question about nightmare..

[Hear Again]

Maybe it's simply controlling the breathing within the dream, not physically outside of it. The same way that the "eyes opening" could have been a dream that felt extremely real, maybe something is happening inside of the dream that feels like it has external physical components as well. I know that I've had dreams where I felt more aware of myself and more in control of my body, even if that didn't mean that I actually was "outside" of the dream, maybe it's something like that.

PS, I think dreams are really cool.

that makes sense.

i'm fascinated by dreams too.

 

[Hear Again]

There is such a thing as lucid dreaming where you are conscious and aware of the dream as it's happening. Oftentimes really bad nightmares or flashbacks are lucid where you are aware of it and may even think it's really happening again.

i didn't know flashbacks could be lucid. don't flashbacks occur when someone loses touch with reality? for example, they see an image in their mind, smell certain scents and/or hear voices and sounds that remind them of the situation responsible for causing the flashback in the first place? whenever i experience flashbacks, i lose touch with reality and it isn't until they stop that i'm fully aware of my surroundings.

 

[jillio]

is it possible to experience a dream and avoid something you know will happen in it?

for example, if i'm having a dream about being chased by someone who intends to do harm, it is possible for me to make the decision to avoid that by waking up?

You would naturally wake up before the harm was done. The fight or flight response floods your body adrenaline, and it causes it to come out of the sleep state.

But if you are talking about programing yourself to not have a specific dream, there are some schools of thought that use a form of self affirming statements repeated as one falls asleep, but it hasn't really been very successful. What is most successful,in the case of ongoing and chronic nightmares, is psychotherapy that gets to the reason the nightmare is ocurring and then dealing with the repressed situation and feelings that are causing the nightmare.

 

[Hear Again]

How about people that act out their dreams or sleepwalk? I think I read in my psychology book that the paralyzing hormones are released for most but not all people. (I would go check but I can't read my textbook anymore.)

both of these situations are involuntary and people are unaware of these behaviors happening until they are brought to their attention by others. i used to sleepwalk as a child, but never had any recollection of doing it.

 

[jillio]

i didn't know flashbacks could be lucid. don't flashbacks occur when someone loses touch with reality? for example, they see an image in their mind, smell certain scents and/or hear voices and sounds that remind them of the situation responsible for causing the flashback in the first place? whenever i experience flashbacks, i lose touch with reality and it isn't until they stop that i'm fully aware of my surroundings.

Yes, right. One is conscious during a flashback, but they also believe that the sutation their flashback is related to is actually occuring. For example, a veteran that has PTSD might have a flashback triggered by the sound of a helicopter overhead, and falshback to Vietnam. He actually believes that he is in the jungle, and his behavior is such that he would have had if he were.

 

[jillio]

nika,

i've tried using deep breathing techniques to help with my flashbacks, but they don't work. i experience what is called hypervigilence (according to my tdoc) where i'm overly sensitive to my environment, sounds around me and have a severe startle response. i lose touch with reality when i have a flashback and cannot hear anything around me. it's almost as if i'm having an auditory hallucination except that i do not hear voices (unless i'm experiencing auditory hallucinations specifically related to the situations that cause my flashbacks).

You are in an altered state of consciousness. Flashbacks do involve hallucinations for some.

 

[Hear Again]

You would naturally wake up before the harm was done. The fight or flight response floods your body adrenaline, and it causes it to come out of the sleep state.

are there situations where a person could continue to experience violence in a nightmare or does a person always wake up before this happens because of the fight or flight mechanism? off-hand, i can't recall whether or not i've ever been harmed in a nightmare. however, i do know i've re-experienced the situations that were responsible for causing my flashbacks and nightmares.

But if you are talking about programing yourself to not have a specific dream, there are some schools of thought that use a form of self affirming statements repeated as one falls asleep, but it hasn't really been very successful. What is most successful,in the case of ongoing and chronic nightmares, is psychotherapy that gets to the reason the nightmare is ocurring and then dealing with the repressed situation and feelings that are causing the nightmare.

interesting.

 

[jillio]

are there situations where a person could continue to experience the threat of violence in a nightmare or does a person always wake up before this happens because of the fight or flight mechanism? off-hand, i can't recall whether or not i've ever been harmed in a nightmare. however, i do know i've re-experienced the situations that were responsible for causing my flashbacks and nightmares.



interesting.

No, its kind of like dreaming that you are falling. You always wake up before you hit the ground. Dreaming that for instance, someone was going to stab you, you would wake up before you dreamed that the knife had pierced the flesh. And yes, if it is a situation that is causing your nightmares and flashbacks, it is possible to re-live that situation in a nightmare, but usually it is through symbols rather than an actual re-inaction.

 

[SeanB]

Exactly. You may dream that you are controlling your breathing, but it is all part of the dream.

That's one thing I've been wondering about. That would prove that every aspect we can control consciously when awake is automatically subconsciously controlled while asleep. To put it another way, I have sworn to control and do certain things when I dream, but it's just not possible. It's pretty much a movie, starring you and your nightmare characters, that's already been scripted. One thing I've noticed is that lucid dreams, which you can remember controlling while still being semi-awake are more of a fantasizing sort.

