightmares continue or if you awaken to a realization that there is a deeper issue, you may need to talk to a therapist or psychiatrist about these realizations to ensure they don’t start affecting your physical and mental health.

Until next time, embrace your inner wisdom.

Namaste,
Karen