 

[jillio]

That's one thing I've been wondering about. That would prove that every aspect we can control consciously when awake is automatically subconsciously controlled while asleep. To put it another way, I have sworn to control and do certain things when I dream, but it's just not possible. It's pretty much a movie, starring you and your nightmare characters, that's already been scripted. One thing I've noticed is that lucid dreams, which you can remember controlling while still being semi-awake are more of a fantasizing sort.

Absolutely. Lucid dreams are a form of dissociation.

 

[Hear Again]

Yes, right. One is conscious during a flashback, but they also believe that the sutation their flashback is related to is actually occuring. For example, a veteran that has PTSD might have a flashback triggered by the sound of a helicopter overhead, and falshback to Vietnam. He actually believes that he is in the jungle, and his behavior is such that he would have had if he were.

when someone experiences a flashback, can they see anything around them and/or hear sounds in their environment? i'm totally blind, so i don't see anything around me, but i don't hear anything either because of the auditory hallucinations.

 

[SeanB]

are there situations where a person could continue to experience violence in a nightmare or does a person always wake up before this happens because of the fight or flight mechanism? off-hand, i can't recall whether or not i've ever been harmed in a nightmare. however, i do know i've re-experienced the situations that were responsible for causing my flashbacks and nightmares.

One thing I've experienced when I was younger was when I fell off the bed (yup, I was a l'il bed wrangler! LOL), I'd hit my head on the wall. Now at that point, I'm still dreaming, but did not know I hit my head on the wall. So at that instance, my mind actually came up with an out of the blue sucker punch while I was dreaming, although in reality, my head hit the wall!

 

[jillio]

when someone experiences a flashback, can they see anything around them and/or hear sounds in their environment? i'm totally blind, so i don't see anything around me, but i don't hear anything either because of the auditory hallucinations.

Depends on the severity, but generally, if someone is experiencing a flashback and they are aware of their surroundings, they are also misinterpreting their surroundings. For instance, believing that someone trying to help them is really trying to hurt them.

 

[SeanB]

when someone experiences a flashback, can they see anything around them and/or hear sounds in their environment? i'm totally blind, so i don't see anything around me, but i don't hear anything either because of the auditory hallucinations.

I rarely have them, but in my experience, it's one of those time warp situations. It lasts a split second, but in my mind, I had viewed a minute's worth of the entire motion. I think people would say "Whoa! That's like deja vu dude!" LOL

 

[Hear Again]

No, its kind of like dreaming that you are falling. You always wake up before you hit the ground. Dreaming that for instance, someone was going to stab you, you would wake up before you dreamed that the knife had pierced the flesh. And yes, if it is a situation that is causing your nightmares and flashbacks, it is possible to re-live that situation in a nightmare, but usually it is through symbols rather than an actual re-inaction.

since i'm totally blind, i do not experience nightmares through symbols. instead, i experience them through the tactile sense (touch, smells and floating in space from one place to another). most of the nightmares i have that center around the situations responsible for causing my flashbacks occur as a re-enactment where i relive what happened to me and hear the voices of those responsible for creating those situations. sometimes if i hear people arguing during the day (which also sets off my flashbacks and nightmares), i'll experience a nightmare where a stranger or family member reacts the same way only their behavior is directed at me.

 

[Hear Again]

I rarely have them, but in my experience, it's one of those time warp situations. It lasts a split second, but in my mind, I had viewed a minute's worth of the entire motion. I think people would say "Whoa! That's like deja vu dude!" LOL

that's exactly what it feels like. i don't know how long my flashbacks last (although i'm sure they don't last any longer than a minute), but i know for however long they do occur i can't hear anything.

 

[jillio]

since i'm totally blind, i do not experience nightmares through symbols. instead, i experience them through the tactile sense (touch, smells and floating in space from one place to another). most of the nightmares i have that center around the situations responsible for causing my flashbacks occur as a re-enactment where i relive what happened to me and hear the voices of those responsible for creating those situations. sometimes if i hear people arguing during the day (which also sets off my flashbacks and nightmares), i'll experience a nightmare where a stranger or family member reacts the same way only their behavior is directed at me.

Those touches, smells, and that floating or flying would be considered to be a symbol.

 

[Hear Again]

Depends on the severity, but generally, if someone is experiencing a flashback and they are aware of their surroundings, they are also misinterpreting their surroundings. For instance, believing that someone trying to help them is really trying to hurt them.

thanks for the explanation. that makes perfect sense. i know the same thing has happened to me whenever i hear the voices of those who were responsible for what happened to me and when someone in my environment touches me it's almost as if the flashback becomes that much more real.

 

[jillio]

One thing I've experienced when I was younger was when I fell off the bed (yup, I was a l'il bed wrangler! LOL), I'd hit my head on the wall. Now at that point, I'm still dreaming, but did not know I hit my head on the wall. So at that instance, my mind actually came up with an out of the blue sucker punch while I was dreaming, although in reality, my head hit the wall!

LOL. Kids are more likely to have periods of muscle activity while in REM sleep. They are also more likely to sleepwalk. It has to do with the brain not being fully matured. The majority simply outgrow it as their brain matures.

 

[Hear Again]

Those touches, smells, and that floating or flying would be considered to be a symbol.

interesting. if i hear voices in my nightmares, is that also symbolic?